The Blessing of Not Enough | Senior Pastor Kenneth Carpenter by Kenneth Carpenter First Apostolic Church of Maryville (Maryville, TN) Kind: sermon Scripture: Mark 6:34-44, John 6:9, Psalm 23:1-6, John 10:11, Psalm 121:1-8, John 2:3, John 2:10, Luke 15:17, 2 Kings 4:1-6 Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/kenneth-carpenter--the-blessing-of-not-enough Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page. Free to copy and share with attribution. ------------------------------------------------------------ It's good to feel the wonderful presence of Jesus Christ in this room. You must remember this is why we do everything that we do. That song sums it all up. We just want to see your face, Lord. Show show me show me your face. And aren't you thankful this morning? Aren't you thankful for the presence of God that you feel right now? Come on. Aren't you thankful for the presence of God? choir. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. I'm I'm glad. I'm very thankful that the manifestation of the presence of God is a regular thing here at at AC of Mville. I'm I'm glad that this is not something that we just have happen every now and then and we blow social media up saying, "Man, we had good church today." I'm so thankful to be in a consistent church where the glory of God is a regular occurrence here because we have prayer and we have praise and we have worship and it's just a it's just a regular. It's just it's just something that's that's regular. God. >> I was shaking hands with the Ivan's family today, and they were telling me that their little granddaughter, two or three years of age, their little granddaughter gets very upset if we don't baptize somebody. All right? They're amazing. They're wonderful. She gets very upset. We don't So, so you better not upset that baby today. Okay? Bible talked about offending a little child. You So, you're here today and you've not been baptized. will baptize you in Jesus name. Having said that, how many is thankful that you were baptized in the name >> that is above all other name. So very very so extremely so extremely thankful for that this morning. Um I want we we have some special guests here today and um I I want to recognize them for a number of reasons, but there's one reason that I want to recognize them. Um, anytime your father serves in a national position in an organization such as the position that I hold with our Assemblies of the Lord Jesus Christ, we let them know some 13 years ago when the brethren elected me to this position. We let them know very quickly or the organization found out very quickly that they not only elected me but they also elected my family and they not only elected my family, they elected the church that I pastor, First Apostolic Church of Mville. They they really elected all that because we all have that burden now. We all we all carry that burden. We we give Amen. We give and we go and we spend uh for the furtherance of the kingdom of God through the assemblies of the Lord Jesus Christ. And uh by by no means today uh is that a complaint. That's an honor. It's a joy to serve, isn't it? It's it's a it's a joy to serve. Brother Sister Bentley, would you all stand right now? Brother Sister Bentley, would you stand? And uh they're so precious. Sister Bentley, her father was brother Chambers with the United Pentecostal Church. He served, Brother Chambers served as the general superintendent and the general secretary of the United Pentecostal Church for several years. And uh we are just so deeply honored. They frequent watchers here at FAC Meritville and we're so thankful. Brother Sister Bentley, thank y'all so much. Thank you so much for being with us today. And I know that that that's taken a toll on them, but it's it's a good thing. It's a good thing when you advance the kingdom of God. If you have your Bibles and would stand with me today, thank you choir for an excellent job. Mark chapter 6 and verse number 34. Our youth group from Kentucky. We're so honored to have them and a group of young champions for the Lord Jesus Christ and group that are doing a great great job there in in the great state of Kentucky. Brother Sister Cook, it's so good to have y'all here. His he's a good friend of mine, but his father is my dear friend and I love him so very very much. Verse number 34 of Mark chapter 6. And Jesus when he came out saw much people and was moved with compassion toward them because they were as sheep not having a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things. And when the day was now far spent, his disciples came to him and said, "This is a desert place and now the time is far spent. send them away that they may go into the country roundabout and into the villages and buy themselves bread for they have nothing to eat. He answered and said unto them, give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, Shall we go and buy 200 pentilo of bread and give to them to eat? He saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? Go and see. And when they knew, they say, Five and two fishes. And he commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass. They sat down in ranks, by hundreds, and by 50s. And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven and blessed and break the loaves and gave to them to gave them to his disciples to set before them. And the two fishes divided he among them all. And they did all eat and were filled. And they took up 12 baskets full of fragments and of the fishes. And they did eat of the loaves. And they that did eat of the loaves were about 5,000 men. One more verse of scripture found in the Gospel of John. John chapter 6 and verse number nine. John chapter 6 and verse number nine. It's a just um we have Mark's recording of this miracle. And this is the same miracle. But John adds something that I think we need to look at for a moment. John 6 and9. There is a lad here which have five barley loaves, two small fishes. But what are they among so many? What are they among so many? I want to minister today and I just want to preach some faith in here. I just want to preach some faith in here. My message title will be the depth of the message today. But I want to preach some faith in the house today. I want to get someone believing in the God that believes in them. Amen. And so for a few moments today, I want to minister on the blessing the blessing of not enough. The blessing of not enough. If you have a prayer request today, will you lift your hands with me right now? Father, in the name of Jesus, I ask for your help today. God, you know the names that scroll across these screens today. And Lord, you know the names of people, God, here in this church. Lord, I pray that you heal the sick and you deliver those that are bound. But Lord, today I ask you that you would anoint my lips of clay. That I would speak your word, God. That I would Lord, be used as an instrument and as a tool, Lord, to reach people today that we would begin to believe in the God that believes in us. And Lord, I just ask you to anoint me in Jesus mighty name we all pray today. Would you give the Lord a great hand of praise as you're being seated right now? A great hand of praise. The Bible says that Jesus had told the disciples that they were to get in a boat and that they were to go across to the other side and there they were to rest a while for it says they had no leisure. They had no leisure time. So Jesus wanted to get the disciples away for them to rest. But the Bible adds and says that the people the people saw when Jesus got in the boat. It uses the word privately. The people saw when Jesus got in the boat and uh he the people saw the direction the boat was going. So when Jesus and the disciples got to the other side of the sea, there was quite a multitude there that were waiting on Jesus and the disciples. Quite a multitude. And uh as a matter of fact, it's average it believes it was somewhere around 25,000 had followed Jesus to the to the other side about 25 about 25,000. And the Bible says that when Jesus saw the people, when he saw the people that he saw them, and he used this phrase, he saw them as sheep without a shepherd. He viewed humanity as sheep, not having not having a shepherd. He looked upon this estimated 25,000 and he saw the ultimate need of humanity which is to have a shepherd. He saw them and he had compassion on them and he began to teach them many things. He began to teach them about the kingdom of God. You think about it for a moment. Sheep without a shepherd are defenseless. Sheep without a shepherd are open to the predator, the lion, the bear, the animals, the predators. Sheep without a shepherd, they don't have a long lifespan because they they don't have anyone there to protect them. Can I can I tell you today the reason that we send a a crew a group of people to Georgia to the correctional centers in North America. The reason that we do that is how we view people here at First Apostolic Church. We view people the same way that Jesus viewed people today. we we viewed and I asked them to put a picture of just I just went online and got a bunch of people faces of people because how we view how we view people today how we how we view people today if you don't know him if you've never been born again of the water and the spirit they are sheep without a shepherd humanity is an easy target it's an easy target for all of hell's destructive methods and modes. It's all it's just a easy it's just an easy just a very easy target today. One reason that we send a group to Ohio to go into a correctional center is we see people, brother Joel, we see people as sheep without a shepherd. And I don't know how this will do today, but I am so thankful for the open door that God has given First Apostolic Church. I'm so thankful that he has opened a door to the Mandarin Chinese people of our community. because the Mandarin Chinese speaking people of our community, they uh they need to have a shepherd. And we're we're translating right now. Not only do we translate in Spanish, but we translate in Mandarin Chinese right now our precious, beautiful Mandarin Chinese speakaking people that are here. And uh I'm not satisfied that they they can only understand I'm not satisfied that they can only understand during church. But but I like I got me a device here and I made a greeting for him this morning. I don't know if you can hear it or not, but >> >> You know what I just said? I said the Lord Jesus loves you with a love that we cannot fathom with our human minds. It is a blessing from God to have you here today. You see, we got to see people the same way that Jesus sees people. We don't see the women in the in the correctional center. they ought to be there. We see them as sheep without a shepherd. That's that's the way that we that's the way that we see them. But think with me today. The only way that we can understand what it's like to have to be sheep without a shepherd is to look at what it means to have a shepherd. And there's no better passage of scripture than Psalms 23. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. That is a declaration of a decision that has been made. How many are glad you've made a declaration? The Lord is my shepherd. >> I shall not. That That is a That is a declaration of my faith today. But it's not only a declaration of my faith. It is announcement to the hounds of hell. You better not mess with me because the Lord is my shepherd. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. That word there, l want means to lack. I shall not be lacking. I have peace and I have contentment in my life. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He leadth me beside the still water. Can I tell you? Sheep without a shepherd don't have anybody to lead them. That's why they just meander through this world and the adversary reaches out for them. He restoreth my soul. He leadth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. You see, sheep without a shepherd, they don't have anyone to bring them back to their original use. When you restore something, you find it and you bring it back to its original use. He restoreth my soul. When he finds us, we are sinners. We are ignorant of the beautiful, blessed ways of God. But I'm glad when the shepherd finds us, he begins to bring us back to our original state. >> Yay, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. I don't know about you, but he's a peace speaker in the middle of my storm. >> I don't know about you, I don't know about you. I can't answer for you today, but I'm going to tell you, there's some storms he's taken away immediately, and there's other storms that he has just let linger around. But whether he takes it away immediately or lets it set in for a few years, I know the peace speaker today, the clouds can't be too dark for the peace speaker. The wind cannot be too furious for the peace speaker. I'm glad today that I know the peace speaker. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemy. My cup runth over. You anoint my head. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. I'm going to tell you something. When you know him as your shepherd, there is constantly a spirit of expectation >> that is in your life. As a little boy, Sunday mornings, as a little boy, Sunday mornings began with a religious TV program. My mom and dad would turn the TV on on Sunday morning and it was Oral Roberts presentation, but he had Oral Roberts had a theme song, Brother Mayfred. He had a theme song. Something good is going to happen. Sorry about singing to you today. Something good. Jesus of Nazareth is passing your way. Can I tell you when you have him as your shepherd, you keep a constant state of expectancy because surely goodness and mercy shall follow me. That word there in the Hebrew means to pursue. It means to run after. So listen to this. I've got the spirit of expectation. I've got the spirit of something good that's in hot pursuit of me. That's that's the spirit of expectation. I'm not going down. I'm not I'm going up. I'm not going to be beat. I'm going to be more than a conqueror. I may be sick, but I'm either going to get healed or I'm going to get my ultimate healing. Y'all y'all understand what I'm saying today? Something good when you have him as your shepherd. Something good. How can you lose with this? Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me. Shall be in pursuit of me. There's something behind me going to catch me. and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. That's in front of me, folks. We've got heaven. You think this is good, man? What a song this morning. Show me your face. What a presence of God came down this morning. Show me your face. >> But we haven't seen nothing yet. >> I said we haven't seen nothing yet. >> You think these services are good? You just wait till that trumpet sounds and in a moment in the twinkling of an eye, the mortal is changed to immortality and we rise to meet him in the sky. Oh, what a great I'm talking about heaven this morning. No more sickness, no more pain. But if you don't have a shepherd, if you don't have a shepherd, you have no expectancy, which leads you to having no hope. And that's why a lot of people have ended their lives is because they woke up one morning and they said, "I don't have any hope." And they didn't have any hope because they didn't have a shepherd. That's why people have have ended their lives because they simply had no hope, no expectancy. Philip Keller in the book a shepherd's look at the 23rd Psalm writes that sheep he writes these words not to share them with you he he writes that sheep do not lie down easily you can't get sheep to lie down easily and they will not unless four conditions are met. You cannot get a sheep to lie down unless that sheep has four conditions that are met because sheep are timid. They will not lie down if they are afraid. If they're fearful, they will not lie down. And because they are social animals, they will not lie down if there is friction among the other sheep. All right, you get this. If they're afraid, you're ain't going to get them to lie down. If there's friction among other sheep, you're not going to get them to lie down. The third thing, if flies or parasites are swarming around, they will not lie down. And finally, if sheep are anxious about food or hungry, they will not lie down. A sheep will only lie down. They will only rest because the shepherd has met four things in their life. Fear, friction, flies, and famine. Can I tell you, we got a good shepherd today. Matter of fact, he said, "I am the good shepherd." >> And then he he qualified what a good shepherd is. He said in John, he said, "I am the good shepherd." John 10:11, he said, "I am the good shepherd." And the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. We sing that song, coming out of my grave clothes, running out of that grave. You know why we can come out of our grave clothes and run out of that grave? Because the good shepherd came out of his grave clothes and the good shepherd ran out of the grave. It's not a fast song that makes you feel good. It's not that you're singing about I'm running out of my grave clothes. No, no, no. If he hadn't run out of his grave clothes, we couldn't run out of our grave clothes. If he hadn't rose on the third day, we're not going to rise on that resurrection day. I'm here to tell you today because he lives. I can face tomorrow. >> Because he lives all fear gone. You see that fear that we have of death, that fear that we have of death is conquered through our great savior, our great shepherd. These these uh shepherd, he meets these things of friction. Can I tell you today that in this room is several hundred people that have several different backgrounds, that have several different opinions. There are stubborn people here. There's timid people here. There's contentious people here. There's people that would just just there there's people their temperament. They're just, you know, they're they're they're just like the Apostle Peter. They're ready to go to prison with Jesus and the next minute they don't know who he is. >> Oh, come on. >> We're just a bunch of people that are gathered here. But what causes us not to have friction? The Lord is our shepherd. >> Because we've all got one thing in common. Matter of fact, let's just do this for a moment. Let's just do this for a moment. At the count of three, at the count of three, I want you to say your name so loud you can hear yourself say your name. At the count of three, are will you help me this morning? Will you not flake out on me? Will you help me this morning? At the count of three, I want you to say your name. All right. One, two, three. Say it again. One, two, three. >> It's your name, right? I can't understand anything, but I did understand one child back here. Now, at the count of three, tell me what name saved you. One, two, three. >> Jesus. >> At the count of three, tell me who you're going to see in the clouds. One, two, three. Can I tell you that's the difference? When we represent oursel there's friction. When we represent oursel there's differences. When we represent oursel there's all kind of things that go on. But we have come here this morning to say God show me thy glory. We take a moment today to express. Can we just take a moment today to express to God our thanks for him being our shepherd? Now, if Psalms 23 doesn't help you, I want you to look closely at Psalms 121:8. And if this doesn't do something to you, your do something needs to be worked on. All right. Psalms 121 and verse number one. I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made the heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved. He that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is thy keeper. The Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not spi smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil. He shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, even for ever more. Now, that's that's a good that's a good psalm, right? But you know something, that was the second song they sang when they set out to go to the house of God. When they got ready to go worship God, somebody said, let's sing that second song. I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills from which cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord. What do people do that don't have the Lord as their helper? He saw humanity as sheep >> without a shepherd. >> It's way he saw them. Could we just take a moment today and thank God for being our shepherd? Can we just thank him for being our shepherd right now? Come on, lift up your voices. Thank him for being our shepherd right now. If you're thankful, God, I'm thankful you've been my helper. You've been my guide. Oh God, I thank you that you found me in my sin, God, and filled me with the Holy Ghost. Let me be baptized in your name and begin to teach me the wonderful ways of God. Lord, I thank you, God. On the darkest days of my life, you've held my hand and seen me through God. I thank you, Lord. You're the God that made heaven and earth. And I thank you that you never slumber. You never sleep. You don't have office hours. You don't go on a vacation. You're an everpresent help in the time of need. Can we give God a thunderous hand clap of praise right now? He sees the He sees the people as sheep without a shepherd. And he spends the majority of the day teaching them the ways of the kingdom of God. These people that were sheep without a shepherd. He spends time. Jesus spends time. It's coming down to the end of the day. The sun is setting because Jesus will invest himself in people that don't have a shepherd. He invested. He had he had compassion. He didn't look at them and say, "Don't y'all know we're trying to go on vacation? We don't we don't even The Bible said we don't even have any leisure time so much as to eat. Don't you know I brought the disciples across the sea to get them away from the crowd for a few days and have a little rest." No, he didn't say that because he saw them as sheep without a shepherd. He spends the greater part of the day, the sun is going down and the disciples, they begin to get they care. They care. And so they come to Jesus and they said, "You know, Jesus, it' probably be a good thing if you quit teaching a little early and let the people disperse into the villages round about be because Jesus uh they don't have anything to eat. They don't they don't have anything to eat and it be you you probably the sun's going down. You probably need to let the crowd go so they can go get something. They can go in the villages around and get something to eat." And then Jesus says something strange back to them. He said, "You feed them. You feed them." You see, now let me turn the sermon a brother. Let me turn the sermon. Sheep without a shepherd are going to be fed by the people that do have a shepherd. He turns around and he says, "You feed them." Now, I don't know the disciple that said it. I don't know if he's angry. I don't know if he's laughing. But they say to Jesus, "Lord, 200 penny worth would not be sufficient to give everybody just a bite of food." Now, 200 penny worth that is one year's wages of the average Roman citizen. It's one year's wages. one year's wages of the average Roman citizen. In other words, you don't really know what they're saying. You think we ought to spend that much money or you don't know what they're really saying. This is laughable, Jesus. Even a year's wages wouldn't but just give them a a little something, just a little something to eat. And you know what? Jesus asked him a question. He says, "How many loaves do you have?" How many loaves do you have? You see, God's way of provision always begins with what we already have. He wants us to use what we already have wisely. You you you see Jesus says, "Well, you you know, I just like to know what do you have? Can I tell you that all of us have something for the people in our world today that have no shepherd? All right. All of us have something. He said, "How many how many loaves do you have? Go and see." So they went, they found a little boy. His mama had packed him a lunch. He had five. And And don't get these don't don't get these big loaves of bread. When we talk about loaves of bread, they have five loaves. They're not talking about big long talking about little little balls of of of of bread, you know, like like take a couple slices of bread and wad it up, make a ball. And he said this, it has five little loaves of bread and two fishes. That's all that's all they got. So the theme here, the theme here is we don't have enough. We we we don't have enough. We don't have enough for the people that don't have a shepherd. We don't have enough for the 25,000 out there. We we we we don't have enough. C can I tell you that uh you don't really ever see miracles in your life until you realize that you're you're not enough. >> And and and we're not enough. Can I can I tell you this beautiful ed edifice that we have called a church building is not enough for the drug addict. This beautiful place here is not enough for those that are on the verge of suicide. This uh this beautiful choir that took us into heaven today singing is is simply not enough. I'm not knocking our building. We built it. I'm not knocking our choir. We believe in it. But anytime we begin to believe that our preacher, our people, our building, our choir, our singing, our coffee shop, our daycare, our school is enough, we're going to see God sit back and say, "Well, you just feed them." But I'm going to tell you, you don't have enough to feed them. But if we can ever get the mentality, God, I don't have enough, but I'll give what I have, which is not enough. I'll put it into the hand of he that can do exceedingly and abundantly above all that we can ask and or think. Not enough. We don't have enough. We don't have enough. Not enough bread. Not enough fish. He said, "Give me what you deem as not enough." Now, I know the way that we pray, maybe this might help us all realign our prayer for food. When we pray over our food, you know, we bow our head when we pray and we thank God for our food, which I believe that's right to do. But, you know, when Jesus was handed that bread and those fish, he didn't bow his head. He lifted up his head. And he didn't thank God for the five loaves and two fishes. He began to thank God. He began to thank God. Now, I know you may say, "Well, you're swallowing, you know, you're you're you're you're straining a net, and swallowing camel." No. Well, but but but I think we need to get it straight today. We need to take our not enough and we need to look up. The Bible said, "Lift up your eyes." Some of you, you have let a spirit of not enough drive you away. You're not going to give it to God because it's not enough. You're not going to let God touch your life because you don't feel like you're good enough. But somehow on this beautiful August Sunday morning, I'd like to preach a little faith into somebody's heart that would say, "You know what, pastor? You're right. I'm not enough. I'll never be good enough. But let me put my life in the hand of a God that can take not enough. Now, it's amazing. You're here today and you'd fall under the category as a sheep without a shepherd. It's amazing. Thank God for your hunger to know more about God. But in order to be fed, Jesus told the disciples, "Make them sit down in groups of 50s and a hundreds." Make them sit down. Now, now let me say this to you. God is not this hocus pocus God that he waves a one and all your problems go away. You can get baptized today. You can have problems today. You can get baptized and get the Holy Ghost today. I'm just going to be honest to you and transparent with you. You still going to have problems in life. You're still going to have those problems. But if we can ever learn to sit down and get structured, to let God put structure on our lives, to get some structure about us, he said, make them sit down in groups of 50s and hundreds. And then when they sat down, he began to distribute to them the miracle bread, the not enough that become more than enough. He began to distribute the fish that were not enough but now becomes more than enough. They start out with five loaves and two fishes. But after Jesus, 25,000 were fed. After Jesus, they were fed. Not only were they fed, the Bible said they were filled. They all did eat and were filled. They got all they wanted. It was a buffet. They got all they wanted. And after the 25,000 got all that they wanted, Jesus says, "Now pick up the fragments that nothing be lost." And they picked up 12 basket baskets full of bread and of fish. Now, here's what I want to tell you today. Jesus seems to be able, it doesn't seem he does, he is able to take our not enough and when he's done with our not enough, we seem to have more than enough. I I know it don't make any sense in the natural man, but when you get a part of the spiritual kingdom, you realize I'm going to give my not enough. I I don't have enough time in the week, but I got enough time to come to the house of God. I don't have enough energy. I'm wore out on Sunday, but I got enough energy to lift my hands, clap my hands, stomp my feet, shout unto the Lord because God seems to be able to take not enough. And when it's all said and done, I have 12 baskets and it's more than I just want to preach a I just want to preach a little faith here this morning. I I really I just want to preach a little faith here today. It seems like this is the way that Jesus works, the first miracle that Jesus performed was because they didn't have enough. The first miracle he performed, they didn't have enough wine. They ran out of wine. But when they listen to his instructions and and I like this and I and I don't want to get sidetracked here because I could really get sidetracked not keep on my my message today. But you will understand that miracles involve the movement of servants. Anytime servants start moving, miracles start happening. Miracles don't happen when servants are sitting. Miracles doesn't happen when we're sucking our thumb grieving over what we don't have. Miracles happen when we the servants begin to move and the servants begin the servants begin to work. The servants fill the water pots with water and the water was turned in to good wine. That's why they don't have enough wine. In John, they don't have enough wine. In John chapter 2 verse number three, they said they wanted wine. But when the servants got to moving, and they were obedient to what God said. John 2 verse number 10, the governor of the feast, he saith unto them, every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine. And when they have well drunk than that which is worse, but thou hast kept the good wine until now. The governor didn't know. He was surprised because when they brought out this new supply of wine, it was the best of ever because in that day, you brought out the good wine first. When their pallet was saturated with the good wine, then they brought out the cheap stuff. And that they didn't know the difference between good wine and cheap stuff. But this governor says, "I I I got to stop the wedding right now and I just got to make a comment. Most people serve the good wine first. But you have served the best for the last. You know why that is? Because Jesus never leaves you with not enough. He always gives you more than enough. He gives you more than I I want to I I know I'm keep saying this today, but I feel like there's somebody in the house. You have been beat down long enough. You have felt that you're not good enough long enough. You have felt like you cannot be reached long enough. You have felt like your life is over and you're just in your 30s and you just think, "My life is over." I've come to tell somebody, you've got enough time for God to turn your life around. Shake it off. Get up. Let God do a work in your life. story of the prodical son. He has taken his inheritance. He has taken what his father worked hard for. He has taken his inheritance. He's asked for his inheritance early. He got his inheritance and his suitcase and he left the father's house and he went into a foreign country and he began to drink liquor and he began to run with harlots and he began to run with the wrong crowd and he finds himself broke. He finds himself out of money and he finds himself out of friends. Nobody's going to help them. That's a lie from the pit of hell that people out there will help you. I'm telling you, people with a shepherd are the ones that are going to help you. Because out in the world, it's excuse me, but it's a dog eat dog world out there. But when you get in the house of God where there's people that have a shepherd, they're going to start saying, "Let me let me help you. Let me help you." He is broke. He gets a job feeding swine, which was the lowest degrading job that a Jewish person could have. He's in the He's in the mire with the pigs. He's in the mire with the swine. He's He would have He got so hungry that he would have reached in what the pigs were eating and pulled it to his own mouth. But something happened to him. He came to himself. Luke 15:17. He came to himself and he said, "I'm going to remember the father's house. I'm going to remember where I come from." How many servants, hired servants of my fathers have bread enough and I perish with hunger? Some of you that are following me on the screen or in your Bible. Did I leave something out there about the father? Let me let me try. Let me let me try it again. Let's see if we leave something out. This father here represents the good shepherd, our God. How many hired servants of my fathers have bread enough and I perish with hunger? >> Have I left something out there? Yeah, I did. I left the word out and the spare because God doesn't only have bread enough. He's got leftovers. He's got He is a God that has enough and spare. You will never deplete the resources of the almighty God. You'll run out in the world, prodical son. You ran out of money and you ran out of friends and and you're a pig pin feeding pigs. But now you say, "I just remember my father." And my father, the hired servants have bread enough and despair and I perish with hunger. Here's what I'll do. I'll go back to him and say, "Father, I realize my past, I messed it up with harlots and liquor. I realize that my past, I will never be what I was in my past. I realize that my mistake of harlots and liquor, I realize that I'll never be back where I once was. I I realize that. I'm cool with that. Just make me as one of your hired servants. Just Just let me sleep out back. Just let me just let me I don't have to have a name. I'm just a hired servant. And so the boy started making his way. He didn't have enough money. He didn't have enough morals. He didn't have enough. All he had was enough to pray. That's all he had. He had enough to pray. Father, just make me as one of your hired servants. But the prodal is not going to come back in the presence of the father- and and and not receive more than what he asked for. All I want I realize I can never be a son again. I bloated harlots and liquor. I bloated. I realize I made the mistake. I realize I'm an excon. I realize I'm a divorce e. I realize I've got a record at the courthouse. I realize that in the back is done and gone. But you don't realize you're trying to look at God as a human man. You can't do that, friend. Because when that boy started walking back to his father and he started saying, "Just make me a hired servant." God said, "No, I'm tell you what I'm going to do. I'm going to tell you what I'm going to do. I'm going to show you signs of affection. I held you when you were saved. I'm going to hold you now that you're coming back. I kissed you when you were in my house. I'm going to kiss you now that you're coming back. I wrapped you in Oh my God. I wrapped you in my arms when you were here. I'll wrap you in my arms now. And the boy the boy didn't hardly get it out of his mouth. Just made me a servant. And the father starts barking off orders. Bring a robe. Bring a ring. Bring shoes. Strike up the band. Have a party. Kill the fatty calf. Can I tell you nowhere in the pig pin did the boy say, "I'd like to have a robe. I'd like to have a ring. I'd like to have shoes. I'd like to have a party." But you don't realize when you're coming back with just enough. God is going to give you more. Oh, I'd like to preach a little faith here this morning. Shake somebody up real good. more than enough. Come on. If you thank God that happened to you, would you give him praise right now? Come on, keep the noise going right now. He got much more. He got the forgiveness of the father, a robe, shoes, a ring, a party. Why you going to throw a party? Because my son that is lost is found. My son that was dead is alive. Let me go on for a few more moments today. 2 Kings 4 verse number one. Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant, my husband, is dead, and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the Lord. Creditor has come to take unto him my two sons to be his bondman." Elisha said unto her, "What shall I do for thee? Tell me, what hast thou in the house?" She said, "My servant hath not anything in the house except a pot of oil." And that's commonly believed for the Hammond that it was the old anointing flask, a small container that held oil for anointing and consecrating things. He was a servant to Elisha. That would make sense. He had this small flask of anointing oil. She said, "My husband is dead. creditors have come to take my two sons to be bondmen. I have nothing. Would you help me? And Elijah said, "What do you have in the house?" And she said, "Just, you know, I don't have enough. I I don't have enough. What do you have?" I just got a little pot of little th flask of oil. A few few ounces of oil. Then he said, "Go borrow thee vessels abroad of thy neighbors, even empty vessels. Borrow not a few. And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee, and upon thy sons, and shall pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full." It's unusual. You see, God, in order to work, he needs empty vessels. He needs empty. If you're full of yourself today, I got news for you. If you're full of yourself today, God can't help you. But if you'll get empty of yourself today and realize your help cometh from the Lord, you watch God begin to do a work. So go borrow empty vessels, bring them into the house. Verse five, so she went from him and shut the door upon her and her sons. They borrowed the vessels who brought the vessels to her and she poured out. Pay real close attention here. And it came to pass that when the vessels were full that she said unto her son, "Bring me yet a vessel." And he said unto her, "There is not a vessel more." And the oil stayed. that oil began to miraculously be multiplied as long as there was empty vessels. As long as there was empty vessels, the oil was miraculously multiplied and fill this pot and that pot, this pot, and that pot, this pot, and that jug, and this cup, and this, and it be and she's just pouring and pouring and pouring, and she says, "Hey, bring me another vessel." He said, "We we don't have any more empty empty. There's there there's no more empty vessels. It does not say the oil ran out. It says the oil stay because God can be in this room today hovering over your head. But if you don't empty yourself, that oil will just stay in that container. But if you can ever learn how to empty yourself in the presence of God, the oil will begin to be poured out. How many today How many today realize with me? You're not enough. I'll lead the way as your pastor. I'm not enough. I'm not enough. I'm not enough to pastor you. That's why I'm going to find myself a prayer room because I'm not enough. God help you. If you're leaning on me, come hear me preach. Come hear me teach. I'll show you the ways of God the best that I can see them. But don't you ever put don't you ever put confidence in flesh because flesh is just the not enough that comes in God's presence and says, "God, you know that I've got to be." You see, you would stand with me this morning. Not enough. Anybody here today, I just don't feel like I'm good enough. I just feel like if you if you'll just be patient with me, Brother Carpenter, be patient with our marriage. Be patient with us, Brother Carpenter. If you'll just be patient with us, Brother Carpenter, I promise one day I'm going to get good enough to do this and good enough to do that. I'm going to I'm really going to serve God one day when I get good enough. You will never serve God because the fact is that none of us are good enough today. But we don't have to take that and leave here in shame. We can take our good enough. We can take we can we can take our not enough and we can come and stand in the presence of God in just a moment and let God begin to fill our vessels with more than enough today. More than enough. Zakius, where you going, fella? I'm going to see Jesus. I'm going to see Jesus. Where you going, Zakius? I'm going to see Jesus. Well, you can try, Jack. Zakius. The crowd crowds already gathered. They lined both sides of the streets up. After all, Zakius, you're not tall enough to look over a crowd. You see, Zakius wasn't tall enough to look over the crowd, but he didn't allow that to keep him from spotting a sycamore tree. And the sycamore tree, he said, "I think I could climb that sycamore tree." And boy, did he. You see, we say he climbed the sycamore tree to see Jesus. We got it all wrong. He didn't climb the sycamore tree to see Jesus. He climbed the sycamore tree for Jesus to see him. You see, today God is just looking. He's He's prowling these altars right now. I wonder how many Zakius is going to come to this sycamore tree. I wonder how many Zakius are going to come this sycamore tree. Bel Carpenter, where you going, Gyrus? I'm in a hurry. Don't Don't bother me. I'm in a hurry. What are you What are you in a hurry for? My daughter was taking her last few breaths. I I I I got to get to Jesus. If I could get to Jesus, I I don't have enough time. I got to get to Jesus. And he says, "Jesus, come. My daughter's at the point she's she's drawing her last few breaths. I don't have enough time." All of a sudden, a servant came, "Brother Duff," and the servant said to him, "Don't trouble the master anymore. Go ahead and let him go. You ran out of time, Gyrus. You ran out of time. Your daughter drew her last breath about 20 minutes ago. You you you ran out of time. But Jesus looks he that is the same today, yesterday, and forever more. He that time means absolutely nothing says, "Don't be fearful, but only believe." You haven't run out of time today. If you can get down here in this altar, God can begin to move and God can begin to touch. Come on, would you bow your heads with me right now? All over this room, would you help me pray? Faith. Faith. Faith in this room right now. Faith right now. Faith right now. I'm telling you, you're not enough, sir. Ma'am, you're not enough. You'll never be good enough. You'll never be talented enough. You'll never be smart enough. You'll never never never never. But if you can get to this altar today, with you're not enough, there's a God that's going to look down from heaven and there's a God that's going to begin to pour out. He's looking. This is a sick tree today. He's looking. Come on, choir. Come on, church. Move up as close as you can around the altar