Overlooking the Obvious | Senior Pastor Kenneth Carpenter
by Kenneth Carpenter
First Apostolic Church of Maryville (Maryville, TN)
Kind: sermon
Scripture: John 14:1-10, Isaiah 9:6, John 6:4-9, 2 Kings 13:14-19, 2 Kings 13:20-21, Luke 15:11-24, Luke 16:19-26

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

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stand with me tonight aren't you glad the song said who knew this baby boy well I'm glad that we now know welcome to the house of the Lord tonight welcome to the place where the redeemed meet week after week to praise and shout and glorify the name of their savior church is all about lifting him up and praising and magnifying him those that have been brought out know what I'm talking about tonight so how do you know well if you have to be told you don't know but when you know that you know then you know you have your Bibles turn with me the Book of John this evening chapter number 14. we're going to begin begin reading verse number one John chapter one excuse me John Chapter 14 verse number one read ten verses I want you to really pay close attention to this conversation that the Lord has John 14 and 1. let not your heart be troubled you believe in God believe also in me in my father's house are many mansions if it were not so I would have told you I go to prepare a place for you and if I go and prepare a place for you I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I am there you may be also and whether or where I go ye know and the way you know Thomas saith unto him Lord we know not whether or where thou goest how can we know the way Jesus saith unto him I am the way the truth and the life no man cometh unto the father but by me if you have known me you should have known my father also and from henceforth ye know him and have seen him Philip saith unto him Lord chew or show us show us the father and it's safieth us Jesus saith unto him have I been so long time with you and yet has thou not known me Philip he that has seen me has seen the father how sayest thou then show us the father believe us thou not that I am in the father and the father in me the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself but the father that dwelleth in me he doeth the works turn over to the Old Testament the average Christmas card has this Isaiah 9 and 6. Isaiah chapter 9 and verse number 6. For unto us a child is born unto us a son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulder and his name Shall be Called wonderful counselor the Mighty God the Everlasting father the prince the prince of peace you have a prayer tonight prayer request you slip your hand up in the air right slip your hand up remember to pray for sister Aurora Stevens mother Tharp I want to give a praise report many of you are concerned about her she thought she had a heart attack they've confirmed no heart attack and we're so thankful brother Phil's sister we're so thankful amen go ahead I heard that we're so thankful shoot to Kim Claiborne's father needs a touch and our own brother Steve Sanderson his mother is clinging for life in a hospital in Mississippi and would you please remember them tonight let's just lift our hands right now and pray father you know the needs of this church God you know all the requests God that have been text to my phone Lord the request God that have been sent to this church God the request that I read today by email God Lord Brother Randy newcomer Lord do a miracle work in his blood God by the Randy needs a touch but the newcomer needs to touch God in his blood Lord Touch by the newcomer tonight God lord move upon him Lord with healing power God we bring these needs before you tonight you are the prayer answering God Lord You Are the Healer of all healers tonight God I ask you to anoint my lips of clay that I would speak the word tonight in Jesus name we pray amen and amen Give the Lord a hand to praise as you're being seated right now I want to minister tonight on this subject I want to minister on overlooking the obvious overlooking the obvious if you want to help me tonight you can be a little transparent with what I'm about to ask you is there any of you ever went looking for your glasses finish it for me I won't tell you his name but has any of you ever done what a preacher that I know very closely wound up in the lobby of a hospital with a coat hanger in his hand realizing that when he got out of the car he left his jacket in the car and took the coat hanger with him I mean has any of you got stories you could stand and tell tonight about looking for something I think the old sayings that we say things like if it had been a snake it would have plain is the yeah just kind of overlooking the obvious you know they did that in Jesus day they did that in his day Jesus about the majority of the Book of John if you study out the Book of John the majority of the Book of John is covering about the last 10 days of the life of Jesus Christ you'll notice as you you get to the to the to the chapters 11 and 12 it just about turns red for the rest of the book because it deals with the final week of Jesus life he begin to he began to prepare the disciples for the days ahead he knew that they would be greatly wounded because they had of their own company of one named Judas and Jesus would speak to them about the betrayer is here on the table with me the one that will betray me is is seated at this table he spoke words to them he spoke words to them like all of you are going to be offended at me and all of you are going to scatter and he began to just simply tell them about the days the days to come their attitudes and their Spirits sank as he was telling them one of you will betray me all of you will forsake me Smite the shepherd and the Sheep shall be scattered their hearts sank solo until when he turns in John 14 he has to kind of pick him up a little bit and he says but don't let your hearts be troubled if you believe in what you cannot see God then believe also in me in my father's house or many mansions I go away to prepare a place for you and what he was actually meaning there is I'm going away to have a seat for a mediator man does not have a mediator at this time in heaven but I'm going away to be that mediator for you I'm going away to be that mediator between you and God if I go away and he's comforting him if I go away I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I am there you may be also you know where I'm going and you know the way thank God for Thomas the rest may want to set silent but Thomas breaks the silence and Thomas says first off we don't know where you're going and if we don't know where you're going how would we possibly know the pathway or the way to get to where you're going what Thomas I am the way I am the truth and I am the life no man cometh unto the father but by me if you had known me you should have known my father also and from henceforth verse 7 from henceforth you have known him and have seen him it's as if Jesus is saying have you all overlooked the obvious have I been with you and you've overlooked the obvious I am the way am the truth I am the light he that has seen me has seen my father how sayest thou show us the father well now Philip breaks the silence Philip breaks the silence and Philip says to him Lord show us the father and it's safieth us now this is an interesting word this word sophiath because this word not only means to be satisfied but it also means to be protected it really means the raising of a protective barrier it means a bar that has been raised for the purpose of protecting he said Lord if you will show us the father we will be we will be protected we will be satisfied or suffice it was them that Jesus addresses my subject tonight Philip have I been so long time with you have I been so long time with you Phillip that you you don't know me you you don't know me have I been so long time with me yet thou Hast not known me Philip he that has seen me has seen the father how sayest thou then show us the father Philip have you been walking with me this whole time and you've not understood the obvious Philip who did you think I was when I took jars of water and turned him into the best wine Philip who did you think I was when that demon possessed man cried out and I commanded the demonic spirits to leave him and he was in his right mind clothed and at the feet of Jesus fill up who did you think I was Phillip who did you think I was Philip when I gave the blind man his sight when I gave the deaf man his hearing Philip who did you think I was when I caused the Fig Tree to wither Philip have you overlooked the obvious the next question could have been in John chapter 6. verse number four John chapter 6 and verse number 4. and the Passover a feast of the Jews was nigh when Jesus then lifted up his eyes and saw a great company coming to him he saith unto Philip When shall we buy bread that these may eat and this he said to prove Philip for he himself knew what he would do Philip answered him 200 penny worth of bread is not sufficient for them that every one of them may take a little one of his disciples Andrew Simon Peter's brother saith unto him there is a lad here that have five barley Loaves and two small fish but what are they among so many can I can I ask you something tonight I see in Philip a tendency to look on the natural to base his faith Jesus specifically knowing that there was no natural way to feed a multitude in the desert he asked specifically Philip Philip Philip what are we going to do how are we going to feed these and this the Bible said he wanted to prove Philip I want to see what is in your mind Philip Philip naturally goes to the Natural and he lists or an amount of bread in the natural he says if we had this amount of bread it would not be sufficient to give each person of this multitude just a just a morsel of bread if we gave them just just a little and there we see where a lot of times we miss God the obvious because we're always writing the end of how our stories will be but it was Andrew it was Andrew that brought up the subject of a little lad's lunch it was Andrew that stepped in the midst it was Andrew it was Andrew that stepped in the midst and said well Jesus I know there's a little lad here you know anytime you begin to trust on in God you've got to get rid of your pride because a lot of times it's Pride that keeps us from stepping out on faith it's Pride that keeps us silent when we ought to lift up our hands and praise God Philip or Andrew Andrew overcame the fact that if I bring up a little lad's lunch in the midst of thousands of hungry people somebody might laugh at me somebody May somebody may make a derogatory remark about me but many times we never partake of the miraculous when we're too concerned with what other people will say or think about us who's Andrew who's Andrew it brought the little Lads lunch to Jesus it was Andrew that saw the miracle happen Philip how is it that you asked to show us the father which Miracle didn't you understand came from the Father the Miracles that I do the works that I do I do not of myself but the father that dwelleth in me he doeth The Works Philip how could you overlook the obvious Philip how could you walk with me for three and a half years and not understand that I'm not just a good teacher I'm not just somebody to you to hang out with the club I'm just not a good social Gathering that you're comfortable with Philip how long is it going to take for you to realize the obvious I am God I think sometimes we come to church for a social Gathering and that's one of the that's one of the the big chores when the church starts growing is to keep this place from being a Social Hour when people just go for their fellowship and they just go for their entertainment this is not a House of Entertainment this is not a house of social interaction that we believe the same Doctrine therefore we get together it's a place where almighty God dwells and we're almighty God dwells I wish somebody would shout anything anything can happen Philip have I been so long time with you have you overlooked the obvious that is here the second book of Kings the second book of Kings chapter 13 and verse number 14. it says now Elisha was Fallen sick of his sickness wherever he died now you understand that like Elisha in his day had been a powerful prophet and let me tell you even though he's an old man and he's sick and weak he's still a powerful prophet don't ever judge God by the age you are or about the age of the church he's a powerful man of God but he's weak in his body he's sickly in this sickness he's going to die from joash the king of Israel came down unto him and wept over his face and said oh my father my father The Chariot of Israel and the horsemen thereof and Elisha said unto him take bow and arrow he took into him bow and arrow and he said to the king of Israel put thine hand upon the bow and he put his hand upon it and Elisha put his hands upon the king's hands and he said open the window East when he opened it then Elisha said shoot and he shot and he said the arrow of the Lord's deliverance and the arrow of deliverance from Syria well Thou shalt Smite the syrians and affect till thou Hast consumed them he said take the arrows and he took them and he said unto the king of Israel Smite the ground and he smote it Thrice and stayed the man of God was wrothed with him and said thou should have smitten five or six times then thou then had us thou smitten Syria till the house consumed it whereas now Thou shalt Smite Siri but Thrice now I want to tell you something it is wonderful to pay respect for what has blessed you but don't ever leave your respect at that the god that we serve is not only a God that deserves respect but he is a God that can meet every need that you and I have joash went to him to pay respect Joe Ash's young vibrant King went to him to pay him respect and he said my father my father the Chariots of Israel and the horsemen thereof in joash's mind he was saying you're the defense of Israel or you were the defense of Israel you you were the strength the armies of Israel oh in your day Elisha in your day Elisha you were our strength in your day and then that old sick weak Elisha begins to give instruction can I tell you something tonight some of you are looking for an answer but you're missing the obvious many times the answer comes right across this Pulpit every Wednesday and Sunday morning and Sunday night some of you are looking for the answers you're scrolling through Facebook you're doing all of these things looking trying to find the right poem trying to find the right stuff in life the right people to connect with while all of a sudden strong stretched across this platform is a group of singers and worshipers that are trying to tell you that your answer is in Praise And it is in worship do not Overlook the obvious because it doesn't look like you think it should the old weak Prophet told Joe asked to get a bow and arrow Joe asked got a bow and arrow the old weak Prophet gave him Direction the old weak Prophet told him to open the window and the old weak Prophet put his hands he the old weak Prophet couldn't pull the bow back but the young man could but the but but the weak Prophet could give direction he told the young man to shoot the arrow and he shot the arrow and then the weak prophet prophesied and said this is your deliverance over Syria this is your deliverance over life this is the arrow of the Lord's Deliverance that old weak Prophet was telling that young man don't overlook the obvious I know you've come to give me respect I know that you see me as the foundation of Israel but I am more than just something you are to pity and something that you are to give respect I can give you direction for your deliverance I can tell you how to order your steps in the Lord I can tell you how to raise your family I can tell you how to be a mighty witness for God if you'll just listen to the Old Pride that old prophet he said took the arrow and he said up to this point my hand has been up on the backs of your hands up to this point I have given you Direction but I'm about to give you an order that I have no control over how you respond to this I have no control over I want you to take the Lord's Arrow of Deliverance and I want you to beat the ground with it this beating of the ground with an arrow was a symbol of enthusiasm as you go to war the soldiers would beat the ground with the arrow it was kind of a pep rally before a ball game it was beating the ground with the arrow to rip up their courage and to say how they were going to fight and the Bible says when that young man got the arrow that he simply smote or tapped The Ground Three Times upon the third time the old Prophet the old Prophet became very disturbed because he saw the lack of enthusiasm when he had given the young Prophet the victory he had given the young Prophet what he needed if there is something today that I could preach to the church we should shall never lose our enthusiasm for the worship of Jehovah God may we never lose our enthusiasm for the things of God hey I know the church is 2 000 years old she has suffered a lot of criticism she is outdated and she is not in step with the time but she is still the greatest vessel that you could ever be in in all of your life can I tell you that the church at its worse is better than the world at its very best somebody give him praise right now I said somebody give him praise right now oh somebody give him some praise right now in this house I love I love our new praise and worship songs I love excuse me I love our new praise and worship songs I love all the songs that are mellow and get us into a frame of mind to worship God but can I tell you tonight if that choir song let me tell you how who Jesus is ever becomes an outdated song that we don't want to sing We will lose the power and the anointing of the almighty God our songs are not the religious world songs we may borrow some of those songs to enter worship but they're not our Doctrine song let me tell you who Jesus is he is the rock of all ages let me tell you who Jesus is if we ever get to the place to where our palate cannot stand that song I'm going down to the river I'm going to be buried alive I'm going to show my heavenly father the man that I used to be has finally died when I think of where I've come from and I think of where I'm going it makes me glad to know my friend I've been born again anytime silence baptizes the church when we begin to sing those songs we are respecting the foundation but we're not worshiping on the foundation somebody give him praise tonight somebody give him some praise right now come on give him some praise right now you know why we don't have complete Victory is because we don't have complete enthusiasm I'm not against deer hunting Goblin or Little League or basketball or none of that but you are a hypocrite if your emotions can get stirred out there in this gym on a basketball court but they can't get stirred you are a hypocrite you are a hypocrite if you can get stirred up over a silly little basketball game or volleyball game but you'll come in here and yell your life away and scroll your life away my God we need to get excited over what we got Daddy's you ought to worship God you don't have a money problem you gotta worship problem you don't have marital problems you got worship problems well we need you here I'm talking about the obvious tonight we need to hear more marriage counseling in our church no we don't you don't have Miracle issues you've got worship issues you'd get excited about your worship God work a lot of that stuff out in your marriage well my kids want to obey me my kids I I don't have any peace at home you know why you don't have any peace at home goddamn kids would probably like to see you worship I am the additive don't look at me and say raise my kids brother Carpenter I can't fix with four hours a week what you've got hundreds of hours to mess up I got to have you on my side we got to be together in this this ain't some little tapping around little yawning a little yawn praise the Lord praise the lord we need some people to say my god this is my victory this is my I'm gonna I'm gonna wear the ground out with this come on praise him tonight you should have smitten the ground you should have smitten the ground five or six times but because you did it only Thrice you're going to have partial victory because we only Smite worship a few times and we're not consistent with our worship we have partial victory we have Victory a little bit here in Victory a little bit there as a whole Things Fall Apart he said you should have wore it out and that's just something that's just something years ago years ago God delivered me from this and I'm so glad he did because it was a burden I wasn't meant to carry when I used to sit on the platform I felt it was my job too if you didn't worship I was going to intimidate you to worship buddy that was a load that I'm glad I got delivered from because when I hand you worship that's one thing I can't respond for you if I could respond for you God wouldn't have accepted because you're only doing it because I'm telling you to do it if the only time somebody runs around here is when I tell them to run the only time you lift your hands is when somebody tells you lift your hands you see we can tell you we can tell you worship is good but we have to hand the arrow to you and say now it's up to you what do you think about it I'm telling you if you will worship God will work it out if you will worship God will work it out well for time's sake let me go on let me go on no I I'm not gonna go on verse 20. and Elisha died and they buried him you say well why are you going with that because you've got a miracle that should be yours but if you don't show the proper enthusiasm God will take that Miracle to the Grave Elisha had one more miracle in him I personally believe that that one more Miracle went to joash but he forfeited that miracle with the lack of enthusiasm I ask you tonight how many miracles have you forfeited because you've simply not given God everything you've got every time you come to the house of the Lord I wonder how many miracles I wonder how many marriages could have been spared but somehow they didn't take the arrows they looked at worship through the 21st century cynicism of well that was good for you but it's not good for me let me tell you something if brother and sister Carpenter have a good marriage it's because we're good worshipers because we're good worshipers good Elisha died and they buried him and the band of the moabites invaded the land at the coming end of the year verse 21 and he came to pass as they were bearing a man that behold they spied a band of men and they cast the man into the Sepulcher of Elisha and when the man was let down and touched the bones of Elisha the structure of Elisha he revived and stood up on his feet you see that they buried oh Elisha with one more miracle in him one miracle that an enthusiastic worshiper of Yahweh should have received but because because he would not worship God allowed a complete dead stranger to receive that last miracle and he stood up don't know about you there's enough miracles for strangers but I don't want a stranger to get my Miracle I'm going to worship him with all my heart tonight come on with all my soul tonight come on could you lift your hands I hand you the arrow right now could you begin to Smite the ground with your worship hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah come on weary housewife your Victory is in your worship come on delusioned husband your Victory is in your worship tonight your trouble and deliverance is in your worship tonight over looking huh oh y'all know my Monday yeah yeah my God my God my God yes yes yes yes yes yes yes oh yes yes Lord yes Lord Holy Ghost have your way tonight Hallelujah too obvious is he obvious is he obvious you've got it you've got a voice you can raise you've got hands you can clap and articulate I love you God I need you God I gotta have your help God let me tell you tonight as your pastor let me tell you as your pastor and I worship we'll answer any problem in your life if you have fallen victim to this Godless perverted generation and you're a young man and you you feel like you don't identify as a young man and you're a woman and you feel like you don't identify as a woman you don't need a shrink you need worship well I gotta find out what makes me tick you don't need that you need to get in worship you need to get in Praise You need to get in worship he'll deliver you from any and all of your Hang-Ups if you will worship we're gonna teach you if you're an addict we're going to teach you all our life skills but until you learn how to worship there'll be no Deliverance you've got to worship don't overlook don't overlook the obvious my God Of Heaven Jesus don't overlook the obvious I'm not giving you permission for this I'm just telling you if you have to be cynical and critical do it over politics if you have to be cynical and critical turn fox or CNN on but can I tell you something woe be to the person that becomes cynical about the church well I just don't believe in organized religion hey I'm going to the football game oh you don't believe in organized religion but you believe in organized Sports well ain't no man gonna tell me what to do oh is that right you're gonna go to a doctor he's going to walk into a room and address your clothing he's going to say take your clothes off you ain't gonna say do I have to to get better do I have to do this to get better no you just tiptoeing there strip yourself in front of a man you barely know he'll say you get up on a cold steel table stick out your tongue you knew any of that but when it comes to church we can develop a cynical spirit well they're just there because of this they're there to be seen they're just there to be seen oh I don't really like going to church that choir is just there to be seen hey are you going to carpool with me to the Grand Ole Opry you know I got your tree tonight oh we're gonna Vince Gill and I'm just pulling these names out they're they're all they're they're all they're they're all gonna be over here all of them sound like they sing out their nose to me many years ago I saw something for the first time evidently was a concert as in a restaurant and uh this country singer must have been singing in Knoxville because it was a bunch of his fans come in and I noticed that every one of them had a belt on and it was like the poor little fellas bought belts it was too long for them because about a foot of their belt dripped down the side of their leg and I thought man these poor guys couldn't afford any of that and they've lost a lot of weight or something man they come in here and I come to find out that their singer that they idolize he wears his belt that way he wears his hat that way so it's all right for your children to mimic the entertainers of this Godless culture but don't let them get in the church we had a person one time two little girls started attending church here got the Holy Ghost they got the Holy Ghost they wanted to get in the choir they lined up to the choir handbook and got in the choir only to have an Irate parent to call and tell me they felt like it was a cult they said I just feel like that it was a cult now that parent had no problem with those little girls wearing daisy duke shorts and halter tops those those parents have no problem with them little girls having more skin exposed than they had clothing they had no problem but something gets messed up when a little girl gets in church and she looks around at some of these Godly women and some of these Godly men on the Pew and say I'd like to have a suit like that I'd like to part my hair like that I'd like to have a dress like that I'd like to comb my hair like that come on folks the church is the best thing going don't overlook the obvious come on don't overlook the obvious come on praise him right now with me come on praise him right now don't overlook the obvious Luke 15 11. Luke 15 11. and he said a certain man had two sons the younger of them said to his father father give me the goods that falleth to me and he divided unto them his living not many days after the younger son gathered all together and took his journey into a far country there wasted his substance with righteous living and when he had spent all there arose a mighty famine in that land and he began to be in want he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country and he sent him into his fields to feed swine and he would have feigned having filled his belly with the husk to the swine did he that no man gave to him and when he came to himself he said how many hired Servants of my father have breaded up in Despair and I perish with Hunger I will arise and go to my father and I will say unto him father I have sinned against heaven and before thee and I'm no more worthy to be called thy son make me as one of the highest servants he arose came to his father but when he was yet a great way off the father saw him had compassion on him ran and fell on his neck and kissed him and the son said unto him father I have sinned against heaven and in thy sight and I'm no more aware that it be called thy son but the father said to his servants bring the best robe and put it on him and put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet bring Heaven the fatty calf and kill it let us eat and be merry for this my son was dead and is alive he was lost in his found and they began to be married can I tell you something nobody leaves the church in their right mind can you get hurt in the church absolutely are there Hypocrites in the church oh they abound the larger we get the more they're here but there's no hypocrite nor hurt that justifies you leaving the father's house and if you're ever going to overcome your hurt stay right where you're at keep coming right back to the house of God I know they didn't shake your hand I know they talked about you I know they backstabbed you I know you thought they were their friends but don't pay them back by backsliding but God's sake don't do that stay in the church young man what got into you young man what made you think there was something out there that you were missing on that you were missing young man young lady listened to me tonight look at some of these people coming to this church look at some of these these people that are coming back to God look at some of these men and women that got off the path and went out in the world and did their thing look at them coming back we shouldn't have one young man in this youth group looking Google I'd thinking there's something out there in the world there shouldn't be one young woman in our youth group brother Hammond that's looking at the world magazines entertainment whatever it is and thinking I'm missing out on being in here you sure are missing out you're missing out on getting pregnant before you're married you're missing out on getting a man that'll be loyal to you you're missing out on having a foundation in your life that you can build your life of God that's what you're missing out on you're going to have trouble and when the suicide thoughts come to you you're gonna say no no a thousand times no yeah you're missing out you're missing out you're missing out I don't have her permission to tell this I may get her permission and tell it another service but all of this body art and all this stuff they're going and wanting to put all this tattoos and piercings all around my wife and I sat today and talked to a beautiful young woman that went out into the world and did all of that and now she said in her office today and she's saying I'm gonna go get this stuff removed off me I've taken all these piercings out what is she saying she is saying I overlook the obvious it's not out in the world I'm gonna preach this till I get it out of my soul it's not out in the world why are you setting on your hands why are you strolling through your phone tonight why are you here passing time worship worship worship worship God worship tonight worship I can't do it for you I can just tell you to worship I can just tell you to worship worship gender identity I rebuke you in the name of Jesus Christ you demonic devil from Hell I stand over this youth group and I rebuke you in the name come on I can rebuke you but you gotta worship I can rebuke it but you gotta worship I can rebuke the spirit but you've got to worship the Holy Spirit I can rebuke the demon but you've got to worship deity worship I am the Watchman on the wall I can where I can rebuke spirits of perversion they want to come to this church but my rebuking alone will not do the job as I we rebuke demons you have to worship deity glory to God musicians would you come the obvious the obvious the obvious please don't get critical and cynical of the church God whatever you do Mighty God whatever you do be critical politicians be critical of Washington here regardless of who's in office be critical of that but please don't be cynical Luke chapter 16. and verse 19. I want to tell you tonight that this is no parable this is not a parable this is a real event that happened the reason I know it's not a parable when Jesus spoke Parables he never used names but there is the name of a person mentioned in this story his name is Lazarus the name Lazarus means Jehovah's help Jehovah's verse 19 of chapter 16. there was a certain rich man which was clothed in purple and fine linen fared sumptuously every day there was a certain beggar named Lazarus which was laid at his gate full of Sowers you say Pastor Carpenter why is it that the rich man has no name but Lazarus does it's because Lazarus knows the Lord and when you know the Lord you have a name but when you don't know the Lord you have no name depart from me I you don't have a name all you have is a helper that I have given you all you have rich man is a helper Lazarus I've laid him at your gate that means easily accessible I laid him to where it was easy for you to get to him he to get to you he came just Desiring interaction just a little interaction he came just Desiring some bread Desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table moreover the dogs came and lit his Sowers who's back out at my gate oh boy it's a Lazarus again oh fun boy turn the critical dogs loose on him turn the critical spirit loose on him it's Church time again who is that that's real Carpenter oh boy oh boy I hope he Don't Preach too long oh boy that guy he gets loud I I hope he's not loud tonight we got guests here and I just hope we don't go off his script and start talking about I I just would be a little more polished I just wish that he would be more like a TV preacher that make me feel fuzzy and good foreign you better pray to God that you never have someone you call your pastor that studies a sermon to make you feel good you better pray to your God you better pray to your God that you never get a pastor that's more concerned with how much you put in the plate than whether or not you're gonna make it to heaven or not you better pray to God I mean it I mean it we've got to make it Church we've got to make it we've got to make send the dogs after him send a critical spirit after him oh looks like he's got a new pair of shoes on wonder how much they cost looks like he's not a got a new suit on I wonder how much that is oh did you check out he got a new car y'all don't have this happen to you but I do I'll get a new car every now and then somebody feels like they need to go run the model on it to see how much I paid for it man don't you have better things to do in life see when you get a critical spirit the man that does open heart surgery on you I wanted to go around his place and see how much he paid for his car the lawyer that steps in and takes your little girl your little boy's case or your little girl's case and keeps them from pulling 10 years in the pen I wonder if you run his tags and seeing what he paid please don't ever let that Spirit invade your life more of the dogs came and licked his source came to pass that the beggar died was carried by Angels into Abraham's bosom the rich man died and was buried and in hell he lift up his eyes being in torments he seeth Abraham before off and Lazarus in his bosom and he cried and said father here's the tragic here's a tragedy do you know who the rich man is do you know who he is he's a bat sliding Jew he's a backslidden Jew he was a Jew boy that was brought up in the synagogues he was a Jew boy that was brought up right but money got a hold of him turned away from the things the rabbis he became cynical of them the law was too straight for him he as he amasses wealth unbelievable watch the interaction he lift up his eyes being in torment and see if Abraham would fall off and Lazarus and his bosom and he cried are you see him this he cried and said Father Abraham have mercy on me sin God's help to me that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue for I am tormented in this Flame but Abraham said remember it's thou that in thy lifetime thou receive us good things and likewise Lazarus evil things but now he is comfort and thou art tormented besides all this between us and you there's a great Gulf fix so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot neither can they pass to us that would come from fence I'm sorry rich man you missed your opportunity because in hell the Bible says not the worm but their worm their worm says we'll quote it saying Hell the worm dieth not it doesn't say V worm it says their worm will not die and the best way they had of describing what a human brain looked like was that it looked like a glob of worms and what he's actually saying in hell your memory this night thousands like it will be etched in your mind why was I cynical why did I allow that Spirit to get in me why could I give all my enthusiasm to a deer stand a golf club a basketball game but when it come to worship I wanted to there were times I wanted to lift my hands and say Jesus I love you but my friend was here and my other friend was there and what would somebody think there was times I wanted to run in the altar what would somebody say or thing can I tell you tonight don't overlook the office of you will never be happy in the world so why don't you come to God tonight why don't you come to God tonight come on stand with me why don't you come to God right now stop running stop running come on Church help me pray stop running stop running stop stop what you're doing you already know that it's not helping you any you already know you're digging deeper as you go stop running the altar's open right now the altar's open for you right now sir step out of your Pew right now come on step out of your Pew right now make your way to this altar right now I know there's a woman here tonight you need to run to this altar there's a woman here tonight you need to get to this altar right now come on come on church family pray right now in the name of Jesus don't overlook the obvious your joy is in this altar tonight your peace is in this altar tonight your love your joy your peace is in this altar tonight come on right now come on right now come on right now come on church family church family I need you to help me I need the church to come to the altar you're going to create an environment for others to come on push up as close as you can around the altar push up as close as you can don't stand Midway of the altar push up push up into somebody right now come on stand as close as you can oh my God my God my God oh worship worship worship Worship the Lord Worship the Lord Worship the Lord Worship the Lord Worship the Lord Worship the Lord your joy is coming back your peace is coming back worship worship worship Worship the Lord Worship the Lord please Worship the Lord please Worship the Lord worshiped oh God I love you Lord come on let's rededicate come on let's reconsecrate Our Lives let's rededicate Our Lives come on let's pray let's pray till our soul shakes come on pray to your soul shakes tonight you can't die like this you can't die like this Shake Yourself wake yourself okay Mighty God Mighty God the Holy Ghost is moving the Holy Ghost is moving hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah go ahead Tammy go ahead timing your head oh my God Jesus Jesus thank you foreign some of you got Miracle issues going on come on worship tonight come on worship tonight come on some of you are fighting secret battles your body secret battles worship here's the arrow here's the arrow I can't worship for you I can hurt for you but I can't worship for you here's the arrows here's the arrows come on there's chaos there's confusion in your homes here's the arrow worship is gonna make it better that's right that's right that's right I can't worship for you here's the arrow here's the arrow is some husband ought to get his wife by the hand some of youth group want to get together tonight come on youth can worship your way oh my God my God my God my God oh yes God yes for you like nobody's watching nobody's a watching me nobody's listening anything anything foreign this is a time for you to worship don't be looking around oh yeah but Jesus thank you foreign foreign I'm not holding anything anything as Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus thank you Lord I'm gonna test for you Lord I'm gonna sing for you wanna stay for you nothing's gonna handle me Nothing's Gonna silence foreign foreign Jesus Jesus I'm not ashamed to worship the name Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus came to worship you like nothing else matters you're the world nothing else that matters nothing else matters foreign foreign now there are a lot of things that fac of Maryville is known for around the country they'll say yes that's that church with that choir or they may say oh that's that magnificent beautiful building but do you really realize brother Hines what the true beauty of this church is it can be preached to ah the depth of a church is how deep you can put the plow stir the people up and folks say all right we'll do better gear up our prayer life we start recognizing the value of prayer time and prayer the house of God that's what really sets you apart that's really if I could choose I love our choir I love our building but what good would acquire in this building be if you've got to have a sermon that goes like this Mary Had a Little Lamb can be preached to and to that I thank you well does anybody now I'm going to tell you something I don't care how late the train has to run I am writing the train tonight all right I've not got to ride the train I'm about to get a cynical Spirit about this all right God bless you see you Wednesday night 7