Sunday Morning Worship Service
by George Akers
First Apostolic Church of Knoxville (Knoxville, TN)
Kind: sermon
Scripture: Exodus 18:9-11, Exodus 33:18, Exodus 33:19, Exodus 34:5-6, Numbers 10:29-32, Psalm 16:2, Romans 7:18, Galatians 5:22, Psalm 25:7, Psalm 27:13-14, Psalm 31:19, Psalm 52:1, Psalm 65:4, Psalm 65:11, Psalm 68:10, Psalm 107:8, Romans 8:28, Psalm 23:6, Isaiah 63:7, Jeremiah 31:12, Jeremiah 31:14, Zechariah 9:17

Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/george-akers--sunday-morning-worship-service-48
Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page.
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Would you stand with me for the reading of the word of God? God is good. Exodus chapter 18 and verse number N. To all of our guests that are here today, you have come to the right place. I'm not from here. I'm from Sanford, North Carolina, just south of Raleigh. But you need to come back and hear this pastoral staff preach because this is an amazing, amazing church. Exodus chapter 18 verse number nine. If you have that, would you say amen? And Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which the Lord had done to Israel, whom he had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians. And Jethro said, "Blessed be the Lord who hath delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh, who hath delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians." Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods. For in the thing wherein they the Egyptians dealt proudly, they were arrogant, bringing Israel into bondage, God, he God was above them. Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which the Lord had done to Israel on this 68th anniversary Sunday, marking the very day the tent was set up and the revival began. I want to preach on 68 years of the goodness of the Lord. >> 68 years. Would you give the Lord a praise today? Cuz he's a good good good God. What a good God we serve. Hallelujah Jesus. Hallelujah Jesus. Thank you Lord. You may be seated. In the text we just read, we find the man named Jethro, who is the father-in-law of Moses. He did not know the God as did his son-in-law. He did not know and he was not well-versed in the God of Israel. You see, Jethro was a Midianite. Jethro had not been raised to know Jehovah God. Jethro had not been taught the ways of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jethro had not seen a burning bush. Jethro had not been there when Moses confronted Pharaoh. Jethro did not see the 10 national plagues God brought on Egypt. Jethro had not witnessed the mass exodus or the parting of the Red Sea or the overthrow of Pharaoh's army in the Red Sea. But Jethro could see the vast number of people. He saw a minimum of two and a half million could have been as many as six million. And Moses, his own son-in-law, had led this massive amount of people out of Egyptian bondage. And seeing that vast multitude, Jethro was eager now to hear what Moses had to say. So when Moses took his father-in-law into his tent on that day and Moses began to rehearse to Jethro all the works that God had done. It's interesting to note that when Moses was done, Jethro did not rejoice for the power of the Lord. Even though there had been profound unimaginable exhibits of God's power in Egypt, Jethro did not rejoice over the majesty of God. Jethro did not rejoice for the truth of God shining like a piercing light in a totally dark world. Jethro did not rejoice for the wonders or the signs of God. Jethro did not rejoice for the miracles of God. But the text I read to you says, "Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which the Lord had done to Israel, whom he delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians. He recognized for whatever he knew or did not know about this strange Jehovah God that this God that we serve is a good God." He realized Israel's God is a good, good God. The scripture gives the briefest glimpse into what took place in that tent that day. I would like to have been a fly on the wall. I would like to have heard Moses rehearse those things to his father-in-law. I would like to have picked up on the inflections in his voice and the nuances of his speech. I would like to have seen his eyebrows, Jethro's eyebrows raised as Moses' hands were in motion as he descriptively told the stories of God's deliverance. I would like to have seen the smiles on Jethro's face and then the looks of awe and amazement. We can only imagine what was told in the tent that day. We're not told in scripture. But that day, Jethro sat there observing his son-in-law and thinking, "You, my son-in-law, watched my sheep for 40 years, and I don't know what happened between you and this God." But what I do know is that this God that's introduced himself to you, this God that you now serve, this is a good and great God. This is a mighty and powerful God. This is a dear and precious God. And I tell you, First Apostolic Church of Knoxville, Tennessee, we are children of that same God today. He's a good, good, good, good God. Oh, praise the Lord. He's the same yesterday and today and forever. I know many of you in this room have tasted of this God that we serve. I know many of you have repented of your sins. You have made that decision to change your life. And many of you have went to the water and been baptized in that sweet, powerful name of Jesus. And many of you have received the precious Holy Ghost. But here's what brings me to this word this morning. Do we really understand how good this God is? Do we keep God's goodness in our thoughts? I want to tell you, for 68 years right here in the city of Knoxville, Tennessee, the goodness of the Lord has been real and it abounds in our lives. Moses, there was a time when he was up on Mount Si and he was talking with this great God. In Exodus 33:18, Moses said, "I beseech thee. I beseech thee. Show me thy glory. God, I want to see your glory." How many'd like to see the glory of God? >> Man, you'd really like to see the glory of God. You see, Moses desired it. Moses hungered for it. Moses didn't just ask, but Moses besought it. He put his anxious soul into the plea. I'm not just wanting it. I'm beseeching you. I am begging you, God. I had a conversation with God this past week and it was kind of in this same tenor and I began to really beseech God. God, I want to hear your voice more. God, I I I want to hear your voice. I want you to speak. And I know God speaks all the time. I know he constantly speaks to us. But I what I was praying was I want my ear to be more tuned into it. I want to hear it when you say it, God. Moses was saying, God, I want to see your glory. I want to see your glory. I'm begging you. I'm begging you. And the Bible says in 33 and19, God said, watch this, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name be of the Lord before thee, and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and show mercy on whom I will show mercy. It is interesting, ladies and gentlemen, that when Moses was talking about the glory of God, the first subject God brings up is his goodness. God said, "If you want to see my glory, we're going to start with this. We're going to start with my goodness. I'm going to make all my goodness pass before you." God equates his goodness with his glory. And today, if you want to see the glory of God, all you got to do is look at the goodness that God has given you. Would you give the Lord a praise? Oh, hallelujah. Hallelujah. The God we serve is a good God. He's a great God. And God is great because he's good. And God will always be great because he's always good. God doesn't get tarnished around the edges. God doesn't diminish or corrupt from within. He said, "I'm going to make all my goodness pass before you." And the very next thing we read is Exodus 34 and5. The Lord descended in the cloud, stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. And the Lord passed by him and proclaimed the Lord, the Lord God, merciful, gracious, long-suffering, and abundant. Somebody shout, "Abundant, >> abundant in goodness and truth. Our God is merciful. Our God is gracious. Our God is long-suffering." But when it comes to the character of goodness, I want you to know God said, "I'm not just good, but I'm abundant in goodness. We serve an abundantly good God." Hallelujah. My my my my. He's an abundantly good God. And God showed Moses his goodness. Numbers 10 and 29. The Bible, watch this. The Bible said Moses says to Hobab, but watch. Moses says to Hobab, the son of Raguuel the Medidianite, Moses' father-in-law. Now he's called Jethro in another place. But here his identity is really spelled out and it's for a reason. Moses says to Hobab, the son of Ragul, the Midianite, Moses' father-in-law, same man as Jethro, we are journeying to the place which the Lord said, I will give it to you. Come thou with us. We will do thee good. For the Lord hath spoken good concerning Israel. And it shall be if you go with us. Yeah, it shall be that what goodness the Lord shall do to us, the same will he do to you. Moses said, "Father-in-law, if you're wise, if you'll do the smart thing, if you'll do the right thing, he'll go with us." And what goodness God shows us, God's going to show you. The reason he's identified here is Hobab, the son of Ragul, the Midianite. I got to studying this uh several months back. And uh the Lord, in fact, when when I got called for this to come preach this day, the Lord spoke this into my spirit to preach this word. And I, you know, I have a I have a certain relationship with God. And I said, "Okay, God, I'll I'll fold this up and talk to you about it when I get closer to it." So, I folded it up and I got closer to it and I said, "The Lord," I said, "Lord, what what what would you have me to say to Knoxville?" And it was like the Lord just kind of thumped me on the air and said, "I already told you what I wanted you to preach." But this thought came to my mind. I was studying this Hobab Ragul, the Midionite. The Midianites were wanderers. The Midionites were shepherds that never stayed in one place. They wondered their whole life. They didn't have a home. They just wondered. And what Moses is saying to him is, "You don't have to wonder anymore." And I feel this word for somebody in this room today. Your life's been wandering from here to there, and you're trying to find a place of satisfaction, a place of happiness, a place of joy. In the name of Jesus, I'm telling you, you don't have to wonder anymore. You have settled into a place here this morning on this Sunday morning where the goodness of God is. And if you'll get in this place, if you'll come to Knoxville First Apostolic Church and you'll get in these doors, the goodness God has showed this church for 68 years, God will show to you. Would you give the Lord a praise? I believe that. I believe that today. I believe that today God is speaking to us. I want you to know you're in the right place. Turn to your neighbor and say, "You're in the right place. This is the right time." First Apostolic Church of Knoxville has a God that's been good for 68 years. And this same God is going to continue to be good in this place. Hallelujah. Get yourself connected to the church. Keep yourself in the church. >> Get yourself planted in the church. Be here as often as you can be here. >> Sunday mornings are good, but oh, have you tried Sunday night? I I I I I love those uh I I love those um restaurants where everything on the menu is good. >> You ever been to a place like that? I mean, we got one in Sanford. We take all of our guest speakers. I just take the menu and turn around and say whatever you want. >> These guys, they come from Mount Vuvius in Italy and they know what they're doing. This ain't coming off the back of a truck and it's it's good. >> Welcome to First Apostolic Church. Just pick what you want today. What do you need this morning? What are you going through today? His goodness is in this place. God is here today to do whatever you need him to do. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. You're in the right place. >> You're in the right place. Five scriptures. Count them. Five scriptures from 2 Samuel through 2 Chronicles. Five scriptures all speak distinctly of the goodness God showed to his servant David. God showed David goodness. And the reason God showed his goodness to David, why? Why? I'm gonna tell you why. Because David recognized how greatly good God is. You see, you got to get this this morning. The more you recognize how greatly good God is, how abundantly good God is, how if God is going to reveal his glory to you, he's going to start with the fact that he's good. The more David saw the fact that God is good, the more God was moved on the behalf of David and the more God blessed David. The more God blessed David, the more David realized how good God is. And the more David realized how good God is, the more God blessed David. >> It's a circle. >> You You want to see more? Begin to look at what he's done. Look up to heaven and say, "Thank you, Lord. You're good." and he's going to say, "Okay, here's some more." And you look at that and say, "Wow, you're awesome." God says, "Thank you. Here's some more." Because the more you recognize how good God is. The more you see in your life, he put food on your table, he put a shelter over your head, clothing on your back and shoes. That's the goodness of God. Oh yeah. breath in your lungs and a beat in your heart, strength in your body, a step in your feet, a deed in your hand. That's a good God. And you need to recognize he's the only reason you can do that. He's the only reason you can do that. He is abundantly good. A key to blessing of God is knowing that we're serving a good God. Great God, mighty God, fabulous God. You need to find all the adjectives you can find. I'm gonna tell you, when I get in prayer each day, I'm constantly looking for more, >> more ways to tell him how I love him. >> Amen. Any good marriage practices that husband tells the wife constantly and more ways than and constantly looking for ways and the wife's constant looking for ways to talk about how much they love each other. I mean, I I saw I've seen a video clip the last few weeks and uh this couple, it's like they're getting it they're getting it out. They're getting their frustration out and they got this this this these sticks with balls on them where they're fighting each other. I mean, they beat each other crazy. Break the stick. Beat and they're laughing while they're doing it. I thought that would never work in my marriage. They hit her one time and y'all be coming to my funeral. It'd be over. got to talk about how good each other is. >> I love you. >> I met that girl back in 1980s. It's not in the notes, but here we go. In the 1980s, I met that girl in Wilson, North Carolina. I walked into and with a thought 40 years ago, this October, >> 40 years ago, I walked in. I was sitting over on the side. I sat down. I looked in front of me. And there, I'm telling you the truth. My whole church knows this. They've heard it a few times. There was in front of me this girl. She had on a blue he blue dress, blue hose, and blue shoes. And my heart has been blue, blue, blue ever since. >> And I'm going to tell you, I'm looking for new ways to tell her. When you start looking for new ways to tell this great great great God how good he's been to you. When you look at every day as a gift from God that in every day God is blessing you. There are things he protected you from you don't even know about. There's provision he's provided. There's a hedge around you. >> He's a good God. David had a mighty revelation in Psalm 16 and2. Oh my soul, you said to the Lord, "Thou art my Lord. My goodness extendeth not to thee." In other words, my goodness don't go any further than you, God. God, all the goodness I've got, it only comes from you. Every good gift, every perfect gift is from above, and it comes down from the Father of lights. Paul said, "God is good to his people." So Romans 7:18, I know that in me, in my flesh, everybody say there's no good thing. For to will a desire to do good is present there. I want to, but how to perform that which is good, I can't find it. He said, you you you you want to be good and and and you want to do good, but we just can't figure it out on our own. And Paul shows us where our goodness comes from in Galatians 5:22. The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness. >> Oh, praise God. You need to get filled with, get stayed in, and as full of the spirit as you can. Surrender your life to the Holy Ghost. What these singers were singing around here a while ago, and what we felt bumping in this place was not just a beat. There's a presence of God in this room. You need to get filled with it and let it stay there and it will produce goodness in you. >> This is why David said to God in Psalm 25 and 7, listen to what David said. Psalm 25:7, "Remember not the sins of my youth. Don't remember my transgressions according to your mercy. Remember thou me for thy goodness." For thy goodness sake, oh Lord. He said, "I've got transgressions and sins, but oh God, please don't remember them. Remember me for thy goodness sake. I I'm making out an application today, God, for your goodness. Remember me for your goodness sake, God. Only because you're so good, I'm asking you to remember me and forget the sins I've done." What a God we serve. >> I don't deserve it at all, God, but just because I know you're good. Would you, Lord, forgive me? The Almighty God will forgive you and he'll forget your transgressions and your sins and your failures and your faults. He'll bless you solely on the fact that he is good. >> He will bless you today simply because he's good. Now, that's a good God. David keyed into the goodness of God. He realized God is good and it's a powerful revelation. That's why he could say in Psalm 27:13, "I would have fainted. I had fainted. I would have caved in. My life would have fallen through unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord. Be of good courage and he shall strengthen thine heart. Wait, I say on the Lord. How did David make it through trial and tribulation, temptation and trouble? He made it because he said, I believed. I believed. I I had faith that I would see the goodness of God. I'm going through trouble right now, but I have faith goodness is on the way. >> I'm going through some hard times, but I got faith. God is a good, good God. We're dealing with a God that's been good and faithful at First Apostolic Church of Knoxville for 68 years. We're dealing with a God that is righteous and holy and merciful and forgiving. We are dealing with a God that is good. He's good to me. And yes, he's good to you. He's good in this house. He brought you here today. Would you clap your hands to the Lord and shout hallelujah? Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. That's why David would go on to say in Psalm 31, "Oh, how great is thy goodness." David would say, I like it when people just assume David wrote all the Psalms. David didn't write all the Psalms. So, I checked myself. Okay, David did write all of these. David said, "The earth is full of the goodness." Do you see the earth being full of the goodness of the Lord? David said in Psalm 52, "The goodness of God endures continually." Psalm 65, "We shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy holy temple." Psalm 65:11, he crowns, I love this one. He crowns the year with goodness. >> When January 1 turns around, you just need to shout >> because he's going to crown the new year with goodness. >> Oh, praise God. Psalm 68:10, "Thou, oh God, hast prepared of thy goodness for the poor." And he says it five times or four times in Psalm 107. He says, "Oh, that men would praise the Lord for his goodness and his wonderful works to the children of men." First Apostolic Church, we need to praise God for his goodness and what he has done in our life. He satisfies. If the musicians musicians would come, he satisfies the longing soul. Are you hungry this morning? Are you longing? He will satisfy you with goodness. He is in this place right now. He is around this room right now. He is right in that pew where you're seated. He's a good, good, good, good God. I had somebody tell me one time, I said, "God is good." And they come up to me after service, they said, "Yeah, you're wrong." I said, "I am." They said, "God is great." And I wanted to say, "Uh, I wanted to say, yes, you English lover, he is great. And I understand that in your English mind, great is better than good. But in the Hebrew, it's not that way. My Bible says many times over, he's good and he's great. >> He can be both. >> I love my God because he's not only great, he's a good, good, good, good God. >> Aren't you glad you serve a good God today? [Applause] Paul said in Romans 8 and28, "We know that all things work together for for good to them that love God." If you love God and you're called according to his purpose, I don't care what you're going through today. It's going to work together for good. >> Amen. be be be that that that one that's constantly looking for it to happen because that's why David could say in Psalm 23 and6 surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. I ask you what is that dogging your trail today? Is it trouble? Is it sorrow? Is it trial? No, it's goodness. >> It's goodness. If you're a child of God, it's goodness. If the Lord is your shepherd, it's goodness. Don't let the enemy get you to thinking that you're anything less than good. God being good in your life. God wants to bless you. Turn to your neighbor and say, "God wants to bless you." >> Hey, look back up here, would you? He does. >> He does. I say amen to what they just said. God wants to bless everybody in this room. God wants to bless you. It's dogging my trail. Isaiah had a revelation 63 and 7. I will mention the loving kindness of the Lord and the praises of the Lord according to all the Lord has bestowed on us and to the great the great goodness. I should have quoted this verse to that dude. and the great goodness toward the house of Israel he's bestowed on them according to his mercy according to the multitude of his loving kindness. Jeremiah 31:12 Jeremiah said therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion and shall flow together to the goodness of the Lord for wheat for wine for oil for the young of the flock of the herd. The soul shall be as a watered garden. I want my soul to be all right today. I don't care what's going on out there. I don't care. This world's messed up. And I I I don't want to get on something I feel for tonight, but this world's messed up. But I'm going to tell you, I want to be right here. I want to be in this place because my soul is a watered garden. He's watering the garden of my soul. Good things are growing in my heart today. There's a good matter in my life today because God is so good to me. He's so good to me. He said, "I will satiate the soul." God said, "Of the priest with fatness, and I will satiate the soul and satisfy my people with goodness." Goodness. When you're satisfied with the goodness of the Lord, let me tell you, you're satisfied. Amen. I mean, they got all their mottos out there. Coffee good to the last drop. Coke the real thing. You know, the quick quick rabbit would drink the whole chocolate milk and be done with it. You see all that stuff, right? Can I tell you all that's going to pass away? But when we get in here, it's good to the last drop. You drink until it's you just can't drink no more. It's the real thing. You've come into the real place today. 68 years of the goodness of the Lord. My last scripture today is Zechariah 9:17. It says, "For how great is his goodness and how great is his beauty." Jethro, Moses, David, Paul, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Zachchariah. I've preached all of them today. These men all keyed in to how great God's goodness is. And we need today at First Apostolic Church of Knoxville, Tennessee, after 68 years to the day the tent was erected and this revival that's still going on began. We need to worship God for his goodness. We need to say, "God, I thank you because you've been so good." Could we stand together in this house? My God, my God, my God. Could we lift our hands and our voices and thank God for his goodness? He's so good. He's so good. He's so good. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Now, what do you need from God today? What is it that you need in your life today? Everybody needs some goodness shown to you. Then then I I invite you all to come down around this altar and recognize God for his goodness and worship God and praise God for the goodness of our God today. Let's just all go by home by way of the altar. Let's all go around the altar and go home by way of the altar today.