"Heaven" - The Apostolic Connection by Kenneth Carpenter Kind: sermon Scripture: 1 Peter 1:6-8, Colossians 3:1-4, Genesis 45:17-28 Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/kenneth-carpenter--heaven-the-apostolic-connection Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page. Free to copy and share with attribution. ------------------------------------------------------------ for a few moments. We would like to invite your attention to the word of the Lord. First Peter chapter number six. Chapter number one, excuse me. 1 Peter chapter number one and verse number six. Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations. that the trial of your faith being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and the glory at the appearing of our Jesus Christ, whom having not seen ye love, in whom though ye now ye see him not yet believing ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. Colossians chapter 3 verse number one. If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ siteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above and not on things on the earth. For ye are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life shall appear, then shall we also appear with him in glory in Jesus name. You may be seated. Some years ago, a sociologist accompanied a group of mountain climbers on an expedition. Among other things, he observed a distinct correlation between cloud cover and contentment. When there was no cloud cover and the peak of the mountain was in view, the climbers were energetic and cooperative. When the clouds or the gray clouds eclipsed the view of the mountaintop though the climbers became selfish and argumentative. And he studied and wrote that it all hinged on their ability to see their goal. If they could see their goal, then they were much more energetic. They were much more cooperative. But when they could only see the ground under their feet, they become argumentative. They become selfish. And it was every man for himself. Having read that, it caused me to think about us climbing this mountain for Jesus. Peter begins to tell us that we rejoice greatly though we are in a season of heaviness. He said, "You're in a season of having your faith tried." Can I get a witness in the house today? You're in a season of having your faith in God tried by fire. He says that you are not able. In verse number eight, whom having not seen, ye love, in whom though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. In other words, Peter says that on this journey to the top of the mountain that sometimes trials and clouds seem to distract the top and our goal and we can only see the earth that is under our feet. But Peter says that even though you don't see him, that you love him. Because you cannot see God today doesn't mean that God does not exist. I cannot see Paris, France with my eye here today. But I know that there is a place, Paris, France. I know that there is a place, there is a city, there is a place, but that goes by that name. I can't see it. And church, today I want to preach a simple sermon to help somebody come out of of a complex situation. You may not be able to see God and may not even be able to feel God in your trial this morning, but go ahead and rejoice and go ahead and love God because he is joy unspeakable and he is full of great glory. When two plus two doesn't equal four in your spiritual relationship, keep praising God. Keep serving God. Keep loving God. Just because a cloud has got the top of my mountain obscured, there are gates of pearl. There are streaks of gold. There is a savior that wears the victor's crown. And I'm going there that day. You see, today the church is heavy laden with great treasures. We have great treasures among us today. This is a treasure house of peace. This is a treasure house of gifts today. This is a treasure house of everlasting life today. This is a treasure house of finding your way of lives being changed. If only people knew the true value of the church. If they only understood, if we could somehow get the world to understand the true value of the church. The writer in first John says, "Beloved, it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he appears that we shall be like him." Can I tell you today, we may look just like another group of people with a cause of the cross, but we are people of truth. We are people of the word of God. And the world is not giving us the key to their city. Because just as they did not recognize Jesus and crucified him, they do not recognize the church of the living God. I'm telling you, this is a treasure house this morning. This is a safe. This is a place that is bubbling with peace and joy and true contentment. The bars can only offer you a temporary high. The drug dealer can only offer you a temporary escape. But you later pay the price in your health. It's only God that can give you peace and peace everlasting. Oh yes. You see, it was Joseph. It was Joseph who is the Old Testament type of Jesus Christ. Sold by his brothers, brought up out of the pit, made the ruler in Egypt. It was Joseph years later when his brothers come to him and his brothers came the first time to him and did not recognize him. And of course the symbolicness of that is to the Jews he came into his own in his own didn't recognize him. Didn't recognize him. But they came again and they recognized him. And one day, the entire world is going to recognize Jesus Christ because it will be undeniable. He'll split the clouds of glory. Every knee is going to bow and every tongue is going to confess. That's an interesting verse of scripture right there when it says every tongue, every tongue on planet earth will confess that Jesus Christ is the Lord. Do you realize in order for every tongue to speak the same thing, every mind has got to be in the same thing? So when he comes back, he's going to have everybody's mind in one thing because his appearance will be undeniable. And so Joseph tells his brothers, he removes the veil and shows that I'm your brother Joseph and you meant it evil, but God meant it good. And and and then Joseph in Genesis 45 and verse number 17, the Bible said, "And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, say unto thy brethren, this do ye laid you or load you beast, and go and get you into the land of Canaan, and take your father and your households, and come unto me, and I will give you the good land of Egypt, give you the good of the land of Egypt, and you shall eat of the fat of the land." Now thou art commanded, this do ye, take you wagons out of the land of Egypt, for your little ones, and for your wives, and bring your father, and come also. Regard not your stuff, for the good of all the land of Egypt is yours." The children of Israel did so. And J uh Joseph gave them wagons according to the commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them provision for the way, and to all of them he gave each man changes of reignment. But to Benjamin he gave 300 pieces of silver and five changes of raignment. And to his father he sent after this manner 10 asses laden with good things of Egypt and 10 shees laden with corn and bread and meat for his father by the way. So he sent his brethren away and they departed. And he said unto them, see that you fall not out by the way. One translation, Joseph said, "Brothers, don't get to fussing on the way. Don't fall out by the way because Joseph is sending his brothers with 20 or 30 wagons." I I I mean, that's moving vans, friend. I mean, that's tractor trailer loads of Mayflower moving vans coming and they're all loaded with good things from Egypt. And they're going back down to Canaan to get Jacob and all the family and they're going to bring them back. there's there's something you're going to bring them to this land. You're going to bring them out. These these wagons are loaded. And Joseph looked at those wagons and he looked at his brothers and he said, "There's only one thing that could hinder the treasure from getting to my family." And that would be if you begin to argue by the way. If you begin to complain and fight and fuss by the way, or in other words, if our vision got obscured by the way. Can I tell you whatever mind ought to be on in this first apostolic church this morning, the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and us making it. It may be cloud cover. You may have marital problems. You may have financial problems. You may have health problems. But all of our minds can't be on a multitude of different things. Jesus is Lord. Jesus is coming. I've got to be ready. You've got to be ready. We got to get sin out of our lives. We got to be ready for the coming of the Lord. We've got a treasure. We've got the baptism of the Holy Ghost to promise. We've got the baptism in water in Jesus' name for the remission of sin. We've got divine healing. We've got the We've got treasure after treasure. We just can't get to fussing about it. Four young men in upstate New York. Four young men raised in the same neighborhood. Same elementary school, same junior high school, same high school, same graduating class, same college, best of friends. Now they're middle-aged men. They all have one thing in common. They literally live for two weeks in a year when those four men get together, might I say, with permission of their wives. And they take a 14-day fishing trip to Canada and they go and they fish for two weeks. They live for these two weeks. They sit around the tables and they talk about old times and they fish and they talk and they reminisce about growing up. But this one, they did this year after year, but this one winter, there was a bad snowstorm that come in and it snowed those men in for the entirety of the 14 days. During the 14 days without fishing, they begin to find fault with each other. When all the games they could find to play, when all the Monopoly was bored, and when everything was when everything when everything they could could think of to play, they had already played. They begin to nitpick at each other. And to this day, those four men left and went in four different directions. And to this day, they have not spoke to each other. And the moral of the story is this. We were made to be fishermen, not to play Monopoly all day long. We were made to reach a lost and dying world, not to sit in in a little building and play all kind of card games all day. Because when churches start playing games, we start nitpicking each other. And Joseph said, he said, "Brothers, you've got trailer load after trailer load of goods." He said, "The only thing that could keep this from getting to daddy's house is if you got in a fuss along the way." Let's remember one thing. Jesus is coming. We've got to be ready. I love you and you love me and we love a lost world. And let's get busy reaching that lost world. brothers, do not fall out by the way. And they went up out of Egypt, and came into the land of Canaan unto Jacob their father, and told him, saying, Joseph is yet alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt. And Jacob's heart fainted, for he believed him not. Can I tell you something, friend? We got a message of liberty. We've got a message of deliverance to the crack addict. We've got a message of you can be set free to the person that is depressed. To the person that is suffering from mental illness, we have a God that can heal. We have a God that can turn situations. Oh yes we do. Oh yes we do. With God all things are possible. This Jesus I preach, didn't you hear the choir talk about? He wears the victor's crown. The grave it could not contain him. The grave could not hold him. Honey, if a grave could not hold our savior, what about our little petty problems that we have? You hear me today? We serve a God that can put marriages back together. We serve a God that can break addictions. We serve a God that can bring you up and we serve a God that can bring you out. We serve a God that can take your baggage. You don't have to become like your father. You don't have to become like your mother. You don't have to repeat the past of your sin. We serve a God that you can be a brand new creature. Wait a minute. Joseph Joseph is alive. Daddy, Joseph is alive, Daddy. He's a governor over all the land of Egypt. Daddy, I don't believe you. I don't believe you. Jesus can heal you. Jesus can deliver you. Jesus can save you. I don't believe you, preacher. But wait a minute. This is where we're all going to come in here in this sermon. We're all going to play a role in this sermon right now. And Jacob's heart fainted, for he believed him not them not. And they told him all the words of Joseph, and he which he had said unto them. And when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived and Israel said, even notice that'll preach right there. He's Jacob when he's not believing the message. But he's Israel when he sees the wagons. He's deceiver. That's what Jacob means. Liar, deceiver, cheater. But when he sees with his own eyes, see the clouds have got to dissipate today. I Well, I know you've heard another preacher preach, but this is not another preacher today. This is the word of truth today. And when you see when Israel saw the wagons, when he saw it, Israel said, "It is enough. Joseph, my son, is yet alive. I will go and see him before I die." Can I tell you something today? I can preach that he's a savior that can save. I can preach the mighty baptism of the Holy Ghost evidenced by speaking with other tongues. God has a glorious gift on this wagon train and it's called the baptism of the Holy Ghost found in Acts chapter 2. And it's for everybody. It doesn't have it's not it's not just for the Pentecostals. The baptism of the Holy Ghost knows no boundaries. It'll go in any denominational church as long as he finds a hungry heart. Can I tell you today, it's real. It's real. Thank God it's real. This Holy Ghost salvation I know I know is real. Stand with me this morning. It's real. It's real.