A Oneness Church | Senior Pastor Kenneth Carpenter
by Kenneth Carpenter
First Apostolic Church of Maryville (Maryville, TN)
Kind: sermon
Scripture: Exodus 12:1-7, Numbers 14:26-27, Luke 1:37, Acts 21:30-34

Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/kenneth-carpenter--a-oneness-church
Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page.
Free to copy and share with attribution.

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Well, remain standing with me. Get your Bibles out and turn to the book of Exodus, chapter 12, and verse number one. And we're so glad to have everyone here today. We're so glad to have our Severeville church with us today. And they are the sweetest group of people that you'd ever want to pastor. And we're glad to have First Apostolic of Severville with us today. They are they are so sweet. We've been we've been going up there for several years now. Matter of fact, I used to have a little joke. I would say that uh Marville is my wife and Severville is my girlfriend. And uh my wife on Tuesday night, my wife was teaching Bible studies to a group of ladies and uh down south of town and uh we would split up on Tuesday nights and she'd be she'd be going one direction, I'd be going another to teach Bible study in Seville. And I would say, "Well, I'm going to I'm going to see my girlfriend tonight." She said, "You know, you really might not ought to say that." All right. She said, "I" she said, "I know what you're saying, but they are the sweetest group of people." And then we have got a a precious associate pastor with us and family from the Baton Rouge, Louisiana area and it's been on their bucket list to come to First Apostolic Church. And we welcome you this morning. Thank you. So, thank you so very very much. And um I uh I'm going to do this for my friend, Brother Jimmy Tony. He's already text me. I don't know what he's doing texting during church, but he's already text me because you know how I'm I'm a stickler about a neck tie. And he said, "What? No necktie." Brother Tony, it's right there. All right. Right there. You may be liberal where you're at, but we still wear neck ties around here. All right. I got First Lady is here today. First lady is here today. And what's happened? You know what the weather? This is pastor appreciation month, but we switched it. This is saint appreciation month. I feel sorry for those pastors that only get recognized a day out of the year, but the pastoral team is is is appreciated 52 weeks out of the year. And we mean that. We are truly appreciated 52 weeks out of the year. So today is saint appreciation day. We're going to feed you after church. We're going to feed you some of the finest food you'll ever want to eat after church today. We ask you stay and be with us. The only little hitch we've got, they're calling for some bad weather outside. So, first lady and the group of people, they're arranging rooms all over the campus so that whether rain or shine, we're going to be able to have food today and you're going to be able you're going to be able to eat. Amen. And I'm sure Pastor Ericson will come at the end or someone will come at the end and they'll they'll they'll direct us. But how about let's get in the word for a few moments? How many wants to get in the word for a few moments today? Let's let's get in the word. Exodus 12 and1. And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, "This month shall be unto you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year to you. Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, in the 10th day of this month, they shall take to them every man. Everybody say every every man a lamb according to his house of their fathers, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for a house. And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls. Every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You shall take it out of the sheep and from the goats. Ye shall keep it up until the 14th day of the same month. And the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. They shall take of the blood and strike it on the two side post of the upper doorpost and of the houses wherein they shall they shall eat it. Let's let's let's let's pray right now. Let's pray right now. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, thank you for your word. Thank you, Lord, for your lifechanging word. Thank you for your word that brings a compass into our life. It brings direction into our life. Brings meaning into our life, Lord. Lord, I ask that you would anoint your servant with your spirit that I may speak with anointing and with authority and I may give direction today to this church. We'll give you the praise and the glory and the honor in Jesus wonderful sweet name. I do pray. Amen and amen. Before you seated, give him a great hand of praise. Right now, I want to minister this morning on the subject a oneness, a oneness church. A oneness church. Now, I know what some of you are thinking. Okay, we're getting ready to hear a message on the oneness of the Godhead. And of course, we definitely believe that there is only one God. There's only one God and uh we believe that this one God uh made himself known manifested himself as the father of creation as the son of redemption and is the holy ghost in the church today. We believe what the scripture teach in Jesus Christ dwelleth the fullness of the godhead bodily. We believe as our old testament foundation here. Oh Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord. We believe that and we embrace that. But do you know that there is more oneness that we believe in other than just that there is one God. We are oneness in spirit today. Now I want to thank brother John Stone. uh he recommended a book and I purchased the book and it's a book entitled Covenant and Conversation by Rabbi Jonathan Sachs and uh uh Brother Johnstone recommended this book and said I think you'll enjoy this book and enjoy it. I have I I just about every day along with reading my scripture uh I I'll go to this book and I'll begin to read. And I read I read a chapter that I'd like to share and make it the foundation for my message today that the in the classical Hebrew this rabbi says that in the classical Hebrew there are three different words for community or for congregation. There are three different words that are used. You know, you and I uh we use one word love and we'll say, "Well, I I love uh this steak dinner or I love this car or I love my grandchild." And all of us know today, all of us all of us know today that that we we we we don't love that steak dinner like we love our grandchildren. All right? Now, we know we we we totally understand that they we don't uh we but we use one word to describe well the Hebrews uh in the Hebrew language, they don't they don't do that. They have different words to describe uh different forms of community or for uh different forms of a congregation. Now, I'm going to spare you the pronunciation of these words, okay? I'm going to I'm going to go ahead and spare you the pronunciation. I've tried to pronounce some of them and uh if I've got any salab in my mouth, I get it on my tie in my suit. So, I'm gonna I'm gonna I'm gonna try to I'm just gonna I'm just going to refer to it as word number one, word number two, and word number three. All right, that's that's that's very simple. I learned that a long time ago. Uh word number one. The first word that the Hebrews use for witness for community or congregation is witness. It means a witness. It carries the meaning to appoint, to fix, to assign, to destin, to set apart, to determine, to give a certificate or a document. It has a purpose or a or a mission. But the main thing about this word, it is used when a people have a collective identity. They have a collective identity. It's a group of people that have something all in common. They have something in common in their past. They call it a collective identity. As a matter of fact, what brings us here today is a collective identity. What is the saving name? Would you shout it out? >> That's a collective identity, right? We're here today under one name. That's a collective uh identity. They have all witnessed. They've all witnessed the same thing. They have a community, a collective. They share the same faith. That's the purpose for my text today. Do you realize that the first time that the people of God, the people of Israel were referred to as a congregation, the first time they were referred to as a community, the first time that they were referred to as that, as one was here, when they would all be doing the same thing. You read it with me today that on the night of their departure, they were all to take a lamb. Nobody was going to be excluded. Well, you say, "Brother Carpenter, what if you didn't want to take a lamb?" Well, go dig a grave. Amen. Because that's your option. You either take a lamb or dig a grave. And I'm going to tell you something today. I'd lots rather take a lamb than dig a grave. And so, you know, when people want to know about options, when they when they want to know about options, like the one fella said one time, he said, 'Well, he said, uh, well, well, uh, what if I don't want to go to heaven? And, uh, the the truth of the matter is, you don't have to go to heaven, but you ain't staying here. >> So, you can either take a lamb or you can dig a grave, but I would say that they all took a lamb. All of them. No one was excluded. every family of the thousands. It's estimated, it's been estimated that 600,000 men left Egypt. 600,000 men that had 600,000 wives and four or five kids a piece. Well, that would put you at a few million people. I mean, it wasn't a little crowd that left Egypt. It wasn't a a little community that left Egypt. It could have been two to three million people. Two to three million people left the land of Egypt. But I'm going to tell you what those two to three million people had. They all had one thing in common. They all had a collective identity. They all had collective identity. They all knew they had been brought out of Egypt by the blood of the lamb. They knew that the death angel passed over their home because the blood of the lamb, all of you, you notice this, all of their houses look the same. What do you mean by that? They all had smeared lamb's blood around the doorpost. All of their houses. So they had a they had a collective identity. It was something that they all shared. Three days out of Egypt, they all had a collective identity. We've all got something in common. A week out of Egypt, a month out of Egypt. We all have something in common in our past that's called collective identity. Now, here is the problem. Here is the problem with only having something in your past that binds you together as a oneness church. When you only have something in your past that binds you together, it can turn out to be an evil thing. Because we do know when we read Numbers 14 verse number 26, this is the record of when the 12 spies went into the promised land to look over the promised land. It was a land if they would have just read the fine print, if they had just listened intently to God, he said, "Go search out the land that I will give you." Now, if God tells you that I will give it to you, it's already in the bank. It's already yours. If God makes you a promise, you just drive you a stake right in. And you can get that promise because man didn't make it to you. God made it to you. So now it doesn't matter what you see. You you you understand that what happened in the land of Egypt, he said, "Go into the land, look over the land that I shall give you." Now what they did, they got the giants and the walled cities and the obstacles and the challenges. They got that larger than their God. Boy, we're upside down. I'm gonna tell you something. We get upside down when we see life bigger than our God. Our God can do anything. The Bible said in Luke 1:37, "For with God nothing shall be impossible." I've come today on family weekend to tell somebody, I don't know what you're facing. I don't know what you're up against, and I don't want to sound insensitive to you, but if you will stop magnifying your problems and start magnifying the promises of God, God is going to turn it around for you. You might have been thrown in the water, but a hand reached down and picks you up. You you you you you might have faced a lot of things. And boy, haven't we all today faced a lot of things. But just having something in our past isn't good enough. Because in numbers 14 verse number 26 it said and the Lord spake unto Moses saying unto and and unto Aaron saying how long shall I bear with this evil congregation which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel which they murmur against me. You see, the same group of people that shared the oneness of coming out of Egypt also shared the doubt of going into the promised land. Are you are you are you with me today? It was the same group of people that believed they needed to get down and get a lamb. It was the same group of people that that on the 14th day of the month would slay the lamb, sacrifice the lamb. It was the same group of people. But do you realize that night all those people in e in in in goan the people of God had all one things in common on that night none of them put their pajamas on. None of them got ready for bed. They all the Bible said kept their staff in their hand. They kept their garments on because that night they were going to leave. They all were they all had the oneness of a community. But then that same group of people, that same group of people would get their mind, the majority, and you you realize it was the majority that caused them to doubt because there were two. >> There was two, Joshua and Caleb that came back and said, "We're well able to take the land. >> We're well able." Matter of fact, Joshua or Caleb, I believe it was Joshua said these words. Pastor Nolan, he said these words. He he was trying to convince them, "Let's go take the land." And he said these words. He said, "For they shall be bread to us." Now, what he meant what he meant, you know, years ago, there was a cereal out called Wheaties. All right? And matter of fact, it got so it got so well known among athletes, they would say, "Man, have you had your Wheaties today? Have you have you got your strength food today?" Do you know what Joshua was saying to them? With every city we conquer, we'll get that much stronger. with every with every challenge. And I've got some folks here today that's overcome a few things. You you see, you're just not in a a oneness church of some people that have never come out. There's people in this room right now that God has brought them out. There's people in this room that God has made a way. There there there's marriages that have been made whole. There's people that were suicidal that God has put them in their right mind and they're healthy today and they're living like he said they'll be bred to us. But now this congregation believe the majority and they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years until they died off. So that's the first word for community or for congregation. The second word the Hebrews use for community comes from the root meaning to heat or to pile up. To understand this concept, To understand this concept, think of a group of people praying at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. They may not know each other. They may never meet again, but for the moment, they happen to be 10 people or more in the same place at the same time. and thus constitute a quorum for prayer. This is a community. Now listen to this now. Formed by numbers rather than a sense of identity. They are simply formed by numbers. That's what gives them their commonness. That's what gives them their oneness. They are formed by numbers. As a matter of fact, I think some places of worship kind of begin to reveal their oneness or lack thereof when they just want to tell you how many they had at church. How many we had? It's just a it's just a numbers game. You see, we live in a world known for polling. For polling. And you know what they're trying to do? They're trying to find out where the numbers line up. They're trying to find out the polling of the number. They don't have anything in common with each other. They don't have a past identity with each other. They just find themselves at a place in one time in the same place. Now, I would make the analogy I would add the analogy of people being on a crowded elevator. You know, those are some of the most awkward times being on a crowded elevator. And especially if you're a child of God and you want to shine Jesus to everybody that you that every everybody that you know you you know you just you get on the elevator people and how you doing and some people think you're weird and they don't want to say what they're doing and and then there's really been some interesting conversations. There really been some interesting conversations. I think about one that my wife and I was on an elevator in one of the local hospitals and and I I knew what was going to happen because I kind of saw that the person that was on the stretcher that they rolled in was restrained on his on the wrist and ankles and and and so I I knew this is not your average patient coming in here. And of course, Sister Carpenter, you know how she is. She's going to shine the Lord. And so, so, uh, she just kind of bends down over the, uh, you know, the railing and she says, "How are you doing today?" And, uh, probably about that that many cuss words come back out, you know, and, uh, Christy Carpenter got the last word. She said, "Well, bless your heart." We got off the elevator and we we went on. But, you know, sometimes community can be like a bunch of people on an elevator. We're all together. We're all together, but we're all going to different floors. We've got all different agendas that we're going to and uh we're going here and we're going there. That's called a crowd. That's called a crowd. I'm going to tell you, I'm talking about the beauty of being in a oneness church today because you are just not in a church that shares a common identity, a collective identity. We You're just not in a church today uh uh that everybody shares we've been born again. But we are in a church today that has more than our past in common. For we believe on this Sunday morning that he is the same yesterday, today, and forever more. If you believe that he did a miracle for me, I believe he can do a miracle for you. Oh, you may be a first time guest here today and and your life may be falling apart. You you you don't really know it. You you know, you're you're here in this place. This is all new to you. And you saw little children come up around the altar and worship God and praise God and all that. you think, "Well, I don't really see that that that often or maybe not seen that ever before." But you can't help but believe that God has brought you to Family Weekend because God wants to do for you what he has done for us because he just not a God of the past. And you know today, you're just not in a crowd. You're just not in a crowd. You see, communities can be formed by numbers rather than a sense of identity. Another example of this obviously is the elevator that I just mentioned. But you know, we live in a culture right now with paid protesters, paid agitators. Few years ago, there was a a big riot up in St. Louis and they went in. They were burning cars and burning buildings and all kinds of stuff. And they begin to arrest people because something had happened in a town. They begin to arrest an injustice had happened in a town. And they begin to arrest these people that were turning over cars and burning down building. You know what they found out? The vast majority of them didn't even live in St. Louis. They had got paid by somebody to come to St. Louis and be a paid agitator, to be a paid protester. all of this and we're we're seeing this. I could I could I could go into other things today that we're we're we're seeing this today even in our own our own culture. That's called a mob. >> It's called a crowd. They have no sense of identity about them. They have no sense of identity. They're they're a paid agitator. They're a paid protester. I mean, they they they they they're paid uh $40 an hour. They could get a They could get a a a reputable job somewhere, but they had rather make some quick cash. I don't care what sign they're holding up. They're a paid protester. Well, I want you to know something today. This is not a crowd around here. >> In Acts chapter 21, listen to this. You don't want to live in the crowd cuz you know something? You don't matter in the crowd. You don't matter in the crowd. The crowd forms an elusive opinion and identity. Has no name just called crowd. Look at Acts chapter 21 verse number 30. And all the city was moved. Sound like a crowd. And the people ran together, and they took Paul and drew him out of the temple, and forth with and forth with the doors were shut. And as they went about to kill him. All right. In other words, kill Paul. Tidings came unto the chief captain of the band that all Jerusalem was in an uproar. Sound like a crowd, doesn't it? Sound like all Jerusalem was in an uproar. who immediately took soldiers and centurions and ran down among them. And when they saw the chief captain and the soldiers, they left beating of Paul. Then the chief captain came near and took him Paul and commanded him to be bound with two chains and demanded who who demanded who he was and what he had done. the the authorities were trying to find out who are you and what have you done? Well, let's let's let the crowd answer. You can we let the crowd bail on brother Mayo? Can we let the crowd answer? The centurion is saying, "Who are you and what have you done?" Here's the crowd. And some cried one thing, some another among the multitude. And when he could not know the certainty for the tomalt, he commanded him to be carried into the castle. Can I tell you that centurion, that authority got there and said, "Who is this and what is he done?" And listen to what the crowd says. And then another part of the crowd said, "Nay, neigh neigh neigh." And he said, "I don't know what to think of you." You know why? The crowd never gives clear direction. That's right. >> Some say this and some say that. Aren't you thankful today to be in a oneness church? >> And I'm not just talking about the Godhead today. I'm talking about the unity that's in this place today. Some's not saying this and some's not saying that over there. We're clear with what the word of God says. We're clear with what it says and we're here to pronounce that. Could you give Jesus a hand right now? Could you give him a hand right now? Oh, let me go. The third word, the third word for community is key. The third word is different from the other two kinds of community. Its members are different from one another. Oh, sound like us today. Different from one another in that sense. It is like the second word we use but they are orchestrated together for a collective undertaking. One that is involved in making a distinctive contribution. Now here this is this third word is a group of different people that all have something to contribute to the unified cause. Say that again. They are different but they have a distinctive gifting that they're able to give to the unity of their cause. Now, let's just go ahead rev up the motor today. I want to promote Jesus Christ. >> I want to promote his word. When I die, when I die, I don't want to be known for the house I lived in or the money I left behind. >> I don't even want to be known for the fine family that I leave behind. when I die and that hearse goes down the road and I've asked my wife may be a little morbid. I've asked I' I've asked the wife when I die I I want I want I want the old hearse to circle the church one more time because that's what I do. I care what time of the night I come in from out of town. I don't care if I come in in the wee hours of the morning. My wife will just say I know where you're going. I pull off the street and I circle this church right here. They just something about when I die, brother Ben Lee, I want people to say that was a man that breathed and eat and lived his life to promote the word of the living God. He was consumed with it. They he he lived for it. Can I tell you today that our common cause in this room today is to build up the kingdom of God one soul at a time. One man from be free at a time. One woman from our community at a time. One lost young person at a time. Our our our our sense of belonging. Oh, don't you love him this morning? We all have something to give. You see, I'm going to tell you why the world is messed up. Because the world categorizes people. White, black, Latino, Asian, educated, uneducated, rich, poor, middle class, upper class, and where I came from, no class. And the world tries to bring a book. It's mob opinion. It's crowd opinion. And they're trying to cram us into a book of humanism. But can I tell you, they'll never be. And I honor I honor the president. I'm glad. I rejoiced. I cried when the hostages, praise the Lord, were set free this week. >> Oh, I worshiped. I I I thank God for those men and women that got reunited with their families. Oh, hallelujah. Yeah, we we need to give that a little bit more praise today. I Oh, I I I thank God. I I I thank God. I prayed for them. I prayed for those hostages. But I'm hearing something and I'm thinking, "No." When I hear them say, "Oh, this is going to be everlasting peace." No, it's not. It's not going to be everlasting peace because the temporary peace that's just been made was made by man. >> But there's coming a day >> when the prince of peace, >> Jesus Christ, >> that's the only everlasting peace there will be. >> No man will ever come up with a book that's going to put the white and the black and the Latino and the Asian and the rich and the poor and the uneducated and the educated together. You know what brings us all together today? And I'm going to tell you in the church of the living God, let me tell you who we've got in the church of the living God. And the world could catch on to this by one spirit. Are we all baptized into one body? That's why we preach the Holy Spirit baptism today because what's wrong with man is the spirit of the world is ruling him. And we need the spirit of God inside of us. Oh yes, we need the spirit of God. Can I tell you, you cannot be a white man and have the spirit of God and hate a black man. You can't be a black man and have the spirit of God and hate a white man. You can't be a poor man and have the spirit of God and hate a rich man. You can't be a rich man and have the spirit of God and hate a poor man. You see, when you've got the spirit of God, yes, there's white, there's black, there's Latino, there's Asian, there's educated, there's uneducated here today, but we've all got something to offer to the King of Kings and to the Lord of Lords. Oh, I sit down just for just for a minute. I want everybody to look me right in the eye today. Right now, get your Get your eyes off your cell phone just for a minute. All right? And and look look me look me right now today. Can I tell you something? There's no one excluded in this room today. Everyone in this room today has something to give to God. >> Every person in this room today has something to to to give to God. You hear me today? Every person has something to give to God. The enemy's trick is to make you feel like you're useless. That's the crowd. You can leave a crowd and the crowd can go on, but you don't leave the church. >> Don't leave the body >> because you have something that only you can give. There's a there's a note that you can sing that only you can sing that note. So, everybody is useful in in the church today. Can I tell you this? Not only are we categorized, not only categorized, it was amazing. It started when I hit 50 years old. When I hit the big 5 years ago, I know that's hard to believe how good-looking I am, but uh 15 years ago, when I when I hit the big big 5, I already started getting mail about about health care and Medicare. And I already started getting letters uh from Social Security about uh this is how much you're going to get at 62 and if you hold out to 65 and 67. It started a long time ago because I was in that category. I promise you they're they're they're not sending they're not sending Paris, our oldest granddaughter, 18. They're not sending her that mail yet cuz she's not important to them yet. But when God said, "I'm going to have a church." He said, "Your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams upon your servants and upon your handmaidadens. I will pour out of my spirit." And here it goes. Upon all flesh, you know what makes us a oneness church here today. Doesn't matter. Doesn't matter if you can sing like Sister Hawkins. It doesn't matter if you can preach like brother Hammond Chan. It doesn't matter if you're educated like sister Jean Felipe. It doesn't matter that you got all the things in the world. You may you may be uneducated. You may not be able to to get up here behind the pull pit. You would you would die a thousand deaths. You wouldn't sleep one bit on Saturday night if you knew you had to get up here the next day. But do you know something? You've got something to offer to God in God's kingdom. The women this morning that are in the nursery watching little toddlers are just as useful as the preacher that's got the microphone this morning. It just as useful as the preacher has got Oh yeah. carpenters and plumbers and electricians and nurses and all these people. Oh, brother brother Nathan Stinit. Brother Nathan Stinett that that that works on the guttering and we got guttering things and and and thing. Brother, I could just start naming them from brother Cognel to brother Perry. All these construction workers are needed in the kingdom of God. You see, if you ever sense that you're not needed, you will sense that you don't have any value. But in God, you are needed right now. Your hand clap is needed right now. Your praise is needed right now. You're you're you're needed. You're needed. Is brother and sister Munell's here this morning? Brother and sister Munell, are you here this morning? Are you here? Are you here? Are you here? Are they here this morning? If you're here, raise your hand. You here? Raise your hand. Wave your hand if you're here. All right. They're not here. I'm gonna talk about them for a minute. This past week, Cam Muno's her mother from Honduras was here and she passed away. She got sick while she was here and she passed away at UT hospital and Sister Munos called me and and um there's a little bit of a cultural barrier there and uh she started saying that you you know I'm coming to the hospital and and I'm I'm coming there to see you. I'm coming there to be with the family. She said, "Can you come and do the funeral?" And I said, "Um, are you wanting to have the funeral at the church?" Said, "Oh, no." Said, "There the the country of Honduras has to send a visa and they got to transport the body back to Honduras." And and uh said, "Uh, we're going to have the funeral right now." I never done that before, but I said uh yeah, I can uh I can come and gather in the gather in the room and never done that before. See, with God, everything's exciting and new new things happen. Never never done that. I I I was asked one time to come to the hospital and baptize a course corpse and uh I said, "No, I won't do that. I won't I won't won't do that." But um baptize a dead person. All right. Um no, I won't do that. But they said, "Could you come do this funeral?" And I said, "Well, sure, sure. I I'll come." And and on the way UT, I was thinking, you know, um I wonder if somebody wants to sing around the dead and what? And and of course, Brother Sister Munos had been coming here for a long time. And we've been working with them about seeing the light of water baptism in Jesus name. All right. We we've been working with them to see the light about being baptized in Jesus name. They're good people, but they just haven't seen the light of the need to be baptized in Jesus name. And so, uh, when I got I got in the room, matter of fact, got to the hospital and found out they had taken the chapel there at UT hospital. There's a little chapel there. And I went in there, it was full of sister, um, of sister uh, Muno's family. It was full of her family. And and of course, many of them speak Spanish. And you, you know, I don't. And and so I was asking sister Munos I said would you would you would you would could you interpret could you help me and about that time uh this lady come in and uh Sister Munos said this is my sister right here and she came in and she said oh I I'll interpret for you boy she did a great job of of interpreting or translating or however you say that she she just did a she just did a great job and I got done and we had a great time there and we comforted the family but I got ready to leave and her sister said to me because her sister moved from Honduras about the same time since Munos. They just landed in Cincinnati, Ohio. And she said to me, she said, "Uh, you might know my pastor." And I said, "Well, who would your pastor be?" Said, "Brother Joel Ersan." I said, "Well, I sure do know your pastor." I I certainly do. And I've preached with him. He's preached here for us before. And I looked at her and I said, "Have you been baptized in Jesus name?" And she said, "Oh yeah." I said, "The family really got upset with us." Said, "But I saw it in the Bible and I I just went ahead and got baptized in Jesus' name." >> And I said, "Sweetheart, will you help me?" She said, "Can I tell you, Brother Carpenter, you're that close to getting them baptized in Jesus' name?" Said, "You're you're just that close to getting them in the water. Can I Oh, hallelujah. Folks, I feel the Lord this morning so strong. >> You see, when you're a part of God's body, you're a part of something that's global. >> Well, let me go on. I've got sidetracked here for a moment. But we uh this third word, we're all distinctive. We're all different. And we all have something to to give. We all have something to give. You hear me? Now I want to drive that home. All of us have something to give. All of us have something to give. Now, this even third word that they're distinctive and they all have something to give to a common cause can be turned around for evil. Once again, here we go. And I'll tell you how it was. Moses goes to the mountain for 40 days to get the law of God and the tabernacle that the people need to build to be an earthly witness of the shikina glory of almighty God. The tabernacle was for one purpose. God said that I may dwell among them. 40 days Moses is on the mountain and the people, the congregation, the different people, the people that came out of Egypt, some came out with gold, some came out with brass, some came out with silver, some came out with cloth, some came out with material. These same people said to Aaron, "Get up and make us gods like we had in Egypt. For as for this Moses, we don't know what's become of him." You lead us, Aaron. Now, right here would have been an excellent time for Aaron to have demonstrated a backbone. You see, there's too many preachers today that's got a wishbone. They wish the people would change. They wish the folks would do. But God doesn't need men that have a wishbone. They need men that have a backbone >> along with a jawbone that can speak. That would have been brother Nolan. That would have been an excellent time for Aaron to stood up and said, "Have you forgotten the Lord brought us out of Egypt? Have you forgotten the mana? Have you forgotten roll back Jordan, part Red Sea? Have you forgotten all that God has done for us? Had been a great time for Aaron to be the leader that he needs to be. >> Have you lost your living loving mind? But he didn't. He said, "All right, calf is what you want. Cap's what you're going to get. Bring me your gold." Now, watch this. Bring me what you should be building a place for the glory of God to dwell. Bring me your individual gifts. They made the calf. They made the calf. They formed it, fashioned it just like they had down in Egypt. They made the calf. And then Aaron said, "Well, we need to put a little religious osity to this. We need to put a little spirituality to this." Said, "Let's build an altar. Let's have a holy day." And so they had an image of Egypt and they had a little dab of Jehovah. And it turned out that they got drunk, stripped off their clothes, and lay naked. And God said, "Moses, get down." And here's a good leader now. Oh, I I want I want I want to be a Moses. If you're a father here today, you ought to want to be a Moses. You really God said, "I'm going to kill them. Everyone, I'm going to kill them. I'm going to wipe them off face of the earth, and I'm going to take you, Moses. I'm gonna make a nation out of you. But guess what Moses did? The Bible said God God said these words. Just for time's sake, let me paraphrase. God said these words. He said, "Let me alone, Moses, and let my anger wax hot." Said, "Just keep I'm just the more I see them people laying naked worshiping that calf, the hotter I'm getting. The an I'm getting more angry by the second. Just leave me alone, Moses. I'm gonna kill them. I'm I'm gonna wipe them off the face of the earth." Now, God is saying this. God is saying this. Watch Moses. God, you don't want to do that. See, if you do that, what are they going to say down in Egypt about you? They're going to say things like you were able to bring them out, but you wasn't able to bring them in. They're going to say things about you like like you changed your mind that you're a hard, destructive God. You're you're you're you're going to say all these things, God, but he said, "God, if you're going to kill somebody, kill me. Take my life, God. If you're going to do that, take my life and the B, you know, God has used me before to preach people under conviction. God has used me through the word, through the spirit. I have preached angry men and women. I have preached by the help of God. I'm going to keep saying that. By the help of God, I preach people that have walked into this church upset, mad, everything else. But through the anointing of preaching the word, I have preached them under conviction. They run to an altar and repent. Now, that's pretty powerful. But I have never done what Moses did because when Moses got done talking to God, the Bible said, "And the Lord repented of the evil that he was going to do." >> I preached a lot of people in the altar before, but I ain't never preached God in the altar. I mean, Moses preached God and God said, "All right, I repent. I chain my I won't burn him up. I'll have mercy. I'll have mercy on him. I'll have I'll have mercy on." Do do you know that Moses comes down from the mountain and I this to paraphrase for time's sake. I I've spent too much time on the second Hebrew word or the first Hebrew word and and but but just to paraphrase, Moses comes down from the mountain. He takes the whole law, the whole law, the complete law, and he breaks it in pieces. All right? Now, we know that he did that. He was angry with what he saw. But I think there's also another implication here according to Rabbi Saxs is that he broke it in pieces to show them when God brought you out of Egypt, you were whole. You were one people with one thing on your mind. But now that you have went the other direction, you're fragmented. You're you're fragmented. You're broken all over the ground. And you see you see today a good church will show you who you are. But it'll also show you that there's another whole law coming down from the mountain. And the Bible said that whole law was put in the ark. And many believe that even the broken pieces of the law because even though the law the stones were broken, they still had respect and reverence because it was written with the finger of God. And although it was broken and shattered, they still reverenced it. Do you realize this today? I don't care how far in sin you are. I don't care how messed up you are. I don't care how addicted you are. I don't care what kind of record the courthouse has on you. I don't care how many times you've been married or if you are married. I got news for you today. You were made in the image and in the likeness of Almighty God. And he still loves you. And he still loves you. And he still has a plan for you. And he still wants to work for you. God has not given up on you. He just wants to show you how broken that you are so that you can come together and be a part of the whole. Would you stand with me right now? Some of the prophecies in the Old Testament. Some of the prophecies in the Old Testament of Jesus Christ. Many Jewish people have been converted to Christianity by the prophecies that were given about Jesus Christ. For one, number one, there's a prophecy in the Bible that God said, "I shall raise up among you a prophet like Moses." Now, he's speaking about Jesus Christ. I shall raise up the blood of the lamb. He's speaking about Jesus Christ. I shall raise up somebody that'll come down to Egypt. Listen, stop trying to wait till you're good enough to come to God. >> You can't go to heaven to become heavenly. >> God had to come to this earth. >> God had to come to this Egypt. And so there a lot of different prophecies there, but one of them that I love to sew together is Moses was a good leader. And I'm going to tell you there's two things and I want you to listen if you listen to this next sentence intent intently. The chief characteristic of Moses was he was always trying to help the helpless. Did you get that? Moses, he didn't look at people like, "What can I get out of you?" Hey, what can I get out of you? What what what how how can you enhance me? See, that's the world. The world looks at people coming in and say, "What what can we get out of what what how can they make us better? What can they do?" Moses was a good leader. He was always helping the helpless. Two times he demonstrated this. Number one, when he was still in Egypt as a prince in line to be the next Pharaoh, Brother Tharpy went out one day and he saw a helpless Hebrew being beaten by an Egyptian. He saw a helpless slave being beaten by an Egyptian soldier. The Bible said Moses looked this way and Moses looked that way and Moses got involved and he helped the helpless. That poor that poor Hebrew can't help. He can't defend himself against that Egyptian and he slid in and he killed the Egyptian, buried his body and put in the sand, but he's just trying to help the helpless. On the second occasion, Moses runs for his life because he's killed the Egyptian. He's dressed like an Egyptian. He looks like an Egyptian. He comes to a well of water in the land of Minion. And there a group of women gathered at the well to water their father's flocks. A group of women came to water their father's flocks. And Moses watched the women as they came to the well. Then he watched a group of men come to water their flocks and they just forcibly Get out of here, woman. Get out. Get y'all. Get out. Get out of here. These men came in and took over and pushed those poor women out of the way. We're going to water our flocks first. And you secondass women, you can come after me. Boy, Moses saw that. He stepped in and said, "No, Siri, no sir. You boys stand in line. These women were here first. When they get done watering their animals, you can come on down. What was he demonstrating? I'm here to help the helpless. Jesus Christ is in this room right now. And you know why he's here? And you know why we're here today? Because we want to see the helpless get help this morning. You don't have to live the way you've been living. You don't have to live without hope. Could we raise our hands and begin to pray right now? You don't have to live without hope. You don't have to live wondering, is this all there is to living? You don't You don't have to live You don't You don't have to live You don't have to live wondering. Is Is there anything for you? Is this all there is to living? Is it Is this all there is to living? Come on, pray, church. A good church will pray to help the helpless this morning. The good church will pray to help the helpless this morning. Thank you, Lord. Of years gone by, of years gone by, there was a famous wealthy movie star, Brandon Marlo. A famous movie star, if I'm pronouncing his name correctly, and I may not be, but he was famous and he's wealthy. But a police officer in Central Park noticed that he saw a man sitting on a park bench. Few hours later, he saw the same man sitting on the park bench. And in that we hours of the morning, he saw the same man sitting. He thought, "I need to go talk to this man." And when he did, he walked up and he recognized him as the wealthy movie star. And the police officer just said these words. He said, "What are you doing here?" He looked up with tears streaming down his eyes. And he said, "I've been sitting here for nine hours, asking myself the same question. What am I doing here?" You see, you'll never have meaning in your life until you get the spirit of God in your life. You'll never have meaning in your life until you surrender. Throw up the white flag. Say, "God, I'm tired of running. I'm tired of fighting. I'm tired of peeling. I'm tired of drinking. I'm tired of shooting up. I'm tired of trying the things of this world. I give up this Sunday morning here at this church in Jesus name. I give up right now. Church, would you help me pray one more time? I'm going to open up this altar. Every head bowed and every eye closed. I'm going to open up this altar to you right now. If you're tired of running, come to this altar and surrender. If you're tired of fighting, come to this altar and surrender this morning. If you're tired of going through life having no meaning, if you're tired of just going through the day and never enjoying life, come to this altar right now. Oh God, deal with the men and women that are here. Oh God, touch their heart right now in Jesus' name. Oh God, touch their heart right now in Jesus name. God. Oh God, move upon them right now in Jesus name. God, Lord, help us to help the helpless today. God, they need your spirit. God, right now, come down upon them in this congregation. Come down upon them in this congregation right now. Oh God, come down upon them right now. Young lady, what you're feeling is the spirit of God. Young woman, what you're feeling is the spirit of God. Man, what you're feeling is the spirit of God. Release the back of that pew. Walk down to this altar this morning. Surrender your life to God right now. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Oh God, I love you right now. God, come on church family. Let's gather in right now. Come on. Let's gather in right now. Come on. Why don't you come with the church right now? Tired of running? Tired of fighting? Tired of having no peace? Tired of suicidal thoughts? Tired of? Tired of life being a burden. I need some joy. I need some peace. I need some happiness and contentment. I need some meaning in my life. It's here today. Jesus is here today. He's here today. Oh God. Oh yes God. Oh yes God. God. Come on, church family. Come on, church family. It's our time to help the helpless. Come on, church family. It's our time to do our thing right now. It's our time to do our thing right now. It's our time to pray. It's our time to put our hand over on somebody. It's our time to help the helpless right now. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Come, sweet Jesus. Move, sweet Jesus. Catch, sweet Jesus. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. He's here. Jesus is here. He's in the house. Let go. Turn loose. >> Hallelujah. >> You're worthy. God, you're worthy of all. Your promises never fail. I've got stories I live to tell. So God pour out my praise in your word. God, you're worthy of our You came in love. You chose the cross. Laid down your life to rescue us. The Savior then, the Savior now. You even dead was not the end. You conquered hell so I could live. Resurrecting. Resurrecting now. Resurrecting. Resurrecting. I witness your faithful existence. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Church, God's moving right now. Church, if I've ever needed you to help the helpless, I need you right now. If you've got the baptism of the Holy Ghost, you got it to help the helpless right now. There's souls in this room that need a touch from God. There's souls that need a touch from God right now. their souls right now. Hell is fighting for their mind. Hell is fighting for their thoughts. But can we create an atmosphere right now? Can we create an atmosphere of deliverance? Can we create an atmosphere of healing? Can we create an atmosphere of wholeness right now? I need everybody today. I need everybody today help the helpless right now. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Yeah. Heat. You're good and I've witnessed it. You're strong and I'll witness it. You're constant. I witnessed it and I'm confident. I'll see it again and again. You love and I witness Jesus. You heal and I witness it. And I'm witness. >> You save and I witness it. And I'm confident. I'll see it again and again. You're good and I witness it. You're strong and I witness it. You're witnessing it. I'll see it again. You witness. I'll see it again. I witness your favor. I see you with so you Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Savior. I will I witness your faithfulness. I see you light with your eyes. Pour out my praise. You're worthy. I'm so worthy of everything is never ending your way to the witness. We will tell you I'm telling Jesus. Yes, we are. I've witnessed your faithfulness. I've seen you breathe life within. Oh, pour out my praise and give your word. God, you're worthy of all of it. Your promises never fail. I've got stories I live to tell. So I pour out my praise in your worthy. God, you're worthy of all of it. Hello everyone. I am free. I am free. I am free. I am free. I am free. I am free. I am free. I am free. Say hello to everyone. >> I am free. I am free. I am free. >> Hello everyone. I am >> I am free. I am I am free. me up. Turn me around. My fre my heart change my name forever free. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Get out. Get out of my way. Yeah. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Hallelujah. My great clothes. When the sun sets free, there's free me. Morning's here. And I'm grateful for the savior got up in victory. You say out of my grave. The sun sets free. The sun sets free. And I'm pray for the dancing out of my bra. The sun sets free sets free here set free. When he speaks restoration with Jesus, Get out of here. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, I thank you today for this precious man of his own valition has entered into the water of baptism today. Lord, we know by the authority of your word that when we are in the water in the name of Jesus according to your word, every repented sin is remitted. Lord, you remit our sins. Lord, you wash them away. And Lord, in the place of the washing away is the washing away of guilt, the washing away of shame, the washing away of condemnation. And what comes in the place is joy and peace and happiness. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Thank you, Lord. Church family today remember our custom here is when those being baptized go under the water we all do our thing and shout out in Jesus name for professing your faith and obedience of the word of the Lord I do now indeed baptize you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost >> in Jesus name >> in Jesus name he gave me A reason. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Dancing out of my great clothes. When the sun sets free is free. The morning's here and I'm grateful for the savior God of victory. My bra set free for the s of victory. free. >> Come on, church. Let's do our thing right now. Let's lift up praise. Oh, let's lift up praise. Oh, let's lift up praise. Hallelujah. Souls have been born again. Souls have been baptized. Souls have coming home. Hallelujah. Now, I want you to listen to your pastor for just a moment. Abraham Lincoln said, "Confession is good for the soul, but bad for the reputation." To my knowledge, there's only been one time I've ever disobeyed God in this church. Happened many years ago at the Mcinley Street Church, and it had to do with asking for an offering from a group of people that were giving sacrificially to build a building up on a hill. God spoke to me and I didn't obey God. Brother Yates, he told me what to tell the people and I didn't obey. I didn't obey the Lord. I didn't sleep good that night. I got tired, brother Bush. I got tired just like normally get tired. But about five minutes into my sleep, God woke me up. Sister Franklin, I spent a miserable night until about 3:00 in the morning. I repented, got down beside my bed, told God I was sorry, and if he'd let me live to the next church service, I'd get up and tell the people. And of course, I did. And the Lord confirmed his word. I have the same thing on my heart this morning, but it doesn't have to do with an offering. It's got to do with the spirit of embarrassment. The spirit of embarrassment. There's some of you being held back today because you've got things in your life. You've got things in your life, events that happen that put a stigma on you. A thing of embarrassment. Keeps you beat down. Keeps you beat down. It keeps you thinking so much less of yourself. You see, you really can't think the fullness of God if you don't think he's able to remove what holds you. If there's something in your life that you're not letting God remove and you think it can never be removed, then you're not seeing God through the proper vision that you need to see God. >> Do you know why that he did the first miracle? Say, "Well, that was about to run out of wine." Well, yeah, but it was more than that. You ever notice on some of these shows that have, let's say, America's funniest moments of a wedding, you ever notice what happens on when they show weddings? It's either the wedding cake dumping over, okay? Or it's a bride or a groom falling off the platform. It's something that is what they might recall funny, but it probably to the bride and groom that cake falling down wasn't funny. As a matter of fact, all people ever remember their wedding. Oh, I remember the cake fell down. Oh, they remember I remember you you slipped and fell. I remember I remember all that. Why? It was going to be an embarrassing situation if they ran out of wine. All that would be remembered of that wedding was they lack preparation. They didn't prepare right. And all that would be left would be an embarrassing stigma. So, the first miracle, the first, everybody say the first. >> The first, Brother John Sto. The first miracle. Nobody's dying. Nobody's crippled, blind, or deaf. Nobody's got leprosy. Nobody's dead. It needs to be resurrected. The first, don't you think the first miracle he would do would just be something that, you know, do you realize the first miracle he did, he did it? so that a little couple would not wear the stigma of an embarrassment. He did it so that the opposite of that would take place because when he took the water that they went and got and he turned it into wine, the people there at the celebration said, "Stop. Stop the music. Stop everything. We have to say something about this." says, "Normally, you normally bring out the best in the beginning, and when your pallet is well saturated with the wine, you bring out the less than the best. But you you you you you have kept the best for the last." Can I tell you spirit of embarrassment right now? Get your hands lifted up right now because God is about to turn some water into wine right now. I rebuke the stigma of embarrassment. I rebuke the stigma of a label of failure. I rebuke that stigma right now. I am free. I am free. I am free. I am brand new. I'm a new creature. I've got a new start. I've got a new My life is better now. Come on, praise him with me right now, folks. We're having some church right now.