Wednesday Night Bible Study
by Billy McCool
January 12, 2022 · First Apostolic Church of Knoxville (Knoxville, TN)
Kind: sermon
Scripture: Matthew 4:13, Matthew 13:54-58, Luke 4:16-43, Matthew 8:5-13, Matthew 11:23, Revelation 3:20, Song of Solomon 5:2-6, Ecclesiastes 8:11, Revelation 2:21, Romans 2:4

Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/billy-mccool--wednesday-night-bible-study-127
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 we greet you tonight in that wonderful name of the lord jesus christ the only name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved and it's good to see all of you here tonight of course as pastor anthony has already stated pastor mark mccool said to jamie they're not up there having a leisure night they're probably working very very hard getting ready for marriage retreat i've often thought about that maybe they don't we don't need to call that marriage retreat we might have called that marriage maintenance and because that's what it's designed for that uh we can maintain our marriages it's very important that we work on it and stay alert to our uh mate and our obligation and you got to keep the the fire kindle tonight i'd uh i have a subject on my heart that i want to leave with you and um i want to read one verse of scripture and before i give you my title matthew 4 13 and leaving nazareth he came and dwelt in capernaum which is upon the seacoast in the borders of zebulon and nephilim and the term and leaving nazareth stuck with me as i did a little research on that leaving that's that is normally a common word leaving knoxville going to nashville takes about three hours or so four or three hours probably and it just denotes that you're leaving one place and going to another place but this word leaving in the greek is catalapu and if i didn't tell you any different you'd think i was a greek scholar but i'm that's my pronunciation it means to leave down behind to abandon to forsake it's a different word than just leaving home going to the grocery store and be back tonight but this word leaving nazareth when it said and he was talking of jesus and leaving nazareth that meant he was abandoning i'm gone uh now remember nazareth is where he was brought up from infancy to to 30 years of age he spent three decades in nazareth and uh then they uh there was three years after that before his crucifixion and it's important to understand what i'm talking about and the reason i'm putting uh importance upon this leaving nazareth now we i know between here in uh johnson city uh there's a sign of daniel boone was was born so far from here and uh there's uh brother jimmy the best can tell you what andrew jack where andrew jackson was born and andrew johnson was born the hermitage and uh illinois is known as the land of lincoln where lincoln was was born and the every city that has a a notable character they like to boast and and take great pride in the fact that's where that person is from in tupelo mississippi there's a house there and they have they've memorialized it the the house where elvis presley was born and in nashville they've got the the uh mansion that there was presley bought and lived in and you can go there and it's become a scenic attraction in memphis so there there are certain places all over the country you pass by and and they're so delighted and so with such pride uh display the name of that person was born here this president was born here and this and that and the other and great leaders but now jesus was born in bethlehem but his hometown was nazareth and he spent some 30 years in nazareth and that and yet when i read this and it dawned on me that he was leaving he was abandoning his hometown where he had spent 30 years now not just just leaving from but he was abandoning nazareth what why what in the world and and leaving and leaving leaving nazareth and then my topic tonight is is is leaving nazareth why was this in a nationally televised address in the evening of august the 8th 1974 richard nixon announced he would resign the office of president effective at noon on friday august the 9th august the 9th marine one helicopter took off from the white house to andrews air force base in maryland at andrews base he boarded air force one to el toro marine corps air station in california and then to his new home in san clemente but i noticed something here this this was very important in mid-flight promptly at noon august the 9th 1974 over the state of missouri air force one commander radioed the control tower that this plane is no longer air force one but boeing 28 000 for the president of the united states is no longer aboard this plane therefore this plane is no longer air force one with all the amenities safeguards luxuries presidential staff air force one was no longer air force one because the man aboard had ceased to be president of the united states nazareth was was the hometown of joseph and mary here is where the angel announced the virgin mary the birth of messiah here jesus grew up from his infancy to manhood but now then he is abandoning nazareth why was he abandoning nazareth we wouldn't want anybody that's so well known to abandon our city well we're going to explore that just a little bit matthew 13 54 and when he was come into his own country that was nazareth he taught them in their synagogue in as much that they were astonished and said when saith this man this wisdom and these mighty works is not this the carpenter's son is not his mother called mary and his brethren james and joseph and simon and judas his sisters are they not all with us whence then hath this man all these things now if you stop reading right there you you can see that they uh they were the the hometown of the most famous person that has ever lived you think about having the most popular the most famous the most powerful creature that ever lived is in your hometown and yet they said is not this joseph's son said we know his uh brothers we know his sisters are they not all with us whence then had this man these things were they proud were they delighted did they give him the key to the city were they pleased with him and they were offended in him but jesus said unto them a prophet is not without honor saved in his own country and in his own house and he did not many mighty works there why because of their unbelief think about it for just a minute would you like to have such a powerful and wonderful person creature to leave your city let's go to luke chapter 4 start verse 16 and he came to nazareth where he had been brought up and as his custom was he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day and stood and stood up for to read and there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet isaiah and when he had opened the book he found the place where it was written the spirit of the lord is upon me because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted to preach deliverance to the captives and to recover the sight to the blind and to set at liberty them that are bruised would you like to have a person like that in your church in your city the spirit of the lord is upon me and he's anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor my my what a wonderful thing to be saying preach deliverance to the captives recovering the sight to the blind to set at liberty them that are bruised to preach the acceptable year of the lord and he closed the book and gave it to the minister and set down and the eyes of all them they were in the synagogue were fastened on him and he began to say unto them this day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears and they all bear him witness and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth and they say is not this joseph's son and he said unto them let's stop again they turned and looked at one another and they were they were they were marveling at what gracious words he was saying well we seen that kid grow up followed around after his daddy's daddy run the carpenter shop up the street here and he followed along after his his daddy and and now remember up to this time no miracles no nothing he was just a from a from an infant growing up teenager growing up and and and and that they'd seen him they knew his brothers they knew his sisters and and sure they they all knew about him for for 30 years and when he began to speak they said what gracious words he's saying isn't that marvelous and that was wonderful but then he said this day the is fulfilled in your ears you will surely say unto me this proverb physician healed thyself whatsoever we have heard done in capernaum do also here in thy country and he said verily i say unto you no prophet is accepted in his own country they knew him too well he was too common and they they they they knew him as joseph's son they knew him as his brothers and sisters and just another teenager growing up but now then they've got to see him in a new light he's more than what they thought he was he's far more than joseph's son he's far more than a brother to his sisters and his brothers and he said you're going to surely say that physician heal yourself i said to you no prophet is accepted in his own country but i tell you the truth many widows were in israel in the days of elias when the heaven was shut up three years or six months when great famine was throughout all the land but none of them was elias sent saved to serepta a city of sidon unto a woman that was a widow now wait a minute now we're getting into some sticky grounds here he's talking about this day this scripture is fulfilled in your ears no prophet is accepted in his own country and then he brings about elias and when he prayed the heavens opened up and how he was sent to a widow but the thing of it is this widow woman was not of their religious persuasion she wasn't a jew she was a one of saripta now then when he began to distinguish that there was somebody outside the jewish belief the the the jewish uh rules and regulations wait just a minute something's wrong it would have been all right had you made the hero of this prophet's message one of us but since it's not then they began to look at one another and they didn't like what he had to say but until none of them was law ascent but unto serepta the city of sudden many lepers were in israel in the time of elizabeth the prophet and none of them was cleansed saved naaman the syrian you mean not a jew he wasn't one of us you see when jesus comes along he begins to break down barriers for god so loved the world not a black world a white world a yellow world a rich world but god so loved the world and you can drop your color you can draw from your nationality you can drop off your pedigree heal so loved the world and that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life and and as they were in the synagogue when they heard this they were filled with wrath instead of being overjoyed instead of being thrilled instead of being excited let's let's make him the mayor of the town let's give him the keys to the city let's erect a monument said this is the hometown of jesus of nazareth no the bible said and then the synagogue when they heard these things they were filled with wrath and rose up and thrust him out of the city and led him unto the brow of the hill where on their city was built that they might cast him down headlong now that airplane that was flying over missouri at noon on a certain date when that hour clock set a certain uh time the captain of that airplane radioed the tower this is no longer air force one why because the reason it was air force one not because of the airplane not because of of its amenity but because the man on that airplane was the president of the united states and the moment he ceased to be president it was just another airplane let me tell you something the moment jesus leaves this church it don't even make a good hay barn the more jesus leaves our mission it's no longer a church the moment jesus let's not let jesus leave knoxville and lester fight it more oh let us not leave nashua and let us let jesus leave knoxville tennessee it's not the sun's fear that makes it a great place it's not the the great big football stadium it's not the yet it is a beautiful city but what makes it great is there's a bunch of people in this city that believes in jesus christ what a baptism in his name filled with the holy earth and you're what makes it crazy and i don't want jesus to leave knoxville give him a handclap [Applause] i want to tell you something um when we let jesus get out of our midst when we let well let's see what happens when he left nazareth the bible says but he passing through the midst of them went his way where did he go and he came down to capernaum a city of galilee and taught them on the sabbath days and they were astonished at his doctrine for his word was with power and in the synagogue there was a man which had a spirit of an unclean devil and cried out with a loud voice i would venture to say there were people in nazareth the unclean devils too that needed to be cast out saying let us alone what have we to do with thee thou jesus of nazareth art thou come to destroy us i know thee who thou art the holy one of god and jesus rebuked him saying hold thy peace and come out of him and when the devil had thrown him in the midst he came out of him and hurt him not don't you suppose that in nazareth there are those who are filled with a devil and they needed the devil cast out of them but they couldn't accept jesus's ministry and the bible said he passing through them they would have cast him headlong down the hill because of what they heard him preaching but he went down to nazareth and he began to cast out devils i want a god like that in our church that can rule over devils i don't want him to get away i want that spirit that can cast out evil spirits in our midst and the fame of him went out into every place of the country round about and he arose out of the synagogue and entered into simon's house simon's wife's mother was taken with a great fever and they besought him for her and he stood over her and rebuked the fever and it left her and immediately she arose and ministered unto them do you suppose there might have been somebody's mother-in-law at nazareth that was sick with a fever don't you suppose there was somebody in nazareth that needed the fever healed but they didn't get it because they wanted to cast them head long down the hill but jesus spoke the word to peter's mother-in-law and immediately her fever left her and she arose and ministered to them now notice this next verse this really gets me now when the sun was sitting now he's he's he's he's now at capernaum he's been well he wasn't run out of nazareth they were going to kill him but he he's passing through the midst of them went his way and now he's at capernaum now when the sun was sitting all a double l not a few not several not a bunch now when the sun was saying all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him and he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them now if anybody had covered 19 anybody had home run or anybody what there was no disease ever i mean the common cold the hospitals had to close down there was not a sick person left in capernaum because everyone that had anybody sick if it was cancer if it was tuberculosis no matter what it was they brought them to jesus and the bible said he laid hands on every one of them and healed them do you suppose there was any sick folks at nazareth just think of what they let get away i wonder i don't wish to be critical but um i do feel rather sorry for the churches and preachers that preach that the days of miracles are over if the days of miracles how could anybody be saved without a mirror it's a miracle to be saved the greatest thing in the world is for the lord to forgive your sins and and and to say that the days of miracles are over and and these things don't happen anymore oh aren't you glad that we believe in miracles aren't you glad with that jesus is still the divine healer he's still the miracle worker i don't want that kind of doctrine to get out of our church i don't i don't i don't want us to get to that place that that um it's all the exterior i want to say keep in mind that he's still the holy ghost baptizer he's still the divine healer he can still open blind eyes he can still unstop deaf ears he's still yet the same yesterday today and forever now when the son was sitting all they that had any sick but that was disease brought them to him and laid his hands on every one of them and healed them and the devils also came out of many crying out saying they are christ the son of god and he rebuking them suffered them not to speak for they knew that he was christ and when it was day he departed and went into a desert place now notice the difference in the attitude and the difference in the attitude of the the inhabitants of capernaum and nazareth nazareth his hometown wanted to kill him but those of capernaum they sought him and came to him and stayed him that he should not depart from oh please don't leave me jesus i've got to go preach others i want the city of knoxville i want everybody to know that we welcome everything god's got for us i had one fellow tell me that that that tongues well that's the least gift well the bible don't say that and because you've heard me tell that story before but um the bible he'd been preached to that uh uh tongues was the least gift but uh if it was the least gift do you want everything jesus has got i don't care how little or how i want what jesus has got and i don't want it to get away here's where jesus healed the centurion's son and when jesus was entered into capernaum there came unto him a century and beseeched him and saying lord my servant life at home is sick of the palsy grievously tormented and jesus said that i will come and heal him the centurion answered and said lord i'm not worthy that thou should come under my roof but speak the word only and my servant shall be healed for i'm a man under authority having soldiers unto me and i say to the man go when he goeth into another coming he cometh and to my servant do this and doeth it when jesus heard it he marveled and said unto them that followed barely i said unto you i have not found so great of faith no not in israel no not in nazareth no not among my people and i say unto you that many shall come from the east and the west and shall sit down with abraham isaac and jacob in the kingdom of heaven but the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into out of darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth and jesus said unto the centurion go thy way and as thou has believed so would be it done unto thee and his servant was healed in the self same hour and when jesus okay what i'm trying to get across now is two different cities two different attitudes one group was so engrossed in their religiosity and their what they've been drilled into them through the years that they could not accept the messiah when he arrived and that's what they've been waiting on all these years capernaum was a scene of many mighty works now we've talked about the greatness of capernaum but notice in matthew 11 23 jesus talking and thou capernium which are exalted unto heaven shall be brought down to hell for if the mighty works which have been done in thee now you've i've done a lot of mighty works in your midst and if the mighty works has been done until they had been done in solemn it would have remained unto this day now here's the difference capernaum saw it they experienced devils cast out blind eyes open fever healed all kinds of diseases but somehow they still yet did not accept him as their savior and he said had sodom seen the miracles that you've seen me do sod will be remained would remain unto this day now this is something that's very in this is something that's very important it's one thing for us to experience and see what god can do but it's something else for us to accept him into our own heart and lives i've seen this happen i've seen that happen that's great and that's wonderful we talk about azusa street we talk about acts 2 38 and acts 2 4. all those things are great and wonderful but now then let's bring it down on a personal level i can go to church all my life for a big part of my life i can be a friend to the church i can be loyal in my attendance i can be loyal in my giving i can be loyal in my tithing but not fully accept him into my own heart and i feel pretty good about it because i'm here i'm an observer and i'm a friend but what i'm getting at now we need more than just our bodily presence we need our spirit filled with the spirit of god we need him in us in having a personal experience for ourselves not just to come and and look on in revelations 3 and 20 john telling about what he saw jesus said behold i stand at the door and knock if any man hear my voice open the door i'll come in to him and will sup with him and he with me jesus is a gentleman he will not force his way he's not a high-pressured salesman he stands at the door and knocks he don't bust the door down and come in he waits for his people to open that door for you and me we can talk about what he can do with but he'll only do it if we open the door to it songs of solomon 5 2-6 i sleep but my heart waketh it's the voice of my beloved that knocketh saying open to me my sister my love my dove my undefiled my head is filled with the dew and my locks with the drops of the night somebody's knocking on my door i sleep but my heart waketh something tells me there's somebody trying to get in somebody knocking on my door but i can't get awake have you ever had the phone to ring and you know it's ringing and you just you have a hard time getting away i put off my coat how shall i put it on i've washed my feet how shall i i'm i'm in my pajamas i'm in my night clothes i i i can't get my head cleared enough to you some the preacher's telling me god's got something great for us i i realize i hear something but i just can't get myself alert enough to get awake and to accept it my beloved put his hand by the hole of the door my bowels were moved for him i rose to open to my beloved my hands dropped with myrrh my fingers with the sweet smelling mirror upon the handles of the lock i finally got away he knocked he knocked he knocked i tried to get my head cleared i tried to get awake and finally when i got awakened up i got to the door and opened the door all was there he was gone all there was just a fragrance just a smell of what was at the door that that that perfume that that that that cologne that was that was my lover he was here where and he opened the she opened the door beginning where are you i see yell but he was gone you know i kind of feel like the day we're living in he's knocking on a lot of doors and he's wanting to be the same yesterday today and forever and there's going to be a lot of folks that one day is going to wake up but it's just going to be a whiff of what used to be a old-time revival the old-time way the only listen it don't have to be an old-time waste we can have it right now and we are having it right now the baptist is used almost every weekend we are having revival it's not something that can be it's something that is i opened up my beloved but my beloved have withdrawn himself ecclesiastes 8 11 because sentence against an evil work is not ex executed speedily therefore the heart of the sons of men is full set to do evil revelation 2 21 and i gave her jezebel a space to repent and of her fornication and she repented i gave her a time romans 2 4 through 7 despiseth thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering not knowing that the goodness of god leadeth thee to repentance the good let me would you stand your feet with us right now the goodness of god it's not the harshness it's not the anger it's not the threat of judgment but it's the goodness of god that leads me into repentance it's the friendly church in town it's the church that's got greeters out there welcoming folks it's not those who are trying to push people away just because you may not look like me and act like but we're waiting with our open arms the goodness of god leadeth me into repentance saints of god may i urge us to continue on in the same area we're going what are we doing tonight we're getting ready to minister to the married couples pastor and sister jamie they're up there getting ready right now making all preparations and then the next thing you know it'll be it'll be camp meeting it'll be a youth time it'll be something for everyone because we're reaching it's the goodness of god that leadeth men to repent us father we thank you tonight for the word of the lord god i thank you that you are in this church and father we want you to know that you are welcome we want you here in this place every service we want to have your spirit manifest in our midst we want to see our baptistry used we want to see our young folks programs prosper we want to see our married couples renew their covenant to each other i pray lord for our elderly for our middle age for our children for our apostolic kidney academy for our christian school for every area of age that we're ministering to i pray god that you've been blessed father dismiss us from this place but not from your presence bring us back at our next appointed time in jesus name amen shake hands and be friendly you are dismissed in jesus name observe the proper protocol that satisfies