Finishing Well Through Prayer | Sr Pastor Kenneth Carpenter
by Kenneth Carpenter
First Apostolic Church of Maryville (Maryville, TN)
Kind: sermon
Scripture: Luke 11:1, 2 Chronicles 33:1-10, 2 Chronicles 36:15-16, Proverbs 29:1, Romans 10:14-15, 2 Chronicles 33:11-18

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

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if you have your bibles and would turn with me i think maybe the last three times i've been here i have asked for luke 11 and verse number one luke chapter number 11 and verse number 1. if you're ready to receive the word say amen and it came to pass that as he was praying in a certain place when he ceased one of his disciples said unto him lord teach us to pray as john also taught his disciples for a few moments tonight on this wednesday evening i want to minister on this subject finishing well through prayer finishing well i want to finish 20 21 how many wants to finish it well well the only way you can through prayer how many wants to finish life well i kind of want to hear us i want to hear a phrase that goes something like this now god's not your mama he's not going to tell you you've done well unless you've done well all right so finishing well through prayer father i love you tonight help me lord to preach a burden upon our hearts on the subject of prayer lord help me this evening lord to feed the sheep help me lord god to implant in the hearts of the young and the old lord the value of prayer and developing a prayer life lord that we can have that daily nourishment from you lord touch my heart my mind this evening in jesus name we pray amen amen before you seated put your hands together one more time clap them real good finishing well finishing well through prayer brother marshall called me a few days ago telling me about his father of course god blessed us with the arnone and the marshall family here some time ago some of the sweetest people that you would ever want to pastor in your congregation the marshals and the ornones and didn't take long for me to discover about brother marshall that brother marshall is a man of prayer he's a man of prayer any of the prayer meetings that i called brother marshall would be here when the door was open and he wouldn't leave until well he was the last one to leave he would pray and pray and pray and he began to tell me of the value of having a father that prayed a father that prayed and his father passed last night his father was 95 years old he said brother carpenter i was raised waking up of the morning hearing my father pray and he said i went to sleep at night hearing my father pray just a few days ago as a matter of fact brother marshall left to go over to arkansas this weekend and uh his father was asking about him he finally got there and his dad made a statement he said son my ride's on the way and sure enough that heavenly chariot come down but to leave a legacy a prayer that your children would say i woke up to prayer i went to bed to pray and i'm gonna just give you a little snippet of this now uh it's on brother marshall's cell phone and uh i'll go ahead and tell you right now what his father is saying his father's saying thank you thank you uh lord you've been so good to me and then he's just talking in tongues but if i could order the way that my life would end it would be if you would just i think you got just a small snippet of it to show that's why you see well thank you thank you thank you jesus thank you thank you so great i can't help you now friends 95 years old holding his hands up with a brace in the hospital bed talking in other tongues that's the way i want to leave this earth that's the way i want to leave this earth prayer prayer the bible said that as he was praying one of the disciples came and asked him lord teach us to pray i saw this scripture in an angle the other day that i've never seen before this disciple admitted to jesus that he lacked the knowledge of the art of prayer now the women of this church may not be able to relate to this next statement but if you are a man you may not admit it but you can relate to it men don't like asking questions that we don't know how many times has your wife just pleaded with you larry would you stop and ask directions would you stop and oh i'm telling i know where we're at don't know where i i know the i know the gps is telling me go this way but i'm telling you i i know i know the way to go it's really not in the nature of us men to humble ourselves and ask another man a question but evidently this disciple admitted that he didn't know the art of prayer you do realize what many times keeps us hindered from asking is a word that is our biggest enemy it's called pride it's called pride because we don't want to admit to someone that we don't know something but evidently this disciple this disciple had mastered and battled and conquered this this thing called pride he got to the point he got to the point to where he simply says lord would you teach me to pray i think that i don't think i know that no prayer ever is answered from a prideful heart no prayer is ever answered prideful people can pray but i don't again it's not i i know the bible says god resists the proud he resisted so a person with pride in their heart can pray but they don't get an answer to that prayer lord teach me to pray lord teach me teach me to pray this disciple was absolutely empty of any kind of pride he was humble in his spirit he made a request and the lord answered that request and the lord gave this disciple and the disciples he gave these disciples the tools the nuts and bolts the abcs of putting a prayer life together again this horrible enemy of ours called pride pride is such an enemy pride will promise you to exalt you but when pride is finished with you pride will bring you low pride will try to get in your mind and tell you that you're the brightest person in this room and the other people just lack what you have pride will try to do that to you pride will try to tell you that you're just better than so and so as a matter of fact it is pride that causes people to be rude let me say that again while you're being seated it is pride that causes you to think that you can speak any old way to people because somehow pride has convinced you that you just a little bit a notch above the other but i'm here to tell you pride will promise you to exalt you but when pride is finished with you the scripture says pride will bring you to shame to be humble is one of the things that god seeks after god seeks after the humble heart god seeks after the person that feels that in and of themselves they have no right standing no right on their own to be here but it's the humble man that god will bend down low and god will hear every whisper every prayer of an humble man pride will bring you low and i want to take you now to the 33rd chapter of second chronicles if you will go there with me chronicles the second second chronicles chapter 33 verse number one starts out with uh telling us the story of one of the kings of judah by the name of manasseh manasseh now you may remember this name because manasseh is first named in the bible manasseh was one of the sons that was born to joseph and manassas name means that god has caused me to forget all of the toils all of the things that have happened to me but you see this young man here is named manasseh but he has forgotten about god now there are some things in life you need to work at forgetting but there's other things you better never forget you better never forget the pit from which god found you don't ever forget the condition you were in when god found you don't ever forget how far god has brought you don't ever don't ever forget that when you look at someone and just an inkling of pride wants to come in that you could just simply look at anyone and say with a surety there go i if it wasn't for the grace of god some things you can forget some things we ought to forget but there's other things you better never forget sad story of chapter 33 let's just read it together let's just this is let me read and then i'll i'll comment just kind of want to go the narrative here manasseh was 12 years old when he began to reign and he reigned 50 and five years in jerusalem fifty and five years that is uh that's a long time that's a long time to reign that's a long time to reign 50 in five years you know and just hear this here hear me out i'm gonna my may go slow i may go slow but what's important is not how long you've been in church what's important is how long church has been in you some folks want to boast and and i understand i understand but you better make sure while you're saying you've been in church 55 years you better make sure church has been in you 55 years because this young man was the son of hezekiah this young man was the son of a godly man hezekiah was a godly man he was a godly man manasseh is the son of a godly man he's got the blood of a godly man pulsating through his veins but he's got the heart of a rebel he's got the heart of pride he's got the blood he's got good blood in him but he's got the heart of pride you'll see it unfold verse two but did that which was evil in the sight of the lord likened to the abominations of the heathen whom the lord had cast out before the children of israel remember that promised land do you know why the children of israel got a promised land because the people that were living in it were wicked vile sinners and when god chose a land to give them he looked down upon a people who did not appreciate their god nor the land and god said these people these people here are going to be removed from this land and i'm going to give this land to a delivered nation called israel but please remember something please remember something that god is no respecter of persons and if god would take those people out of that land and give it to israel if israel starts acting like the people that were taken out god will take them out too in that we understand god is grace and god is love and god is a forgiving god don't you ever forget he's the same god that sent judgment in the form of a flood in that he's a loving god a merciful god a forgiving god a kind and gentle god don't you ever forget that he rained down fire and brimstone upon the cities of sodom and gomorrah please let's understand tonight let's let's understand tonight our full knowledge of god if we act like the world we're going to suffer the same judgment of the world verse 3. what did he do for he built again the high places which hezekiah his father had broken down he reared up altars for balaam and made groves and worshiped all the hosts of heaven and served them he built back what his father had torn down church we don't need to be building things back that our great pentecostal apostolic forefathers and mothers tore down but he started building back he started building back what his father hezekiah torn down he reared up altars made groves that's plant trees and worship the host of heaven but notice this he not only worship the host of heaven what's the last three words of the verse and serve them just like we serve the lord we come to church we worship god he served all of the stars the planets verse four also he built altars in the house of the wait wait a minute he wasn't content to do all this grove businesses these trees out in the yard he also built altars in the house of the lord wherefore the lord hath said in jerusalem shall my name be forever and he built altars for all the hosts of heaven in the two courts of the house of the lord are y'all seeing this with me i mean we are talking about a vile man by the name of manasseh we're talking about a vile wicked king wasn't content that he lived like the devil outside the jerusalem wasn't content that he lived like the devil outside of the temple he brought the devil into the house of god he erected altars to false gods he erected altars to all of these of which god said jerusalem is where my name my name shall be in the house of the lord jerusalem verse 6 and caused his children his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of hymnon also he observed times used enchantments used witchcraft dealt with the familiar spirit and with wizards he wrought much evil in the sight of the lord to provoke him to anger if i stopped and elaborated on these i wouldn't get my bible lesson done tonight i mean have i convinced everybody tonight we are talking about a vile man he gave his firstborn he got married and his firstborn son guess what he did he wrapped him up walked him down to a false pagan god by the name of molech a fire god he had arms at a big belly of a furnace and had arms that stuck out and if you wanted your blessing if you wanted molex blessings on all of your children you had to lay your firstborn son in the arms of molech and let him burn it up he brought his son down he laid him in the arms he laid him in the arms of molech he used enchantments he got witches to come witches and familiar spirits and wizards and he was dealing in all of this witchcraft and he did much to provoke the lord to anger verse 7 we're not even done yet verse 7 and he set a carved image the idol which he had made in the house of god of which god had said to david and to solomon his son in this house and in jerusalem which i have chosen before all the tribes of israel will i put my name forever he had a carving and had it brought into the house of the lord verse eight is what god had to say he says neither will i any more remove the foot of israel from out of the land which i have appointed for your fathers so that they will take heed to do all that i have commanded them according to the whole law and the statutes and the ordinances by the hand of moses so manasseh made judah and the inhabitants of jerusalem to air didn't only affect him he became an evangelist for wickedness he caused jerusalem and judah to air and to do worse than the heathen whom the lord had destroyed before the children of israel he listen they were living worse than the heathen were and i'm driving home a point this is one more vile man manasseh verse 10 and the lord spake to manasseh and to his people but they would not hearken stop at verse 10 for a minute do you know that i guess thank god that i'm not god and thank god you're not god but if i was god manasseh doesn't deserve a sermon he deserves swift decisive action a sermon a message a message to the likes of this wicked vile man yeah that's right that's right because our god wants to divert judgment from your life that's why he sends you a message that's why now you better realize the value of a messenger and you know it's difficult and in the younger years of my ministry i really struggled at preaching on things such as tithe and offerings and pastoral authority because i struggled because i thought everybody's thinking i'm doing they think i'm going to do this for my own benefit and as years went on i realized that there'll come a day that i'm not going to be here and i don't want to leave a congregation behind that doesn't know the value of tithing offerings and i don't want to leave a congregation behind that doesn't know the value of the pastor do you realize the fact that you're being preached to tonight is a testimony that god hasn't given up on you the fact that a messenger walked into that vile sewage can you imagine the prophet having to come in the house of god go around an idol made to this one and go around an idol made to that one maybe pass a few witches on his way in but god loved him so much that god said before before i send judgment upon him i'm going to give him a messenger you got to value the message you got to value you got to value the messenger not the messenger as far as the personality of the man but you need to understand there is there is a value look with me at um well let's go to um let's go to second chronicles 36 we're going to come back to this second chronicles 36 and i believe it's verse 15 that i'm looking for ii chronicles 36 and verse number 15 and the lord god of their father sent to them by his messengers rising up between times and sending because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place why did god send them messenger messenger after messenger because god had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place but look at verse 16 and we don't want we don't want to live out verse 16 but they mocked the messengers of god and despised his word and misused his prophets until the wrath of the lord arose against his people oh i don't i i don't even oh i don't hardly want to finish the verse out till there was no remedy no remedy now when god says there's no remedy church there's no remedy he said i sent them prophets i sent on messengers one after another day after day but guess what they did they misused them they stoned them and god was looking down from heaven and saying don't you understand israel don't you understand first apostolic of maryville don't you understand this is your only hope the only hope of you changing is to get a love for the word the only hope of you changing is to value the pulpit more than the tv the only hope of you changing is for you to look at the bible and the preached word of god and say that's much better for me than anyone telling me anything any difference you gotta you gotta understand this is your only hope till they were broke without remedy without a remedy turn to proverbs chapter 29 proverbs chapter 29 and i believe it's verse number one that i want proverbs 29 verse number 1 look at this verse with me he that being often reproved hardeneth his neck shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy so come to church you're always preaching on me well the only thing i can say back to you is live right right right that's my deal when i try to be funny i'm not funny and you know right well you're always preaching on me would live right live right and when i'm preaching on sin you're living in the benefit of living right and you'll be the bigger biggest a manner in the house amen that's right what you once said oh god there he goes again you'll be able to say pray preach it brother carpenter tell them tell my children about it tell my grandbabies about it tell the youth about it tell them all about it preach preach see if you have to often he that being often reproved hardened of his neck can i tell you when you don't heed the word of god it causes your neck to get stiff means you're not going to turn you're not going to turn you're not going to be pliable because you just hear the word of god it's another sermon it's another thing can i tell you again tonight the only hope you have is the word of god and the preacher word of god he says he that being often reproved hardeneth his neck and shall suddenly be destroyed and that without what without remedy without remedy turn with me to um romans chapter 10. we'll go back to second chronicles here in just a moment but romans chapter 10 and we'll begin reading it verse number 14. talk about the value of preaching the method that god has used the method that god used romans 10 14 how then shall they call on him and whom they have not believed that makes sense the bible said in the previous verse that whosoever shall call upon the name of the lord shall be saved but how are you going to call on him in whom you have not believed if you don't believe how you're going to call on him how shall they believe you see these questions that stair-step how then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed how shall they believe in whom in him of whom they have not heard and how shall they hear without a preacher see turns it around the preacher preaches the word then you can believe and then you can call but paul brings it back to the preacher of the word verse 15 and how shall they preach except they be sent as it is written how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things can i tell you thank god for the preached taught word of the lord it is god's way of saving us it is our only medicine the word of god is our medicine tonight are you sick listen to the word are you lost listen to the word are you discouraged tonight listen to the word it's a medicine but if you don't listen to the word god has nothing more in his medicine cabinet to give you you have no remedy there is simply no remedy go back with me now a second chronicles chapter 33 second chronicles chapter number 33 and was it verse 10 right the lord to manasseh and to his people but they would not hearken wherefore the lord brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of assyria which took manasseh among the thorns and bound him with fetters and carried him to babylon now let me use my baby brother for an example tonight don't ever say it was the will of god for my brother to go to prison it was not the will of god for him to go to prison can i tell you what the will of god was the will of god was for him to obey the pastor that was preaching to him that was the will of god the will of god was when our pastor brother mccool was telling him we don't date out of the faith we don't go to these places in this city we don't do these things instead of saying yes man of god that's the word that's the way i'll go he chose to rebel and rebellion is connected to witchcraft what is witchcraft witchcraft is a power other than god to get an answer so when you hear the answer and you decide that you have a better answer you decide you have a better answer and you rebel against the word of god you are dabbling in witchcraft because you want an answer from another source other than the word of god it was not god's will my brother go to prison it was not god's will for 34 and a half years of his life to be spent in prison that was not god's will period end of it so we need to stop saying certain things is god's will there's people going through the thorns like this man did you see it was not god's will let's look at it again verse 11. um he wouldn't listen in verse 10 verse 11 wherefore the lord brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of assyria which took manasseh among the thorns and bound him with fetters and carried him to babylon mr prideful mister got it all together pride is going to cause you one day they're going to tie your hands and they're going to have a horseback rider and he's going to take that rope brother or and your hands are tied and that horse is going to run you through the briars and run you through the thorns and and here in in in america we we think of thorns as these little of thorns on a rose bush you haven't seen a thorn until you've been to israel their thorns are able to puncture tires on cars we're not talking about a little thorn on a rose bush when they brought manasseh out of that thorn patch he was tore all to pieces when they brought him out of that thorn patch he was cut from the top of his head to the soles of his feet because that's exactly what some people have to have see sometimes in prosperity we almost hear god at a whisper but in punishment we hear him loud and clear they bind him up carry him back run him among the thorns and they take him to babylon they abuse him and the bible says in verse 12 and when he was in affliction please watch this very closely because you don't have to go here all right you hear me you don't have to go here when he was in affliction he besought the lord his god and humbled himself greatly before the god of his fathers and prayed unto him and he was entreated of him and heard his supplication and brought him again to jerusalem into his kingdom then manasseh knew that the lord he was god let's just stop here for a moment i'm talking about the power of prayer i'm talking about the power of prayer pride was what caused manasseh to build all this stuff in the house of god he could relate to all these different people he could relate to those that worship jehovah he could relate to the pagans while he was everybody's friend and nobody's enemy but he was displeasing to god and many prophets walked in and told him thus saith the lord manasseh god is displeased with you tear down these temples change this place change your way but pride kept him from asking the question pride kept him from turning but god has a way of not giving up on us god taught him a lesson in the thorns god taught him a lesson god taught him a lesson in babylon god taught him god taught him a lesson in in babylon he taught a lesson let me let me tell you the lessons that god can teach god taught samuel or excuse me samson a lesson samson was taught a lesson he was taught a lesson now he's got two eyes missing and he's grinding mill when he should have been shining trophies but you see if you won't listen to the messenger god has another messenger for you to my brother sure i'm so thankful my brother's servant god tonight praise the lord he's serving god tonight but can i tell you he's servant god and i thank god for that but there's a part of his life that didn't have to happen you say well why are you preaching it because i don't want you to go that way i don't want you to go there there doesn't need to be any more jerry carpenters one ought to be enough one jerry carpenter ought to be enough for every christian school one jerry carpenter ought to be enough but if you listen to the preacher if you listen to your pastor and he's just another voice and he's just another this and i'm really preoccupied right now with what you're saying i can't wait to get home and get online and really listen to something good can i tell you something young person god has a thorn patch for you god has a thorn patch for you will we be there absolutely will we wrap our arms around you absolutely but i don't want you to go to the thorns i don't want you to go there but you know there's an interesting thing here and i really believe it's true i have seen failure introduce some people to a richer fuller deeper relationship with god you know why failure can open your eyes to you failure can open your eyes to you because famous last words never happened to me famous last words i would never do that those are famous last words there's men better than me tonight that are somewhere else and i don't want to wake up to a fuller relationship with god i want to wake up to it now i want to know him now the bible says in verse 12 again when he was in his affliction he besought the lord his god and humbled himself greatly before the lord before the god of his what look at the end of verse 12 the god of his what fathers train up a child when they're old and when they're old they will not depart from it can i tell you that i'm believing that god is going to bring sons and daughters and grandchildren back and when they wake up they're going to know how to get back they're going to know it's old-fashioned praying they're going to know it's getting down around the altar oh they've torn everything mom and daddy everything you've built in their life they tore it down but i got news for you keep on praying for them because one day they're going to wake up and say i got to worship like my mama worship i've got to start going down and living for god oh whoa i believe that i i feel the move of the holy ghost right now i believe that i believe that they're going to wake up one day oh yeah they tore everything down but you put something in them as a child in sunday school they woke up oh manasseh woke up one day and he said i got a word i gotta work worship god i gotta worship god just like my father's worship god verse 13 and prayed unto him this is that that prayer the whole reason i'm here tonight and this wicked vile man what did he do i'm still talking about the same man that had witches and enchantments and all kinds of all kinds of gross immorality that he was doing in god's house this man prayed unto him and he was entreated god heard it god heard this man's prayer god heard his supplication and brought him again to jerusalem into his kingdom look at these words then manasseh knew that the lord he that the lord he was god then manasseh knew that the lord he was god well didn't he know it before no he didn't he never became an atheist brother lawless he never became an atheist he just believed it could be the lord and baal he believed it could be jehovah and bell and asteroth he just believed it could be jehovah baal asterov molech and any other just like some of us believe oh i'm all right i just don't really get fanatical like the others do around here oh i'm all right but all my friends are not in church oh i'm all i'm all right but there's a lot of things about that church i don't agree with i i'm okay can i tell you something you don't know the lord your god because when you know the lord your god what we do here on sundays and wednesdays is the centerpiece of our lives it is the centerpiece of our lives we live to come to church on wednesday night we live to come to the house of god on sunday it is the century oh take my children to sunday school oh take my children on a youth trip oh get us on a marriage retreat oh do this and do that we live for this place we live for this place you see you don't know him if you don't know that he is the only way to live i heard brother wayne huntley make a statement that i've repeated many times he said a man and sister carp you might help me get the word exactly right a man isn't fully converted because he believes the truth a man isn't fully converted because he believes the truth a man is fully converted when he believes everything that's not the truth is false doctrine this church is not a church in this town we were you're judging no the bible does a fine job at that that's that's the bible if you're not baptizing in jesus name for the remission of your sins you're not baptizing correctly there's only one god who was the father of creation the son of redemption and he's the holy spirit in the church today there's no such thing as three persons that didn't come out of the bible it's lovingly as kindly as i can tell you that that didn't come out of the bible that came out of the third century the catholic church baptism repeating the words father son and old now you can say that here we go again here yeah yeah here we go again because if we become a people that think well any other way or do you you know it's all just in words and no it's not all just in words it's not all just in words that came that came out of the catholic church let me tell you something i love catholic people but i don't love their doctrine i love baptist people but i don't love their doctrine i love episcopalians presbyterians methodists assembly god church god you name it but i don't love their doctrine and i believe you can put an arm of love around them and a voice of truth into them the way to whim them is to put an arm around them in a shut mouth you can't win them with the arm of love and never saying the truth and neither can you love them win them with only speaking of truth and not having the love see were you called that you called that baptist brother brother yeah i sure did because by faith i'm going to baptize it i believe god gave us a city-wide revival i believe god the bible says that a great number of the priests were obedient to the faith i believe god can give us a revival in this town that entire churches embrace this but they've got to embrace it in the fullness of truth it's not another little shingle they hang out on their side it can't be another little shingle that that they hang out on their side they gotta understand god led you to truth true then they knew the lord you see when you know him when you know him if you've got a job that keeps you out on wednesday night when you know him this is old time preaching when you know him and you come in the church and you've got a job that keeps you out of midweek guess what your prayer request is pray for me that i can get on another shift pray for me that i could get a job that won't keep me out of the house of god you know why that's missing because we are raising up a people that are looking and saying well this way and that way and as long as i do this is my everything the house of god is my everything material is good but it's not my everything come into the house of god come into the house of god verse 13. i'm going to try just to end here in just a second verse 13 and prayed he prays now and he wasn't treated god heard him god heard the supplication god brought him to jerusalem into his kingdom then manasseh knew that the lord he was god he walked around and said now i know him don't you ever bring anything else into this house that's not worship unto god my life will never be dictated by witches and enchantments i know that he's the i don't have to go to a witch i got the answer of all answers right here i don't have to have all this in cameron i've got the answer of all answers right here look at verse 14. now after this he built a wall without the city of david on the west side of gehan in the valley even to the entering inn at the fish gate and can passed about opheld and raised it up a very great hype and put captains of war in all the cities of judah guess what he started doing he started protecting his place of worship before honey he had built no laws because he didn't value the house of god he didn't value the things of god you could take it or leave it it really it really you know he before that he was of a mentality i can go to the mountains and have my church i can go to the little valleys and have my church i saw someone the other day that put something on and i'm glad i can't remember so i can't remember but i just remember what it was it had a meadow and it had a church and it had something else and it said these are my churches and i thought that's wrong those are not your churches the church is the church and the one way you lose out with god it happens to all of them they devalue the church they start first off they start devaluing what is in it the altar area the prayer room participating in singing participating in worship and when the devil gets that from you then you start missing you start hitting and missing hitting and missing and then before long you went and got entangled with the world again but when you realize you're wrong and you get in your thorn patch and you realize lord i'd like to have a time in the hey listen many young men and young women in a jail cell have remembered a youth rally or a youth convention and they thought oh if i could just ever get back if i could just listen if you get back you better start building walls and protecting the house he said hey we got to build a wall around jerusalem i got to build some high gates around here this is my life stand with me right now would you please stand with me right now he built a wall without the city of david on the west of gehan in the valley even to the entering into the fish gate and can pass about ophel and raised it up a very great height and put captains of war in all the fenced cities of judah and he took away the strange gods and the idol out of the house of the lord and all the altars that he had built in the mount of the house of the lord and in jerusalem and he cast them out of the city and he repaired the altar of the lord and sacrificed therefore peace offerings and thanks offerings and commanded judah to serve the lord god of israel can i tell you what a way to finish what a way to finish verse 18. now the rest of the acts of manasseh and his prayer unto his god and the words of the seers that spake to him in the name of the lord behold they are written in the books of the king of israel when it got time to write his obituary when it got time to finish him out brother perry when it got time to finish him out that obituary didn't say he was a worshiper with the witches he didn't say he was a idol worshiper he was somebody that gave his firstborn son to molech no because prayer can change everything prayer can change everything you want to finish well brother carpenter you don't understand i've done this i've done that i've done which i've done enchantment i've done all this i understand it but do you want to finish well get to praying get to praying if you'll start praying you'll finish well samson let's read your obituary he chased women around he was this he was a playboy no that's not his old that's not his obituary that's not it can i tell you what his obituary was he was in the prison grinding meal and he looked up and he said god would you hear me just one more time would you answer me just one more time would you give me strength to make a vengeance upon my enemies and god heard the prayer of samson he's not known by delilah in that he's known by a man that prayed a prayer and god heard that prayer how about you jonah let's read your obituary oh he's a rebellious preacher he was a rebellious man he god told him to go to nineveh and he didn't that's not how his obit reads his obit reads that in the belly of of the fish he began to pray and god heard him and the fish spit him out oh let's go let's go shall we let's go to david after david's sin david's obituary is not going to read the besheba of the besheba drama it's not going to read that because david got up david got up and david began to pray and the bible says these be the prayers of david i gotta tell somebody tonight you don't have to end the way you are right now you don't have to end you can end on a good note right now you can end on a good note young lady you can end on a good note young man but you gotta pray let's read his obit he's a thief he's always been a troublemaker he started stealing when he was a young boy he stole in his teenage years he stole as he grew and grew into being a man and because he stole we found him guilty he stole so much we shall crucify him and they nailed him to a cross but he prayed one more prayer lord remember me when you get into the kingdom notice this the lord didn't go down the list you stole this you stole that you did this you did that he just looked and said he's going to end his life well today thou shalt be with me in paradise do you realize do you realize something please just hear hear me out hear me let me put my glasses on so i see i'm 10 minutes over what i want to let you out but just listen to me don't serve the god of coming and going now what do you mean by coming and going well i i've sinned and god has left me he's a way off no he's not god is as close as your prayer you feel so distant distant because he has left your soul but he's close as your prayer the thief on the cross didn't have much time lord would you just remember me and the lord said i answered that prayer i'll do more than remember you today you'll be with me in paradise david jesus christ will wear the title jesus the son of david jonah you will preach samson you will go to the heroes hall of faith all because you won't finish well get your mind off your failure and get it on your prayer life and you'll finish well could we finish well tonight could we just simply pray and go home father i thank you tonight god i pray that we receive with meekness the engrafted word god i pray tonight that the revelation of truth would enter into the hearts of people god lord help them to understand this good apostolic doctrine that is mentioned by name in the bible god help people to understand lord this is not just a truth just not a view the lord this is from the pages of your word lord i pray for our young people tonight oh god the enemy would like to put a spell upon their minds god the enemy would like to put a spell upon their minds god the only hope help the young people to know to know tonight that their only hope god would be to turn their lives completely 100 percent over to you god if they've got things on their cell phone god let them erase it tonight god if they got things in their home god that they're dabbling in god let them repent of it throw in the garbage tonight oh god in the name of jesus christ change our lives tonight lord oh god change our lives tonight god lord i thank you i thank you god i thank you god are you praying right now i hope you're praying i got my eyes closed right i hope you're praying right now i hope your prince your only hope your it's your only hope it's the only hope you have right now just pray young lady it's the only hope you'll never amount to anything if you don't pray young young man you're down on yourself because you don't think you come from the right family you don't think that you've got anything to look forward to in life if you don't pray you don't have anything to look forward to but if you will pray right now i'm telling you god can god is able to raise you up god is able to make a way tonight but you got to pray you got to pray you're in the thorns but you got to pray tonight you got to pray tonight oh god let this message lord lord let this message god lord let it be in our hearts lord let us let this message take us through the weekend god i'll give you all the praise and all the honor and all the glory in jesus name we pray and everybody said amen god bless you thank you for letting me preach to you tonight you're a great group of people you're dismissed