A Dedicated House - Part 2 | Senior Pastor Kenneth Carpenter
by Kenneth Carpenter
First Apostolic Church of Maryville (Maryville, TN)
Kind: sermon
Scripture: Deuteronomy 6:4-9, Deuteronomy 20:5, Deuteronomy 6:10-11, Deuteronomy 6:12, Deuteronomy 6:13-14, Deuteronomy 6:15-16, Deuteronomy 6:15, Proverbs 29:15, Proverbs 29:17-18, Proverbs 23:13-14, Proverbs 19:18, 1 Samuel 2:29, 1 Kings 1:5-6, Joshua 24:15

Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/kenneth-carpenter--a-dedicated-house-part-2
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 the book of Deuteronomy, chapter number six and verse number four? And uh I will say to you, please keep uh that chapter open. We'll go to one more passage of scripture, but we will spend the great deal of our Bible lesson today in Deuteronomy chapter 6. And while you're there, while you're finding that passage, it's already been said several times today that we're thankful for uh everyone that's here this morning. Um very very thankful on this Memorial Day weekend. Brother Ericson said something about a be living in the vacation spot of the world and uh you know he needs to mention Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburgg more than just advertising Mville. All right. And so, um, we're thankful. We have a lot of hardworking people here at this church. And when these blessed people get a long weekend, they're going to go somewhere. All right? And, uh, and they're going to go somewhere. All right? They're hardworking. And they're not only hardworking, they're faithful when they're here. And so, u, we uh, we're thankful. On the flip side of that coin, evidently you are of the same quality of the people that go here that are somewhere else today because you've left where you worship and you've come to this part of the world to worship the Lord to have vacation. And so we we we thank you. There is a huge crowd here today from Denim Springs, Louisiana. I told them today that either Denim Springs is having a reunion here or they had a church split. One of the two. All right. And they said it was a said it was a reunion. We We're so We're thankful. Then I know I have you standing and my my wife she she's your intercessor. She'll when when I have you stand she'll she does this right here. All right. So just but I was standing here today. I turned around and there was brother William Jeter that came in. Our first elder here at our church. Uh and we're so thankful. We're so thankful for him today. He's in town uh with business. They still own a home here. And Sister Jeter was coming today, but her father is ill and she was unable to come. But please help me make this happen. Uh uh Flannry, Brother Jeter, Brother Jeter has got to hold Magnolia. Okay. So, y'all shut your ears for a minute. Um I want you to go get her. All right. And then I'm going to be preaching, teaching. Just tell one of the ushers to get him out in the lobby for a minute. All right. I I I want and and and somebody I'm sorry. Some somebody go take a P. He's got to see he's got to see our granddaughter today. And uh they they were such a uh part of our life and still are that uh I just wanted him I said you got to you got to see Nolan's you got to see Nolan's daughter. I hope that's all right today. Oh yeah. I'm here to teach Deuteronomy 6 and4 here. Oh Israel, the Lord thy God is one Lord. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy might. These words which I command thee this day shall be in thine heart. Thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children. Thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children. I wish we would all, every parent, every grandparent here today would read along that verse with me one more time. It starts reading at verse number seven. All right. Would you read that with me? And unto thy children, and shall talk of them when thou setest in thine house, and when thou walst by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou riseth up. One more verse of scripture. Deuteronomy chapter 20 and verse number five. I can't get this out of my spirit. And the officers shall speak unto the people, saying, "What man is there that hath built a new house, and hath not dedicated it? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in battle, and another man dedicate it." Today, I cannot get this out of my spirit. I want to preach on a dedicated house part two. A dedicated house part two. Father, I thank you today for your word. Father, I thank you today, Lord, that you have given your word to instruct us. You have given your word, God, to lead us and guide us through times that we're living in right now, God. Times of the Antichrist, Lord. times, God, when a nation has forgotten, God. Lord Jesus, today I ask you that you would anoint my lips of clay. Open the hearts of your people today. Touch every parent in this room. God, touch every grandparent in this room today. God, enable us to be able to raise and train our children in the way that they should go. We'll give you praise and honor. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. And amen. You may be seated today. a dedicated house part two. We started last Sunday morning and um we begin to say that there's something more important than winning a battle and that is having a dedicated having a dedicated house. You realize today parents that we are responsible, we are responsible for the godly spiritual training of our children. We are parents. We are responsible for the godly training of our children. I thank God for a youth group, but the youth pastor is not responsible for the training of our children. I thank God for our Christian school. I thank God for every every youth event, every youth activity, everything, every strong tower camp. I thank God for all of that. But that's just an additive to what we the parents are called of God to do to train our children in the way that they should go. And can you say amen? We read to you from Deuteronomy 6 and 4. It's one of the passages in the Old Testament that we have the foundational stone of the reason that we are one God worshippers. We are one God worshippers. We believe in one God. We believe he is the father of creation. We believe he is the son of redemption. And we believe he is the Holy Ghost in the church and the believer today. But he's only one God and his name is Jesus. We believe that. That's where we get this passage of scripture from. But it goes immediately after verse number four. It goes immediately to the parent. It goes immediately to the mother and the father of that home. And it says, "And thou," the thou there is the parent, "shall love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy might." That's the parent. And these words, that's our textbook. That's our textbook. The Bible is our textbook in training our children in the way that they should go. And thou shalt teach them diligently. Does it say thou shalt teach them on Christmas and Easter? It says thou shalt teach them diligently. Does it say thou shalt teach them a couple of times a week? It says thou shalt teach them diligently. The textbook diligently unto thy children. Shall talk when you're in the way, when you sit in the house and you walk by the way. When you lie down and when you riseth up. And then I missed the last part of verse number six. if you'd put that on the screen. The last part of verse number six said, "These words shall be in thine heart." It is hard to transfer a love of God that we don't possess in our own heart. You do not transfer wishes for your children. You transfer who you are to your children. And so if you want your children to love God and his word and the things of God, the only way that is transferred is for that love of God, his word, and the things of God to be in your heart. Can I publicly testify today and say, I love God and I love God's word and I love God's house and I love everything about God. I love how we get together and sing songs of victory and sing songs of uplift and sing songs of deliverance. I love how we get together and allow the spirit of God to come down upon us and we shout, we leap, we run, we dance, we speak in other tongues, we praise God. I love all that and it's got to be transferred to our children. He says here, "This parent is the teacher of the dedicated house." Thank God for your pastor. Thank God for your pastoral team. You should, and I know you do. Thank God for your pastor and your your pastoral team. But you see, we are here in a corporate gathering, but the real work is you, parent or the teacher in the classroom, which is the home. Could you give God a hand of praise for that? The parent, the parent is the teacher in the dedicated home. It says, "And thou shalt bind them which is the word, for a sign upon thy hand, parent, and thou shalt be as frontlets between thine eyes, parent, and thou shalt write them which is the word upon the post of thine house and on thy gates." He said the Bible is our textbook and that we the parent is we are to be clothed or ornamented in the word of God. That the parent is to be clothed or ornamented in the word of God. You would bind it around your hand. You would bind it around your head. But not only was our parent to be ornamented in the word of God, but he said, "I want you to write them up on the post of your home. I want not only the parent to speak the word of God, but I want what you allow or don't allow. I want it to be in your home to magnify the glory of God Almighty. This is how we raise good children. This is how we tr this is how we train good children up because as goes the home goes the church. It's not a good church necessarily makes a good home. It's that a good home makes a good church. Good homes make good churches. Truth of the matter is, you have more school time at home than we do in the house of God. We're only here in the house of God for a few hours in the week, but we're home in the classroom many hours throughout throughout the day. We'll go back to Deuteronomy 6 and now verse number 10. He's got the house with the word of God. He's got the parent with the word of God. And then it says this in verse 10. Look closely. And it shall be. Everybody say shall be. And it shall be. Didn't say it might be. It said it shall be. Say that again with me. It shall be. It's not might. It's not maybe. It's not chance. It's not. It's it's it's not uh any of that. And it shall be when the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he swore unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities which thou buildest not, houses full of good things which thou flest not, wells digged, which thou digest not, vineyards and olive trees which thou plantest not. when thou shalt have eaten and be full. Listen to this now. Listen closely. Without exception, without exception, your house will be blessed by God if you hear and apply the word of God. I want to say it again because some people get, well, it just don't work for us. Well, it works for them, but not for us. Who would want to serve a God like that? Who would want to serve a God that's partial? Who would want to serve a God that's a respector of persons? Who would want to dare entertain the demonic thought that God may work for you, but he wouldn't work for you? Nonsense. If we apply the word of God to our lives, you get ready. Get ready. Get ready. Without exception, God is going to bless your house. The first thing he blesses us with and we need to put material things way down the road. But the first thing if you have got a child that's of the age to call the name of Jesus and worship the name of Jesus. If you've got a child that that leaves your pew and comes down here to the altar area with other small with other children and they begin to lift up their hands, can I tell you you're blessed? You're blessed. You're blessed. You're blessed. You're blessed. If you've got a child that is over the age of 18 and they live in your home and they still come to the house of God and worship God, you ought to clap your hands and see just how blessed you are. More blessed than a car, more blessed than a raise, more blessed than a house in a gated community. If you've got children, get ready without exception. Your house will be blessed by God if you hear and apply God's word. But not only that, get ready. God will bless us materialistically. God will bless us materialistically. You just get ready for it. Now, we don't do it to get the material things. That's kind of just like a bonus God gives us. But the real meat of it is I've got children that are worshiping and that are serving God. Amen. Let's continue to read. You see, now we got our children and now we've got we've been blessed materialistically. There nothing wrong with that. There's nothing wrong with having things as long as things don't have you. You see the problem with Judas? Judas was uh over cararrying the bag of money and the problem was the bag began to carry him and not he the bag. So without exception this happens. God blesses our families. God blesses us in materialistic ways. But here's the temptation. It comes in verse number 12. Then beware, lest thou forget the Lord, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, and from the house of bondage. Church, hear me today. Here, pastor, please. Don't allow the physical blessings of God to become a distraction and draw you away from God. Don't allow the blessings of God, well, you you you just don't understand, brother Carpenter, I'm going to make five more dollars on an hour. Oh, God's blessing us. God's Oh, look at this blessing here. Oh, but by the way, you're not going to see me on midweek service. Well, I don't consider that a blessing. I don't consider that a blessing. And if you're here today and you do have a job that keeps you out of the house of God, I hope way high on your prayer list is a prayer that goes something like this. God, help me somehow get the shift that won't keep me out of your house. Because there's something far more valuable than making $5 more dollars an hour. And that's being a good example to our children and letting our children know in the middle of the week when it's midweek Bible study, I'm going to be in the house of God. I'm I'm I'm going to lead and I'm going to train. Everybody said, "Amen." Don't allow That was the thing there. Beware lest Beware lest thou forget the Lord thy God. Don't allow financial blessings and physical blessings, material blessings to be a distraction to you. Verse number 13, thou shalt fear the Lord thy God and serve him and shalt swear by his name. You shall not go after other gods of the gods of the people which are round about you. Look at this. He says, "Now you're to fear the Lord." Now, what that word right there means is to have a reverential respect, to revere the things of God, to respect the things of God, to respect God. Sometimes we we think about the fear of the L. Well, I'm I'm afraid God's going to I'm afraid God's going to do this to me. God's going to put this on me. God's going to that. It doesn't mean that. It means that you hold God in high esteem. You fear him. You hold the things of God in high esteem. You you you elevate the things of God. You you you fear you fear God. You respect him. You revere him. You place him high. He said, "Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God." But you not only do that because look at what happens after we fear him. Look at the next thing that happens. Look at the very next thing that happens. He says, "You will fear the Lord thy God." And look at what's those next three words? Would somebody speak it out? The next three words. And do what? You know what our problem is today, parents? We try to serve him without fearing him. You will never serve God if you don't respect him. You got to get that in the order. Don't you, well, I've tried to serve the Lord and it don't work. Well, do you fear the Lord? Do you have a reverential respect for him? Do you hold the things of God? Do you hold the things of God in high Do you hold it in high esteem? Notice how this goes. You will fear the Lord thy God and serve him and shalt swear by his name. Now, here's what that means. Every issue in your life is settled by the character and the word of God. You shall swear by his name. You everything in your life, please hear this today. You don't have a problem that God cannot fix. You do not have a situation in your life that God cannot turn it around. There's no such thing. Well, brother Carpenter, I I've missed years. I I I wish I had raised my children different. You're not going to live your life in regret. You may you may not have known or you may have neglected, but we serve a God that's a God of a brand new beginning. The choir sings. He's a God of a second chance. That's not a number like one, two. That's an attitude that God has. He is a god of a second chance. Everything can be solved in your life by the name of I I I I I just kind of had on my notes here that to take a break because you would be worshiping and praising God like crazy right now. I said everything in your life if you will respect him and you will serve him and you will acknowledge him. Everything in your life Everything can be solved can be settled solved by the name of the Lord. Everything. Verse 15. For he for the Lord thy God is a jealous God among you. Lest the anger of the Lord thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth. You shall not tempt the Lord thy God, your God, as you tempted him in Massa." Now, these two verses here is interesting. He's a jealous God. He's a He's a He's a jealous God. He's jealous over where your heart's at. He's he's he's jealous over over where your heart's at. He's not going to allow you to be married to him and have the world as your girlfriend. You're not going to be married to him. Could you imagine how I would act? Could you imagine how I could act if Sister Carper started mentioning some guy's name a lot? You know, I might give a little you, you know, she just kind of mention his name a lot. Oh, did you see him? Yeah, I saw him. Did you Did you smell his cologne? No, I don't get that close to you, man. What are you talking about? Huh? No. It starts bugging me a little bit, you know. But then I get ready. I get ready to go in restaurant. I I can't find her. I can't find her. I get hungry. So I get ready to get going go into Aubry's. And lo and behold, as I'm standing there waiting for the hostess to seat me, I look over and I see Sister Carpenter and that guy sitting at the table. And I go over and I say, "What's up?" And she says, "We're just friends. I'm married to you. Look at this ring. I'm married to you. I'm tell you what I'm doing. I'm going kung fu. Have I made that clear today? Have I made that clear today? You see, what kind of a romance could we have if she was already talking about somebody else? and just spending a few hours of the week with me and it looked like it was misery to be around me. That's not that's not a romance. You see, a real romance is is when we turn our back on the world and the things of the world. And this old world is not our home. We're just passing through the songs of the world, the things of the world, the ideology of the world, the way the world acts, the the the the way the world is entertained. That is not the child of God. And that's not how we're going to raise our family. We're going to raise our family because we love the Lord our God with all our heart. My children, I love Jesus this morning. I love him with all my heart. I praise him. I serve him. I magnify. That's what every dad needs to transfer to their children. That's what every mom needs to transfer to their children. I love he said, "Don't tempt me like you did at Mesa." What that was there, they they they they were complaining and they were murmuring. They were murmuring about God. He said, "Don't tip me." He said, "Um, if you don't do this, look at verse 15. And this is really where we need to work. We This is really where we need to work." Oh my goodness. And I can't believe it's 15 after already. This is where we need to work. Verse 15. For the Lord thy God is a jealous God among you. Lest the anger of the Lord thy God be kindled against thee and destroy thee from off the face of the earth. You know where we need to work on is consequences. We're raising children that don't know consequences. Sometimes we are parents that don't understand there's consequences. Now follow me now please. Good or evil, there's consequences. If you serve God and put him first in your life, you will live a blessed life as I just spent several minutes saying. But if you decide not to place him first in your life, there is there is consequences. We're raising children today without consequences. We're we're we're we're raising them today without consequences. There's we we I'm not saying we don't raise them with rules, but what good are rules if there's no consequences? What good would there to be to a rule if the child could break the rule and there's no consequences? There's there there's nothing that that happens here. Well, let me let me see if the wise man Solomon can help us out. How about Proverbs 29 and 15? Proverbs 29 and 15. The rod. Now, the the the woke culture just passed out. Okay, get just get ready. If you're in his house and you're woke, be a good time for you to go to the restroom. If you're watching online today and you're woke, it'd be a good time to serve somewhere else because woke culture dismisses this. The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself bringeth his mother what? Happiness bringeth his mother shame. Let's go on to going down a couple verses. Proverbs 29 and 17. Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest. Yay, he shall give thee delight unto thy soul. Where there is no vision, the people perish, but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. Listen, we we often quote that verse of scripture about church growth, but it's out of context. That scripture is not about church growth. Oh, where there's no vision, the people perish. We better have a vision for this church. That's out of context. The context of the of the of the of the of the vision is, do you have a vision for your children? Where do you see your children in the future? Oh, I'm seeing my children go to college. That's great. I'm seeing my children to be successful in life. That's great. I'm seeing them as entrepreneurs and managers. I'm seeing my children. Great. Thank you. Thank you. But that's not where you need to begin. You need to have a spiritual vision of your children that they're going to live for God. My children are going to live for God. They're going to serve God. They're going to grow up in the church. My children, our children are going to advance the kingdom of God. Is that where you see your children? You know where you want to see your children? Up here in the choir. You may be seated. The hand clapping is deafening this morning. Maybe I've got something to read. You want to see your children somewhere serving God in God's house. You want to see your children involved in the work of God. For where there is no vision, the people perish. Well, let's go on. Let's go on. Proverbs 23 and 13. Look at this verse of scripture. Withhold not correction from the child. For if thou beatest him, and I won't explain that. If thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell. Now, let me first tell you this. That is not talking about child abuse. That is not talking about that is not talking about hurting physically a child, breaking an arm, bruising, or or what whatever you want to add to that. That's not talking about that. All right? That's child abuse. And you need to be you listen, you need to be put in jail. All right. There is an age that the hand of correction applied to the seat of knowledge. But that is when they're young. That's when they're young. Little children, that's how you communicate with them. when you tell them don't do something and they go and do it anyway. All right. A little Oh, I know. I know. I know. You just don't teach like this anymore. Yeah. That's why we kind of got some generations like we've got now. All right. You see, when I grew up, when I was growing up, and I wonder if there's some more uh folks here with me, if we got a Yes, that was back when you got a paddling at school. And you know what? when I went to Stury Elementary School and Northwest Junior High School and I got a paddling and I did. I knew I got another one when I got home. I got another one. And And mom and dad didn't get together and say that teachers got it out for you and they got it. They they didn't go. Mama, I didn't I I I I I didn't I didn't write my spelling words down on the desk and then put a white sheet of paper over it and then when there was time to do the spelling test, I pushed the white sheet of paper. I mean, somebody pushed the white sheet of paper down and and and and I don't know who put those spelling words there. It didn't work like that. If I brought home a note from the teacher that I got a paddlin, you just get ready. I'm getting another and I got a paddling at school. I got a whooping at home. Some of you folks from up north, y'all got whipping. In the south, we got whoopins. All right, we got whoopins in the south. But you see, I I kind of think the generation that come up that way are pretty good because they understood there was consequences to cutting class and there was consequences to cheating on a test and there were consequences for telling a lie. There were consequences for all this. And and when we suffer the consequence, I guarantee you I got to studying my spelling words the next time because there was consequences to the first time. One last scripture. We'll get the woke people woke and we get them back online. One last scripture. Proverbs 19:18. Chasen thy son while there is hope and let not thy soul spare for his crying. Do you know why many parents don't discipline their children? Because it upsets them. They have a bad You're making dad have a bad day. You're making mom have a bad day. You You got your value system messed up. You don't know bad days until you've raised a child that doesn't know. No, you you you you listen. You you you don't know a bad day until you've raised a child that knows no boundaries. You you're you're you're you're investing in some extreme bad days when you do that. So So So regardless of how they stand there and parents, come on, toughen up. Well, they tell me they don't love me. Well, boohoo. Well, they tell me they're not going to be my friend anymore. Come on, suck it up, buttercup. You're a parent. You know what they need. The very reason you discipline them is you love them. I don't want to see you go astray. I don't want to see you grow up to be a liar. I don't want to see you grow up to not be honest. I don't want to see you do do that. It caught me off. It caught me off guard. It caught me off guard. I I guess I can I can talk about it now that Paris has graduated from high school, but it caught me off guard. She was one of the meakest sister Patterson. She was one of the meakest, mildest. She was our first born, our first granddaughter, first grandchild. She was so meek and mild and mellow and easy to take care of. And so she I know she was she was still in diapers and they were having choir practice and they said, "Would you keep her?" Why? Sure. That's one of the best kids God ever left. Look how me just put her down. And she's just content to play in the floor and she's content and all this. So I was holding her. She she had gotten a a Hershey's chocolate kiss and she was trying to eat the whole thing and she had it in her hand and I was holding her like this and she was trying to I said, "No, no, no, no, no, baby." And I reached and I took it out of her hand and I was starting to unwrap it when all of a sudden I'm getting clawed. My glasses are knocked off. I'm being clawed. My hair is being pulled. And you know what I did? I didn't say, "Oh, papa shouldn't have taken that from you. Here, you're justified to claw me and knock my glasses off and all of this on that little leg." Pow! Pow! Pow! I know. I know. But you see, where there's no discipline, there's no consequences. And when there's no consequences, they turn out to live just any way they want to live. Musicians, would you come? Boy, hasn't this been a moving service today? This been moving. While you're seated right now, would you bow your head and let's ask God to give us wisdom in raising our children. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, right now, I pray that you would give every parent, every grandparent in this room. You would give us wisdom, God, of how to raise our children, how to train our children. Oh God, let your word be in our hearts. Come on, pray with me right now, parents. Come on, pray with me. God, give us wisdom, God, how to train our children. Give us wisdom, God, and how to raise our children. God, God, give us the fortitude. God, give us the understanding that when we do, God, when we do discipline our children, Lord, whether it's a grounding or God, it's taking something away from them that they enjoy for a season. God, help us to realize it's for their good. God, help us today. Jesus name, help us. Somebody say in Jesus name. Eli raised two sons, Hawani and Fahaz. God's judgment would fall on these two sons. These two sons knew no consequences. These two sons were raised in the house of God. These two sons didn't respect God nor the things of God. As a matter of fact, these two sons took their their position of being the sons of Eli the priest. They took their position and they would commit sexual sins with the women that had came to the house of God to worship. Eli was aware of it eventually when God sent a man of God to Eli with a strong rebuke. In 1st Samuel chapter 2 in verse number 29, God said, "You kick ye at my sacrifice and at my offerings which I have commanded in my habitation." Look what he said. Parent, every parent needs to glue your eyes on this. And honorest thy sons above me. He said, "Parent, Eli, you honor your children above me." And for that reason, they have known no consequences. I know David was a giant killer. I know David was a man after God's own heart. I know David was a man that created harps and things to praise God with. But I got a lot of scripture to show you David was a lousy parent. And if you could choose on having some kind of gifting, the greatest gifting you'll ever have in your life is to ask God to gift you to be a good mother and gift you to be a good father and gift you to be a good grandparent and gift you do this. Amen. First Kings 1 and5 one of David's sons Adinijah the son of Hagath exalted himself saying I will be king. He prepared him chariots and horsemen 50 men to run before him. Look at verse six. And his father, which was David, had not displeased him at any time in saying, "Why hast thou done so?" David raised a son by the name of Adinijah that not one time was held accountable for his actions. Anijah could do whatever he wanted to, and not one time did a father step into his life and tell him, "Why did you do that? Why did you do that? You see, here's the deal. Parents, if we don't step in their life, we get an attitude when others have to step into their life. I may not have to step in their life as much if you were stepping in their life. But not one time did ever I know David killed a giant. I know David was a man after God's own heart. I know you got a gifting. I know you do this. I know you make that. I know all of that. But what good is it if you're raising children that you never asked them, "Why did you do this?" It's an interesting read. It's an interesting read. Because Solomon becomes king because it is the will of God for Solomon to be king. When Solomon becomes king, Adonijah knows that Solomon may have him put to death. Daddy never told me what to do, but an authority may tell me what to do. And so Adonijah runs and gets a hold of the horns of the altar. And they come and tell Solomon, "Your brother's got a hold of the altar." And Solomon says, "Tell him to let go of the altar. Tell him he'll live and not die." Now listen to this very closely. Some people come to the altar truly to change their lives. Some people come to the altar to try to get out of consequences. This is just this is just how I roll, okay? This how this is how I pastor. Had a man call me one time and said, "Would you please pray for me? I have to go Monday." He got in trouble with the law. He said, "I have to go Monday and I have to do a drug test." So, if I pray for you, I'll pray for you. And then it hit me. Wait a minute. So, you're not doing any drugs, are you? Well, you know, bathroom get weak. And I said, "I'm not praying for you. I know. I know you're probably texting right now. The worst thing could happen to you is for me to say, "Oh, God, turn that drug test around. God, don't let it test positive for me. God, don't let it test positive for this. Oh, God, don't don't." No, no, that's not right. Some people come to the altar to truly have a change in their heart. And some people come to the altar and just say, "Oh, God, get me out of this. Get me out." We need to suffer from a consequence because the truth of the matter is there's going to be a consequence to the way we're living, good or evil. I'm either going to heaven or I'm going to hell because that's the consequence of my decision. I wish somebody give him some praise here in the house. Why don't the rest of us stand today? Why don't the rest of us stand today? Got hold of the altar. Solomon says, "Tell him to let go. I won't kill him." Adonijah lets go. But watch this, brother Ericson. Few months later, Adonijah goes to his mama. He says, "Mama, mama Bashibba, mama, could you ask Solomon the king?" And you read the whole story. It's it it just it really is identical. Here's what he says to he says, "Mama, would you go to the King Solomon? Because after all, I should have been the king." That's what he says. He says, "I should have been the king. It should have been me. I'm firstborn. I should have been the king. But however, it was of the Lord that I'm not. But would you go and see if Solomon would give me one of daddy's widows, one of daddy's former wives, Abashai? Would you go and ask Solomon if I could have one of daddy's widows, Abashai for wife? So Bashibba is a little naive. She goes in and she says, "Solomon, Solomon, um, your brother Adonijah has requested Abashai for a wife." Solomon saw plumbed through it. He said, "Well, mama, why don't you just ask for him the kingdom also?" And I assure you this day that Adonijah is going to die because here was his plan. It was of the custom that day that if you could marry a king's widow that if something ever happened to the setting king, it would place you in line to be the next king. Solomon looked plumbed through it. He said, "If he can get Abashai for a wife, he can have me assassinated. And if he has me assassinated, he'll be the one that comes to the throne." And he says he's going to lose his life this day. And guess where O Adonijah ran to? Anybody got a guess? Where'd he run? To the altar. And they came and the executioner said, "David, I mean Solomon, I chased him to the altar and he's got a hold of the horns of the altar." Solomon said, "This ain't the first time I've heard this gig." He said, "He told me to kill him right on the altar." Solomon said, "Obey what he says. Kill him right there. Kill him right there on the altar." Now, obviously today there's a going back and forth. The greatest place you could die today would be right here on this altar. Oh my. Brother Carpenter, do you preach me under conviction as a parent today? I didn't just preach you under conviction to preach you under conviction. I preached to you under conviction and try to get us to come to the altar right now and begin to surrender our lives to God. One last verse of scripture, the Bible says in the book of Deuteronomy when the man wants to build a new house that he should put a railing on the top of the house. It was a flat roof and he said you'd put a railing on the top of the God said this. He said put a railing around the top of that house lest you bring blood upon your house. In other words, don't just build a flat roof and invite people to come up on the flat roof because if you invite them to come on the flat roof, somebody may get too close to the edge and fall off and die. And he said, "Put a battlement, put a railing around the house." Could I ask every parent in this room today to think for just a moment spiritually speaking, just how safe is your house? Spiritually speaking, come on. Spiritually speaking, just how safe is that house? Spiritually speaking, when that child reaches and gets a TV controller, just how safe is the content that comes across and we're even living in a day, and this is even trying to seep into the apostolic Pentecostal movement when they open that refrigerator up. Oh, that's dad's beer. It's good for my kidneys. There's a lot other things good for your kidneys, too. Oh. Oh, that's mom and dad's champagne. That's mama. If we don't lift our voice against it, it'll come in the church. Oh, that's mom and dad's wine. Son, I'm going to tell you something. There's a whole lot better things you can do than to have to have that around your house. How safe is your house? How safe is your house? Let me go let me take it a step further than that. Is your house where you hear the church and God praise? Is there a Bible in your house? Is there somebody talking about the work of God? Is there I instead of your children going to bed to the sound of a television, instead of them waking up to the sound of a television, are they waking up to mom and dad calling out on God just how safe is your house? I wonder today, first lady, come join me because I'm rededicating myself as a grandparent today. Just stand right in the altar right in front of the pull pit. First lady, I'm rededicating my life to being a good grandparent today. I'm rededicating my life today to being a good parent, to being a good father-in-law. I'm rededicating my life to that today because I want to have a dedicated house as they sing. If you'd like to join pastor and first lady in the altar as we re rededicate our lives to our houses today. I pray into the atmosphere. Spirit of God, you're here. You have all authority. I pray over my heart and mind. I am healed by your stripes. Your blood declares that I am free. In the mighty name of Jesus, I pray. Calling on the power of heaven. I proclaim every weapon formed against me. I must break in the mighty name of Jesus. I draw I draw a permanent boundary. The enemy has no right to come near my family. No, no skin could ever run. No matter the circumstances, the cross has sealed my destiny. In the mighty name of Jesus, I calling on the power of heaven. I proclaim every weapon against me. We must pray in the might. the name of Jesus. In the mighty name of Jes all the power of fear and dark ever keeps victory victory and I hold in the mighty name of Jesus and I will not fear I will not fear when the enemy comes near. My life is the blood of Jesus Jesus Christ. I will not fear. I will not fear. There's an army abundance. I'll protect you. Jesus. I will not be. I will not be with the enemy. The bloody single family is protected before army of angels here. are protected on your side by the blood of Jesus Christ. In the mighty name of Jesus, I pray on the power of heaven. I proclaim every weapon formed against me. You must pray in the mighty name of Jesus. In the mighty name of Jes I know I know all the power of fear and darkness it must go every key to every victory. Come on parents. Come on parents. Come on grandparents. Come on grandparents. Come on parents. Come on parents. Pastoral family, why don't you go through the crowd? Lay your hands on on family. Come on, pastoral family. Go through the crowd. Lay your hand on family. Oh God. Come on elders. Come on elders. Go through this church and lay your hands on families right now. We're going to raise our families. As for me and my house, we're going to serve God. We're going to have a dedicated house. I'm going to be a good father. I'm going to be a good mother. Oh God, sweep over us. Sweep over us. Sweep over us. Hallelujah. Folks, God is in this house this morning. God is in his house this morning. That's right, Noah. That's right, Noah. That's right, Noah. Weep before the Lord. That's right, Noah. Weep before the Lord. That's right. That's right, Kos. That's right, Kos. That's right, Ironwoods. That's right, Amos. That's right. Helps. That's right, brothers. Help. Hallelujah. Come on, lift up your hands right now. God is here. God is here. Help me to be a good father. Help me to be a good father. That's right, Lucas. That's right. That's right, brother. That's right. In the mighty name of Jesus. Heat. Heat. in the mighty name of Lord's moving. I draw a permanent line. The enemy has no right to come near my family. No scheme could ever run. No matter the circumstances, the cross has seal my destiny. In the mighty name of Jesus, I pray. Calling on the power of heaven. I proclaim. Every weapon formed against me must break in the mighty name of Jesus. In the mighty name of Jesus. If you would place one scripture on the screen. Joshua chapter 24 and verse number 15. The Lord is at this house today. What good is it if we're giant killers? What good is it if we can say we built this edifice with never winning debts, debtree? We built this wonderful campus debtree given to missions. Yeah, but what good is it, David, if you got a son that's going to die one day in this place because you never question his life. There's some things that must be publicly proclaimed. There's some things you cannot you you cannot and should not proclaim in your closet. There's some things that's standing among your fellow brothers and sisters in God that you need to be identified as making this declaration. It's on the screen. I want us to all read it together. It's a declaration. We're going to go home on this. We're going to go home on this verse. Begin reading with me. And I'm going to tell you during the reading, you're going to hear me step it up. And when I step it up with intensity, you step it up, too. All right. Verse 15, publicly. And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which were which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood or the gods of the Eberites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. We will serve the Lord. We will serve the Lord. We will serve the Lord. As for me, as for me in my house, we will serve the Lord.