Don't Miss the Point | Senior Pastor Kenneth Carpenter
by Kenneth Carpenter
First Apostolic Church of Maryville (Maryville, TN)
Kind: sermon
Scripture: Luke 12:13-15, James 4:13-14, Job 7:7, Psalms 90:12, Ecclesiastes 9:10, Psalms 39:4, Luke 12:1-3, Luke 12:4-5, Luke 12:6-7, Luke 12:8-9, Luke 12:10, Luke 12:11-12, 2 Peter 3:7-14, 2 Peter 3:17-18, Ephesians 5:5, Luke 12:16-21

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

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give your Bibles and let's go on quickly go to the Book of Luke chapter 12. begin reading it verse number 13 Luke chapter 12 verse 13. it's just a carpenter and I are so happy to be back home tonight we're so happy to be back home we got the wonderful report that Sunday between the two Services nine precious Souls were baptized in Jesus name come on now let's make some noise for Jesus right now nine precious Souls went down in the lovely name of Jesus several received the gift of the Holy Ghost and I want you to know there is nothing more that I want to hear when we're unable to be here then that report right there good word of God that was brought forth Sunday morning and Sunday evening we were privileged to be in Bossier City Louisiana at Bishop Jerry Dean's church and his son Pastor Ryan Dean is there and we were privileged to they had what was called I love my church weekend and we were privileged to to minister at a staff meeting for them and they were privileged to preach there such wonderful fantastic god-loving people there Bossier City with the bishop of Jerry Dean Pastor Ryan Dean and love those folks we loved our time but you know something you go off and you're like Dorothy on The Wizard of Oz you want to click your heels and you want to go back home and there's nothing like there's nothing like being being home I want to say this evening we're going to take communion right after the Bible lesson and I feel a direction from the Lord about foot washing and in a few weeks from now we're going to announce there's going to be a date set for the women only to come to church and the first lady is going to be speaking uh into the lives of the women here at First Apostolic church and then you'll be having foot washing and then a week or so later the men are going to gather here and I'm going to speak into the lives of the men that are here and then we're going to have foot washing together God is doing something tremendous year God is doing something tremendous here at this church and I'm so glad I'm so glad to be a part of it Luke chapter 12 and verse number 13. and one of the companies said unto him master speak to my brother that he divide the inheritance with me and he said unto him man who made me a judge or a divider over you and he said unto them take heed and beware of covetousness for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth it's going to sound a little different tonight but I promise you we're going to come back to communion but I want to minister on this little topic this little subject don't miss the point don't miss the point as we go to prayer this evening let's pray for sister Briggs she called me today she's in excruciating pain she had a knee replacement but she is having some complications please remember brother Brock Hughes in prayer sister Thompson please remember brother Roger Claiborne his father he is critically ill Dawn and please remember him tonight that's where brother Claiborne is sitting up with his father please remember it brother Steve Mayo please remember the Randy newcomer tonight that God would touch him if there's any other needs if you just raise your hands right now let's all pray father in the name of Jesus tonight we thank you for the privilege of prayer thank you God for the high honor that we can bring our needs before you you are a prayer answering God that I will know Lord when we pray in faith in the name of Jesus God Heaven opens its doors and Angels bow down and Lord you receive the prayers that are prayed in your name Lord you've heard all the requests tonight you've seen all the uplifted hands tonight God you're in the process of making a way you're in the process oh god of bringing out and delivering Lord Lord I pray tonight that you would move upon me and touch my lips of clay that I may impart to this congregation tonight your word in Jesus name I pray come on put your hands together give him the best hand clap of the night come on give him the best one all night long give him the best one all night long tonight thank you Jesus thank you Lord you may be seated don't miss the point don't miss the point you ever been in a conversation with someone brother Troy and you're telling them something and their remarks back to you reveal to you you're missing the point you're missing the point you ever had a conversation with somebody like that and and you're explaining something to them and all of a sudden they start talking back to you and it's like all you're sitting there thinking is you're missing the point you're just missing the point the story is told of a man and his wife that went for marriage counseling and they were sitting down talking to the pastor telling the pastor of the church all their problems and all their issues and and how they were going to split up and go their separate ways and in a plead to the man in a plea to the man who said brother don't you remember your vows but you remember your vows and the man looked quite puzzled at him and he said duh a e i o u and sometimes y ' don't miss the point tonight don't miss the point the point you don't want to miss is the god purpose that he has for every individual in this room a god purpose if I didn't believe that God had a god purpose for every person I would not stand in this pulpit if I didn't believe that God's word could not change people I would find something else to do with my life but I believe wholeheartedly that God does have a purpose for every person under the sound of my voice and to those that are watching online tonight that God has a god purpose for your life and I don't want you to miss your God purpose certain things I need to tell you about life tonight sometimes we live as though we'll never die we live as if there's no tomorrow we make decisions we talk about things like next week I'm going to do this and next year we're going to do that and when I get this age this is going to happen and on and on and on but years ago there was a generation that believed that tomorrow is nothing more than a promise that may not come and the old-timers excuse me for saying that but if you said to an old timer years ago if you said see you tonight at church and say Lord willing gonna go to market tomorrow Lord willing they always understood the uncertainty of the future because when you begin to brag on what you're going to do tomorrow you're losing sight at the one who holds your tomorrows James in his book his epistle James chapter 4 and verse 13. was addressing the very thing that I'm talking about tonight and he says go to now ye that say today or tomorrow we will go into such a city and continue there a year and buy and sell and get gained he's talking about those that are planning their future out they've got it all planned out going we're going to buy this and sell this and this is going to happen he says in verse 14. whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow for what is your life if you write in your Bible you ought to Circle those five words for what is your life what is your life then he answers it it is even a vapor that appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away can I tell you what our life is our life is nothing more than a brief wisp a vapor in eternity it's just here today and it's gone tomorrow it is even a vapor that appeareth for a little time and then vanish it away if we can get a Bible perspective of what our life is about we will be better equipped to live our lives if we if we get a Bible perception of our life so the first thing our life in light of Eternity is nothing more than a wispy Vapor that you see that appears you just catch a glimpse of it and then it's gone Job chapter 7 and verse number seven job helps us a little bit he says oh remember that my life is wind mine I shall see no more as mine I shall no more see good one writer said my life is nothing but a vapor job said my life is nothing but a wind it's just a wind that comes by my way Psalms chapter 90 and verse number 12 all of these writers are helping us to understand our lives Psalms chapter 9 and verse 12 the psalmist says so teach us to number our days that we may apply Our Hearts under under wisdom I'm going to play on that word number so teach us to number our days teach us to number our days he said count your days you know we ought to live in order to make our life count to make our life to make our life count Ecclesiastes sums it all up Ecclesiastes 9 and verse 10. he says whatsoever thy hand findeth to do it with all thy might for there is no work nor device nor knowledge nor wisdom in the grave whether thou goest there's no activity in the grave the grave is the resting place for the body until the final Resurrection there's no work going on in the grave there's no knowledge going on in the grave there's no repentance going on in the grave the grave is the final end so that's not a morbid thought tonight that should energize us to live our lives understanding that we don't have the promise of tomorrow there's been many people that had plans of tomorrow that tomorrow never came Lord teach us to number teach us to number our days Psalms 39 and verse 4 just several verses I want to read 39 and verse 4 of Psalms Lord make me to know mine end and measure and the measure of my days what it is that I may know how frail I am how frail I am you know a strong man can really boast of his strength until he's in a car wreck some people can really boast of what they feel like is their strength it could be Beauty it could be wealth it could be a number of things but tragedy all too often reveals to us just how fragile Our Lives how fragile Our Lives really are you see tonight I stand here and I think I Echo the sentiments of your hearts tonight with the awesome privilege the awesome privilege of hearing the word of God the awesome privilege of knowing god what an awesome privilege that you and I were born when we were born born who we were born to you and I were exposed to this precious truth to know this God and the fullness of Salvation I don't know about you but that's an awesome privilege that we have to know our God to know him oh his blessed word that brings blessings and favor Upon Our Lives the god that we serve touches every part of that of us tonight every part of our Lives God touches our body God touches our souls God touches our Spirits God touches we don't serve a god that is only can operate in one part of us but we serve a god this evening that has the answer and the blessing and the favor whether it's our body he's got the answer it's our soul he's got the answer it's our spirit he's got the answer to not how blessed and how privileged that we are to know this don't you feel blessed to know God don't you feel blessed tonight to know the answer did you feel blessed tonight to have an anchor I certainly do now let me go back to my text tonight because my text that I that I read to you Luke 12 13. of this man interrupting Jesus as he was teaching and it was clearly when he interrupted Jesus and said these words Lord tell my brother to share the inheritance with me and the Lord said man who made me your judge or your divider in other words it's apparent this guy missed the point he missed the point I'm going to show it to you Luke chapter 12. Luke chapter 12. verse number one in the meantime when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people in so much they trolled upon one another he began to say unto his disciples first of all Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees which is hypocrisy for there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed neither head that shall not be known therefore whatsoever you have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light and that which you have spoken in the ear in the closets shall be proclaimed upon the show up on the housetops now let's just look at this what a massive crowd what a massive crowd it's one of the very few times in the Bible that the word innumeral I mean they didn't even use multitudes brother Ben they just said it's a numeral we we have we have surpassed multitude numbers and it was such a crowd that the Bible says they troed they trampled they trampled upon one another I remember some time ago the news came out there was a concert in Houston Texas and the man on the stage made some kind of comments the the singer made some kind of comments and it stirred the crowd up and when it was all said and done eight people lost their lives because they were trampled underfoot the same scenery is going on here I mean people are wanting to get to Jesus that they're they're they're they're piled in and they're pushing and they're trying to get to Jesus and the first thing Jesus wants to say to the disciples is don't let hypocrisy get inside you now what is hypocrisy hypocrisy is pretending or presenting to be someone or something that you are not what great teaching that Jesus says he says fellas I know this looks like a parent success I know there's never been a rabbi to draw the crowds that I have drawn they have never been I know that you are just absolutely taken back that this crowds have come out but don't allow the crowd to cause you to believe that you're something that you're not don't allow the crowd to cause you to believe you know there's a lot of people playing to the crowds they're playing to society they're playing to people they're playing one of the greatest things we have to break on youth groups is we have to break peer pressure because sometimes kids youth can play to the peer pressure and try and pretend to be something that they're not all the time knowing I really don't want to be this way simply simply want to blend in I please I want you to see the crowd here I mean they're trying to get to Jesus they're they're they're trampling on each other they're they're pushing its elbow as far as you can see a sea of people and Jesus standing at an elevated point and he's teaching the word of God he tells the he tells the people that what you think is Secret is going to be shouted from the Housetop he tells them that the prayers that they have prayed in the dark seasons is going to be answered in the daylight he begins to tell them don't don't follow the line of hypocrisy don't pretend to be someone or something when you are not I know about you but don't you just enjoy being around people that just who they that's just who they are they're not trying to put an heir they're not trying to be something because you know a lot of times people that are trying to be something that they're not they're the only one that know that don't know that everybody knows they're not all right I hope that came out right I'm not gonna try to say it again he goes on verse 4. he says I say unto you my friends be not afraid of them that kill the body and after that have no more that they can do but I will forewarn you whom you shall fear fear him that after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell yea I say unto you fear Him he says if you want to have fear don't fear people that can only destroy you so far don't fear of those that can only destroy you so far said fear the one that not only has the power to kill but has the power to determine where you'll spend eternity you see someone can take your life but someone cannot decide where you spend eternity someone can they can take your life but they cannot decide and determine where you spend eternity that's left up to God and so if it's left up to God where I'm going to spend eternity because I would love to preach this and there'd be a connection life is but a vapor the most important thing you need to concern yourself with is life after death you need to concern yourself not might not maybe it's going to happen it is going to happen we're going to face the Judgment for what we did with our Vapor we're going to face judgment for what we did with our short span that was here and then that will determine whether I spend eternity in a place called heaven or I spend eternity in a place called hell I don't know about you I can answer for me tonight and I believe I can answer for you I want to spend eternity with the Lover of My Soul I want to spend eternity with the people of God I want that's where I want to spend eternity now if I'm going to spend eternity in heaven I have to concern myself not with people that can destroy me so far but with my God that goes beyond now if he just left there if he just left off at verse 5 we have presented to you a God that can kill you and decide where you go all right now I don't know about you but Jesus Christ doesn't just want to be preached that he has the power to kill he has the power sends you to hell he says in verse 6. I don't want to be just known as a God that has power over life and death verse 6. same crowd are not five sparrows sold for too far things that's the smallest little coin coin two four things his smallest the smallest of little coins are not five sold for two far things and not one of them is forgotten before God but even the very hairs of your head are all numbered fear not therefore ye are of more value than many sparrows not only does God want us to know that he has power to kill and power to determine where you spend eternity but on the other side of the coin he said please tell them that I love them and that they are of value to me please let them know that the insignificant sparrows that small bird that no one thinks anything about you can buy five of them at the market five of them at the market for the smallest of coins not one of them falls out of the sky in death that what I do I don't note that that I don't see that and he says I want you to tell the people I want you to know that I know you so well God says I know you so well that I have the very hair of your head numbered what what what what what what you see is a a hair on your your jacket God sees it that he has it numbered and he's trying to tell you how important that you are oh thank God tonight the Jesus that I preach and the god that we that we Embrace tonight is not only a god of power of life and death and can send its me to somewhere in eternity but he is a God that loves me he is a God that I am of value sparrow birds are sold and he takes notice but he loves you and he loves me tonight and I think that's something that we ought to rejoice in tonight that God loves us come on now you can do better than that let's make a little noise in this place God loves me somebody ought to shout yes yes God loves me God loves me but let's travel on verse 8. also I say unto you whosoever shall confess me before men him shall the son of man confess before the angels of God but he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God as we are a witness of God upon this Earth You see it's not just all this god-loving us God is expecting some something back in return you know what God is expecting something back in return help wanted God needs Witnesses God wants Witnesses upon the Earth if we were to ask God tonight if we were to get a direct voice from God tonight from heaven and say God what do you need from us down here on this Earth he would say I need you to be a witness unto me I need you to be a witness unto me this world is out of control it is expelled the Bible it has no Compass it has no moral compass every man is doing what's right in his own eyes and God would say from Heaven I need you to be Witnesses does that not sound familiar we love to preach and say we believe in receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in other tongues but do we know why we got the Holy Ghost do we know what one of the reasons we receive the Holy Ghost and you shall be Witnesses unto me he said I want you to be a witness unto me I want you to witness tonight when you go to the restaurant witness your faith by giving thanks over your meal before you eat when when you're going through your job let your let your co-workers hear you humming a song of Amazing Grace how sweet this self I need you to be a witness of me I need you to be a witness of me and if you will be a witness of me there will come a time when you will need the help of the Angelic host there will come a time down here on this Earth that you're going to need an angel of the Lord to come and intervene in your life you may need an angel of the Lord you may not even know it but on that overseas flight a motor went out on that plane and you don't even know it but an angel of the Lord kept that plane kept that plane in the air who knows what yesterday who knows what happened yesterday sister Carpenter when we were coming in on the plane and uh when you fly a lot you know that when the wheels when the wheels go out you feel a little joked on the plane and you know when the wheels go out you have about three minutes believe you may have timed it you have about three minutes before you hit the runway well I noticed yesterday coming in the wheels went out a little jolt and uh looked out the window and the clouds were very low and uh didn't really think anything about it plane kept going in when all of a sudden the plane is coming down to land right out here and the engines on that plane screamed and the nose of that plane went straight up in the air people on board began to scream out they begin to scream out and the plane began to climb you could hear the motors begin to to Roar on that plane and just about a minute later the pilot came on and he said he said I something like please excuse me for that he said evidently I got into space between uh the the space the distance uh closing in the distance between us and another plane and they ordered us to go out to go up who's to say yesterday that it wasn't necessarily someone in the FAA Tower over there that saw that who's to say that maybe the air traffic controller was gazing off out the window it's just a normal rainy day and two planes are coming in at an airport McGee Tyson it's not very busy and he's just looking this way when an angel of the Lord had to tap him on the shoulder and say look at the screen because these planes are going to collide because God has two of his servants on board at least two of his servants on board can I tell you something he said it you will witness before me to men when you need an angel I'm going to witness to those angels about you I don't know about you but I just feel like praising him right now I just feel like magnifying him right now was she scared yesterday brother Carpenter why sure I was if you confess me before men verse 8 him shall the son of man confess before the angels of God but he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God boy I don't want to fall into that category I don't want to be afraid that if I talk about Jesus in the lunchroom or if I talk about Jesus on my job or if I share my faith that they're going to think I'm a Jesus Jesus weirdo or I you know when they begin to talk about you know having issues and problems and I I want to roll it off the end of my tongue you you you you know God but I get wrapped up in this Society I get wrapped up in this world and I get afraid and I walk out of a work room I walk out of a lunchroom I walk out of a family reunion I walk out of some place where I should have talked about Jesus when the time comes for you to Need an Angel you face the stiff penalty because you did not confess me neither will I confess neither will I confess you going down to verse 10. Jesus said and whosoever shall speak a word against the son of man it shall be forgiven him but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven that's that's strong meat right there that's the word that's as much of the word of God as Acts 2 38. you can't just skip over that so what does it mean you can speak a word against the son of man Jesus and it can be forgiven but if you blaspheme the Holy Ghost there's no forgiveness the answer is simple how you would receive Jesus in the days that he was here you would receive him fleshly you saw him fleshly you heard him fleshly you saw him with your eyes fleshly you hurt him with your ears fleshly you touched him with one of your five senses which were touched and that is so limited to the power of the baptism of the Holy Ghost he said you can speak a word against the son of man and it'll be forgiven but if you ever get filled with the Holy Ghost if I ever Enlighten you if I ever Enlighten you with my spirit you see friend to a lot of privilege there's a lot of responsibility to whom much is given we just Bally who we know how to baptize and thank God we do and we value who we know how many gods there are and thank God we do and we value who that we've got this Holiness stand and thank God that we do but we need to understand something tonight that's a privilege that's a high privilege and when God puts his spirit in you and you are enlightened now you're you're not seeing Jesus Through The Eyes through the ears through the touch you're feeling him in the spirit it goes directly to the inward Spirit he says if you would allow yourself to get in the condition to where you would blaspheme the Holy Ghost there is no forgiveness for you now I know tonight I don't have to set you down I know tonight some of you are thinking is that really it is true but it lays upon you the responsibility keep right stay right keep the right Spirit you'll never keep the Holy Spirit and kill you keep your spirit every Spirit of bitterness every spirit of jealousy every Spirit of this world that tries to seep into me is trying to push the holy ghost out of me it's trying to push it out it wants to get in my mind it wants to control the way that I think can I tell you Jesus is not a way he's the only way can I tell you this is not a good life to live it's the only Life to Live can I can I tell you something I am so glad tonight to be a witness for the Lord Jesus Christ there's not a better life there's not a better way come on everybody let's live this life and let's be glad that we're living this life let's be praisers let's be worshipers let's be prayer warriors let's be Bible study teachers let's meet people that are concerned about the kingdom God expects more service from those who have experienced more truth he expects more service from us verse 11. and when they bring you into the synagogues and and unto the magistrates and Powers thank you no thought how how or what thing you shall answer or what you shall say for the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what you ought to say can I tell you is our government I'm not political left or right or in between tea party or no party all right but I'm telling you the powers that be are ever trying to restrict the church trying to restrict the movement of the church the expression of the word of God it's ever and let's don't get let's don't let's don't be blindsided by it that's the agenda control that's the agenda of control doesn't it Enlighten you to how much control technology has of us if any of you have got an iPhone just be in a conversation with your wife about needing a new mattress be on your way to the restaurant and say Hey you know we really need a new mattress we haven't we haven't bought a new mattress in years and the one we've got we turned it every so many months and flip it over every so many months and we've just about flipped it out you know just talk about that then get out of the car at the restaurant so start to go in and look down at your cell phone look at the ad that just came across your cell phone don't tell me they're not hearing us see years ago when they got reports that they could look through our televisions and see in our living rooms we blew it off as you you know you're just fanatic and and all that it's really real it's really real you you get email based on your sales you get you get emails and things of that nature because they're ever closing in on us and I'm afraid that the consumer is one day going to be consumed so I don't know when the Lord is coming I don't know what oh I do know when I do know when the Lord is coming have I told you I know when the Lord's coming when the trumpet sounds it's when the Lord's coming but until the trumpet sounds we got to be ready and Jesus said there'll come a day they'll bring you into a synagogues those are systems and to the magistrates that's governments and Powers he said take no thought how or what you shall say an answer for the Holy Ghost shall teach you in that day in that same hour what you ought to say thank God for the comforter of the Holy Ghost thank you Lord for the comforter of the Holy Ghost we are living in perilous times we are living in perilous days but we need not fear we're not going to sing the song hold the fort for I am coming we are a Victorious church we are an overcoming church we are the Bride of Jesus Christ we are a city set up on a hill it is our finest Hour you know why the Holy Ghost is right here with us and the Holy Ghost is our something man everybody think this is deep tonight right verse 13. are you ready are you ready let me hear you say yes and one of the companies said unto him master speak to my brother that he divide the inheritance with me and he said unto him man who made me a judge or a divider over you don't miss the point focus on the temporary and not the eternal can you imagine this man number one the fight that he had to get to to get to where Jesus could hear him all of that all of that effort elbow and his way through the crowd to get finally within earshot of Jesus after all who is Jesus God manifests in the flesh no doubt no doubt mother Tharp in the spirit Inn numeral Angels fluttering all over that place Jesus God In the Flesh talking about things of Eternity fear him that can destroy the body and and then put you in hell all of these valuable Eternal principles and here's a man interrupts the whole thing Lord no no he don't call him Lord because he Master there's a big difference Master would you please and I I really believe his brother was somewhere in the crowd would you please tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me now he is not there for eternal he has come to that crowd because he's heard of a crafty teacher called Jesus and if this crafty teacher with influence can tell my brother to divide the inheritance isn't that really sad that we would come into the presence of God manifest In the Flesh we would come into the presence of the almighty God and we would have temporal things on our mind we would have things on our mind that won't matter a year from now a week from now but things of Eternity are going on in this room and some of us just want to interrupt and say could you make this right he said man who made me your judge or your divider who may be a a divider can I tell you you are short changing your self miserably by sitting in this church coming week after week only concerned about the temple only concerned about the temple I'm telling you right now if God don't get that job back I'll tell you right now if God don't put this back together I'm telling you right now I temporal temporal temporal temporal because one day you're going to die and it doesn't matter where you were one day you're going to die that doesn't matter who you were married to one day you're gonna die and it doesn't matter everything that's dividing your mind right now you're gonna die and face the Lord and I don't want the Lord to say you were in my presence but you were just concerned about popularity you were in my presence you were just concerned about your little pampering feelings you were in my presence and that's all you you were in my presence eternity never crossed your mind you were in my presence oh eternity eternity listen to this tonight don't miss a point second Peter I'll come back to Luke in just a moment but look at second Peter chapter 3 verse number seven please hear Pastor tonight don't miss the point second Peter 3 and verse 7. Peter says about the heavens and the Earth which are now by the same word are kept in store reserved into fire and against the day of judgment and Perdition of ungodly men but beloved But First Apostolic Church of Maryville But First Apostolic churches gathered on this Wednesday night be not ignorant of this one thing that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years and a thousand years is one day don't sit here and say I've heard about the coming of the Lord blah blah blah please time is irrelevant with God one day it says a thousand years in a thousand years as one day the Lord is not slack concerning his promise as some men count slackness but his long-suffering to us were not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance but the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night how does a thief in the night come unannounced unannounced in the which the heavens shall pass away with the great noise and the elements shall melt with fervent heat the Earth also in the works that are therein shall be burned up seeing then look around you every tree every building every skyscraper every theme park every neighborhood gated or ungated everything you see is going to burn up one day why should we concern ourselves to the point of neglecting eternity for things that are going to perish looking for and hastening unto the coming of the day of God wherein the heavens shall be being on fire shall be dissolved and the elements shall melt with fervent heat nevertheless we according to his promise look for new heavens and a new Earth wherein dwelleth righteousness wherefore beloved seeing that ye look for such things be diligent that you may be found of him in peace without spot and blameless he said if you're looking for this stop getting spotted by the world stop having the attitude of the world stop having all the things of the world if you believe the Lord is coming live like it get away from the world don't be involved don't bring your worldly thinking into this church it's never going to mix oil and water don't mix a worldly mindset we'll not mix with a spiritual mindset there it just won't mix you know and I know that I know that you know this but what causes a storm is when two weather systems collide when they Clyde when a certain air temperature hits another certain air you have thunder and lightning when two opposites Collide storms evolve Jesus said I beheld Satan as Lightning fall from Heaven do you know why lightning fell from heaven there was a storm in heaven because a rebellious angel that wanted to exalt himself to the level of God decided that he would Ascend into the throne room and when he did there were two storms one of rebellion and one of righteousness and one righteousness and Rebellion collided rebellion was cast out of Heaven can I tell you something you never want to be of a rebellious mindset because you will be another shipwreck in the Shipwreck of multitudes that have raised their Earthly fleshly mind against the ways of God and there's a storm and when the storm is over the righteous march on the righteous keep on going can I tell you that if we stay right with God there's not a devil in hell that can raise up a rebellion that can come against the Church of the Living God I wish somebody would help me Magnify Him tonight oh my God my God my God we don't want to have any colliding when it comes to God Lord my thinking is wrong yours is Right Lord the way I've been living is not right my spirit's not right my attitude's not right the way I do is not right that ties me Jesus give me a new mindset storms call it storms collide Satan is cast down his cast down a long suffering of God verse 15. salvation and he goes on verse 17 just go down to verse 17 real quick ye therefore beloved seeing you know these things do you know the Lord's coming do you know the Lord's coming seeing that you know these things before beware lest thou also being led astray with the error of the wicked fall from your own steadfastness can I tell you you can lose your salvation I said you can lose your salvation you can lose your salvation Peter is saying beware don't allow that mindset to come in the Lord is coming because you don't want to fall from your own steadfastness but grow in Grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ you see this man is arguing over something that won't matter in eternity the wealthy die and a question is asked and whispered at the funeral home how much did he leave I got the answer all of it how much did he leave all of it you heard about the man that requested a large amount of cash would be put in his coffin he requested that hundreds of thousands of dollars be tucked into his coffin one of the funeral directors remarked to the other he says a tragedy We buried all that money out there and the guy said I didn't bear it said I wrote him a check and took the cash everything you're arguing about you're standing in the presence of God in flesh and you've got some little piddly thing on your mind the little smallest mind you discomfort in this place can cause people's mind to go in a thousand different ways sister Namie thank you for sending me a picture several years ago of a church in the Philippines that you're experiencing tremendous flooding tremendous flooding they sent me a picture of a congregation they had met they were sitting in their chairs they didn't have Patty pews like we've got they were sitting in kind of a plastic chair and they were about knee-deep in water as they sit on those chairs and I thought to myself that never happened in America it never happened here it should it should but we can sit and let the let the most minor little thing just turn our mind you know why you know why you're not focused on eternity straighten those little kids teeth up buy them the best Nike shoes you want to put back for college but you have failed miserably as a parent if you don't instill the ways of God in that child failed you failed it we ought to live our lives we ought to live our lives that little children dream of the day they can get in the kids quest choir and dream of the day they ought to be counting down instead of counting down the days to turn 16 to get a driver's license now and you know what I'm saying we ought to do it does happen around here that's why we got a choir when they when we built this choir lock back here I thought we'll never feel that choir law they'll we'll never have acquired that size and now on any good Sunday about every seat is filled up there in that choir you know why somebody has lived the life somebody has lived a life to say children get in the choir live for God sing for God worship God it is of Eternal value you ought to look is your children got their hands lifted are they going up around the altar it shouldn't be drugs that stir you up it ought to be a lack of spiritual things that go before the drugs that ought to stir us up I don't see my boy moving I don't see my girl moving I don't see him I'm around the earth that ought to be the thing that stirs us up Jesus went right in to a parable about a man who was covetous a man that was coveted covetous a man that coveted everything for you know Thou shalt not covet is the last commandment it is the tenth commandment Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife how shalt not covet thy neighbor's servants I shall not covet his animals Thou shalt not covet what is thy neighbors and he said now what is wrong with coveting what someone else has you cannot covet what another has and be thankful for to God for what you have you cannot covet covetousness breeds dissatisfaction if you're always coveting what someone else has you'll always have a spirit of dissetting you're never thankful for what you have and I don't know about you I don't know about you this is how it works with me I give you something and you're not thankful for it don't hang around oh come on straighten your Halos out tonight folks huh I give you something and I don't get a thank you back it's not the fact it's not the fact that you owe me a thank you you ought to be thankful and God I believe God's the same way if we're not thankful I died on a cross I have done everything I could possibly do for them to have spiritual success I will blow them their minds with what I will do with them but until they learn how to be faithful nothing else is coming down the pike they're not going to get any more favors no more blessings nothing else but give me a man or a woman or a young person that you don't have what others have that are around you and instead of looking across an aisle and coveting somebody's car somebody's sued somebody's shoes somebody's family you just raise your hands and say God I thank you that you're my God I thank you that you're my Lord God will blow your mind with what he'll do for you come on be thankful don't have a pity party just be thankful unto God give him praise look at this tonight the last commandment is Thou shalt not covet Ephesians 5 and 5 says these words Ephesians 5 and 5. for this ye know that no whoremonger nor unclean person nor covetous man who is an idolater now what is a covenants man he's an idol worshiper where's the idol him he worships him he or she is self-centered Me Mine I want better I want this I want that idolatry isn't it amazing brother Hammond that the last commandment is Thou shalt not covet and the first commandment is you are not to build anything and be an idol worshiper bookends he starts by saying don't have Idols he ends by saying the idol is not a totem pole in Africa an idol can be yourself in the mirror saying what can I do today to help me today I'm getting out of this marriage because I'm not happy I'm leaving this job because I'm not this I'm doing this because I'm not I'm not I'm not and you're making decisions all because you worship at the foot of your own Idol I heard somebody say bless him Lord and God knows I need it this rich man in this parable this rich man in this parable had a field that brought forth unbelievable going back to Luke 12. and verse 16. he spoke a parable unto them saying the ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully he thought within himself saying what shall I do and I'm going to emphasize this what shall I do because I have no room where to bestow my fruits and he said this will I do I will pull down my barns build greater there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods and I will say to my soul soul thou has much Goods laid up for many years take thine ease eat drink and be merry I don't know about you but the last time I read that many eyes in the Bible it was tied back to Satan when he was in heaven right before he was cast out right before an angel became a demon what was the conversation I will Ascend I will be like the most high God I will set my throne in the sides of the Lord I will be like God let me tell you something anytime you get that self-centered you become an idol worshiper this man brother or had a I mean he had an unbelievable crop and he fought within himself I got more than I need and the thought never crossed his mind sharing never crossed his mind man I could share this with the poor never crossed his mind you know why so centered he will never have an eternal mindset and a selfish mind at the same time I will build bigger barns he's a man of he's a man of reaping he's a man of reaping I will build bigger boards I will bestow all my fruit in these big Barns and guess what I'm going to say now I'm going to talk about tomorrow I'm going to talk about the rest of my life I will say to my soul so take thy knees eat drink and be merry as far as you can look out over the horizon I have secured in all that I've got but God said unto him thou fool this night shall thy Soul be required of Thee then whose shall those things be which thou has provided so he that layeth up treasure for himself so is he that layeth of treasure for himself and is not rich toward God sir you're familiar with reaping aren't you oh yeah I'm a farmer you don't understand I God have a Reaper that comes to all seasons of life I God have a Reaper sometimes God God's Reaper God's Reaper shows up to a young boy in North Mississippi a young Church Planter's son [name redacted] who forgets his guitar where his daddy's planting a church he runs back to the church on that Sunday afternoon to get his guitar little did [name redacted] know that the Reaper was between him and a head-on collision with a truck he said oh where would brother Carpenter you're working my own my emotions not I hope I am I hope I am because there is a demonic world today that's trying to intimidate preachers they call us fearmongers there's a there's a Godless world that wants our preachers to be little prissy men that get up and talk about Destiny and how God's going to work it out for you can I tell you something tonight you better get ready for the Reaper because he could come with one bite of food that doesn't go down your throat the proper way the Reaper's standing right there you better understand when you get to boasting and bragging without God that you've got life by the tail and everything is going good for you you better you better wonder if God's not saying you're a fool because the reaper is at the door and when the Reaper reap your soul then whose does it matter the rich man in hell that would not so much as go out and talk to Lazarus the beggar but in hell it gave him a change of mind in Hell the rich man begged and said send him and he may touch the tongue but just to drop water the selfish rich man in hell now turns his attention towards five brothers tell Lazarus to go tell my brothers don't come to this terrible place of Torment and I tell you tonight we're taking communion our God has done everything he can do if what he's done for you hasn't woke you up don't wait for God to wake you God's waiting for you to wake yourself tonight come on Church the coming of the Lord is saved we got to get ready for God