Obedience, Faith, & Time | Senior Pastor Kenneth Carpenter
by Kenneth Carpenter
First Apostolic Church of Maryville (Maryville, TN)
Kind: sermon
Scripture: John 15:1, Exodus 20:24, Matthew 24:5, Matthew 7:15-23, 2 Timothy 2:19, John 15:5, Psalm 42:1-2, Isaiah 53:1-2, John 5:39, John 5:46, Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:18-23, Numbers 24:17, Matthew 2:1-2, Luke 7:19-22

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

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the Gospel of John chapter number 5 15 John chapter number 15 and verse number one and I would ask for you just to Simply leave your Bibles open to this passage we will read a few more verses a little later on in the message John 15:1 Jesus spoke and said I am the True Vine and my father is the husbandman I am I am the True Vine and my father my father is the husbandman there's basically three words that I want to preach about today there's basically three words that I'd like to talk about today and I'd like to talk about obedience obedience obedience and I'd like to talk about faith faith and I'd like to talk about time today time because these are three words these are three words that are the ingredients that we build up Our lives our relationship with God you have to have these three words not one of them not two of them you got to have all three of them you got to have faith you got to have obedience and you got to have time time father I love you this morning I thank you God for your love and for your mercy God we are here today to draw closer to you God we have gathered in this place to public testify of our love to you we have gathered in this place today so that if there's anyone here and they may not know you today that God our praise and our love for you along with the spirit's drawing would pull them Lord to this altar today and that God that their lives could be changed this morning in this service that their emptiness could be filled that their hopelessness could be given hope today God I ask you to move upon on this place touch Us in Jesus mighty name we pray amen amen Give the Lord a hand of Praise before you're seated please God is great and God is greatly to be praise it's an interesting thing that the Last Supper is recorded by the other gospel writers but the last supper is only given a few verses a chapter but John records not just a few verses not even one chapter but John would write down over five chapters of this one setting As We Know of as the Last Supper we understand that at this place it was almost as if Jesus is giving final instructions he's giving his last words we know that it was at the Last Supper that uh he got a basin of water and began to wash the disciples feet and gave them an example that they should should serve they should serve one another but what has intrigued me now for over three weeks has been the imagery of the vine that Jesus uses he uses this imagery of the vine to speak about the relationship that he has with the disciple Les in this imagery of the vine he says that I am I am the True Vine I am the True Vine now to put true in front of the word Vine would emphasize the fact that if there would be a true vine there would be of necessity there would be a false V Vine to say that I am the way says that there are other ways to say that I am the door means there are other doors but we're not interested today in other doors and we're not interested today in other ways and what the vine represents is Source a source a source so what Jesus was saying was simply I am the true Source I am the true Source a lot of people today are needing a a support system and we all do we all whether we will admit it or not we all are in need of a a support system and I'm glad that we find that support system in the Lord Jesus amen we find that support system in him I said to my wife on the way to church today that Jesus is all we need he's all we need when you have Jesus he's all you need you don't need any additives you don't find yourself needing something else when you have Jesus and embrace him in a in a relationship you have all the you have all that you need now there's a lot of people that have a support but they can't say once you have this you have all you need some would say once you have wealth you have all you need how far from the truth is that some would say once you have po popularity that's all that you need how far from the truth is that we had went out to California some years ago and while they're preaching we actually went down and and took a tour on a bus of all the famous people all the movie stars and all the famous people there and the bus driver was uh giving the tour and telling us who lived here and who lived there and but on this occasion I don't know if it was just every time I picked it up but I don't know how many people that he would say it's that house there that she owed deed in it's that house over there that he shot himself in and all through that neighborhood I mean opulence like you have never seen before and so if there's anyone here today to believe that would believe that your satisfaction could ever be in an amount of money or a neighborhood that you would live in you are so mistaken today you are so mistaken today Jesus is all we need need I don't care what life throws at us Jesus is all that we need he said I am the True Vine I am your true Source I looked up I I often use the for the definition of biblical words and theer says here that the word true and he writes a little something about the word true says true that which has not only the name and resemblance but the real nature corresponding to the name in every respect corresponding to the idea signified by the name he said it means real and true and genuine so when when when Jesus said I am the true Source he is actually saying the nature the nature cor correspond corresponds with my name there in him Jesus is no light is no darkness in him is no Darkness at all now I want you to know today for a purpose I am I am staying focused on magnifying Jesus because he is truly our source and if we'll just understand today and not let anything not let anything else creep in there's a lot of things we do that's not our source I love our singing but our singing Only connects us to the source but if we ever separate the song from The Source we're going to be of all men most miserable can I tell you I love a lot of things we do in church and I love a lot of things we do out of church but I got to tell you today I got to lift up my voice and I've got to I've got to trumpet it out today Jesus is all we need Jesus is all we need you can have a song but not have Jesus but you can't have Jesus without having a song because he's all he's all that we need it's amazing that the name and the nature of God go hand in hand you can't have one without having the other it would be an exodus it would be an exodus chapter 20 and verse number 24 oh I saw several came up come up around the altar today I saw several some were just praising God and some some just came to unload themselves of burdens during the praise and worship we must understand what the altar represents the altar is only my source if my altar is connected to his name I can't use the altar as a place just to come and throw things I have to use the altar as a place to come and know him sometimes the altar can become a revolving door to never changing our lives and it's not that the altar doesn't work it's that we're not understanding there's a name that goes with the altar there's a nature there's a name we find it as early as Exodus 20 and 24 God said an altar of Earth shalt thou make unto me and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings and thy peace offerings thy sheep and thine oxen in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee and I will bless thee so he's talking about the altar but before he finishes talking about the altar he has to bring up his name because the nature of the vine is connected to the name well our enemy knows that oh how well he knows that you do understand with me today that you find if at any counterfeit $1 bills you find if it any counter bit counterfeit $5 bills you find if it any $10 but you do find $20 bills something of value that they would want to counterfeit and so when our enemy that we know today wanted to try to derail us from our relationship with God it's no surprise to me that he would try a counterfeit name he would try to use the name and it would be a counterfeit for Jesus said about the times that we're living in right now he said in Matthew chap 24 and verse number five we're living in these times right now he said for many shall come in my name saying I am Christ I am anointed and shall deceive many now we must we must begin to look closely now because now we have a counterfeit name we have a counterfeit Christ which would be a counterfeit support system don't want to be on any counterfeit support system but the enemy would know that to derail some in their faith and relationship of God if he could get them to trust in a false Vine and not a true vine later on in the chapter Jesus would would say in verse number 15 Jesus would say beware of false prophets which come to you in sheep's clothing it looks good on the outward but inwardly they are ravening wolves what is he saying in this simple verse is what you see on the outside is not keeping with the nature of the inside what you see on the outside is not what you have seen on the inside the outward and the inward nature do not coincide Jesus said I am the True Vine verse 16 ye shall know them by their fruits do men gather Grapes of of thorns or figs of thistles so even so every good tree that bringeth forth good fruit but a corrupt tree bringeth forth corrupt fruit a good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit neither can a corrupt tree bring forth corrupt fruit or good fruit every tree that bringeth forth not good fruit is HED down and cast Into the Fire wherefore my wherefore by their fruits shall you know them listen closely not everyone that saith unto me Lord Lord shall enter into the kingdom but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven many will say unto me in that day Lord Lord have we not prophesied watch this now have we not prophesied what in thy name and in thy name cast out devils and in thy name done many wonderful works then will I profess unto them I never knew you I never knew you now notice he didn't say pastor cond and oh you didn't do those works oh you didn't cast those Devils out oh you didn't do many marvelous works because they did they did but they did it in the strength of a man they did it in the strength of a man but he said then says to them but I never knew you we never had that relationship you were never truly a branch on the vine I was never truly your support system I was never truly your support system you never had one time in your life that burdens buckled your knees and you knew if I don't make it to my prayer closet and start calling on the name of Jesus I won't make it that's not a sign of weakness that is not a sign of weakness if you wouldn't really write me off today I would tell you that those same words of come out of my mouth when things have buckled my knees and burdens have come out of nowhere and life's problems and church problems have unloaded on me unexpectedly that I've not turned to my wife and said if I don't get a hold of God I'm not going to make it that's not a sign of weakness that's sign that's a sign of knowing where our strength Lies We are a branch on the vine come on worship Jesus with me right now come on worship Jesus hallelujah oh God I can't make it without you Jesus I can't make it without you then I will profess profess unto them I never knew you depart from me ye that work iniquity ye that that word iniquity there means Lawless you use my name illegally you didn't have a relationship with me you didn't have a real relationship with me you committed spiritual forgery you forged my name and you didn't have a relationship with me oh I want to pause here because I feel the Gentle Touch of the Holy Ghost I never want to use his name without knowing the nature of the god that's behind the name oh what a what a wonderful name what a wonderful God Paul would later carry this same theme on in second Timothy Chapter 2 and verse number 19 Paul would later addressing the same thing false workers that were using the name but didn't have any relationship he says in 2 Timothy 2:19 he says nevertheless nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure having this Zeal seal the Lord knoweth them that are his oh you missed a good spot to say amen I said the Lord knoweth them that are his thank God I'm so glad today that the Lord knoweth them that are his but you know my responsibility is to make sure that I belong to him if I will do my job if I'll do my my Desiring and my relationship cuz I want to know him praise God if I want to know him he wants to know me what a great relationship to have what would you just put your hands together amen a healthy marriage a healthy marriage is not just that a man is crazy about his wife and a healthy marriage is not not just that a wife is crazy about her husband you show I'll show you a healthy marriage is when the man is crazy over her and she's crazy over him you get a relationship with that you got two smiling people and I'll tell you you get a church that's crazy in love with Jesus and he's crazy in love with us nevertheless the foundation of God stand ass sure having this seal the Lord knoweth them that are his and let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity you're going to name that name you're going to name that name you have the responsib ability to depart away from iniquity to depart away you got to have a desire amen you got to have a desire nobody can give you a desire the prophecy preacher can't come by and prophesy desire on you he might come by and prophesy prosperity for your life or something like that but he can never Prosper he can never Pro uh prophesy a desire for you a desire for God has got to be something you and only you alone your mama can can't give you a desire your daddy can't give you a desire your best friend can't give you a desire the only way that you can have a desire for God is to cultivate it yourself you just got to you got to cultivate that desire yourself just for a moment Flip Flip back over to John chapter 15 verse number five he said in verse number one I am the True Vine and my father is the husbandman the vine is the source of life it's it's a source of life to the branch and ultimately to the fruit but in John 15 verse number five just the last few words of that verse is what I want Jesus says for without me ye can do nothing you ought to memorize that I said you ought to memorize that for without me ye can do do nothing oh the Lord finds us in the trash can of Life the Lord finds us in the slums of Life the Lord finds us in all kinds of ugly conditions he cleans us up and sets our feet up on the Rock and God begins to prosper us but you better listen to your pastor this morning one of The Temptations of prospering is to begin to get lifted up in yourself begin to look around what God has done and start taking a a little credit for it start kind of you start kind of thinking that you broke your back to do this and and and you studied yourself through to this position and and and you you you you you made yourself as prosperous you better watch out because God's going to come down and remind you of this simple verse and without me ye can do I wish somebody shout it without me you can do what without me we we will be good a as you as you get in that car today and and you drive home to that gated community you get in that car today and it's a better car than you've ever had in your life and and you get that dress or suit on and it's finer clothes than you've ever had you better put it on and look yourself in the mirror and say without Jesus Christ I can do nothing without Jesus Christ I can do absolutely I wish somebody shout it out again nothing I wish so I shout out nothing today for without me without me you can do nothing David saw an imagery one time David saw he was David was out in the woods and David saw something that reminded him of how he felt toward God David David was out in the woods in Psalms 42: 1 and 2 record this time that David was there and David H this was written and uh and and it just simply says as the heart and that's that's a deer As the deer panth panth panth after the water Brooks so panth my soul after thee Oh God my soul thirth for the for God for the Living God When shall I come and appear before God can I tell you ladies and gentlemen I don't care how large the crown is on your head I don't care how many Giants you kill in your life I don't care how many titles you have behind your name you better look at the deer panting with its tongue hung out trying to get to the water Brook and say that's exactly how I feel about the presence of God my soul is panting after God would you give him some praise right now my soul is panting after the vine needs one thing the vine needs a trellis a trellis a trus is something that's not mentioned in the Bible and it's not mentioned because of the fact that without a trellis there was no way possible that the vine would ever survive in order for the vine to grow and bear branches and the branches give grapes that vine had to have a trellis a trellis was a support system it never produced any fruit but without the trellis the vine would never live do you know what our trus is today do you know what that our support what our trellis is to us today is the word of God because what gives the value to Jesus Christ is that is not that a man appeared 2,000 years ago claiming to be Messiah but what backs it up is the word the word is the trus the word is that support system that proves beyond the shadow of any doubt that Jesus Christ is Messiah the word We cannot put the word aside I love our chill bumps I love everything that I felt today emotionally he made a difference in my life I love all that I love all that my foot my foot never stopped from the time Church started this morning till I started preaching my foot was just yeah yeah yeah yeah he made a difference in my life and that wonderful song how excellent is his name but can I tell you today that a lot of things can move you emotionally a lot of things of life can move you to tears a sad movie produced can move you to tears if you don't believe that sit beside your wife as she watches Hallmark enough said but when she will soon forgot the love story that she watched because that's the emot of a world but if God's word ever gets in your emotions it will be something that will go with you all the days of your life I testify to the fact today that there's some whiteh headed beautiful saints of God in this room that at the mere mention of the name of Jesus their hands go up but if you would go back 50 60 and some of of them 70 years and find a young person in a youth group you would find that same young man or that same young lady when they begin to sing about the name of Jesus lifting hands up that had no wrinkles lifting a face up that was shining brightly but friend it's just not the emotions that have kept these people through the years it's been the God of this word that they've been able mother th to wind their lives around the trellis there because this word hey when a lot of things have failed us this word's never failed us or let me let me say it a little bit different when a lot of things didn't move us I've never seen the word not move us when we really didn't get moved to the song and we really didn't get moved in the choir and we really didn't get moved to a lot of things if I can just get a hold of the word of God I've seen the word of God move us oh Hallelujah I am the Vine I am the True Vine if I am the True Vine I have to have the trus and the trus is the word of God and in Isaiah chapter 53 and verse number one prophecy would be given about the trus Isaiah 53 and verse number one who hath believed our report and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed you got to believe a report that's the first question and if you believe the report you get the arm of the Lord that's the strength of the hand of God two questions are posed who's going to believe this report and to whom will the arm of the Lord be revealed verse two for he shall grow up before him as a tender plant as a root out of dry ground he hath no form nor comeliness and when we shall see him there is no beauty that we should desire him it would be Isaiah that would begin to tell us that the word built a trell us and then Isaiah said he's going to come up out of the ground as a tender plant and when you look at him coming up out of the ground uh there there is it's a tender and it's a root out of dry ground in other words when the Christ child was born in Bethlehem there wasn't a lot of pump and Circumstance given he was just simply a root that came out of dry ground he had no form and no comeliness and when we shall see him there is no beauty that we should desire him but can I tell you 2,000 years ago in Bethlehem in a Manger of all places not a not a not a five-star hotel not some kind of Immaculate building but in a Manger came a little root out of dry ground a little root out of dry ground but the root needs a trellis it needs something to support it no wonder Jesus said later some 30 years later to a religious group of people in John chapter in John chapter 5 and verse number 39 he addressed a religious group of people a people that claim to know God a people that claim to have a relationship with God but Jesus stood there that little root out of dry ground that one that they scornfully looked at and said who does he think he is The Carpenter's son who is this young man that is coming in but when it came jesus' time to speak he looked at that religious body that day and he said search the scriptures for in them you think you have Li eternal life and they are they that testify of me he said you're doubting my identity you look at me and say is not this the carpenter son is not this the root out of dry ground he has no form no comeliness he has no pedigree if I could say that but Jesus looked at them and said would you please go back to your scripture and would you please search the scripture and if you'll be honest with yourself and search the scripture you'll find that the scripture testifies of me how could that be possible how could that be possible he would later some few verses later while he still was addressing them in John 5 and verse number 46 while still addressing them he says for for had ye believed Moses you would have believed me for he wrote of me he said you're you're a big follower of Moses you're a big follower of Abraham he said but if you would believe Abraham and Moses you would have to believe me because they wrote about me Isaiah hundreds of years before bethlehem's manger Isaiah stuttered a very educated lawyer brilliant minded man educated probably Isaiah was one of the most educated writers of the Old Testament Isaiah Isaiah 7 verse number 14 Isaiah muttered these words from the hand of God he said therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign Behold a virgin shall conceive impossibility here a virgin shall conceive meaning if she's a virgin and she has conceived she's no longer a virgin but a virgin has conceived and bears a child a the son and his name Shall be Called Emmanuel the trus the trellis of the word was built in the Old Testament long before the vine wraps its self around the trellis and over the trellis is built by the husbandman because something's coming out of the ground and so Isaiah built a trellis by the hand of God and he said that a virgin would conceive and would bear a CH a son and you would call his name Emmanuel some few hundred years later in the Book of Matthew chapter number one and verse number 18 says now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise or it happened this way when as his mother Mary was in spouse to Joseph before they came together she was found with child of the Holy Ghost then Joseph her husband being a just man and not willing to make her a public example was minded to put her away privately but while he thought on these things behold an angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream saying Joseph thou son of David fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost and she shall bring forth a son and thou shalt call his name Jesus and he shall save his people from their sins now all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet saying Behold a virgin shall be with child and shall bring forth a son and thou shalt called his name Emmanuel which being interpreted is God With Us how beautiful today are embracing the True Vine of Jesus Christ me asking you in the name of Jesus to dedicate not most of your life not some of your life but all of your life what man would make such bold claims that when you come to him today not most not almost most but God wants all of your life because Jesus is without doubt the True Vine he is without doubt the true Messiah he is without doubt God manifests in the flesh as the vine grows up the trellis it would be in Numbers chapter 24 in Numbers chapter 24 verse number 17 we're about to enter into the the the season of Christmas and I want you to know why we make a big deal about the star why we make a big deal about a star at Christmas time say oh yeah there was a star that appeared and all that well yes it did but what made it a big deal that it appeared was because hundreds of years before in the Book of Numbers chapter 24 verse number 17 a man a Prophet by the name of balum had the hand of the Lord come upon him and when the hand of the Lord come upon him he began to speak and he says I shall see him him and all he's talking about God he says I shall see him but not now I Shall Behold Him but not now it's not going to be anytime soon there shall come a star out of Jacob and a scepter shall rise out of Israel and shall Smite the corners of Moab and destroy the children of sheth you see friend hundreds of years later this Prophet balum began to say I'm going to see him but it's not going to be nine it's not going to be anytime soon and said here's a sign said over the land of Israel said A Star is going to appear and over over the land of Israel a scepter a ruler that's why a scepter is what Kings held in their hand that's why the wise men brought an offering that was Fit For A King they B brought gold and frankincense and myrr because when these Heathen people when these Heathen people had heard that God is coming and how we'll know that he is coming is that there will be a star rise up over the land of Israel and how we'll know that the king he's going to be a scepter there's going to be a king that is born over the land and uh it's no surprise to us that that trus was a was was built and in Matthew chap 2 and verse number one now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king behold there came wise men from the East to Jerusalem and saying where is he that is born King of the Jews for we have seen his star in the east and are come to worship Him are you all understanding today I I know I I may not be moving your chill bump uh uh uh meter very much today but can I just simply tell you that in order to drink from the cup of the True Vine you've got to be willing to know who that True Vine is not just a self-proclaimed Messiah not just a bunch of fables that have come out of a book written in the Middle East but I'm talking about our creator The God Who woke us up this morning the god that gives us the breath to breathe right now it's God that gave us these Mighty wonderful beautiful no surprise and I'll just go through some of these things so no surprise that Jesus is hated as a baby they seek to kill him and an angel and Angel tells Joseph to take the baby to Egypt to take the baby to Egypt and if I could just stop here for a moment and tell you the importance of giving the importance of giving you say well what would be the importance of giving with Jesus being taken to Egypt by his stepfather Joseph well it's simple Joseph was a very poor man was a very poor man and it cost a lot of money you studied out it cost a lot of money to travel to the land of Egypt in that day so how does a poor man Finance his way down to Egypt I'll tell you how wise men brought gold and frankincense and myrrh and what Finance taking Jesus to Egypt was somebody brought an offering to him do you know we we have a world called Egypt we have a world called Egypt and we need to use every dime we've got to take Jesus to every dark corner of this world every dark corner of this world because one day everything on this planet is going to burn up every building every car every clothing all the gold everything is going to be consumed in a fire and only what was done on this Earth for God is going to endure the fire don't know about you in your house today but I'll answer for me in my house I want to use the my gold to help get Jesus to the four corners of this Earth I I want to use my gold today thank God I want to use my gold today I don't know I don't know if they can tell me or not you may be seated I don't know if they can tell me or not but there's a young man is that young man going to get baptized this morning there there's a young man here from AA from the Christian School son would you care today if you're here would you care to stand right now would you care to stand this young man right over here a student this year at ACA and uh this past Friday he received the baptism of the Holy Ghost and he called his grandmother up and said I need to be baptized in Jesus name Hallelujah and he's come here today we would have never known this young man had we not he don't have grandparents or parents he's not connected physically uh to this church in any manner at all what brought him in our doors was a Christian school but they cost money to have they are the most expensive things you'll ever build a building and ever do but thank God a group of people come together and they say here take my gold take my gold because we've got to get Jesus to the Egypt of that young man's life so the next time the devil tries to discourage you from being a giver you better recognize the fact that if he can discourage a m enough of us that we will lose our Effectiveness to support the gospel around the world a weekly basis almost a weekly basis I could say and maybe even more than a week more than a week and if you average it out it would probably be weekly some missionary from around the world will call this church and say something like this brother Carpenter you told me if I ever got in a bind that I could call you and and I don't know if you can help me or not but I'm glad to tell you brother the snitcher there's not been one missionary that has called me with a legitimate need in their life that I wasn't able to say what's the address secretary send them a check let's get it in the mail let's get them some finances they've got to do XYZ but that doesn't happen unless a bunch of people come on a Sunday morning and say We've Come To Worship the king we've come to bring gold frankincense and M well I've got Plum off my I've got Plum off my message today I've got Plum off my message today brother Condon don't you go out and tell folks I got Plum off my message today but that's how they went to Egypt was some wise men saw a star in the east but they wouldn't have saw a star in the east if they hadn't been the trellis of the word the Trellis was there as a matter of fact when they brought him back from Egypt there's a little footnote in the Bible it said he was taken to Egypt so it might be fulfilled which was spoken was spoken by the word of the Lord out of Egypt I called my son again another trellis another time they brought him in brought him back from Egypt they brought him back from Egypt and they took him to a city called Nazareth and once again the scripture says it was spoken that he should be called a Nazarene so the Tris the trellis of the word of God the trellis of the word of God is there again surely I don't have to keep qualifying how I feel about shouting and dancing surely surely I don't have to keep qualifying that y'all know yall know that I believe in all that and I promote it I actually promote it you know that but there's sometimes in your walk with God that's what what has to hold you the majority of your time let me let me rephrase that the majority of your time it's the trus of the word could we be honest with each other could we be honest with each other I doubt very few of us would say I got up this morning feeling like I wanted to go to church no if we only come to church when we feel like it why you here because the word says oh you lifted your hands you must have felt something didn't feel one thing sorry didn't feel one thing why'd you lift your hands because the word says too you see the word of God John was a pretty powerful prophet he introduced Jesus Christ to the world Behold the Lamb of God he saw numbers of baptisms that would make anybody on Twitter blush today that put how many they baptized on their Twitter account John baptized multitudes but he came to a time in his life when in Luke 7 verse number 19 praise God Luke 7: 19 come on John come on Bold Brave preacher come on John and John calling unto him two of his disciples sent them unto Jesus saying art thou he that should come or do we look for another it's amazing what the prison of cancer will do to you it's amazing what the prison of divorce will do to you it's the amazing what the prison of bankruptcy will do to some of us it's amazing what the prison of being forsaken but friends when you had in the daylight boldly proclaimed Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world but now the prison has set in on you John you're now in prison John and you're doubting he said I want you all to go and I want you all to ask Jesus are you him or do we look for another when the men were coming to him they say John the Baptist hath sent us unto thee saying art thou he that should come or look we for another are you the source or do we look for another in that same hour he cured many of their infirmities and plagues and evil spirits and unto many that were blind he gave them sight then Jesus answering and said unto them go your way and tell John what things you have seen and heard how the blind see the lame walk the lepers are cleansed the deaf hear the Dead raised the poor and to the poor the gospel is preached what did Jesus in verse 22 brother maper just give them Old Testament word it was the trus of the Old Testament what Jesus just said he was reading out of the Old Testament in our times of doubting Church in our times of wondering is this worth continuing on in don't look back it's worth selling out for it's worth staying in this race I I I'm doing a I'm doing a a dual job today I'm reaching for two people today I'm trying to reach for that man or woman that I'm trying to convince you to sell out your life and take up the cross and follow Jesus and then I'm trying to reach for saints of God that have weathered some storms like never before and I'm trying to tell you don't lose faith stay in the r face stay in this thing stir yourself up don't lose your excitement don't lose your joy don't lose your desire it's not a day to slack up it's not a day to it's not a day to to to begin to think other things the Lord is coming the Lord is coming the Lord is coming musicians would you come it's not a day to slack up church family hear me church congregation hear your pastor today it's not a day of slacking up it's not a day of growing cold it's not a day to let majority people cause you to lighten up your dedication to God don't ever don't ever make decisions about got your dedication to God based on the number of people that are not doing what you are doing in this last day we're going to have to fight that as never before doesn't matter who's going this way or who's going that way I'm going that way for what brought me in the church has kept me in the church and I'm not wanting to look for a new Vine I want to go back to that Old Rugged Cross I want to go back to what when I I come in the church as a 16-year-old boy saying God I'll give you everything I'll give you everything that I've got I want to love God as fervently today at 60 years old as I did at 16 years old when God baptized me with a Holy Ghost and I fell in the floor and rolled in the floor and when I sought God with all of my heart I want to be that same fervency today my hair may be gray my voice may be weaker I've got a few wrinkles but I don't want to have it inside of my soul today I don't want to look back just simple today just simple I read this I read this and I thought oh how true it is in 1954 Roger banister was a metal medical student who enjoyed running he entered a race in Oxford on May the 6th of that year in mate history becoming the first athlete to run a mile in less than four minutes bannister's time was 3 minutes 59 .4 seconds half of a globe away bannister's rival John Landy of Australia John took notice and a month later Landy beat bannister's record by a half a second the media turned their Spotlight on the two Runners thousands of people watch later that summer when they lined up at the British Empire games in Vancouver Canada it was called the mile of the century the racers shot from the starting blocks and Landry took the lead which he maintained the Roar of the cow Clow was deafening with only 90 look at this only 90 yards to go Landy made a fatal mistake he glanced behind him and when he glanced behind him at that exact moment banister streaked by him and won the race by less than a second the race became known as The Miracle Mile a Vancouver sculptor created a bronze statue of the two men at the exact moment that Landy glanced back Landy later said while interviewed this is what Landy said Landy said Lot's wife was turned into a pillar of salt by looking back I will probably be the only one that ever was turned into a bronze statue because I look back I look back there's no looking back you hear this preacher this morning Jesus is about to come everything is lining up just right Jesus is about to come and if I've ever preached from the bottom of my heart Don't Look Back it'll be at that very moment that you look back that the adversary will get an advantage on us and pull us it's not a day to be looking back if you'd stand with me this morning the Apostle Paul made a powerful statement he said forgetting those things which are behind forgetting those things which are behind forgetting those things that word forget there means to minimize minimize brother Jean phip minimize he said forgetting those things which are behind minimized it I press toward the Mark I minimize what's behind me too many times we've used this as a Prosperity what's behind us successfully minimize it but that's not what Paul was talking about he was talking about his life as a sinner his life as a sinner and boy didn't have a long list of things he had done wrong he killed Christians he persecuted the church but he said I'm not going to get anywhere in my walk with God by contending ly looking back and going to condemnation over what I did way back then he said I forget those things which are behind and I press toward the mark of the high calling in Jesus Christ God has sent me here this morning to tell somebody in this room it's time to come forward it's time to come forward every head is bowed and every eyes closed come on I need some prayer warriors to help me today God is dealing with someone right now to step out of your Pew and to walk to the front of this building Not Looking Back Not Looking Back not looking back on the things you've done the blood the grace the strength of God is more than able today to help you would you come forward this morning would you come forward today he is our support system he is our support system today he is our true vine today if you're weak come to the altar right now if you need direction come to the altar right now if life has got you empty today come to the altar right now let's gather in this altar this morning let's gather in this altar this morning