Deadly Distractions | Senior Pastor Kenneth Carpenter by Kenneth Carpenter First Apostolic Church of Maryville (Maryville, TN) Kind: sermon Scripture: Acts 20:22-24, Genesis 2:15-17, Genesis 3:1-6, 2 Chronicles 20:1-3, 2 Chronicles 20:12, 2 Chronicles 20:15, 2 Chronicles 20:16-17, 2 Samuel 10:18, Proverbs 16:18-19, 2 Samuel 11:1-2, John 10:9-11 Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/kenneth-carpenter--deadly-distractions Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page. Free to copy and share with attribution. ------------------------------------------------------------ stand with me right now the spirit of the Lord is here I want every believer I want every believer to give me your undivided attention for a moment there is nothing that can happen to you there is nothing that has happened nor will happen to you that if you worship God can't bring you through if you worship there's nothing that has happened is happening or will happen to you that is a 100 percent guarantee from the word of God if you will worship you will make it through if you will worship you will be on the other side of that mountain one day if you will worship you will see what has got your future blocked up right now you'll look at it minute in the rear view of your life and say God brought me over it God brought me through it God made it so why don't we just worship for a moment yeah ah Spirit of the Lord is here something happens when he walks into the room something happens when he walks into the room hallelujah hallelujah praise God praise God thank you Lord thank you Lord you worship you will overcome if you refuse to worship without fail you will be overcome you will be overcome and I think I know where you want to be today Acts chapter 20 and verse number 22 Acts chapter 20 and verse number 22. Paul says well actually Luke is writing Paul's itinerary and Luke says in verse 22 and now behold I go Bound in the spirit he's actually recording Paul's words and now I go Bound in the spirit I go Bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem not knowing the things that shall befall me there save accept that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city saying that bonds and afflictions abide me or await me verse 24 and I just want to use the first few words but none of these things move me would you say that with me but none these things move me neither count I my life dear unto myself so that I might finish my course with joy and the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus to testify the gospel of the grace of God for a few moments on this Sunday morning I want to leave you with this thought deadly deadly distractions deadly distractions if I had a second title I would have entitled it demonic distractions because anything that distracts you from serving God is demonic deadly distractions father I love you this morning thank you for these beautiful people that have come to worship and to receive the word of God today Lord meet every need that they have and draw them to the altars God Lord give me the anointing the next few moments as a pastor to Faithfully stand and Proclaim your word to these people God to put in their hearts that they may be able to live out what you have put in your word in Jesus name I pray and amen and amen and give him one more hand of Praise before you see one more hand of praise Paul is talking about people that have prophesied over him and basically have told Paul do not go to Jerusalem bonds and afflictions await you there is going to be trouble at Jerusalem but it was interesting you would think that maybe Paul would just simply say you know if the Holy Ghost is saying this then maybe I shouldn't go to Jerusalem that Paul doesn't take that route Paul simply looked at bonds and afflictions and he simply said none of these things move me I'm not moved by them I'm not distracted by them because I have my focus on what God has called me to do and what God has called me to be I am focused upon what God has touched my life with I am focused with the the calling that God has put upon my life and so having that kind of focus Paul would simply make the comment but none of these things move me I'm not distracted by what's waiting in my my life I'm not distracted by the bonds and by the afflictions I did a little research on distractions being distracted being distracted is the number one cause of car accidents being distracted when we also take it brother Mayo to the air in airliners most of the plane crashes was not a malfunction of the airplane it was because Pilots got distracted got distracted one plane that crashed a perfectly good plane that crashed into Florida Everglades why did it crash two pilots that had went to school why did it crash both Pilots got distracted and in their distraction lost sight that they were losing altitude and they crashed a perfectly good plane simply because of distractions you see it doesn't matter the size of the distraction the size of the distraction if the distraction is there the results can be horrific take one of the reasons there has been major pileups on interstates when they finally got all the 60 cars separated and they found out while one car stopped or swerved or went into another car they would say I was trying to swat a Bumblebee out of the car it was a bumblebee that got in the car and I was trying to swat the Bumblebee out of the car and that small little insect could cause a 60 car pile up on the interstate because it became a deadly distraction distractions can be external as I have just said noise can be distracting or distractions can be internal fatigue is a reason for distraction spending too much time almost daydreaming about what should have been and how you should have reacted stress can be a distraction can I get a witness today distractions may be caused by a number factors one of the distractions can be you just simply lost interest you simply lost interest in what you was once focused upon and any time that we seem to lose interest upon what we once was focused upon it doesn't take long until we're battling to pay attention because once you lose interest the next thing to come along is you cannot stay focused your attention span you can't stay focused and it becomes a distraction well I'm here today not to talk about plane safety or car safety I'm here today to preach to you for a few moments brother John About Soul safety About Soul safety you see your soul is more important than anything that you have your car is not Eternal your home is not eternal your marriage is not even Eternal your kids unless they're saved are not eternal and so today I'm here to talk to you about your Eternal Soul I'm here to talk to you about don't get distracted now none of you nor I got in this beautiful Holy Ghost Field baptized talking in tongues water baptized in Jesus name Church without giving God not 99 and a half of your focus not almost all your focus but there's no way you ever got born again unless you had give God 100 of your focus you you sold out to God 100 of your life you focused upon him with everything in your life that's what caused you to get up from that Pew and walk down to an altar and begin to repent that's what caused you in a crowd of strange people when somebody opened up their Bible and showed you where you should be baptized immersed in water in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ that's that's what made you in front of hundreds of people go up and be baptized in Jesus name you know why you were focused on salvation you didn't care who was looking at you when you got up from your Pew and made your way down to the front you didn't care what folks thought about you what folks said about you you didn't care you didn't care who was around you and God were in an interaction and all you cared about was what God thought about your life that night day you received the Holy Ghost you didn't care who was here you didn't care what anybody was saying he would just laser focused on living for God and then discipleship came in and you bought a Bible and discipleship came in and you begin to change things about your life discipleship came in and your schedule changed Wednesday nights became Bible study nights Sunday morning became going to the house of God morning Sunday night became the Evangelistic service and any service is in between revivals you were laser focused to be at the house of God because you you had that you had that Focus but you know as well as I know right you know as well as I know just because you got away from the devil doesn't mean the devil is away from you just because you slipped out of his grip he didn't just stand back when you got up from the Pew and come to the altar he didn't look at all the other demons in hell and say well another we lost another one we've lost another one oh no no no he circled backs around he waits for another season he never he never leaves us and he never will leave you and you need to understand that today nothing's wrong with you when that old devil that adversary comes back around in your life and tries to we can use the word tempt but how about for this morning's sermon's sake we use the word distract he's got to distract us he's got to somehow get our Focus away he's going to somehow get our Focus away and he starts and just so many just subtle distractions that he brings into our life just small distractions do you know we're living in sin today brother Soto we are living in sin today because of a distraction the devil works in distractions we're here because of distraction had Eve not got distracted had Adam not gotten distracted we would still be living living in that sinless condition of Our Lives but we're in the mess we're in I guess that's we're in a mess with that's why I guess that's why I'm preaching a mess Edge we're in a mess age that's why Eve got distracted well let's look at let's look at how she was distracted let's look at God in Genesis 2 15. let's look at God as he speaks to man and the Lord took the man Genesis 2 15 and put him into the Garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it and the Lord commanded the Lord God commanded the man saying of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat not going to cost you anything it's not going to cost you anything you can freely eat any time you want any any time of the day or not you want you can come all these trees but of the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil Thou shalt not eat of it for in the day that thou eat us thereof Thou shalt surely die look at the hundreds of fruit trees that Adam and Eve could eat from and did look at the hundreds of trees that they could have eaten from and look at that one tree which was the Tree of Life this tree of life that when you ate the fruit it caused it caused a a a life it was the tree of life that was there in the garden all of these trees all of these trees in number there's only one you have to stay away from there's only one that you you're not going to eat from oh to have been a pastor to Adam and Eve what a wonderful thing because all you had to preach on was one thing stay away from the tree can't you hear Sunday morning sermon I would have got up to Adam and Eve and I would say this morning this morning I I'm going to minister to you on stay away from the tree and then Sunday night I would come back and I would say tonight for the Evangelistic sermon I'm going to preach to you stay away from tree what an easy thing still Infantry it's just one thing stay away from the tree well here's how the devil Works Genesis 3 and 1 now the serpent which we know that's the devil was more subtle sneaky crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made and he said unto the woman watch him now yay yeah there's a positive note yay hath not said ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden listen to what he says he comes around and he says now do I have this right you can't eat from any tree here in the garden there's no trees that you can eat from in the garden Now watch how crafty is you you can't eat of any tree can I tell you something in order for the devil to be successful he has to get your mind on what God has forbid you to do he has to he has to bring your mind around has God said this and the woman said unto the serpent we may eat of the fruit of the Trees of the garden but the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of a garden God has said You shall not eat of it neither shall you touch it lest you die she said Oh no you're wrong we can eat of all these trees we could watch him now we can eat of all these trees but that tree Over Yonder that tree Over Yonder that tree's off limits to us that tree if we eat of that fruit we will die what's Satan already done God Eve looking at the tree but once the devil distracts you he's not finished now he wants to speak to you and the serpent said unto the woman you shall not surely die for God doth know that in the day that you eat thereof then your eyes shall be opened and you shall be as God's knowing good and evil watch this now here's the distraction and when the woman saw that the tree was good for food wait a minute now in order for me to see that it was good for food you have to study the tree you have to look at the tree I don't know and I just I'm I'm just offering this up for for your consideration God said if you eat it you'll die did God didn't say anything about the animals eating it God didn't say anything about a bird coming and picking the fruit so could it be possible but I'm just presenting this this is not a Bible Doctrine I'm just presenting it could it be possible that Eve stood long enough to watch Birds land and eat fruit and no death happened to them and so therefore she began to think within herself but do you see do you see how crafty is if she's studying what she can't eat what is she distracted from what she can eat she's distracted from everything else over here a lot of times Satan plays with people when they get in church you you mean you can't do this you you mean you can't do this and the whole time God never gave you a shall not unless he gave you a promise to back up the shall not God has never prohibited anything from you that he wasn't going to give you something much much much better in return I got word for that the Bible says God will not withhold anything that is good for you if it's good for you God wants you to have it if God if it's good for you God wants you to have it we we locked we lock guns up in the house we put medicine in cabinets that are locked and all of that because we've got children around well you're locking that you're locking that all up that's right because we want to keep it out of the reach of the children that it's well you're punishing your children no I'm not punishing my children by locking up the gun I am protecting my children and God is Not punishing us when and God put something off limits to us it is not punishment it is protection because God loves us but the enemy has to zero you know if you go to that church you can't do this and you can't do that and and I'm going to tell you something today that adversary will even lie on the church we'll even lie on the church recently my wife and I were walking the Malu we ran into a lady and we invited her to church and she said oh she said no she said a pastor told me a pastor told me that I wouldn't be welcome at your church the way that I looked and just I just said I want you to listen to me she was talking she was talking giving me room to interrupt her or to say anything and and so I said listen listen to me you're a pastor is mistaken that's not the truth if a c is not a place that judges people when they come in the door it is one of the most loving Church congregations you will ever want to walk in we don't look at what you wear we don't look at what you drive we don't look at a criminal background record we don't look at these things we're here to be a hospital we're here to be a place that you can grow would you please oh that devil I'm I'm gonna really get educated and sophisticated right now that devil is a liar and I hate his guts Eve look over here and when the woman saw that the tree was good for food verse six and it was pleasant to the eyes and a tree to be desired to make one wise she took of the fruit thereof and did he and gave it also unto her husband with her and he did eat and that's why we're here today we're here today battling sickness we're here today battling sin and addiction all because somebody got their mind off what they could do and got it off what they couldn't do Jehoshaphat the Bible says in second Chronicles chapter 20 and verse number one second chronicles 21. chapter 20 and verse 1. it came to pass after this that the children of Moab and the children of Ammon and with them other besides the ammonites came against came against Jehoshaphat to battle Then There came there came some that told Jehoshaphat saying there cometh a great multitude against thee from Beyond the Sea on this side Syria and behold they be in Haze is on Tamar which is indigenous and Jehoshaphat feared and set himself to seek the Lord and Proclaim to fast there's a multitude coming against them coming to cast them out of their inheritance coming to do them harm Jehoshaphat sets himself to seek the Lord go to verse number 12 of the same chapter listen to Jehoshaphat listen to him here oh our God will thou not judge them for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us neither know we what to do but here's the solution but our eyes are upon thee in other words I just looked and saw the great multitude coming I just looked and heard the report we're going to cast you out of your inheritance we're going to kill your children and your wives we're going to kill you everything that you have and erase you from this Earth all I saw is it was a large multitude coming against me but I didn't allow the troubles too many people talk too much about their trouble and not enough about the Triumph of victory that God can give you don't ignore that you're in trouble but don't spend all of your time focused upon trouble don't ignore that there's a cancer report don't ignore that there's trouble but for God's sake Church don't spend all of your time ringing your hands talking about look how big that crowd is look at what they're going to do to us our children are going to be killed our wives are going to be killed our livestock and all that Joseph that didn't do that it distracted him for a moment but he went directly to prayer and he told the one that can make a difference he told the one that can cause the sun to shine he calls the one that can bring lightness out of Darkness he called the one God Almighty and he said God you see what's happening to us right now and Lord I don't know what to do but my eyes are upon You For Heaven's Sake this morning when you're going through the trial don't get your eyes off of him For Heaven's Sake today I don't know who you are I don't know what you're going through but whatever it is get your eyes back on Jesus I know you got to read that doctor's report I know that you got an appointment with that person but when it's all said and done get your eyes sphinxed back on him because that's where our help comes brother Mayo this week my sister and I got to spend uh Friday and Saturday at marriage Retreat and we came home last night but the hotel there Park Vista was up early Friday morning having a word of prayer and it was a breathtaking view the the room the room absolutely had a breathtaking view of the mountains it was it was just so beautiful and I was standing there had the curtains open I was praying and this scripture came to my mind I've never thought of it this way before I will look unto the heels from which cometh my help my Help Cometh from the Lord I've never in my life looked at this verse again do you know that you can't look unto the hills unless you're in the valley it's in the valley that the only way to look in the valley is up so I'm in a Valley Brook apartment with him get your head up well I'm going through a dark place right now we'll get your head up because when you're going through the valley look unto the hills and he was talking about Jerusalem he was talking about the Ark of the Covenant he was talking about the people of God he said I'm here in the valley all alone yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil and then I cross-reference it with this I will look unto the hills from which cometh my help I may be down today but I'm not out I may be in a dark place today but God hasn't forgotten me I'm not going to let the darkness distract me I'm not going to entertain the thoughts that God is finished with me I'm not going to entertain the thoughtshank God is pulling back old sins up I'm not I'm going to get my eyes verse number 12. neither know we what to do I neither know what we want to do verse number 12. would you would you all out loud say these last few words with me but our oh let's look I probably didn't lead you into that right let's say it all together starting with the butt but say it again I hope somebody going through a trial will say it again I hope somebody that's got a sickness there's no cure we'll say it again our eyes are upon thee do you know you have never focused Your Eyes Upon him in prayer what he doesn't hear and what he doesn't answer three verses later in verse 15 this is what happened in between verse 12 and verse 15 a young man stood up and began to prophesy their equivalent of tongues and interpretation a young man stood up and began to prophesy and he said in verse 15 and he said hearken unto me called Judah and all your inhabitants of Jerusalem and Thou King Jehoshaphat thus saith the Lord unto you be Not Afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude for the battle is not yours but God's if I'm looking at the problem by myself the battle becomes mine if I turn my eyes back on him the battle becomes him he is the battle is his I hope I can preach to somebody today stop trying to whip the devil in your own way at your own time you're no match for the Devil he's had six thousand years to study man from every conceivable angle there's only been one man that defeated him and that was the man Christ Jesus Turn Your Eyes Upon him get your mind upon him and let him fight ear battles verse 16. tomorrow thus saith the Lord go ye down against them behold they come up by the cliff zebra and ye shall find them at the end of the brook before the Wilderness of ruelle he should you shall need not fight in this battle set yourselves stand still and see the salvation of the Lord you see you need to position yourself to see God work I said you need to position yourself to see God work now the rest of this story God didn't tell him to do God just simply said I want you to go down where the enemy is going to meet you I want you to go down where the enemy is going to meet you and there I want you to stand still and I want you to see the salvation of the Lord you're going to see something here now the rest of this story God didn't tell them but Jehoshaphat began to order now you're going to battle right sword Shields people are coming and armies coming so what would be the good advice of your king your captain josephat everybody would have understood how he said uh everybody get your sword everybody get your daggers everybody get your Shields everybody get piles of rocks to throw at them everybody would say okay hey we see this but the Bible tells us the weapons of our Warfare are not carnal they're not fleshly driven but they are Mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds so the rest of this little Kenny the rest of this Jehoshaphat did on himself he said you have asked me to go to a position where I'll see God work and so now Jehoshaphat turns around and he says somebody bring a tambourine and somebody bring a harp and somebody bring a trumpet somebody bring instruments of praise and worship what in the world are you about to do don't you know that I'm going through the darkest time of my life and you have the audacity to tell me to lift my hands don't you know that I I brother I'm doing good just to get here on these pews and then you're going to call me up around the front and ask me to put my hand on somebody and pray for them you mighty right I am because praise and worship sets you in the theater of where God is going to play on the screen of your life praise and worship positions you praise and worship puts you to believe Over the Horizon comes to help my help coming from the Lord that's why you got to be a praiser you got to be a worshiper if you want to see God work you've got to stop talking about how long your scar is how much the cancer is how bad the divorce is how bad the layoff is and you've got to start saying God I love you God I Praise You Lord I magnify you Lord You're all together come on praise him with me today come on I'm trying to help you today I'm trying to help you today there's power in Praise there's anointing In Praise angels are moved by Praise you know the end of the story I'm gonna go on to another distraction you know the end of the story was the people coming to cast him out the ammonites and all the other tribes that were coming to cast him out they sent a reporter they sent a report they said they're coming to meet us jehoshaphats mustered up his army he's coming to meet us what's he doing you don't believe it how many chariots he got none how many swords none how many slingshot none I mean bows and arrows none what do you mean none they've lost their mind the trouble we put them in the stress that we put them under has caused them to have a nervous breakdown they're crazy what do you mean they're crazy they're out there on the side of that hill and but boy this is written in the word of God they're out there on the side of the Hill singing well they're singing We Praise Him in the beautiness of Holiness we praise him we're like a people and there's not another people like us we're the Israelites we're the holy people are the most high God We Praise Him in beauty of Holiness trumpets were sounding Harps were playing people were praising God and they said they've lost their minds and guess what happened to three tribes that were coming against them got greedy and they said hey those people up there on that Hill shouting and dancing is no no problem for us and said you know what instead of splitting this three ways why don't we split this two ways and so those three armies turned against each other and began to fight each other until now you see the scenery here hell is in confusion hell is in confusion and the church is Unified praising God do you know who put that in their hearts God put that in their hearts and when it was all said and done somebody came and said hey they're all laying down there they're dead bodies all all over the ground come on down here and let's get the spoil took them four days to strip all the gold and silver and all the Chariots and bring them back to the house of God and they had a great shout what you see as you're in is the beginning of prosperity such as you have never known what the devil wants to paint that this is the very end God says you just stay focused on me you keep preaching Acts 2 38 you keep preaching the mighty Christ in God you keep preaching the mighty ways of God you keep preaching faithfulness to God you keep preaching this and God says what you see is your end is going to be the beginning of great prosperity in your life if you believe that I wish you would shout yes brother Mayo can I ask you how am I doing okay that's my biggest fan on the front row come on David come on David you got such a tremendous testimony come on giant killer come on David come on David you got such a tremendous testimony second Samuel 10 18. and the syrians fled before Israel and David slew the men of 700 Chariots of the syrians 40 000 Horsemen and he smote chobach the captain of their host who died there can I tell you can I speak to every business owner in this church can I speak to every Financial prosperous person in this church in the midst of your prosperity there will be a distraction Pride Pride Pride come on let's be transparent there wasn't a lot of Pride over on McGinley Street nobody called wanting to tour the McGinley Street Church you know where I'm going and really it never happened up on the hill either nobody put ads in the paper nobody no reporters came out and reported on McGinley Street nor The Church on the Hill but look at us now look at us now and can I tell you something Pride will try to creep its way in it's happened I could tell you Oneness church is today pastors have got up shouting is no longer allowed on Sunday morning you think you you think I know what I'm talking about I know what I'm talking about they have been telling their people if you're going to speak in tongues I'm not talking about I'm talking about I'm talking about churches like this we want to be people Seeker friendly we we we don't want to freak anybody out we we don't want to scare anybody so if you're going to have an outburst of tongues please go to the prayer room if you're going to shake or you're going to holler who just go to the prayer room or they'll just simply say on Sunday mornings we don't do that now Sunday night you can come hoop and holler do all you want to I think that is a tragedy and I think behind that is the distraction of pride I don't care how educated the Pentecostal movement gets I don't care how many colleges and universities the Oneness movement get I don't care how learn how well you know Greek and Hebrew and how all that is you should never get to the place to where God wants to shake you you can't be shut it's the power of God unto salvation and pride will take us down a road that we can't recover from I don't get a second chance I don't get a second chance to show my grandchildren what the power of God looks like I don't get a second chance if I tell Ben Lee Ben you got to hold that running down son you just got to keep it's a different day my children my grandchildren will grow up not knowing what the power of God looks like I don't get a second chance it's not Pride come on are you too prideful to worship come on are you true yeah you true are you two prideful to praise him Pride David's problem with Bathsheba did not begin in this in the 11th chapter of second Samuel David's problem with Bathsheba began in the end of the 10th chapter when God gave him a great victory and there's no praise recorded and there's no worship recorded he land that real estate deal you have somebody call you out of the blue and say you know what I've got some real estate I've got I've got real estate people have been asking but I don't know saw your signs up and just felt like I needed to call you and when that call is made and you sign that deal for that real estate and you hang that phone up and you walk out of that office you better walk out of that office saying thank you Jesus thank you Jesus thank you Lord thank you God thank you God thank you God thank you God you better not walk out of that office thinking you're all that man I tell you I'm just oh man we got Builders here today contractors here today you get that phone call and that person says we're moving in and out of all the contractors in this city I don't know I saw your truck wrote your name down you give him the bid you give him the bid you give them the bit and they look at and they say well you know really can't explain it your bid is more than the other bids but something's just telling me let you have this deal you better walk out of that office and you better say thank you Jesus thank you God thank you God can I tell you something friend there's no Prosperity that begins to Discount what you come and give to God there's no there's no Prosperity out there in the world I don't care what kind of degrees you get and I'm going to tell you we got people here today we got folks here today sister Jean Philippe brother John Philippe educated and all that and they're they're there there's some of many in this church that's educated I'm I'm glad they went to school and got an edumacation I really am thankful they got an edumacation but do you know what I love about this couple here it's nothing to say old Jean Philippe's hands up in the air amen the Holy Ghost gets moving you see sister John believe she don't care about us you just get down here she'll start just walking up around this altar praising God and you know what that tells me that tells me that they've not let allowed degrees that hang on walls at their home to say I'm just a little bit better than the average person down there at fac I'm just a little bit well listen when you start walking in the church thinking you're a little bit better because you've got a little finer this a little better this and a little bit more of that you are setting yourself up for a fall David David your problem didn't begin with seeing that naked woman on that rooftop that wasn't your problem that's not where your problem began that's not where your problem begins and that's not where listen men and women that's not where our problem begins either because there's a lot of things in this world that just steps right out in front of you I know y'all are holy y'all got those y'all got those electric shades on your spiritual eyes I get it you do know it's not the first look it's that second look coupled with that thought that's not your problem David naked Bathsheba is not your that's that's that's that's that's not where your problem begins it's where your problem was revealed your problem happened when you had an awesome victory and there's no praise recorded not one time does it say David stopped and praised and worshiped God the Bible says in excuse me the Bible says in Proverbs 16 verse number 18. look at verse 18 and 19 of proverbs 16. Pride goeth before let's pray tell us man I'm gonna I'm gonna rebel against this watch me be my own man at Advance Pride does not Advance you Pride demotes you Pride goeth Before Destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly than to divide the spoil with the proud can I tell you David your problem didn't begin on that rooftop your problem again when you walked over 700 chariots and thousands of men that you defeated and you said I'm all that I'm I'm All That now we have second Samuel 11. and verse number one came to pass after the year was expired at the time when kings go forth to battle David sent joab and his servants with him and all Israel and they destroyed the children of Ammon and besieged Rabbi but David still at Jerusalem and he came to pass in an evening tide that David arose mocked his bed and walked upon the roof of the King's house and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself and he sent and the woman was very beautiful too so here it is here it is somewhere David gets too proud to fight somewhere David decides you know what it happened at the beginning of the year when King should look forward David got to looking back at all his accomplishments I don't have to fight anymore I got armies to do this I got men that I could joab you y'all y'all Trot on down and take care of the battle all of this you know sometimes we have to understand in our walk with God none of us get seniority none of us get time in the church don't care how old you are 30 years in the church 50 years in the church I don't care if Noah was your pastor none of us get Beyond worship none of us get Beyond worship and I will I want to raise my hands right now while arthritis is not in the joints of my shoulders and my elbows and my fingers I want to stand and give God praise right now because who knows what 20 years is going to make me look like I may have arthritis in my shoulders I may not be able to lift up my hands I might be coming in here in a walker but I want you to know something I'll be able to tell you as long as I could worship I worship God as long as I could give him praise brother Paul I gave him praise that's come on come on as long as I could I gave him praise David you're too big to fight David you think you're too big to fight well David I got news for you you're about to make a tremendous mistake because you're distracted you are distracted David from the battle you are distracted you're distracted from the battle and David because of your distraction there's going to be a mark that's going to go on your name that even in the New Testament when the Holy Ghost was giving given Matthew to write the genealogies and when it came to you and it came to your wife Bathsheba the Bible just simply makes a side note and says who was the wife of Uriah now I'm not here today to pick a scab I'm not here today to tear a scar in your life thank God for the mercy and grace of God but I am here today to preach to Young Fathers and fathers and mothers and children today that haven't yet went from your battle to your rooftop I'm here today to tell you every good thing God does for you worship Him everything you don't even perceive is good give him praise for it God oh give him praise for it God give him praise for it you see sometimes people get stirred about their brother or their sister in the church when they begin to miss church oh have you not seen so and so in a while have you not seen so and so when we should get concerned with people that have no worship have absolutely no worship now I'm not talking everybody's not going to be an aisle Runner everybody's not going to be a leap or a spinner and all of that everybody's not going to do that but everybody's going to have a uniform form of praise and worship and when there's no praise and there's no worship when there's no giving of thanks Pride begins to come in somehow David looked at Bathsheba and he felt like I'm entitled to her I'm entitled to her he calls her to his house and the rest is a history of stigma well I really ran out of time today I have more examples in the Bible of men that got distracted from what they should I hope this message today causes all of us you say God don't don't let me get distracted God don't let me get distracted I close with this John chapter 10 and verse 9 says Jesus says I am the door I am the door by me if any man enter in he shall be saved shall go in and out and find pasture look at that is talking about our fellowship with him he is our door we go in and out in and out and we find pasture listen to verse 10 with me the thief cometh not we know who he is don't we but for to steal kill and to destroy I am come that you might have a life and that you might have it more abundantly I am the Good Shepherd I am the Good Shepherd the Good Shepherd giveth his life for the sheep and once you listen as our musicians are coming right now won't you listen to me real closely real closely there are times that a house is built the builders were probably the builders that we have today would probably much more be able to describe this but a house is built with a crawl space when a house is built with a crawl space if that house should ever need to be moved if that house should ever need to be moved that house can be moved now I'm not saying it wouldn't be impossible to move a house that was on a slab but I just stopped there because of my very limited knowledge of building but I have witnessed and you have too houses that were built on crawl spaces that they've been able to be lifted up off their Foundation right and sometimes moved miles and miles away sometimes we'll see them setting out on Alcoa Highway they'll set them out there in some vacant lots and they'll put them for sale but but do you know how that house is first when that when the movers pull up on the yard the first thing the Mover does is he disconnects the electricity he disconnects the electricity from the pole he cuts all the electricity off to the house when he has cut the electricity off to the house the second thing he moves in and does he disconnects the water line the water line going to the house and when they disconnect the water line they then go and they do the final stage of disconnecting the sewer line the sewage that comes out of the house it is only then sister Ryan it is only then and there do they begin to knock holes under the foundation and begin to run steel girders through and then they begin to Jack the house up and then they put wheels and they cart the house away want to use a spiritual analogy this morning we are all right we are all compared to a house the Bible says the thief cometh not but to steal kill and destroy you know the first thing the enemy wants to do is to come in and cut our power off he has got to sever that Holy Ghost relationship that we have they that worship me must Worship in spirit and trustee I'm not really making a big deal about this because there is a distractor there is an enemy that you have and the first thing that he's going to do he's not interested in cutting the water off he doesn't mind you can get all the word you want to get the water of the word he doesn't care that there's a way as a sewage runs out the the things in your life that that need to run out of it he doesn't care the first thing he's got to do I've got to cut the power off I have got to sever the line if they continue to worship God in spirit and truth I have to stand back every time they worship I have to take my tools I have to put all my tools back up and I have to move out of the house that's why we're going to worship not only at church but we're going to worship this afternoon in our homes we're going to to worship on Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday because when we begin to worship the enemy says I can't work will you stand with me right now I can't work sister Carpenter I see the adversary as he looks around in frustration that the other demons and says as long as they keep worshiping I can't work but if he ever severs that power if you ever severs that power and all of a sudden you never break out of your flesh said brother I don't understand why do you all repeat the same thing over again Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus doesn't he hear you the first time he does but what you don't understand is I'm breaking out of My Flesh because my flesh is going to try to suppress every kind of worship to God and sometimes he's saying Jesus once doesn't do it I have to say it over and over again until I get in the spirit and when I get in the spirit it just rose out of me it just comes out of me because I let the flesh know the spirit is stronger oh I know I preached a long time today I'm sorry but then he severs that power you get bored with church you get bored with coming to church you're hearing the word but then you start missing Church you start not coming at first at first I'll go I you know it's just a little here a little there the water gets cut off and when the water gets cut off the sewage it gets cut off and then the foundations oh I would never do that I would never go back there I would never do this listen well I'd never do the how you listen just just be because without God you don't know what you're capable of doing come on uh I've been in this thing a long time hey you've done bought in not by might nor by power and the house gets picked up and gets carried away you see don't get distracted today come on can we not let 25 minutes to 12 distract us right now can we just all gather up around this altar right now and just for the next few moments just cry out to God God help me to stay focused on you oh God help me to stay focused on you God and I I know your flesh will tell you to stay in your pew but y'all to put your foot on the Flesh and say no I'm going to step out of the aisle right now I'm going to worship God this morning I'm going to worship God this morning I love you God oh God I love you God oh yes God I love you Lord oh God I love you God I love you God I love you God I love you God I love you soon today I'm still wondering fade away still walking with you soon from no one to me I'm never alone in the fire s news I know Jesus God is gonna see us God is available don't make it away foreign go ahead just our last act of worship let's focus on Jesus right now let's focus on the Lord Jesus right now Lord we love you Lord we praise you oh oh we thank you Hallelujah Lord You're our savior Lord your everything will ever need in life God your everything will ever need in life God lord your everything will ever need God lord Jesus your everything that we'll ever need I give him praise and I give him honor this morning thank you so much for receiving the word of the Lord today