A Time Change | Senior Pastor Kenneth Carpenter
by Kenneth Carpenter
First Apostolic Church of Maryville (Maryville, TN)
Kind: sermon
Scripture: Genesis 37:19-22, Genesis 37:29, Genesis 35:22, Hebrews 11:32-33, Genesis 49:1-4, Luke 19:41-44, Job 10:12, 1 Peter 2:11-12, 1 Chronicles 12:23, 1 Chronicles 12:32, Acts 24:24-26, Mark 6:17

Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/kenneth-carpenter--a-time-change
Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page.
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well that song this morning that song reminds me of a scripture if God be for us come on who can be against us you know that God is for you this morning everyone God is for don't don't die I I I don't want anybody to be thinking right now no no you're not talking to me I am talking to you don't make me call your name God is for you this morning he loves you today and if God is for us foreign who can ever be against us if your Bibles and would turn with me for a few moments this morning the Book of Genesis chapter 37 and verse number 19. and before I read my text I want to we have a special High honor guest here with us today and we affectionately refer to her as mother Davis is with us this morning and this is Gabby's grandmother and we are so honored to have sister Davis in service with us her and her husband pastored for many years in a town in West Tennessee called Savannah Tennessee they have made a tremendous impact on on the kingdom of God through their children their children have had a tremendous impact upon the kingdom of God As a matter of fact a song that is sang around the world we are standing on Holy Ground we're standing on Holy Grail been recorded by a number of secular people but uh their sister Davis's very own son Jaren Davis wrote wrote that song but what she's most famous for with us she's Gabby's grandmother today all right she's Gabby's grandmother we all we all love Gabby here and she Noah's going to be getting married and months weeks and it's on the calendar God help us and all of that you know and so we're looking we're looking forward to that I say I'm also glad to see brother Dave Nelson back home with us brother Dave we love you and we've been missing you so good to see you uh his father that attended here a few times his father unexpectedly passed away and brother Dave be sure to let your mother know that she continues to stay to stay in our prayers amen Genesis 37 verse 19. and they said one to another behold this dreamer coming come now therefore let us slay him cast him into some pit and we will say some evil Beast hath devoured him and we shall see what will become of his dreams and Reuben heard it and delivered him out of their hands and said let us not kill him and Reuben said unto them shed no blood but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness and lay no hand upon him that he might rid him out of their hands he may rid Joseph out of their hands and deliver him to his father again go all the way down to verse 29. and Reuben returned unto the pit and behold Joseph was not in the pit and he rent his clothes and he returned into his Brethren and said child is not and whether shall I go um I want to minister this morning brother Dempsey there's something on a subject that's on everybody's mind here today you've been talking about it for two or three days now everybody you've been talking about it and yes you've been dreading it most people have been dreading it I want to minister today on a time change a time change would you put your Bibles down lift up your hearts father I love you I thank you Lord for your word I thank you God for everything that you've done for us thank you Lord for the choir thank you for the faces and the stories and the testimonies God that are in the choir of overcoming and thank you Lord for this house filled with worshipers this Sunday morning Lord I ask you for the next few moments that you would anoint me to do what you called me to do you would anoint me to preach your word today I'll give you the praise of the honor and the glory in Jesus name put your hands together and give him a hand to praise before you see them a time a Time a time change I was right was I not it's been on our minds for several days I was right was I not we're all dreading we love that falling back an hour don't we oh don't we dread we were sister Carpenter and I were down in Alabama yesterday Friday and Saturday doing a marriage retreat and uh to add insult to injury sister Sutton they are not only they're an hour behind us all right so they're an hour behind us so yesterday evening when we were leaving Alabama I was looking down a double barrel shotgun of being behind two hours but we had a good time at marriage Retreat there with brother Lambert and the people that were assembled there and I I told them they're about the I said y'all heard about the invisible man that married The Invisible Woman They both the Invisible Man married The Invisible Woman and they said no we ain't heard of it I said well their kids were nothing to look at I better get back to preaching right repeat it with me a time change a time change we don't often hear about this when we read the story of Joseph we just mainly hear that his brothers hated him and that his brothers um hated him so much that they wanted to kill him and sell him and they did they didn't kill him but they did sell him as a slave but um one of the things we don't really hear about a lot is when they plotted to kill him that was their first thing let's let's kill him let's kill him it was Reuben the oldest of the brothers it was Reuben that lacks courage to stand up and he lacks courage to speak up and he lacks courage to tell his opinion of Joseph because Reuben May of disliked Joseph but reuben reuben didn't want to kill Joseph it was at Reuben's it wasn't Reuben's intent to kill Joseph Reuben's intent he disliked him and probably into hatred but not not killing not killing Joseph brother said come now and let's kill him and let's see what will become of his dreams and Reuben not having courage speak up and stand up begin to scheme he said oh no he said let's not kill him let's not let our hands shed blood but let's cast him into this pit here it was Reuben's ideal to cast him in the pit the other brothers are going to kill him it's Reuben's ideal to cast him in the pit but Reuben had in the back of his mind that when everyone would leave where the pit was at Reuben was going to come back around and Reuben was going to get Joseph out of the pit and Reuben was going to take him back was going to take him back to his father well we know that the plan backfired on Reuben Reuben left the pit and waited for the brothers to leave but in between Reuben leaving the pit you know the story The ishmaelite Traders came and his brother said why don't we make a profit off of him Reuben was not there why don't we make a profit off of him and they sold Joseph into the hands of the ishmaelite Traders and thus when Reuben did return to the pit the Bible says it was empty and Reuben had a great anguish great disappointment anytime in the Bible you find someone grabbing their coat or their clothes and ripping their coats that was an outward cultural sign of saying this is what my heart looks like my heart is rent today my heart is broken today the child is not is what he said and where shall I go you see what Reuben lacked in courage to speak up and to stand up many times when we lack courage to stand against the Winds of peer pressure and against the Winds of the opinions of men and we lack the courage to stand up and speak up we brothers and sisters lose valuable opportunities to save the dreamer that is in that is in the pit well Reuben and and it kind of It kind of goes together when you when you are not courageous enough Reuben to stand up and again you're not courageous enough Reuben to speak up and again Reuben you have to kind of blend in with whatever anyone else is saying it seems to create other major issues in your life Reuben as a matter of fact we find we find this major issue in Reuben's life in Genesis chapter 35 and verse number 22. we find this major issue in his life the Bible says and it came to pass when Israel dwelt in that land that Reuben now Israel is Reuben's father Reuben went and lay with bilha his father's concubine it's another way of saying it was one of his father's wives Reuben went to his father's concubine and Israel heard it now the sons of Jacob were 12. you see how this kind of begins to go together it is Reuben it is Reuben that violates it's it it would be bad enough that he would do something outside of the bonds of matrimony but Reuben violates his own father his own if I could call her a stepmother he violates his own father's wife and goes in and he lays with his own father's wife in a sinful relationship I hope you're kind of seeing all of this about Reuben but can I tell you this morning that regardless of Reubens courage to stand up and speak up and regardless of this hideous sin that Reuben had committed almighty God gives us a time to change God gives us in his Mercy in his grace God gives us a time for change aren't you thankful for that this morning did I stand here and Proclaim to you a savior today that would give you a time an opportunity for change I can't say it for you but I can say it on behalf of my own soul I'm glad that I embrace a God that gives us an opportunity and a time for change if you don't believe that today turn with me to Hebrews 11 and 32. sister Carpenter the 11th chapter of Hebrews is the caught being called God's Hall of Heroes we have held the 11th chapter of the book of Hebrews as God's Museum of saints God parades the Noah's and the Abrahams and the Isaac and God parades all the men and women of faith in the 11th chapter of Hebrews he's proud of them God has it put in the book of Hebrews 11 and he's proud of these he's he's showing these people this is what faith looks like these are people that you should imitate their lives but in Hebrews 11 and 32 the writer says and what shall I say more for time would fail me to tell of Gideon and a Barrack and of Samson and of jephthah and of David and of Samuel and of the prophets who through faith subdued kingdoms wrought righteousness obtained promises stop the mouths of blind now I'm going to show you something today if you wanted to nitpick you could nitpick every name every name that I just listed if you're looking to nitpick you can nitpick every name that I just mentioned and that God said I want to parade them in the Hall of faith every name that God said I want you to imitate I want you to look at their life every name if I was a nitpicker and I'm not a nitpicker I don't know if that's a word today I'm not a nitpicker today but I guess if you nitpick you're a nitpicker all right but if I was a nitpicker today get in oh yeah you're the man that won the battle took the gold from the midianites and made golden ephods and later on the children of Israel went a whoring after the golden ephod that you made oh yeah that's Gideon oh Barrick Barrick oh I read about you dude you ain't manly you ain't man enough to go out into battle you're you're you you're you you don't have the masculinity that you need you don't have the masculinity you know when the enemy came against you you wasn't even man enough to face them God had to raise up a woman and you had the woman had to come and say God told me to go fight them and then you said all right I'll just follow up so I can pick Bay Rick this morning can I get a witness today I could nitpick I could nitpick Gideon you made the he fought gold and oh boy do I even need to give an explanation to Old Sammy Boy Over Samson he's the He-man with the she weakness right he got a haircut at the wrong Barber he went to the wrong stylist to get that haircut right well what about David I don't even go there the Peeping Tom on the rooftop I mean you don't even have to go there come on now he's back up to me a little bit this morning what about David then what about Samuel now what in the world now now brother Carpenter I don't think you're going to find anything bad about Sam are you kidding me he's a lousy parent you don't even know how to raise his kids to live for God he's his own boys that he he's able to prophesy and make it thunder but he can't even raise boys that'll live for God don't don't don't don't talk to him about that but I find this morning that God placed every one of them inside of these chapters not for the wrongdoing God never elevates over our sin but God elevates because God gives us a time for change and in that time for change we step up and let the marvelous wonderful loving graceful love of God begin to work in our life and I don't know if I'm getting a witness today but I'm telling you I'm glad there's a Time I'm glad there's a time for change I'm glad there's a time for change this coming mother Davis this coming June brother and sister carpenter has been proud to pastor this church for 39 years almost four Decades of pastoring this wonderful church and I'm going to tell you what's the joy of my heart in pastoring this church I have seen people make the wrong turn I have seen people make the wrong decisions I have seen people stumble and fall and land flat of their face I have seen people get out of church I've seen people do all kinds of things but I never by the help of God ever gave up on one of them and almost four decades the joy of my life is to see that same man or that same woman that made the wrong turn make the right turn that same man or that same woman that had a fall they took a stand and the god that we served this morning the god that we served this morning has given us a Time change Reuben I really believe that you could have received a time change I really believe that Reuben warded off the moving of God to change I believe what caused Gideon to change was the spirit of God I believe what caused David to change was the spirit of God I believe what caused all these men to change was the spirit of God and I also believe that the spirit of God moved upon Reuben I believe that God moved upon him to change his life but it would be later as his father lay a dying in Genesis chapter 49 verse number one it was customary when a man knew that he was dying and death was soon to come he would gather his children around his bedside he would prophesy of their future he would tell his children what he saw in them and what he believed would be in their lifetime so Jacob in Genesis 49 and 1 Jacob called unto him his sons and said gather yourselves together that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days gather yourselves together and hear ye sons of Jacob and hearken unto Israel your father and he begins with Reuben Reuben Thou Art my firstborn my might and the beginning of my strength the Excellency of dignity and the Excellency of power unstable as water Thou shalt not Excel because thou wentest up to thy father's bed then defilest thou it he went up to my couch look at verse 3 again Jacob begins to talk about the potential Jacob begins to talk about the potential that Reuben has can I tell you your heartbreak and your fear should be the wasting of your potential there is tremendous potential in this room today as a matter of fact there's not a man a woman boy or girl listening under the sound of my voice this morning that you don't have potential that the Heartbreak is that you would Waste Your Potential the Heartbreak is that you have all these gifts and callings and treasures within you and the Holy Ghost keeps moving on you and moving on you but you will not allow God to cause you to recognize I'm giving you a time to change I'm giving you a time to change you say brother Carpenter you don't know my life you you really don't know me so I'm just kind of Xing you off today because you don't you really don't know me well I may not but I do know that God has given us some measurements in the Bible to go by I do know that in the Book of Revelation in the Book of Revelation there was a wicked filthy vile sinful woman morally morally perverted sinful and seducing with her spirit her name in the in the in the Book of Revelation She Goes By An Old Testament name of Jezebel but God speaking to one of the churches she was in one of those churches and God spoke to Jezebel and God said I have given you a space time to change I have given you a time and a space to change brothers and sisters this morning if the loving personality of our God would look down in the church to a seducing woman that went by the name of Jezebel and God would say crank the up give her an opportunity to change how much more will he do it for you and I today we serve a God that gives us a chance a Time for change but Reuben you missed your time Reuben you missed your time you were full of potential you were the beginning of my strength you were the Excellency of my dignity you were the Excellency of power but now because you've missed the time you're unstable as water you will not Excel you will not unstable as water you know you do know water water seeks the route of least resistance Reuben is led by his passion Reuben doesn't know how to say no to his flesh Reuben doesn't know how to discipline himself Reuben doesn't know how to take an opportunity for the spirit of God and have changed in his life and so therefore Reuben is as unstable as water it was Charles Spurgeon the great 19th Century theologian that said these words so a man may have great opportunities and yet lose them uncontrolled passions may make him very little who otherwise might have been very great do you hear me this morning one of the heartbreaks you ought to feel and it's a heartbreak that I feel is not what people have done it's that people haven't changed because when sin finishes its ugly portrait When sin finishes his ugly canvas of a family and you look at how things could have been and how there are right now and you look at that ugly painting of what sin did to that young couple that should have stayed in church what sin did to those young children that should have been raised in the house of God it's an extremely ugly picture you ought to fear today the loss of your potential you see God gives us an opportunity to change the scripture tells us of two times that Jesus wept specifically in the gospels there's two times the scripture says Jesus wept the first time we hear of Jesus weeping was at the tomb of Lazarus it's the shortest verse in the Bible it simply says Jesus wept he wept because he saw their lack of faith he wept because they saw the end of lazarus's life greater than the present power of the almighty God and because they saw current circumstances greater than God himself Jesus wept over the grave the next time Jesus wept is in the scripture reading of Luke 19 verse number 41. it says and when he was come near he beheld the city and wept over it he stood on the Mount of Olives and he looked over Jerusalem and as he looked over Jerusalem tears begin to weep begin to flow down his face he began to weep over this city and then he opened his mouth saying if thou hadest known even thou at least in this thy day the things which belong unto thy peace but now they are HID from Thine Eyes Jerusalem if you only knew the opportunity that I've given you if you only knew that little baby born in a manger that man that's been raised up in Nazareth that man called Jesus who I am if you only knew what I could provide for you if you only knew how much greater I am than your burnt offerings and your sacrifices of the temple if you only knew the peace that could come to your life but now their head from thine eyes for the day shall come upon thee that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee and can pass thee roundabout and keep the end on every side now watch what Jesus Does Jesus being God weeks through the humanity of knowing you missed your opportunity you missed your opportunity I know you don't recognize it but I am the greatest opportunity that you've ever had given to you in all of your life and then as God as God because that same city of Jerusalem was going to demand his crucifixion that same religious group we're going to demand him don't don't give us Barabbas but give us Jesus Jesus as God look 40 years into the future Jesus as God looked four decades into the future it's recorded in history four decades later Rome came with chariots and horses and Rome surrounded the city of Jerusalem and historians tell us that Rome starved them out and that when Rome did enter the city the Pagan soldiers raped the Jewish women the Pagan soldiers took swords to little Jewish boys and Jewish girls that were running through the streets that beautiful Temple that was overlaid with gold that they pulled the gold off the walls and they even employed hundreds of men with chisels and hammers to Chisel out all the gold and all the silver and all of the precious stones that were in Jerusalem and Jesus simply says to them for the day shall come upon thee that thine enemy shall cast a trench about thee and can pass thee round and keep thee in on every side and they shall lay thee even with the ground verse 44 and thy children within thee and they shall shall not leave in the one stone upon another what in the world could cause this kind of judgment to fall upon Jerusalem what deed did they do what Pagan Idol did they raise up what deed what what immoral accent they did right here it is because thou knowest not the time of thy visitation all of this is going to happen because you don't recognize your time for change I know today that to some I may just be a red-faced fist pounding loud preacher today I know this may be an unusual way to worship God when a couple of hundred people get on a stage and begin to leap and shout and exalt the name of Jesus I know oh it may be a different custom of coming Sunday morning and Sunday night and Wednesday night but I want to tell you sir I want to tell you ma'am this is your time for change this is God you may not recognize it but this is your time for change I want God to look 40 40 years in my life and I want him to see a man that is in heaven shouting the victory I want God to look 40 years in my life and see someone full of Victory and full of joy I don't want God to look 40 years and see the destruction of sin and an angel say God what did that woman do that it's so ugly in her life what immoral act does she do what did they do and the Lord say they just simply didn't recognize my visitation my visitation would you raise your hands right now come on would you raise your hands along with your voice today if you're thankful you're thankful that you know the time of your visitation how many are glad that you said yes when the Holy Ghost moved you how many are glad that you said yes not only one time you said yes but since you've been living for God you've said yes yes yes yes many times over you've said yes to him oh my God yes yes to him job how in the world can you keep your spirits up how in the world can you keep your spirits up job with everything you're going through let me tell you how in Job chapter 10 and verse 12. listen to job tell God this is what has upheld him job said in 10 and 12 thou Hast granted me life and favor thy visitation hath preserved my spirit folks when I don't have a change on the outward when this Monday will be no different than last Monday I'm going to tell you what keeps me putting one foot in front of the other the mighty visitation of God we need a visitation every time we come into the house of God there's one thing friend whether we sing your song or not or I preach your message or not you better come here every time and say God I need to have a visitation I won't make it without without a visitation I'm gonna tell you how we're going to improve the naysayers wrong I'm going to tell you how we're gonna I'm gonna tell you how we're going to win people to God and we're going to win people back to God it's in First Peter chapter 2 verse number 11. First Peter chapter 2 verse number 11. here it is a recipe to win people to God and to win people back to God dearly beloved I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims abstain from fleshly lust come on Reuben abstain from fleshly lust which war against your soul having your conversation that means how you live having your conversation honest among the Gentiles that whereas they speak against you as evil doers they speak against you as evil doers history tells us that the early church the accusation of Rome and this is in writings you can find it in Josephus you can find it in historians that wrote about the first century Church they slandered the first century Church the first century church was not allowed to live it was not allowed to Worship in the temples they were being persecuted they were being they were being arrested they were being put to death so most of the time men and women of the first century Church found themselves in dark caves and houses where they extinguish their lamps and because of this the slanderous Gentiles of the Romans begin to slander them and say well these people are meeting and having all kinds of sexual orgies that are going on there it's all kinds of gross sin that's going on and they were being slandered you can read this in in history they were being slandered but Peter came and Peter said having your conversation the way you live honest among the Gentiles that whereas they speak against you as evil doers that's what they're saying they may by your good works which which they Shall Behold glorified God in the day of visitation in other words he said just keep on living right keep on doing right don't fight against them don't get in a war with them don't change don't exchange slander for slander insult for insult you know if we're slinging mud at one another we're losing ground right we're losing we're losing ground he says don't don't do any of that you keep living for God you keep glorifying God because right in the midst of that I'm going to visit you and them and when I visit them it's going to cause a day of visitation to turn how many beliefs God wants to win this city how many believes that God wants to win this city I do I do I believe God wants to win this city anybody live in Greenback God wants to win green back anybody live in Louisville God wants to Win Louisville counseling God wants to win these communities around us God's going to give them a day of visitation will I continue on now I continue on I continue on to uh time for change time for change nestled between King Saul and King David or seven years King Saul represents the fleshly pride of a man isn't it time to change God said I want to I want to give you change I want to give you change it's time that we crucify Pride it's time that we crucify our flesh we let our flesh live it's going to lead us into pride and bitterness it's going to deceive us we won't recognize the day of God's visitation we'll eventually lose out with him King Saul represents that fleshly prideful man and God said I want to give you a King David and that King David he's no perfect man by no means but he's an humble man he's no perfect man by no means but he's a man that's after God's Own Heart can I tell you today that God wants to give you a time of change that you can change from your fleshly Saul of lifting up yourself to a King David that is a man after God's Own Heart a man that'll say I don't have to be right I just have to be right with God a man that will say I don't have to always get my way as long as God always has his way with me seven years seven years went by in between Saul and David It came it came time it came time for David it came time for David to get on the throne David's anointed king but he's not on the throne it went through the camp and we find this in first Chronicles chapter 12. First Chronicles chapter 12 verse 23 and I want to I want to make sure I explain this to you Saul is dead David is King but the people have not put David on the throne yet Saul is dead David is King seven years I can't explain it seven years went by that David is not where he rightfully should be you know I believe today that there's a there's many of you here today that have a David in you and the help of God I want to put David on the throne of your life I don't want David to only have his way inside this building three times a week but I want David to have his way seven days a week in your life I want David to be seated on that conversation you and your wife have I want David to be in that home with you so seven years goes by in verse number 23 First Chronicles 12 . and these are the numbers of the bands that were ready armed to war and came to David to Hebron to turn the kingdom of Saul to him according to the word of God where did this come from why do you wait seven years Saul's been dead for seven years why is it seven years went by how did it change who led the party who brought up the conversation I think I found them they're in the 32nd verse verse 32. of the same chapter and the children of issachar which were men that had understanding of the times to know what Israel ought to do the heads of them were 200 and all their Brethren were at their commandment I believe I know who brought it up after seven long years of no King on the throne in Jerusalem and David has been anointed king I believe I know who stepped forward and said hear you hear you hear you hey everybody hey the rest of the tribes hey everybody it's time to put David on the throne it's time we've got an empty Throne we've got a king that's living in a tent we've got a king that's living like a Shepherd hey everybody it's time because the Bible says that the men of issachar had understanding of the times to know what Israel ought to do we need to crucify procrastination this morning we need to crucify this morning one of these days I'm going to really make a change I'm sorry today we're not promised another day we're not promised another minute today is your day of salvation today is the acceptable time oh I want to be a man of issachar to tell you don't wait till it's too late don't spend another day without David from the Throne of your life come on let's give him praise right now missed opportunities after missed opportunities after missed opportunity God help me to always be a is a car preacher God helped me to always be a preacher that brings in your face what time it is it's not time to go to sleep it's not time to lay down it's not time to let up these are all first Winds of backsliding it's time to take it easy it's time to take a break listen that voice that's telling you it's time to take a break is not other than coughed up out of hell that's a that's a that's a spirit from hell because hell knows that the time is short I want to be an issachar this morning I want to be an Instagram as a matter of fact the book of Acts chapter 24. and verse 24. it's an interesting read Acts chapter 24 and verse 24. this can happen to you can happen to me and after certain days when Felix came with his wife Drusilla which was a Jewish and Drusilla had married this Gentile Felix this political leader she had Jewish blood in her after certain days when Felix came with his wife through Drusilla which was Jewish he sent for Paul and heard him concerning the faith in Christ he sent for a sermon he sent for a message probably his wife being Jew knowing that Promises of Messiah came to the Jewish people may have been her doings we don't know all we know is this political leader Felix requested a sermon to be preached by Paul Paul Begins the sermon in verse 25. he reasoned of righteousness temperance and judgment to come look at these three things he talked about righteousness the only way to be righteous is to obeying the Gospel of Jesus Christ although that's one word there I believe Paul preached to him the born-again experience I believe that Paul preached being born again of the water and the spirit I believe that Paul addressed sin and the only answer for sin is to be born again the only Power that's greater than sin is the power of the Holy Ghost I believe that Paul preached when he said it just it just has one word here but I believe he preached the new birth experience then the next word he got on the next subject was Temperance this word Temperance is self-control he talked about self-control we're living in a world that's out of control today it's a crazy world we're living in it is a crazy world that we're living in if they're out of control they're out of control this week and this ain't party this ain't slaminal party it's the event I would slam but this week in our White House to give the award to the woman of the year was a biological man the world's crazy this world's out of control drug addiction alcoholism pornography you name it materialism it's out of control never enough but guess what the gospel the gospel address is control there is nothing that can control you like the power of God there is nothing that can help you say no to that flesh when that flesh wants to do the Abominable it's the power of the holy ghost that comes down and gives me control foreign with the power of the Holy Ghost will you say you Christian folks y'all can't go here and you can't go there and you can't smoke this and you can't drink this and you can't wear that and you can't do this no no no no no no no I smoke all the cigarettes I want to I drink all the beer I want to I go to all the ungodly places I want to so aren't you good no it's not me it's he that liveth in me because he that liveth in me took the want to out see a lot of people that are wrapped up in sin they don't want to be in sin I'm here to tell you today if there's a man or a woman here that's addicted to drugs they would be the first one to stand and say I don't want to be addicted if there's an alcoholic here today they would stand and say I don't want to be an alcoholic a chain smoker somebody on pornography that's not the issue they don't have the power to get out of what they're in but a time change a time change a time change at times it's time for change I'm sorry I keep pulling my sleeves I bought this shirt it's ten dollar shirt I liked it but it's two sizes too big for the sleeves I'm just I'm sorry I'm sorry I just thought I'd tell you that's why I'm pulling I don't have shoulder trouble or anything like that okay it's a nice shirt I just wear a 3233 and this is a 36. all right so looking good don't have to cost you all that much God where was I he reasoned of righteousness temperance you can't leave this out judgment to come it may not be popular but you're going to judgment every last one of us are going to judgment you either go into the Judgment seat of Christ that's the one I want to end up at because that's where he's going to give me my rewards I don't want to end up at the white Throne judgment that means I had to go through tribulation and put your thinking cap on today if you can't live for God right now with the Holy Ghost atmosphere do you really think you're going to live for God when the Holy Ghost is gone and the church is gone and you don't have anybody to preach well come on who you fooling he preached The born-again Experience he preached self-control because Rome was out of control he preached judgment to come and guess what the Holy Ghost met him there Felix trembled he got under conviction he gripped the chair in front of him he wiped tears out of his eyes the Holy Ghost was moving him it's time for change feelings it's time for change feelings it's time for you to change Peach and he began to shake because that's what how many remembers when can how many remembers the first time you got under conviction Heming remembers that church service he said when you say brother you're asking people that have been in church 50 60 70 years it doesn't matter you remember it's like seeing your wife for the first time or seeing your husband for the first time you just automatically remember I remember what it was like my belly nodded up my throat got in knots my eyes started watering up and I couldn't I was trying to keep the tears from rolling down and the spirit was saying come come come to this altar it's time for change I want to change your life but listen everybody has their own answer to give to the Holy Ghost the Holy Ghost are not going to drag you to the altar you're not going to be drugged to the baptismal pool you're not going to be drugged you're not just somebody's going to drag you up here to get the Holy Ghost it will be of your own free choice Felix trembled and answered go thy way for this somebody say that next word go thy way for this Cherian go thy wait for this when I have a convenient season I will call for you it's never recorded in the book of Acts or any of the Epistles that that convenient season ever came it's a myth when the enemy tries to tell you not this Sunday next Sunday it's a myth he can't promise you next Sunday any more than I can promise you next Sunday now is the time now is the time of salvation watch this this is a trick of the enemy when I have a convenience season I will call for thee I will get baptized I will get in church he hoped also that money should have been given him of Paul isn't it amazing what some people try to soothe money let me give him some money that he might be loose that he might lose him wherefore he sent for him often and communed with him now watch this Paul's a prisoner Felix didn't want to convert but I just want to keep the church close that's Sunday going to church makes me feel good about my lifestyle I you know but I'm here to tell you something the worst thing you could ever develop is a false reading on your soul that because you're close to the church you're close to God you can be close to the church but not be close to God don't ever don't ever allow yourself to believe that when I go to church on Sunday I feel good I I feel something see sometimes sometimes we even misread when God moves on us well I must be right God is moving on me no that's not an indication you're right that's an indication God wants you to get right the false it's a false reading but once again we never read we're Felix ever came that that convenient season that it ever came I want to close with this the musicians would come in Mark chapter 6 and verse number 17. I want to tell you I don't know what you're waiting on for God but it doesn't get any better than this and I don't know what you're waiting on I I don't want I don't I don't know what some people are thinking well I think that I'll feel something different you see what you have to be very careful about is every time you say no to the Holy Ghost it's a callous on your heart Palace you were easily touched the first times you came tears the clenching of the pew the uncomfortableness but over time over time Sunday after Sunday after Sunday callous after callous after callus there's construction workers here today in this building when you shake their hand you'll notice something about their hands their hands are not smooth and soft you shake their hands and many times your fingers will rub across calluses crossed in their hands and up their fingers that's because because of hard work because of hard work their hands are calloused some of them have calluses so large that they could pinch that callous and not feel one bit of pain there's no nerve endings there there's no nerve endings there's no blood flow there do you know that this is not only going to those that need to come and give their life to God and be baptized and fill the Holy Ghost this message can be to every one of us today because if we don't watch it we can drag King Saul and King David in this place at the same time we can stand there and look around with a bunch of bitterness in our hearts the whole time the Holy Ghost is saved Let It Go put it down stop dwelling on it stop dwelling on it it's sure enough as you keep fighting and saying you're Justified another layer after another layer after another layer after another layer until one day it's not that God's not dealing with you you make this conversation well when I feel God deal with me again I'm coming it's not that you're going to feel God dealing with you again he's dealing with you right now right now it's just that you said no to him so many times that you can't feel him and you can't hear him well what am I going to do Pastor I tell you what you're going to do if a man or woman wants to get those calluses off their hands guess what they get begin a regular treatment of oil they begin to keep their hands oiled with lotions they begin to keep that and the first time they put lotion on their hands he doesn't do it the second and the third but somewhere and just doing that that that daily weekly treatment of that lotion all of a sudden calluses are gone I'm telling you this morning it's been a long time since some of you felt God has sent me here to tell you he wants to give you a time change today he not only wants to give you he not only that we're not only here today an hour later but we're here today and God is saying I want to I want to touch you Herod was a man the 17th verse says for Herod himself had sent laid hold upon John he bound him in prison for herodious sake his brother Philip's wife he had married her let me just just tell you the story here because there's some similarities here John the Baptist was a pastor John the Baptist was a preacher and preachers not only have that prosperity of telling you if you'll live for God he'll turn your night into a day and you'll live for God he'll he'll bring you out of the valley and shouting and all that but sometimes the pastor by his calling has to tell you you have sinned it's not right you're not right there's people here today and I wouldn't embarrass them but there's people here today that have made it they've healed up but their healing begin when their Pastor pointed his finger at him and said your spirit's not right your spirit's not right well you don't know what I did listen you can be wronged and you can be wronged but being wrong doesn't justify you to have the wrong spirit the only way they got healed oh did it burn oh sure it did you can see it on their face they came to the office wanting me to join in the truth with them and join in oh you've been hurt you poor victim you oh you poor pitiful thing the last thing they wanted to hear me say was your spirit's not right your spirit's not right John the Baptist witness Herod stole his brother Philip's wife took his brother's wife from him and John the Baptist pointed his finger at Herod he said I got news for you Mr Harry it's not right for you to have your brother Phillips it's not right what you've done it's not right and because Herod didn't have the issue Harry didn't have the issue it was herodious it was his wife she had a major issue with it and his wife pressured Herod and had had Herod to arrest John and put John in prison we'll silence him we'll put him to silence we'll put him to silence we'll arrest him we'll put his voice in the basement about just like you you can you can put my voice wherever you want to put it you can put it to where it will affect your life or you could just you could just bury it underneath a bunch of junk pilot or excuse me Herod had John arrested and had John put in prison but Herod had enough conscience that he knew that hair that John was a righteous man Herod had enough conscience he knew Heritage Wright or John's right John the Baptist is right and the Bible tells us that Herod would go down to the jail cell he would go down to the jail cell in privacy and he would begin to listen to John the Baptist and he would commune with him down in the jail cell down there where nobody could see him see that's the way some of you are today you have caused you have had people to cause you to put your John the Baptist in a prison but you know it's not right that you slip on down to the prison every now and then and you you listen hey John here's some extra food hey John how's it going here's an extra pillar here's an extra blanket John oh tell me one of them stories again John I hear you I hear you John all right John all right walk with God I gotta go back out in the midst of the public I gotta go home to herodias I got to go home to her and he goes home he's got a private spiritual life messed up with a sinless sinful public life that I'm going to tell you you can't live that way you can't always live that way we'll tell you what's going to happen it was his birthday and herodias told their daughter really wasn't herod's daughter it was a stepdaughter and it's in the gospel to go out and do a dance before all the birth birthday guests there go out and do a dance now this is no ordinary dance his stepdaughter literally came out and stripped her clothes off in front of these men and it's so pleased Harry it Herod intoxicated with flesh said whatever said this dance has pleased me and these men so much said whatever you asked for said I will give you half of the kingdom name your price for your dance name your price for your dance I'll give you half the kingdom that little girl went back into the room with her mama her mama a preacher hater her mama John the Baptist hater and she said mama mama mama said Harrison said whatever whatever I danced I script for him and he said whatever to the half of the Kingdom how much gold should I ask him for Mama how much silver should I ask him for Mama how much currency should I ask him for mama she said oh no currency since you go back in there and tell your stepfather that you want the head of John the Baptist on a platter you want him to cut John's head off and you want to put it on a platter and you want it brought into that room and that little girl made her way back into that room where Herod was herod's waiting to stroke out the check he's waiting to tell them to go down and get the pounds of gold and the pounds of silver the last thing he thought he would ever hear I want the head of John the Baptist on a charger the last thing he ever thought he would hear and the Bible said he was sorry the Bible said he would greet him I'd rather give you half of the Kingdom but I don't want to give you that you can't live in Two Worlds Church you can't live in Two Worlds one of these days the world's going to demand what you have locked down inside and you're either going to own up to it on that day are you going to let it be put to death on that day time a Time Herod here's of Jesus Christ the Romans have some crazy things about the belief it's circulated that Jesus Christ the water into wine that Jesus Christ is John the Baptist resurrected again and so Herod calls for him and Herod wants to see a miracle and Herod wants to hear a sermon and Herod talks to him and Herod says Jesus give us a miracle and nothing came out of his mouth Jesus they're going to crucify you and nothing came out of Jesus's mouth Herod said Jesus speak to me and nothing came out of his mouth and the Bible just simply says he never spoke a word you know why you cannot kill the preacher and hear from God too you cannot kill the word of God in your life you cannot kill this opportunity here today and expect one day on your drive through the Smokies one morning when you wake up then all of a sudden you're going to hear from God this is your day this is your time staying with me today this is your day heads are bowed and I I would call on all the prayer warriors right now I would call on every person that knows how to travail right now I would call on every person right now to lift up their voice we're doing War right now we're doing War right now oh we're doing War right now we're doing War right now come on it's time for John to get out of the prison come on it's time for you to walk on aisle this morning it's time for you to publicly walk an aisle it's stopping you to publicly be baptized today it's time for you to publicly say no more it's my time for change come on prayer warriors come on lift up your voice today the altars are open right now who'll be the first one just step out and publicly come who'll be the first one to come today oh come on listen to it today here they come down the aisles here they come down the aisles today that's right that's right come on right now come on right now thank you come on right now right now right now say yes yes say yes please don't put another layer of callus on it please don't put it up later come come come oh God come on church family thank you foreign forgiveness Heart of Jesus Christ foreign foreign lives oh Lord the message foreign forgiveness bring your sorrows the precious foreign for him wonderful everybody you know what we're doing right now don't you we're taking the Holy Ghost and we're putting that lotion on our hearts right now we're taking the Holy Ghost we're putting that lotion on our hearts right now we're saying yes to him we're saying yes to him one more time before the dismissal prayer can we just lift our hands and let the ointment let the oil of the Holy Ghost come on our heart come on say it loud enough that you can hear yourself come on say it loud enough you can hear yourself yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes oh yes God oh yes Lord my heart I sing Hallelujah Lord I praise you God oh praise you God lord your anointment on my heart God Lord this is our time amen let's give the Lord a hand of Praise right now this is our time this is our time a few announcements and with this Mission Prayer number one prayer meeting 5 30 this evening 5 30 pre-service prayer be sure to come by and spend a few moments in the altar on Wednesday night uh we had several of these chains several hundred of them the chains and it goes into the four seasons of The Serpent and the last season of The Serpent is silencing The Serpent and we gave out hundreds of these small pieces of chain now the one thing I want to caution everybody about don't have faith in this chain all right don't don't have faith in the chain there's nothing mystical there's nothing mystical about nothing nothing about it and I don't either uh but it's what this chain reminds me of and uh I have K I've kept since Wednesday night brother Lawless I kept this chain on me as a matter of fact it's real convenience my cell phone has a little magnet in it and it just I just paste it right on my cell phone and every time I see that I'm reminded I'm reminded of my victory I'm reminded of my my victory every time now I believe that we I believe that we ran out uh is there anyone in this room that wasn't here maybe you didn't get a a piece of chain that you would like to have one would you raise your hand right now raise your hand raise your hand keep keep them raised all right keep them around we'll get an idea of how many uh that I need to get Brother Bruce to go cutting here all right all right we're going to cut up another batch and we'll be telling you the service that we're going to to be passing these out in and then before you leave today if you've not gotten on board with us with missions please get a missions card on your way out today and uh pray about it give to missions and God will bless you father I love you thank you Lord for this day and what you have done already in this place thank you for your word that tells us to value our opportunities Lord I pray that you keep your hands of safety and protection upon us bring us back tonight Lord for a great service in Jesus name we pray amen and amen God bless you today