God’s Courtroom | Senior Pastor Kenneth Carpenter by Kenneth Carpenter Kind: sermon Scripture: Isaiah 41, Isaiah 41:1-8, Galatians 6:15-16, Isaiah 40:31 Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/kenneth-carpenter--god-s-courtroom-senior Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page. Free to copy and share with attribution. ------------------------------------------------------------ Now, I cannot prove the statement that I'm about to make. I cannot prove the statement that I'm about to make. But I think we all could say there's a probability of it. There's a probability of it. But I just wonder this morning if God didn't say to the angels, "Let's go down to 1331 William Blount Drive, Maryville, Tennessee, for they will give me praise." Well, how do you know they'll give you praise? Because they're faithful. And I base that I base that on God was about to go down and destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. And he turned to one of the angels, and he said, "Should I hide this thing from Abraham which I'm about to do? See that I know him. Should Should I hide it?" And he turned around and he told Abraham about the destruction >> >> of Sodom and Gomorrah. So, I just wonder today God knowing the faithful, consistent praise. I I I've been in a lot of churches that >> >> they worship at Christmas and Easter. It's like two times a year. It's like it's it's like they just they do this a couple times of the year and the other times they just kind of don't do this. And uh I just wonder if God didn't say to the angels, "Let's go on down to William Blount today. My people will be there to give me praise and give me worship." Aren't you thankful for that this morning? >> >> If you have your Bibles and would join me in the book of Isaiah chapter number 41 and I would ask you to leave your Bibles open to that chapter because we're going to we're going to go through this chapter today and glean from the word of God. Isaiah chapter 41 and the verse number one. Isaiah 41 and one. The word of the Lord says, "Keep silence before me, O islands. And let the people renew their strength. Let them come near. Then let them speak. Let us come near together to judgment. Who raised up the righteous man from the east and called him to his foot and gave the nations before him and made him rule over kings? He gave them as the dust to his sword and as driven stubble to his bow. He pursued them and passed safely even by the way that he had not gone with his feet. Who hath wrought and done it? Calling the generations from the beginning. I, the Lord, the first, and with the last, I am he. The aisles saw it and feared. The ends of the earth were afraid, drew near, and came. They helped everyone his neighbor, and everyone said to his brother, "Be of good courage." So, the carpenter encouraged the goldsmith, and he that smoothest with the hammer him that smoked the anvil, saying, "It is ready for the soldering." And he fastened it with nails that it should not be moved. But thou, Israel, art my son, my servant. Jacob, whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham, my friend. One more passage of scripture in Galatians chapter 6, verse number 15. Paul is doing his best under the inspiration of God to tell the Jews that there's two types of people, Jews and Gentiles, but God's ultimate plan was to take two types of people and make them one in him. It says in verse 15, "For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy upon the >> >> Israel of God upon the Israel of God. Would you pray with me right now? Let me let me ask you to do something. I recently spoke at a friend's funeral, a pastor's funeral for the Brian Hogg. And he unexpectedly passed away. Unexpectedly passed away of a they say of a massive heart attack in his sleep. But one thing about brother Brian Hogg, he was my friend. And somehow or another he would find out that I was preaching somewhere and he knew on Friday night that more than likely I'd get in my car and drive home and he knew that more than likely I'd drive up into the morning 5:00 or 6:00 in the morning. So on many occasions Brian would call me about 1:00 in the morning. And he'd say, "Buddy, I I want to I want to talk you home. I want to talk you home. Don't want my buddy going to sleep. Want to" And Brian and I we would solve all the problems in the church and the government and the universe, life on other planets. We we'd talk about everything. Finally, I'd say, "Brian, I'm I'm home now." He'd say, "All right, I'll let you go. You're home now." I'm going to tell you something. We're not home yet. And until we get home, God wants to talk to us. Till we get home. How many's ready in the midnight hour for God to talk? How many needs God to talk to you this morning? Father, I love you today. Father, I thank you for your word that you've given me to minister this morning. Lord, I pray that you would anoint my lips of clay with your spirit. I pray that you would touch my mind that I would be able to articulate exactly what the Spirit needs to say. God, there's hearts here today that need to find faith >> >> and there's hearts here today, God, that need to be renewed and strengthened in their faith and not be weary in well-doing. Lord, for the next few moments, would you anoint your servant? I'll give you the praise and the honor and the glory. In Jesus' name we all pray. Everybody said amen. And if you want him to talk you home today, why don't you give him a great hand of praise right now? Please go back with me to Isaiah chapter 41. For this morning, I want to preach on this subject, God's courtroom. God's courtroom. When you read the 41st chapter of the book of Isaiah, commentaries are a little vague on was God's people in Babylonian act captivity? Were they already there in captivity? Or were they going into Babylonian captivity as God had said they would due to their lack of honoring God, due to their lack of serving God. God did not give up on Israel. God just simply allowed Babylon to defeat Israel and to take Israel into Babylonian Babylon into captivity there. Of course, Babylon is an interesting word because it means confusion. It means It means confusion. We first hear the word Babel and later later we hear the word Babylon. And the word Babel came from the 11th chapter of Genesis where God's people did not take God's word for face value. And God said, "Go into all the world and spread abroad and replenish." And they found a plain in the land of Shinar. And there they said one to another, "Go to, let's make brick." They had slime for mortar. And they said, "Let us build us a tower that may reach that may reach into heaven. And let us have us a name." This is where man came in. This is where religion begins. Religion is a man-made thing. And so God went down to see them. And God said they'll build the tower. And so God there did a miraculous work in their tongue. God confused their languages there. And they did not understand one another. They broke off into three different groups of people. And here's where we have the formation of nations upon upon the earth. But later, Babylon becomes a city, becomes a system that is that is anti-God, a system that is that is against everything that God that God is for. God's people God's people had not kept his covenant. God's people had not kept his word. And so God had said that they're going to come to Jerusalem. And they're going to take you captive uh into Babylon. And there you will be for a set number of years. And there And God was just simply saying you're you're going to learn a lesson in Babylon. You're going to learn how valuable Jerusalem and the ways the ways of of God is there. So, the commentaries here in the 41st chapter of Isaiah are a little vague. Were they in Babylon? Were they going to Babylon? But it really doesn't matter. If God says they're going to Babylon, there is good they are as good as in Babylon. But then in Babylon something began to happen. God >> >> God began to punish what he had designed to punish Israel. You you see God has the way of raising up an adversary. And when the adversary does the work that God wants him to do, then God has a way of punishing the adversary. And so God called in the 41st chapter of Isaiah, God called Babylon into his courtroom. He calls him into his courtroom. And the first thing that God says to Babylon is to keep silence before me. In other words, I am the one that is speaking. If you've ever been in a courtroom, and when people begin to speak out of order, the judge has the authority to say, "Order in the courtroom." And that means everybody is to keep silence. So he calls his court to record. And he says, "Keep silence before me, O islands." And he's talking about Babylon. "Let the people renew their strength." This is interesting. This is interesting cuz if you could, I didn't send it to you, but that term there "renew their strength." Do you see that in the scripture? He's saying to Babylon, he is saying to Babylon, "Renew your strength." In other words, get ready to present your case. You're in the court. And I want you to get ready to present your case. So he says, "Renew your strength" in verse number one. But what's interesting, if you could quickly get me Isaiah chapter 40, verse number 31. Now he says to Babylon, "Order in the court." He says to Babylon, "Renew your strength. Get your case ready." But isn't it amazing that the verse before that, which was in the previous chapter, the Bible says, "They that wait up on the Lord shall renew their strength." You see, you get your strength from whoever or whatever you serve. If you serve and wait up on the Lord, you get your strength from the Lord. Do I have anybody today that would just give me a good hand wave or a good amen that you have Wait wait a minute. Wait wait Hold on. Hold on. That you have walked through some valleys that you walked through and look back and say, "I know the Lord strengthened me for that." Come on. Come on. HAVE HAVE HAVE YOU WALKED THROUGH SOME THINGS YOU LOOK BACK AND SAY, "OH, IT MUST HAVE BEEN THE HAND OF THE LORD. IT MUST HAVE BEEN THE HAND OF THE LORD THAT BROUGHT ME through that." Well, they that wait up on the Lord shall renew their strength. But now he says to Babylon, "Renew your Renew your strength and come near. And let them speak. Let us come together." And then he begins to talk about Abraham. Verses verses two uh through four, he talks about Abraham. He said, "I raised a man up. I called a man out of nothing. I called a man out of nowhere. I raised this man up. He walked. He had a sword. He was victorious. And uh everybody saw it around him. He was a blessed man. I raised him up. That's why we're blessed is because God raised us up. That's what he says. He says In In the court, God begins to present his case. He says, "I raised this man up and uh nobody could stand before him and dust on his sword and stubble with his bow and and just talks about talks about a a a a a successful man a an overcoming an over an overcoming man. In verse four, God says, "Who hath wrought and done it?" In other words, who did this? Who did this? Calling the generations from the beginning. I the Lord, in other words, he said, "I God am able to tell you the ending from the beginning. Because I am God. I can I can I can call it. I can destiny because I know the end from the beginning." Isn't that amazing? That God knows the ending from the beginning. God God knows this and he said uh "I the Lord am he." Isn't this interesting in verse number five? "The aisles saw it and feared. The ends of the earth were afraid and drew near and came." Now, here's what he said. He said, "I called this man Abraham and I said that he's going to be a blessed seed. I said that I said that his seed would be as the stars of the sky and as the dust of the ground of the sea uh the the sands of the sea. I SAID ALL OF THIS ABOUT THIS about this blessed man." Now, this is interesting. Because God knew when he called Abraham that Abraham in man in humanity in society that the seed of Abraham would fall into one of two categories in the earth today in the society. They would either be people that would bless the seed of Abraham or there would be people that would curse the seed of Abraham. See, God knew that from the beginning. All this stuff we're hearing right now toward the Jewish people is nothing new to God. God already knew it from the beginning. God already knew it to where we're at today. And so GOD PUT A PROMISE IN HIS WORD. He said if you will bless them if you will bless them, I will bless you, but if you curse them, I will curse you. Now, here in verse number verse number six, the people saw this. The aisles saw it and feared under the ends of the earth. They were afraid. They drew near and they came. So, the earth people on the earth got to trembling because of this Abraham and the people of God and the Israel that God had created. And so what did they do? The Bible says in verse six, they helped everyone his neighbor. And everyone said to his brother, be of good courage. So, the carpenter encouraged the goldsmith and he that smooth it with the hammer, him that smooth it with the anvil saying, it is ready for the soldering and he fastened it with nails that it should not be moved. The best thing the world could bring against the Jewish people was idolatry. The best thing they could bring when this group of people came THROUGH WORSHIPPING AN INVISIBLE GOD, WORSHIPPING THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, ISAAC, and Jacob, THE GOD OF THE FIRE OF MOUNT SINAI, THE the the the the the miraculous God, the unexplainable God, the best thing the world could do, number one, was to come together. They came together. Isn't it amazing how people can come together for evil, but not for good? Then they came together and they said we got to we got to do something about this this people of Israel and so they begin to create idols. They begin to create idols. Because when you do not accept God, you have to make one for yourself. Oh, let me say that again. I said when you don't accept this God, you got to make one for yourself. And so instead of joining Abraham and blessing Abraham, they they carpenter and the goldsmith got together, people that had nothing in common, a carpenter and a goldsmith. You you see here, these are people that have nothing in common except to hate Israel. What they have in common. And so they bring this idol and they they perceive that it's ready it's ready and let's fasten it that it can't be moved. But thou God says, all right, is that your is that your strength? Is that your opening statement here in the courtroom of God? Is that your opening statement? You're finished with your opening statement, let me give my opening statement. Verse 8, but thou Israel art my servant. Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham, my friend, you have a piece of gold that has been fashioned by a man's hand. I have a man that has been fashioned by God's hand. I have my friend I have my friend I have my friend I have my friend Abraham. Verse 9, thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth and called thee from the chief men thereof and said unto thee, thou art my servant. I have chosen thee and not cast thee away. So thankful for that today. I'm so thankful to be in the Israel of God, which is the church of the living God. There is a natural Israel, but there is a spiritual Israel. Now, you you got to understand that there is a natural Israel and there is a spiritual Israel. The spiritual Israel of God that I spoke to you about in Galatians, that was the ultimate plan for God is to have a spiritual Israel that guess what is made up of Jew and Gentile. That's why Paul said, it doesn't matter if you're circumcised or not, it don't make nothing but the Jesus Christ being in him. And he said, this is the Israel of God. Now, I just want to take a moment out today and say, thank God that we are in the church. The church is a Greek word for ecclesia. It means the called out ones. Just as Abraham was called out and made into a mighty nation, we the church are called out of the world. We walk by faith. Whoever blesses the church will be blessed and whoever curses the church will be cursed because we are God's people. Yesterday, over 115,000 people gave a shout that you could hear from miles away because a man in an airplane, the president of our United States, and I take nothing away from him this morning, but the president of the United States flew overhead in an airplane and it caused a bunch of 115,000 people to erupt in a sound that could be heard miles away. That's all right. But I'm going to tell you something. There is a glorified Christ that's going to appear in the sky. And there's going to be a sound, BUT WE'RE NOT GOING TO WATCH HIM PASS OVER. WE ARE GOING TO BE CAUGHT UP in a moment and in a I I I just got to ask you, IS THERE ANYBODY TODAY THAT ARE EXCITED TO BE THE ISRAEL OF GOD? Let me Let me go on. Praise his name. Let me go on. I like that last verse. I like that last few words of verse number nine, and not cast thee away. I'm so glad that in our imperfections, God has not cast us away. Just like Abraham was filled with imperfections, but God did not cast Abraham away. Verse 10, fear thou not, for I am with thee. Now, he's talking to us. He's not talking to the idol. He's talking to us, sister. He's talking to you and I today. God says, fear thou not, for I am with thee. Be not dismayed. That means full of anxiety, full of stress, full of worry. For I am thy God. Can I tell you something? Worry is nothing but a manifestation that we are in control of our lives. Anxiety is nothing more than an outward manifestation that we are really controlling our lives. But can I tell you when we put our faith in God and we understand that whatever happens to us, I don't mean to be morbid today. I don't mean to be morbid today. But you can say, what's the worst thing could happen to a person? Well, you could say the worst thing that could happen to a person that it they could die. Now, none of us, obviously, none of us are wanting to die right now. Now, that's just the truth. I'm being transparent with you. God made this life so beautiful and good that we want to hold on to it. But the truth of the matter is, the worst thing that could happen to me today on this earth is that I die. But when you are a child of God, I'm not going to ring my hands and be full of anxiety and think about death till the day I'm dying. I'm going to live till I die. That's my That's my I'm going to live till I die. That's my That's my choice today. I'm going to laugh till I die. I'm going to rejoice till I die. I'm going to have faith till I die. I'm going to believe if God lets me live to be 99 years old, I'm going to believe THAT GOD COULD SPEAK TO ME AND I COULD PREACH A MESSAGE. I'M GOING TO HAVE FAITH IN THAT. BUT, if I died today, the Israel of God to be ABSENT FROM THE BODY is to be present. So, no wonder he says, "I am with thee. Be not dismayed, for I am thy God. I will strengthen thee. Yea, I will help thee. Yea, I will uphold thee with my with the right hand of my righteous." Look at that. We got to look at this today, church. He's We're in God's courtroom right now. YOU'RE HEARING WHAT GOD will do to you. He said, "I'm with you. I will strengthen you. I will up I WILL I WILL HELP THEE. I WILL UPHOLD thee with the right hand of my righteous righteousness. Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded. They shall be as nothing. And they that strive with thee shall perish." END OF VERSE NUMBER 11. GOD NOW TURNS TO exhibit A, which is an idol, and he turns to the people presenting the idol that are incensed, that are enraged about God's people. Can I tell you today, you're not hated because of what you do. YOU ARE HATED BECAUSE OF WHO YOU ARE. BECAUSE THE CHURCH OF THE LIVING DOES NOT JOIN this great big goulash of religion, THIS GREAT BIG GOULASH of tolerance. We can just tolerate everything. Oh, you identify as this, we will tolerate that. Oh, you have this sexual preference, oh we tolerate that. Oh, you don't have any rules at all, oh we just tolerate that. The only thing they can't tolerate is THOSE THAT DON'T TOLERATE ANYTHING but obeying the word of the living God. And I just I'M JUST GOING TO TELL YOU TODAY LIVING FOR GOD IS NOT FOR SISSIES. LIVING FOR GOD IS NOT FOR THE WEAK. YOU GOT TO UNDERSTAND EVERYBODY'S NOT GOING TO THROW A PARTY FOR YOU. YOU GOT TO UNDERSTAND YOU WILL BE HATED BY ALL NATIONS FOR MY NAME'S SAKE. He says they that Behold, they that are incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded. They shall be as nothing. Do you realize the original Hebrew says there? You know what the original Hebrew says? God says you are less than nothing. Now, nothing is nothing. But what is less than nothing? He says you're you're you're you're less than nothing. And they that strive with thee shall perish. Thou shalt seek them and shall not find them. Even them that contended with thee, they that warred against thee shall be as nothing. And as a thing of naught. Look at that. He said you're going to start looking for your enemies one day. And you can't find them. You're going to start looking at that thing that was plaguing you, that thing that was trying to come against you. You you you won't be able to you won't be able to find it. Why? Because God took care of it. Let's let's read on. Let's let's read on this morning. For I, the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand saying fear not, I will help thee. Now watch verse 14. He now turns his attention in the courtroom back to Israel. Fear not thou worm Israel. And you men of Israel thou worm Jacob, excuse me. Fear not thou worm Jacob. And you men of Israel. I will help thee saith the Lord and thy redeemer the holy one of Israel. And it's interesting here. You say, why does he call why does he call Jacob a worm? Sound like he's he's he's he's degrading Jacob. Why does he call Jacob a worm and then he flips around and says the men of Israel? Because when you study this out a worm it's defense and although we don't think of worms as having teeth but worms are able to gnaw into wood and bring destruction. Now you read these passages and you have to really you have to really study them out. What is God trying to say? He's talking about Jacob's prayer life. All right? He's talking about Jacob's prayer life. Because without God we are as helpless as a worm. We're as helpless as a worm. But if I can get a prayer life I slowly begin to gnaw into that which is more durable than me, which is more solid than I am but the continual gnawing and gnawing and gnawing brings rottenness to the wood that the worm gets into. That's why we need to strive to have a prayer life. That's why we don't just need to pray until God gives the answer and then not pray till the next problem comes and then go back to pray. We need to have a continual knowing, KNOWING, KNOWING. KEEP PRAYING FOR YOUR CHILDREN. KEEP PRAYING to win SOULS TO GOD. KEEP PRAYING FOR GOD TO USE YOU BECAUSE THAT IS YOUR POWER. He says you worm Jacob and you men of Israel, I will help thee. And he will if we pray, he'll help us. Sayeth the Lord, thy redeemer, the holy one of Israel. Verse 15. Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth. And thou shalt thresh the mountains and beat them small and shall make the hills as chaff. Wait a minute, what happens? In one chapter he's talking about a worm that can do nothing but gnaw. That's all That's all a worm can do is gnaw on something. But the very next verse, he begins to talk about I'm going to give you teeth of a threshing instrument that you'll be able to chew down and remove the mountains. I'm talking about a prayer life is what God is saying. I'm in God's courtroom right now. You may seem a helpless. I'm in a situation where I I just don't have any power over it. YES, YOU DO. PRAY. I'M IN A SITUATION WHERE IT JUST SEEMS THAT I'M HELPLESS. I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO, PASTOR. I WANT TO TELL YOU YOU NEED TO PRAY BECAUSE IF WE KEEP GNAWING ON THIS AND GNAWING JACOB, KEEP ON WRESTLING. I KNOW YOU'RE TIRED. I KNOW YOU'VE BEEN WRESTLING FOR AN HOUR, BUT JACOB, KEEP ON WRESTLING. WHY? IF YOU CAN WRESTLE TILL THE BREAKING OF A NEW DAY, GOD'S GOING TO TURN YOU FROM A WORM INTO A THRESHING INSTRUMENT THAT HAS TEETH AND THE MOUNTAINS THAT'S WHAT YOU DESTROYED, DISCOURAGED, THE MOUNTAINS THAT'S GOT YOU FULL OF ANXIETY. ALL OF A SUDDEN, YOU'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO GNAW AT THEM AND TAKE THEM away and blow them away. Verse 15, "Behold, I will make thee a sharp new threshing instrument having teeth, and thou shalt thresh the mountains and beat them small, and shall make the hills as chaff." Sound like to me that we could connect that to the scripture, "If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, 'Be thou removed.'" I didn't ask you, "When's the last time you thought about your problem?" I asked you, "When's the last time you talked to your problem?" I didn't ask you when the last time you you you wrung your hands and was full of anxiety over your issue. I asked you, "When's the last time you talked to God and said, 'God, you know I got this mountain in my way. You know I've got this You know I've got this thing in my in in my way.'" I'm speaking to that mountain. Verse 16, "Thou shalt fan them. The wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them. And thou shalt rejoice in the Lord, and shalt glory in the Holy One of Israel." You know why there's a lot of shouting going on around here? Cuz there's a lot of answered prayers going on around here. You see, I'm privy I'm privy to know some things about people in private counseling sessions. And so when I see them step out of an aisle and get down here in the altar and start shouting around, I don't know that God has already done something for that individual right there. That individual right there has got the victory. That in THAT INDIVIDUAL YEAH, WE REJOICE BECAUSE GOD HAS ANSWERED our prayers. And if you've never had A PRAYER ANSWERED, YOU OUGHT TO PRAY TILL you get one answered. And you'll know He said, "Thou shalt rejoice and glory in the Holy One of God." But watch this. Watch This is our purpose. Everybody say, "Our purpose." This This is our purpose. Say it again. >> Our purpose. You You don't know what your purpose is? You want to know what your purpose is? Or the meaning the meaning the meaning of life. Well, number one, your purpose is to be saved. God's plan for you is to be saved so that he can spend eternity with you in heaven, you with him. That's God's That's That's the foundation. But God doesn't stop there now that you got saved and you know that God's now concerned about your light bill and God's concerned about your rent, God's concerned about your kids and all In that God is, but that's not God's ultimate concern. Here it is, verse 17. When the poor and needy seek water and there is none their tongue faileth for thirst I am the Lord I the Lord will hear them I the God of Israel will not forsake them. I will open rivers in high places and fountains in the midst of valleys. I will make the wilderness a pool of water and dry land springs of water. I will plant in the wilderness and he starts talking about all kind of trees that he's going to plant there, the cedar, the myrtle. Just for time's sake, the pine tree, the fir tree. In other words, he said in in desolate place, in a desolate place in a wilderness, in a desolate place I'm going to let all these beautiful trees begin to grow. But he said before that there's thirsty people. There's thirsty people. And I I'm going to open up rivers on in mountains places that no water's been before. I'm going to I'm going TO CAUSE DRY VALLEYS THAT TO TO TO BRING FORTH to bring forth water. I'm going to LET OUT OF DRY LAND SPRINGS COME AND GROWTH IS GOING TO BEGIN TO HAPPEN. CAN I TELL YOU SOMETHING? WE EXIST FOR EVANGELISM. WE EXIST to reach the lost. WE ARE A LIGHT TO THIS WORLD AND WE ARE THE SALT OF THIS EARTH and any church that loses ITS EVANGELISM FERVOR LOSES ITS DIVINE PURPOSE AND THEN IT'S GOT TO ALL BE ABOUT ME. IT'S GOT TO ALL BE ABOUT BLESS ME, TOUCH ME, HELP ME, ME, ME, ME. THAT'S NOT THE CAUSE OF THE CHURCH. IF WE CAN UNDERSTAND WE'RE THE ISRAEL OF GOD, THERE'S A THIRSTY WORLD OUT THERE. THERE'S A THIRSTY WORLD. DO YOU DO YOU REALIZE THERE ARE BILLIONS OF FAMILIES THAT HAVE NEVER HAD AN INVASION OF THE JESUS NAME APOSTOLIC ONE GOD DOCTRINE EVER HIT THEIR FAMILY? THIS IS THE TRUTH, YOU HEAR ME? This is the truth. So, WHY DO YOU WHY WHY WHY DON'T YOU JUST BLEND IN TO EVERYBODY ELSE? Because number one, I'm not ever I'm not We're not like everybody else. So, well, you're being a little bit HAUGHTY THIS MORNING. UNTIL THAT BOOK CHANGES and it's not going TO CHANGE, WE'RE GOING TO PREACH ONE LORD, NOT TWO LORDS. WE'RE GOING TO PREACH ONE LORD, NOT THREE LORDS. UNTIL THAT BOOK CHANGES AND IT'S NOT GOING TO, WE'RE GOING TO PREACH THAT JESUS IS THE NAME TO BE BAPTIZED IN. WE WE GOT TO WE GOT THAT'S WHY WE'RE HERE. YOU HEAR ME? THAT'S THAT'S COME ON. SHAKE YOURSELF. THAT'S WHY WE'RE HERE TODAY. Cuz there's some mountain top They They some They some popular people. THEY'RE SOME WELL-KNOWN PEOPLE IN BLOUNT COUNTY. WELL-KNOWN people in Blount County. Their family history goes back to the founding of this founding of this city here. But you know what? It's God's will for there to be an invasion of apostolic truth into that family. They've never known anybody. We I've never heard of that. Never And and and and and there's families. They're They're well-known families in this city. But you know what? We just ain't after the message is just not after the well known families. He said down in the valley I'LL CALL SPRINGS OF WATER TO COME FORTH. Down in the valley. That's the low that's those THAT THEIR NAME IS NOT KNOWN OTHER THAN AT THE COURTHOUSE WITH A RAP SHEET. THEIR NAME IS NOT THEIR NAME IS NOT KNOWN OR IF IT'S KNOWN IT'S KNOWN with a YOU BETTER KEEP YOUR EYE ON THAT GIRL. YOU BETTER KEEP YOUR EYE ON THAT BOY HE'LL ROB YOU BLIND. BUT I GOT NEWS FOR YOU TODAY IF we can be the church OF JESUS CHRIST EVANGELISM IS GOING TO FOLLOW IN OUR WAY. WE'RE GOING TO SEE THOSE NAMES COME in this CHURCH AND WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AROUND AND I can name I can name one man that this church has found favor with. I'm not baptizing him in Jesus' name yet but I'm praying. I don't know if he HAS THE HOLY GHOST YET BUT IF HE DON'T I'LL HELP PRAY BUT GOD HAS GIVEN GOD HAS GIVEN US FAVOR IN HIS EYES. GOD HAS GIVEN US GREAT FAVOR IN HIS EYES AND HE'S A VERY WELL KNOWN man in this city. Can I can I tell you right now? He he was telling me the other day that he was in a big business meeting of the who's who in Blount County and somebody mentioned that they had heard that he had come down here and visited AND HE SAID I HAVE WHAT'S WRONG with it? HE SAID I'LL TELL YOU RIGHT NOW I DON'T UNDERSTAND THEIR DOCTRINE BUT THEY SURE DO LOVE JESUS. HE SAID LET ME TELL YOU I DON'T UNDERSTAND ALL THEIR WAYS AND HE SAID WELL ONE OF THE MEN AT THE TABLE SPOKE UP AND SAID WELL YOU KNOW THEY DON'T BELIEVE THE TRINITY. HE SAID I DON'T KNOW WHAT they believe as far as THAT'S CONCERNED. HE SAID BUT I'LL TELL YOU THIS YOU OUGHT TO GO TO ONE OF THEIR PRAYER MEETINGS ON WEDNESDAY AND SAID YOU CAN HEAR SOME PEOPLE PRAY AND SAID THEY'LL BE CHILL BUMPS RUNNING UP AND DOWN YOUR SPINE. CAN I TELL YOU WHEN THE CHURCH CAN THAT'S WHAT WE'RE WE FOR TODAY. YOU SEE, IF YOU'RE WAITING FOR THE JOY OF YOUR CAR PAYMENT BEING PAID AND YOUR RENT BEING PAID AND A $10 AN HOUR RAISE, YOU'RE GOING TO SIT THERE AS UNHAPPY AS YOU ARE RIGHT NOW. BUT IF YOU'RE LOOKING TO FIND YOUR PURPOSE, YOUR CAUSE, YOU'RE GOING TO UNDERSTAND. OH, YES. Cause that's SOMEBODY HELP ME NOW. SOMEBODY HELP ME NOW. SOMEBODY HELP ME NOW. You going to come down You going to come down William Blount Drive? You come down William Blount Drive for years. And all it was was somebody's farm. I wish I could remember the lady's name we bought it from, but it was somebody's farm. That's all it was for years. It was somebody's farm. But when God got a hold of some people and some people begin to build by faith, God begin to plant cedar trees and myrtle trees and fir trees and box trees and pine trees and all kind of trees that people drive by NOW AND SAY, "WHOA! WHAT IS THAT? THAT A CASTLE?" NAH, THAT'S A JESUS Name Church over there. You know what we do when we pass by here? Look what the Lord has done. I said, "Look what the Lord I I'M RACING THE CLOCK THIS MORNING, BUT IF I HAD TIME TO RUN, I'D run right now. Look what THE LORD HAS DONE." BUT I GOT NEWS FOR YOU. IT'S NOT JUST THIS BUILDING, IT'S OUR LIVES. LOOK WHAT THE LORD HAS DONE. SISTER HEATHER, KEEP ON PRAYING. KEEP ON KNOWING. KEEP ON PRAYING. YOU'RE GOING TO LOOK AROUND ONE DAY AND SAY, "LOOK WHAT THE LORD HAS DONE." COME ON, DON'T YOU WANT THAT IN YOUR FAMILY? DON'T YOU WANT YOUR WIFE BAPTIZED? DON'T YOU WANT YOUR FAMILY BAPTIZED? DON'T YOU WANT YOUR FAMILY IN THE CHURCH? LOOK WHAT THE LORD HAS DONE. I see my good sweet dear neighbors and family here. My good sweet Mandarin Chinese speaking people. They come to America, let them learn our language. They have. But they got their culture. And it's time that water of an Acts 2:38 Apostolic Jesus name Holy Ghost filled church starts springing up in the Mandarin Chinese speaking people. That they're not going to some cold religious class on Sunday morning hearing some cold Bible lesson, BUT THEY'RE COMING INTO A HOUSE OF GOD WHERE THEY'RE GOING TO HEAR A BIBLE LESSON, BUT THEY'RE GOING TO SEE A GROUP OF PEOPLE THAT ARE WORK BECAUSE LISTEN, LIFTING HANDS IS NOT CULTURAL, IT'S BIBLE. SHOUTING IS NOT CULTURAL, IT'S BIBLE. DANCING IS NOT CULTURAL, IT'S BIBLE. IT'S BIBLE. I love my Mandarin Chinese. I love my Jennifer and Trey. I love my Sunny and Susu. I I I love these people today. I love I I love the people at Secure. I love the Mandarin Chinese people that I come in contact because in my mind in my mind I know they've been they've been presented a religion. They've been presented a religion, but God says God says, "Israel of God, if you'll let me take care of your enemies, I'm going to open up a spring of water on the mountain. You'll let me take care of that that's that's why we sometimes we spend our lives fighting our enemies and God is saying, "Why don't you let me fight your enemies?" God says, "If If you'll let me fight your enemies, he says, "I'll open up a mountain. I'll go to the valley. I'll bring the lowest of below. I'll bring I'll I'll I'll I'll I'll bring the lowest of below in this city. I'll bring them. I'll bring them to you." Can we lift our hands right now? Lift our voices. If we The courtroom of God. The courtroom of God. The courtroom of God. The courtroom of God. The courtroom of God. It's in the courtroom. God is saying, "Come on, Babylon. Come on, Babylon. Present your best case. Put your idol up there. I've got a church. I've got a church over here." Look at verse number 22. Or or or or verse number Excuse me. Verse number 20. That they may see and know and consider and understand together that the hand of the Lord hath done this. The Holy One of Israel hath created it. Now, he turns back. "Produce your cause," saith the Lord. "Bring forth strong reasons," saith the King of Jacob. Mark that down in your Bible. He is called the King of Israel on multiple times. But, he's only called the King of Jacob one time in scripture. And this is it. Why would he use the word there, King of Jacob? Because Jacob represents the part of your life that you did not live up to what you should have lived by. Jacob represents that lying man, that deceiving man. Jacob represents that man that's out for his own. But that was just a season of his life. And I've come to tell somebody in this room today by the unction of the Holy Ghost, stop judging yourself by that season. Because he says, "I'm the king of that season. I'm the king of Jacob. I am that king of that season of your life, saith the Lord, or saith the king of Jacob. Let them bring forth and show us what shall happen." He come I'm I'm talking back to the Babylonian gods. "Let them bring forth and show us what shall happen. Then let them show the former things, what they be. That we may consider it and know the latter end of it, or declare us things to come. Show the things that are to come hereafter. That we may know that ye are gods. Yea, do good or do evil, that we may behold that we that yea that do good or do evil that we may be dismayed and behold it together. Behold, ye are nothing, and your works of naught are an abomination. He that chooseth he is he that chooseth you." You know what he said? He turns in the courtroom. He turns and HE SAYS, "ALL RIGHT, GODS OF BABYLON, TELL ME WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN next year. All right, BUT GODS OF BABYLON, TELL ME WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE. ALL RIGHT, GODS OF BABYLON, do something right now good for somebody or do something bad for somebody that we may know to fear you. And there was no answer. Because there's no god but one. Materialism is not a god. You can serve it, but it'll never do you good. It'll let you down. I told brother Hammond yesterday. I told brother Hammond yesterday. I said, "You know, I said, "I can understand some things about people who preach against sports." So, you you can. Yeah, yeah, I can I can. Because truly in our world today people have made gods out of sports. They'll dress in their colors. They'll buy their colors. They'll get up before dawn to get a good parking spot. They'll pay big money to sit on concrete slabs. So, I'll go carbon that you're out there. No, no, I'm not No, I'm not cuz I'm going to tell you something. They'll pay big money to sit on concrete slabs. They'll sit for 4 hours or 5 hours. It'll take up their whole day. If you do that, then you better be doing this. You better come early for prayer. If you do this, WHEN THE BIBLE STARTS TELLING YOU TO DRESS MODESTLY AND ACT MODESTLY AND A MAN BE A MAN AND A WOMAN BE A WOMAN, THEN YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE ANY PROBLEM STEPPING OUT AND SAYING, "THAT'S MY GOD." THAT THAT THAT'S MY GOD. THAT'S THAT THAT'S THAT'S MY GOD. THAT'S MY GOD. WHEN SOMEBODY GOES DOWN IN JESUS' NAME, YOU OUGHT TO BE SAYING, "YES!" >> >> YOU SAYING WE SHOULDN'T DO THAT? NO, I'LL TELL YOU WHAT I am saying. YOU BETTER NOT DO THAT AND NOT do this. CUZ IT IS YOUR GOD. YOU, YOU BETTER NOT GET DO YOU DO THIS AT A FOOTBALL GAME WHEN IT GETS OVER IN AN HOUR AND 45 MINUTES? HOW MANY TIMES DO YOU GO TO THE BATHROOM DURING A FOOTBALL GAME? YEAH, YOU KNOW IT'S RIGHT. YEAH, YOU KNOW IT'S RIGHT TODAY. YEAH, YEAH, YOU KNOW IT'S RIGHT TODAY. >> >> I'm texting the friend that I brought to church today. Oh, I am so sorry. He, he goes off like this sometimes. Normally, he's really sweet and everything, but you know, he has his days. Y'all sit down. Y'all sit down. ASK THEM PREACHER. YOU KNOW WHAT? YESTERDAY, when Tennessee kicked that onside kick and TENNESSEE RECOVERED IT, >> >> I GOT YOU TREAT. YOU MIGHT AS WELL SMILE AT ME RIGHT NOW. I GOT YOU TREAT. BUT HOW MANY CAN WE WATCH SOMEBODY UP HERE GO DOWN IN THE ONLY SAVING NAME OF JESUS CHRIST? >> >> I I'm not going to be a hypocrite. I'm not going to be a hypocrite. You may be seated. I'm not going to be a hypocrite. They kicked that onside kick. I stand RIGHT BESIDE YOU. YEAH! AND YOU SAID, "BE QUIET, THE BABY'S ASLEEP." YOU HEAR YOU UNDERSTAND? They They just kicked the onside kick. "Can they just kick the onside kick?" They just got Man, ball game's over. And I preach against it. Only if Can't GET YOU TO DRESS RIGHT, BUT YOU'LL GO BUY BIG ORANGE. CAN'T GET YOU EXCITED ABOUT MISSIONS GIVING, BUT YOU'LL PAY THEY SAID PARKING OVER THERE YESTERDAY WAS 70-SOMETHING DOLLARS TO PARK YOUR CAR. GOD KNOWS WE'D GO OUT OF BUSINESS IF WE CHARGED THAT. But can I TELL YOU GAMES WILL BE FORGOTTEN. GAMES WILL GO IN THE HISTORY BOOK. THEY WILL NOT HEAL YOU. THEY WILL NOT BLESS YOU. YOU'LL YOU'LL FORGET WHO WHO EVEN EVEN WON THE CHAMPIONSHIP OR WHAT YEAR DID OHIO WIN AND ALL THAT KIND OF BUSINESS. BUT IF I CAN KEEP IN MY KNOWLEDGE THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE LORD GOD, >> >> I'M GOING TO GO TO HEAVEN ONE DAY. OH, WON'T IT BE WONDERFUL THERE? OH, WON'T IT BE WONDERFUL? OH, STREETS OF GOLD. I'M GOING TO GET MY I'M GOING TO GET MY ULTIMATE UNIFORM. I'M GOING TO GET A ROBE. I'M GOING TO GET MY ULTIMATE HELMET. I'M GOING TO GET A CROWN. I want you to GIVE GOD PRAISE RIGHT NOW. Come on. JESUS HAS MADE A TOUCHDOWN. HE'S ALREADY WON THE GAME. HE'S ALREADY WON. YOU'RE ALREADY MORE THAN CONQUERORS. HE DIDN'T SAY YOU MIGHT BE A CONQUEROR. HE SAID YOU ARE CONQUERORS. YOU ARE. COME ON, SHOUT. COME ON, SHOUT. COME ON, PRAISE HIM. COME ON, MAGNIFY. COME ON, GLORIFY. WE WIN. WE WIN. WE WIN. HALLELUJAH, WE WIN. I'M MORE THAN A CONQUEROR. I'M WALKING ON STREETS OF GOLD. I'VE GOT A BODY THAT'LL NEVER GROW OLD. I'M IN HEAVEN WITH MY LOVED ONE. WE WIN. WE WIN. WE WIN. You may be seated. Again, don't you get online today and say he he he preached against No, no, no. I only preach against it. If you're not giving God far more than you give him. Don't you give a pig's kin all your worship and not give the lamb his worship. Let me finish. We're in God's courtroom today. God has testified against the gods of Babylon. You sure are mistreating my people, Babylon. You sure have made it rough on my people. Babylon, I just used you to teach my people a lesson about how good it was to have a Sabbath day. And how good it was to serve only one God. And how good it was. How good it was to sing the songs of Zion. But Mr. Babylon, you are oppressing my people. Therefore, in verse 25, I have raised up one from the north. He shall come from the rising of the sun shall he call upon my name. He shall come up on the princes as upon mortar and as the potter treadeth the clay. God already said, I've got a man by the name of Cyrus. Cyrus is going to raise up. Cyrus is going to come and destroy you. Verse 26, Who hath declared from the beginning that we may know? And before time that we may say, he is righteous. Yea, there is none that showeth. Yea, there is none that declareth. Yea, there is none that heareth your words. He's He's bringing his closing arguments. He says, Babylon, He said, nobody declared something before time. There's none that showeth and none that declareth and none that heareth your words. Verse 27, The first shall say to Zion, behold, behold them. And I will give to Jerusalem one that bringeth good tidings. For I beheld and there was no man even among them. There was no counselor that when I asked of them could answer said you You had very poor counsel here in my courtroom today. Behold, this is the last verse. Behold, they are all vanity. Their works are nothing. Their molten images are wind and confusion. I'm so glad I stand in the courtroom of God today. And I'm so glad I pleaded guilty to my sin. I'm so glad that I fell on the mercy of the court. And I'm so glad that I believe in him who came to this world, suffered, bled, and died for my sins that I could have a new beginning. Drugs didn't do me good. Alcohol didn't do me good. Being promiscuous didn't do me good. Trying to get all the material things didn't do me good. But when I threw my hands in the air and said, "I'M GUILTY OF SIN, GOD. I'M GUILTY of sin, LORD JESUS." HE SAID, "YES, AND I WILL IN NO WISE CAST YOU AWAY. I WILL FORGIVE YOU. I WILL REDEEM YOU. I WILL FILL YOU. I WILL MAKE YOU A NEW CREATURE." Would you stand with me this Would could we offer a prayer all over this building today? Could there be the sound of prayer going up right now? Oh God. Oh God, I pray that souls choose you this morning. God, I pray that we break the hold of of idols in our lives today, God. Idols, God, that can never bring joy. Idols, God, that can never bring peace. Idols that are man-made, IDOLS THAT ARE THE CONCEPTION of a mind. Oh, come on church, pray right now. Pray right NOW. JESUS IS WALKING THE AISLES RIGHT NOW. THEY ALL TOGETHER LOVELY ONE, THE LILY OF THE VALLEY, THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIGHT IS WALKING THE AISLE RIGHT NOW. Walking the aisle right now. Walking the aisle right now. Walking the aisle. Come on, pray. Pray. I believe there's a move right now. I believe there's a move right now. It's in the God's courtroom right now. It's in It's in the courtroom right now. >> >> Come on, Lord. My God, move up on souls this morning, God. Move up on souls this morning, God. Oh, move up on souls this morning, God. Move up on souls this morning, God. Oh, God, move up on souls this morning, God. Oh, God. Oh, yes, God. Come on, pray. Pray. Pray. Some Some of you waiting on me to do something. Jesus, I'm I'm wanting you to I'm wanting Jesus just to be moving through this crowd right now. I'm wanting Jesus just to be moving through this crowd right now. Thank you, Lord. >> >> Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. Heather. Heather. Would you care to help pastor out this Would you care Would you like to be a light this morning, Heather? Would you like to be a witness this morning? Would you come up here for a moment, Heather? Would somebody bring me a microphone this morning? Oh, Jesus, God. Thank you, Lord. >> >> Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. Heather. We are all very happy that you made your way back. We're very happy you made your way back. Come on, aren't we happy she made her way back? She went deep. Heather went deep and Heather went dark. But in the deep and darkness of her sin there was a God and there was a church. It was a church. See, we got a vase in our prayer room. We got a vase in our prayer room that's filled not with prayer requests for prosperity of money. Not prayer requests and better jobs and finer cars. Prayer requests are products. BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT WE exist for. >> >> You went deep. You went dark. Heather would you just in a simple way I'm going to ask you a question. You tried drugs on multiple occasions. Was there ever one drug that you tried that had After you tried it, you said, "That's it. That's all I've ever been looking for. I'm going to stick to this drug right here." >> There's never been anything that could fill me like this presence of the Lord. There's not a drug. There's not anything in this world that could fulfill you like the Lord can. There is no high that is greater than the Lord. >> Stay up here with me. >> >> Come on. You're looking for A JOY THAT'LL NEVER COME OUT OF THAT IDOL. YOU'RE LOOKING FOR a peace that'll never come out of whatever you're looking for other than Jesus. You'll never have it. But on this Sunday morning in this courtroom oh, I pray to God. I pray to God today. Paul was preaching in a courtroom. And he preached to a king. And he said to the king he said, "King here's the gospel. Here it is. Here's the gospel." And the king said these words "Paul almost you persuade me to be a Christian." P- P- Pastor Gardner I feel it's burning. You can't Listen, you can't tell me you're not feeling Jesus right now. But this is where he gives you your own will. You get to decide WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO DO with it right now. And almost I'm almost ready to go to the altar. Why don't you just come to the altar right now? I'm almost ready. I'm almost I'm almost ready. I'm almost ready. Come on, one more time, church. I want you to pray cuz there's somebody here that Jesus is talking to right now. There's somebody here that Jesus is talking to right now. In the name of Jesus, God please please, young lady break your will this morning and step out of your pew. Come to this altar and throw your hands in the air. Please, young man. Please, mister. Please, sir. Please, ma'am. >> >> Jesus is DEALING WITH YOU RIGHT NOW. COME ON, RIGHT NOW. RIGHT NOW. Come on, come to this altar, put your hands in the air. Jesus, I'm guilty. Jesus, I've been searching. Alcohol's never helped me, drugs have never helped me. Promiscuous sex lifestyle has never helped me. MORE, MORE, MORE, MORE MONEY'S never helped me. Come on, GET IN THIS ALTAR TODAY. Jesus is here right now. >> >> It's heaven's courtroom. It's God's courtroom right now. THE VERDICT IS, IDOLS ARE DEAD, BUT JESUS IS ALIVE. THE VERDICT IS, THE IDOLS ARE DEAD, THEY'RE LIFELESS, THEY'RE DEAD. THEY CAN'T HEAR, THEY CAN'T TALK, THEY CAN'T TOUCH, BUT JESUS IS ALIVE. HE'S ALIVE. HE'S ALIVE. Come on, pray, pray with me right now. Oh God. Oh.