The God Of The Dirt Road | Senior Pastor Kenneth Carpenter
by Kenneth Carpenter
First Apostolic Church of Maryville (Maryville, TN)
Kind: sermon
Scripture: Genesis 2:7, Genesis 3:14, 1 Peter 5:8, John 10:10, Ephesians 4:25-27, John 8:44, Genesis 3:19, Genesis 13:16, Exodus 8:16, Isaiah 29:16, Isaiah 64:8, Jeremiah 18:4, Matthew 1:23, Luke 1:34-35, Acts 2:27, John 14:10, 1 Timothy 3:16, John 9:1-7, 1 Corinthians 15:12-14, 1 Corinthians 15:20-23, Acts 2:4, 2 Corinthians 4:7, Matthew 6:21, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Zechariah 14:1-9

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

------------------------------------------------------------
You believe that this morning? You believe that this morning? If you're not already standing, would you stand? If you're physically able to stand today, there's a promise coming down that dusty road today. There's a promise >> coming down that dusty road today. Don't that song excites you when it said he looked death right in the face? >> Hurled death of something. I don't know about you, but my goosebumps got goosebumps when they said that. I so thankful for that today. If you have your Bible and would join me in the book of Genesis, chapter 2 and verse number 7. While you're looking at that, Mother Davis, we're so honored to have you back in our church today worshiping. It's always an honor to have Mother Davis with us from Savannah, Tennessee. And and of course, their family now through uh Fallon and Chad and Angie. And we're so thankful to have thankful to have them. They keep getting grandchildren and great grandchildren here at FAC. We'll probably see them move here one day. Amen. And so we're thankful we're thankful for that. Sister Ashley, it's so good to have you at First Apostolic this morning. uh she has the ministry of a a podcast that is called Pillar Diaries and uh it's about people that have been broken and people that have experienced the lifechanging transformation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Sister Rhonda uh Bennett is on one of those and and telling her testimony. Very powerful people. There's a lot of broken people. Matter of fact, everybody that's either broken now or been broken in life, would you raise your hand? Look around here. There's a few perfect people. They're either most of us are broken. And Sister Ashley, we thank you for your ministry that that you have and they're going to be doing a session today with with First Lady, and that's going to be that's going to be awesome. Sister Vickers, it's so good to have you with us this morning. and um just friends and friends of the family. Amen. There's a promise coming down that dusty road. How many need a promise today? >> Need a promise. Genesis chapter 2 and verse number seven. And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the earth or of the ground, breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul. Let's pray. Jesus, as I have asked you in private and now I ask you publicly so that when this happens, God, you receive all the glory. I pray today that you would anoint me to bring light into a dark world. I pray today, God, that you would anoint me to encourage your people. I pray today, God, that through the word, you will manifest yourself through the preaching of the word. that God, you would move up and down the aisles and in between the pews and inspire hope in the lives of all the people that are here and those that are worshiping with us on live stream this morning. In Jesus' name, we all pray today. If you believe we're going to receive today, would you give him a hand of praise before you're seated? There's a promise coming down that dusty road. For a few moments today, for a few moments today, I want to teach on the subject of the God of the dirt road. The God of the dirt. The God of the dirt road. You know, a wonderful way to study your Bible is to use a method called the law of first mention. When you find a subject in the Bible or a character in the Bible, you want to study the life of Abraham, just don't go to chapter 22 of Genesis and start studying, but go back to the first place that Abram or Abraham is first mentioned and just run it through your entire Bible. Go over into the New Testament. Find if they're mentioned in the New Testament. And uh when you when you when you use the law of first mention and you just go on that road, you just go on that road, that law of first mention, you come to the very end of it, you have a more comprehensive understanding. You see, if you only knew Abraham from chapter 22 of Genesis, you would miss out on so much about Abram's life and and and in all. you just have him as somebody that God told to sacrifice a son and and he and he was willing to and that but there's much more about Abraham and and so it is here in Genesis chapter 2 verse number 7 I want to begin with the law first mentioned that when God created God formed God fashioned the first man Adam however that might have looked like how however that may have looked like and we we know that God is described in the Bible using human terms, but it doesn't it doesn't when it says the hand of the Lord was upon him doesn't simply means that God's hand was there ju just like it describes the dividing of the Red Sea with Moses in it and and the writer says in the Bible by the nostrils of God the waters were parted. Well, that doesn't mean that God's nose poached through the air and and blew upon that. He's just using a he's using a human term to describe the the ways of God. And thank God that he does because we could not understand him >> unless the Bible broke it down this way. I I don't know how this looked. I can surmise how it might have looked. Uh the spirit of God could have blew up on the dust and and um blew it in the direction in the right place and and and the the the form of a man was there. legs and arms and a head and and ears and and and and all of that. But but yet all he was was dust. All he was was all he was was dirt. God worked with dirt until he breathed into man and man became a living soul. So he is a man is a composite and so are we of the earth and of God. So now man becomes a composite of earth, dirt, dust and God. And we have this man called we have this man called Adam. This law of the dirt. This law of the God. It seems like if we're going to find out through the next few minutes, it it seems like God is really fond of dirt. seems like that God is really fond of of of of working. You you know, we've often referred to places hard to get to and we'll say it's a dirt road to get there and and you know, and it's kind of said in a sliding way, you know, it's it's it's it's a dirt road. They got dirt roads you got to get there. But I seem to find that our God today is mighty fond. I believe you'll find this out, too. God is mighty fond of working with dirt. He's mighty fond of making a trail through the Bible, a dirt road in the Bible by using by using dirt. As a matter of fact, sometime later, Adam and Eve fell into sin. And really, they really didn't fall into sin. They really walked into sin. They really decided to go into sin. But that's another sermon for another day. But Genesis chapter 3 verse number 14, man has sinned. And it's because of Satan. And the Bible says in verse 14, "And the Lord God said unto s unto the serpent," which is Satan, "because thou has done this, you I'm going to punish you because you've done this. Thou art cursed above all the cattle, and above all the beast of the field. Upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of your life." Now I I know that he is cursing that that that that literal reptile, that snake, but it is also in a spiritual application that there was a curse put upon Satan. And he says that you're going to eat dust all the day of your life. The Hebrew word for eat means to either devour or to burn up. He is saying now you're going to devour and you're going to burn up dust. And I would connect the dust to what man was made from. And so we understand a little bit about our adversary today that our adversary lives on the flesh of us humans. Now when I say flesh, I'm not talking about the literal flesh today, but I am talking about that sinful part of you and I. We understand that that is the part that the adversary wants to burn up and the adversary wants to eat or devour. Brother Hammond, I I don't know if you've ever been told this. Uh your your your your grandfather, uh Bishop Raymond Bishop, preached a message about this. I'll never forget it. He preached a message about the devil eats flesh. all the days of his life. Or the devil eats dust all the days of his life. And he preached a message on not on the menu. Not on the menu. If the devil has a menu, I don't want to put anything on. You ever been to a restaurant and they've got a beautiful, beautiful menu, but you get to ordering, they keep coming back out of the kitchen saying, "Well, we're out of that. We're out of that." Finally, you just say, "What do you have?" You know, when it comes to the adversary, I hope that there's nothing I hope we're out of all. I hope we're out of bitterness. >> I hope we're out of jealousy. I hope we're out of pride. >> I hope we're out of anything that the adversary could find a way to come in >> and want to devour. First Peter 5:8, be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary, that's what I'm talking about right now, your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion walketh about seeking whom he may what? devour. Jesus said in John chap 10 verse number 10, he describes once again our adversary. The thief, he's a thief. A thief takes what does not belong to him. And that's what he does. My my joy does not belong to him. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, to kill, and to destroy. Now, here's why you ought to you ought to live for Jesus Christ. But I have come that you might have life. That's here on this earth. Real life here on this earth. and that you might have life more abundantly. That's eternal life. That's that's the life that we have after we pass. Ephesians chapter 4, listen to what Paul says about the adversary. Ephesians chapter 4 verse 25. Look look at this real closely. This is what the enemy wants to eat. Wherefore putting aside all putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be ye angry and sin not. Let not the sun go down on your wrath. Look at verse 27. You think it's here for a reason? Neither give place to the devil. Don't give him anything to eat at your house. Don't give him anything to eat at your house. We started out I'm sorry for the personal uh uh reference here, but we started out with just a few ducks in our pond. I mean, just a few ducks were in our pond until I started feeding them. My dogs went on to doggy heaven and and now I'm in the duck ministry. And I hope that quacks you up. But anyway, I'm in the I'm in the duck ministry today. And so, uh, I buy the cheapest bread that Dollar Store has and and and I feed the ducks. But I'm going to tell you something about feeding them. My wife asked the other day said, "Do you know how many ducks?" And this is the I'm telling you, they come to the back porch and I throw but if I don't get to the back porch early in the morning, they walk around the front of the house and they're there and they're growing and there's more ducks. You know why they're there? They don't show up at Brother Ericson's house coldarted. They don't show up at Zach's house, he'd shoot them. They don't show up at Nolan's house. He never home. You know this house they show up at. They don't show up at brother Perry's house either. You know whose house they show up at? My house. You know why? I feed them. Now I'm going to slip on you now. I've got you laughing, but I'm going to punch you now. If the devil is always showing up at your house, >> don't feed him. Speak the truth. Don't stay angry long. Get it done with. Don't give place to Don't give place to the devil. He eats that dust. Jesus said in John 8:44, listen to what he said to some Pharisees. You are of your father the devil. The lust of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning. He murdered a it was Abel that was murdered by Cain. He was a murderer from the beginning of a worshipper and abode not in the truth because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own for he is a liar and the father he is a liar and the father of it. So let's just settle today. Get in your mind today. Next time you get ready to let your flesh go act out, get ready to think, wait a minute, am I serving up the devil something deep? Am I setting a place at the table? Am I am I throwing some bread out? Because I'm going to tell you something. You start feeding one foul spirit. Come on now. I said, you start feeding one's foul spirit. I don't care how cute you think it is. I don't care how innocent you think it is. I don't think you know well I know I do this but you ought to see so and so and I I know I have this problem but you don't know he this guy over here I'm going to tell you you start feeding one foul spirit and you get ready for another foul spirit to come and another foul spirit and and it's tell you something brother Hammond told me he said you don't quit feeding them they going to be too fat to fly away don't listen to I don't want to give a place to the devil. I don't want to give any place for him. Come on right now. Could we just decide that right now this morning? The next time you get ready to give somebody a piece of your mind, ask yourself, "Am I giving the devil something to work with?" >> The next time you sit down and join the coward keyboard club and you get ready to get on social media and blast somebody, that's what I call it. I call it the coward keyboard. They can't come and tell it to your to your face. They have to use the keyboard to do that. It's how the Bible said to settle stuff. Just think about it. I know it's you're a little quiet this morning, but just just think about next time you get ready to to act out, just ask yourself, whoa, wait a minute. Did I just put something in the oven for the adversary? But let's go on. We got to keep on this law first mention. I've really spent too much time on him. Let's look at Genesis 3 verse number 19. Now the man gets cursed. And this is what God had to say to the man. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread till thou return unto the ground. For out of it was thou taken. Look at this. We all say this all together. Come on. We saw starting with four. Let's let's say it all together. For dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return. Man, what a bleak thing. God says, I made you out of dust. I made you out of dust. And now that you've done what you have done, sin, you will one day die. And guess what will happen? You will decompose. and you will go back to that same substance that you were made from. Now, if we just stop there, this pretty bleak in this life only, we had hope. You know, we you know, we're going back. We're going to die one day and and and and we're going back to the original material that we were made from. But God doesn't work that way. God doesn't work that way. He's the God of a dirt road. No wonder in Genesis 13 and verse number 16, he seems to weave a promise and it has to do with dust or dirt. He said in Genesis 13:16, "And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth. So that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shalt thy seed also be also be numbered." Look at what God does. I know he just told man, "From dust you came from and dust you're returning." But now he injects this with a promise. He says, "Your seed is going to be as the dust." He puts a promise to the dust. Can I tell somebody today, we're all dirt in here today. But what makes the difference in us today is somebody needs to recognize the promise that is in the dust. Well, it goes on. God seems to be the God of the dirt road. He seems to work in dirt. And and now we're down in Egypt in Exodus 8 verse number 16. We're down in Egypt and the Lord said unto Moses, "Say unto Aaron, stretch out thy rod, and smite the what? The dust of the land, and it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt." Now, I know that's a curse on the Egyptians. That's a curse on them. But it's deliverance. us another step closer to deliverance to Israel. Does this God not begin to to demonstrate that he can take something that is lifeless and bring life out of what is lifeless? He said, "Just take your rod, smite the dust, and it will become lice through the land and you will be one step closer to your deliverance." Isaiah keeps the road, the dirt road going in Isaiah 29:16. Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter's clay. He said, you you you've turned your life upside down. You you you you you you have simply taken your life into your own hands and you've turned it upside down. But watch what God says. For shall the work, that's us. Shall the work say of him that made it, he made me not? Do you realize that evolution is nothing more than an affront to God to tell God you didn't make us? >> And he says here, you've turned things upside down because you human, you say he made me not. Or shall the thing framed, that's us, say of him that framed it, he had no understanding. Look at these two things the devil works with us on. Number one, he'd like to convince all of our children of evolution. >> He would like to totally erase the fact that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. >> He would like to erase the fact from ever. That's why we got to keep our daycare open. We got to keep our Christian school open. We got to keep our Sunday school and our youth group vibrant. Why? Because we're going to tell them in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth and God said, "Let there be light." And God did this and God did that. We're not the product of evolution. We're the product of creation. Oh my my my. They want to tell us that we came from monkey that a little sail in the water came out and grew a tail and eventually it became a monkey and all of that. And and and and and I've often thought about let me tell you something. We didn't come from monkeys. I'm not going to see King Kong. >> I'm going to see King Jesus. But if the world has its way, it's going to convince every one of our children that we're the product of evolution. Just chance. Just chance. Just happen chance. And if he doesn't convince you of evolution, he brings a second thing out and he says, "The thing that is framed shall say to that which that which framed it, he had no understanding." In other words, he would like for you, if you don't believe in God, he would like for you to have the concept that God is aloof. God is a far off. God is uncaring. God just created the earth. There's a popular doctrine that God just created the earth as a pastime, as a hobby. God just created all this and shoved it away and God's not concerned about it anymore. I've got news for you today. God understands you better than you understand you. So don't look at God's word from Genesis to Revelation. Don't look at God's ways and say, "Ah, God, he just don't understand me. He understands you better than you understand you." And if you would learn how to understand God, it will turn back around and make a better you out of you. Come on, give him some praise right now. Oh, I got to go. I gota I got to go today. I got to go. is the God of the He's the God of the He's the God of the dirt. He's the God of the dirt road. All through the Bible, Isaiah 64 and 8, but now, oh Lord, thou art our father. We are the clay, thou art our potter, and we are the work of thine hand. We are the work. See there again, even Isaiah testifies and uses the analogy of God working with dirt. It's the famous story in Jeremiah chapter 8 verse 18 verse number four where God told Jeremiah to go down to the potter's house and there at the potter's house he would hear the words and there on the potter's wheel the clay was mired in the hand of the potter and so God made it another vessel that seemed good to the potter to make it and that's what the pillar diaries is all about because we got mired right in the hand and and and that's an interesting way to even put that sister Ashley He said the the work got mired in the potter's hand. Do do you know that not only people that have never attended church that's been hurt and wounded with life need God, but those of us that are right here in this room today that are in the potter's hand that somehow have found ourselves injured, somehow we found ourselves estranged from God. >> Can I tell you, he's a God of a dirt road. He's a God that'll take that piece of mired work in his hand. He just won't. He listen, he just won't discard it, send it out broken. I'm sorry, but you'll never go to any banquetss. I'm sorry. You'll never be bought. You'll never be purchased. Nobody would ever want you because you're a mired piece of vessel. But no, our God who works in the dirt says, "Let me just see if I can work on it a little bit more. Let me see if I just and I I I feel a little tinge of the Holy Ghost right now because I think there's someone here today that might be middle-aged that you have lived your life allowing your life to be mired. You have allowed your life to to you you now wear certain titles. You now have certain titles about your life. And here you are in your your your your middle age and you're thinking, "Oh, I wish I'd have heard this back when I was 18 years old." But I've got good news for you today. There is no expiration date on what God will do with your life. Don't allow what you have lived to pass up what God has. Oh, somebody pray with me in the name of Jesus right now. God, I pray that faith would enter that woman's heart. I pray that faith would enter that man's heart today. God, let the change come right now because he is the God >> of a dirt road. >> Well, God needs to do his greatest work. God needs to do his greatest work. The greatest work is the redemption of man. Ever since dust is going back to dust, God wants there to be something in between dust unto dust. And so God would decide not only to work with dust. Hear me now. But God would decide to become dust. He would decide to become what you and I are made of. Matthew 1:23, "Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name what?" Emmanuel, which being interpreted is God with us. God said, "The only way I'm going to save them, the only way I'm going to save them is to become one of them. And the only way they the only way I can become one of them, the only way that I can do that, the only way I can save them is to become one of them. The only way I can become one of them is to use the same spirit of creation." Mary has no problem. In Luke 1:34, she has no problem believing the angel that she's going to bring forth the son of David. She has no problem believing the angel and what the angel said, "You're going to give birth." Mary's inquisitive. And Mary said in verse 20 34, Mary said unto the angel, "How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? I How would this be? How would he live in my womb, seeing that I know not a man?" And the angel answered and said unto her, the Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the highest shall overshadow thee. Therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the son of God. And so there by that same spirit, we just call it the Holy Ghost because God is holy. In the beginning, the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And now the Holy Ghost, same spirit moved on the face of the waters. is the same spirit that formed man, the Holy Ghost is going to overshadow thee. And from that overshadowing, I'm going to dwell in a human body. Now, listen to me closely. God dwelt in a human body like we had. God dwelt. It wasn't wasn't a different body. It wasn't a different flesh. The only thing different is that it was God. It's God but the same flesh, same dust. If it's not the same body, why did the writer say this in Acts chapter 2:27? If it's not the same flesh, why did the writer say this? Because thou wil not leave my soul in hell. Speaking of Jesus Christ, hell is the grave. Neither will thou suffer thine unholy one. That's Jesus. To see what? Corruption. If his flesh was different from ours, why do you have to write? You won't see corruption. Because his flesh was just like ours. Because God God works. God works in the dirt. He is the God of the dirt road. John 14:10. I know it's a lot of scripture, but we're remember the law first mentioned. We're weaving our way through. Jesus said in John 14:10, "Believest 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. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father in me. Or else believe me for the very work's sake. Paul would tell us in 1 Timothy chapter 3 verse 16. Look at this. And without controversy, without debating, without arguing, without all of this, is it one? Is it three? Without all of this, this settles it right here. Whether there's one or three. And without controversy. That's debating and arguing. Great is the mystery of godliness or godlikeness. God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. Who was God? When God overshadowed Mary, and from that came the son of God or the son of man, and he, Jesus Christ, he Jesus Christ walked among us. It was God. It was God. God seems to work. He enters the very substance of dust. He He lives in that very substance of dust, a dust body. But he can't leave dirt alone. He's like a kid. He's like a kid that wants to play in the dirt. He stands in the temple one day and a high fluting Pharisees. And while I'm on this, I'm I shared this with brother Hammond last night at dinner because it came to me in prayer. It's wonderful to have conviction, but you have to have character to back up conviction. If you don't have character that backs up conviction, then your conviction is phariseic. You got to have character to back that up. So he stands in the temple early one morning. stands in the temple. He notices a commotion coming in, possibly a female voice saying, "Don't quit. Please don't do this to me. I'm sorry. Give me another chance. Please don't do this to me." He bring a woman into his presence. She's probably got a bed sheet wrapped around her. Master, we caught this woman. and the very act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. But what do you say? What do you say? And he says, he didn't say it. He just did it. He says, I think it's time to play in the dirt. I think it's time to play in the dirt. And he just stoops down and starts writing on the ground. You realize the last time that God would write that's recorded is when God wrote the Ten Commandments and he just stoops down and he just begins to write in the ground. And when he writes of which I believe he wrote the commandment, "Thou shalt not commit adultery." Then he steps up. This is what I think. Okay. Yeah, this is this my there's so many different opinions about what was written on the ground. This is what I think. And if you have a different opinion, I've always believed that you got the right to be wrong. Okay. So anyway, he writes, "Thou shalt not commit adultery." And he stands up and he says, "You that is without sin, cast the first stone. Go ahead, stone her. Go ahead and cast the first stone." And then he stoops down again and he he's writing again. Now, what I believe he was writing again was their sins. I believe he began to write their sins, their names. I believe he be to write things about their life. And then the Bible, the Bible says and hearing this, think what they were hearing was what he was writing. They begin to drop their stones from the eldest to the youngest until there was nobody there but one who could throw a stone but chose not to throw a stone. The one that could have thrown the stone but said, "No, I haven't come to throw stones. I've come to play in the dirt. I've come for redemption." Neither said, "Woman, where are your accusers at?" And she said, "I have none, Lord." And he said, "Neither do I condemn thee. Go and sin no more." Can anybody relate to that this morning? Aren't you thankful today that you have a God that got a hold of your life and said, "Well, let me just play in the dirt just a little bit." John chapter 9 verse number one is an interesting story. Bible said in John chapter 9 verse number one, "And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth." Stop right there for a moment. I want you to know that God sees you when you don't see him. Let that sink in. God sees you. I don't know how many people I don't know how many people I've counseledled over the years that'll sit down. They start off I I just don't I I just don't God I've done this. Is God there? I just wonder does God care? Is God here? Is is God I you know brother Thompson I would imagine that that added that that sometimes that has surrounded your mind like a fog. Where are you God? Where are you? But I'm here to tell you today, God saw that blind man before that blind man could see God. Take comfort today that God sees you before you see him. That although you may not know where you're at, but there's never a time that God doesn't know where you're at. I don't I don't know about you, but I just want to say thank you, Jesus. Thank you, God. God, I can't see my hand in front of my face, but God, I praise you. God, I can't make heads or tails of what's happened to me right now, but God, I praise you. I have looked for you on my left and you're not there. On the right, you're not there. In front and in back, and you're not there. But I know my redeemer liveth and shall stand upon the earth in the latter time. And though the skin worms eat my body, yet in my flesh I shall, God sees you before you see him. Verse two, his disciples asked him, saying, "Master, who did sin? Who did sin? This man or his parents? That he was born blind?" Isn't it amazing today? Please don't run with people that just want to talk about the cause. Run with people that want to talk about the cure. >> Sound like Jesus is running with some guys and all they can say is, "What caused this? Why was he born blind? What happened to him as a baby? What did his parents do? What is this over here? Cause. Cause. Cause." I'm not here today to preach about cause. I'm not here today. Some of us are in a horrible dilemma in our life, but you haven't come to a church today that's going to say, "We want to lay you down on the couch and talk about what happened to you as a child and you know, they didn't color your nursery the correct way and you had this happen to you and you had that happen to you and this is why you're at where you're at." We're not here to do that to you today. We're here to tell you there is a cure for what you're in right now. And Jesus said, "I want to talk about the cure." Jesus said, "Neither at this man's sin, nor his parents, but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. I must work the works of him that sent me while it is day. The night cometh when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." When he had thus spoken, watch, he going to play in the dirt again. He he he keep he he he he got a woman off the hook of the death sentence in the previous chapter by playing in the dirt. He he through the playing in the dirt. You watch I'm not making this up to this right here in scripture. And when he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground and made clay of spittle and anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. Said, "Go wash in the pool of Saleom." He can't play. He can't stay on the dirt. He can't stay out of the dirt. I mean, I could have healed. He He could He's God. He could have healed his eyes in a number of ways. He could have just simply said, "I want you to go down and I want you to pick three fig leaves off a tree and I want you to hold them in your hand and I want you to go down and dip yourself in salom in in in the pool there." And you know what would have happened had God chose the three fig leaves? He would have picked three fig leaves. I don't know how he would have seen them, but he would have picked three fig leaves and he would have went down and dipped and he would have been healed. But God says, "I just can't stay away from dirt." This man is born blind. Some believe he didn't have eyeballs to that he was born without any eyeballs. He bends down. He spits on the ground. He takes the moisture from the spit and he begins to make clay of spittle. And then he pushed it into his eyes. Told him to go wash in the pool of Saleom. Somebody help me preach now. And he went. Did it happen? He went and washed in the pool of Saleom. And guess what happened when he brought the water of Saleom to his eyes? All of a sudden, the world lit up in living colors. All of a sudden, he began to see like he could never see because he works in the dirt. He came walking back into town. He came walking back into town and and there was some that said, "Hey, there went the blind guy. You're not blind anymore." And somebody else said, and it's all in here. I just going to take the time to read it. Somebody else said, "No, no, no, no. That must be his cousin Billy. He they him and his cousin Billy look alike, but that's his cousin." And and finally he said, "I am he." And then the Pharisees got a hold of it. And the Pharisees said, "How are you made? How can you see?" And they said, he said, "A man named Jesus came and and touched my eyes with spit and clay and told me to go wash." The Pharisees went off, talked about, and they came back the second time, and they said, "Now, how do you see?" He said, "This man named Jesus spit in the ground, made clay, and told me to go wash in the pool of Salom, and I see." He went, "I'll talk a little bit more." Came back the third time. He said, "How do you see?" He said, "I'm going to tell you. I told you once, I told you twice." He said, "If I tell you a third time, will you be his disciple?" And they said, "We were not born of fornication. This man's a sinner. This man that made you whole is a sinner." And he said, "Whether he'd be a sinner, I know not. But one thing I do know, I was blind, but now I see." Can I tell you, don't get mixed up with religion because religion is going to try to pull your miracle into their mo and make you fit into their mo and you can't fit into their mo. All you got to say is, "Hey, I don't know a lot, but I just know this. I was bound, but I got set free. I I don't know about all that praise and worship. I don't know about all that water baptism in Jesus' name, but all I know, I was in bondage and now I have been." I wish you'd give God a thunderous praise today. The God of the dirt road. The God of the dirt road. Let me just quickly God began his work of redemption in the womb. The work of redemption began in the womb and it was completed in the tomb. He began in the womb. He completed it in the tomb. Boy, didn't Satan go to work quickly to discredit the resurrection? Can I tell you about our adversary today? He wants to move quickly to discredit the re the resurrection quickly. Was it not the guards that watched the tomb that came back? told of the angel that came down, the stone rolled away. The angel, he's not here. He's risen as he said. You see, they didn't roll away the t the stone so he could walk out. They rolled away the stone to prove he wasn't there. They said, "We watched the stone and the Pharisees, the religious people gave large sums of money," the Bible says, to the soldiers, saying, "We went to sleep. His disciples came and stole his body away and said, "If this gets reported to the governor's ears, we will secure your life." And the Bible says many still believe that rumor at that lie years later they were still believing. They were still just simply saying, "Nah, that wasn't him walking around Jerusalem. That was somebody looked like him because his disciples stole the way too." Can I tell you that if we don't believe the resurrection, how miserable this life would be. How miserable this life would be to FA Bryant this morning who's buried not only a son but buried a husband. How miserable, Mother Davis. Would your life be the love of your life? Your husband that's went on to beat the Lord. Just mentioning him at the dinner table. I've watched us I've watched a smile and a beam in your eye. And you begin to tell me that he he liked to watch ball games and you begin to tell me this and that. How miserable it would be to simply just tell you that's all over. You'll never see him again. That's a part of your life that's just dead. It's just dead. But you hear me today, as sure as I'm standing before you, there will be a resurrection of the dead. That's what I'm aiming for. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15 and verse number 12, "Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some of you that there is no resurrection of the dead?" See what the enemy is trying to do today? He's trying to destroy the part of the resurrection. But listen to this. But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen. And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is vain. Let me break it down to you. We're wasting our time doing what we're doing right now. If there is no resurrection from the dead, it's lies. It's in vain. But I got news for you. Verse number 20 of 1 Corinthians 15:20. But now is Christ risen from the dead and become the first fruits of them that slept. Can I tell you? If he walked out of that grave, I'm walking, too. If he came out of that grave, I'm walking, too. If he was in a body made of dust and he died and rose again, you listen to me. I'm walking out of that tomb. I'm walking out. If he walked out, I'm walking, too. Ray Bryant walked into that tomb, but Ray Bryant's walking out of that tomb. Danny Ray walked into that tomb, but Danny Ray's walking out of that tomb. Brother Davis walked into that grave, but Brother Davis is coming out of that grave. This is We serve a God that works in the dirt. Oh my my my Look at verse number. You may be seated. Look at verse number 20. Look at verse number 20. But now is Christ risen from the dead, became the first fruits of them that slept. For since by man death came, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order, Christ the first fruits, afterward, they that are Christ at his coming. What all of us need to concern ourselves with today. Do I belong to him? Do I belong to him? Do I belong to him? That's the only thing you ought to be concerned about today. Do I belong to Christ? Because Christ is coming at his coming. He is coming for those that are in for those that are in Christ. Well, let let me just do this for for you for a moment. He still ain't through playing in the dirt. He played in the dirt in the tomb. But there was a thing called the upper room. And the Bible said Jesus has ascended into heaven. He is seated at the right hand, a place of authority and a mediator role. The pathway has been made. The dirt road has been has been made. And the Bible said when he was seated in Acts chapter 2 verse number four and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other tongues as the spirit gave them utterance. God is still I heard you pastor Ericson. You said today that the promise of the Holy Ghost is to us. What are we? We're dust today. Who is he? He's the spirit of God. And if you could just understand God today, he's hovering over your head just waiting for the faith to say, "I'll come and roll up my sleeves and I'll enter into dust one more time for you." >> He filled them with the Holy Ghost. He filled them with his spirit. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians chapter 4, verse number seven, listen to what it says about us. But we have this what? >> This what? >> What is the Holy Ghost to you? >> Come on. What is your What is your God to you? Come on now. >> What is it to you? Is it your man? I can lose a lot of things, but I don't want to lose him. >> I can abuse a lot of things. I I I I can I cannot pay attention to a lot of things, but I I can't I can't lose him today because we have this >> I wish somebody shout it. >> What do we have it in? In an earthn vessel that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us. Can I tell you today it's not us. It's what in us. It's what's what's in us. Now you've you've mostly heard this scripture today used in a negative connotation. We have this treasure in an earth there earth and desel. You you've mostly heard Matthew 6:21 in a negative way. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Can I tell you? I know Jesus was talking about riches, but if your treasure is not God, your heart will never be in God. >> That's why it'll always be hard for you to serve God because he's not your treasure. He's more of a burden to you than he is a jewel. He He's more than a handicap that he is a benefit to you. He's more he's more of a setback to you than he is a setup to you today. And you'll never see his ways. But if you can ever turn it around and see the treasure of God in you and put your heart in there, I'm telling you, sickness won't stop you. Bankruptcy won't stop you. People leaving you won't stop you. Gossip won't stop you. Backbiting won't stop you. Mistreatment won't stop you. Nothing will stop you because your heart. Uh Friday night I did a wedding with brother David Scott, pastor of Oak Park there in Georgia. Young man, married one of our girls out of the Severeville Church, Kendron. While we were at the rehearsal, Brother Scott told me, a matter of fact, there some of his people are here, some of his saints are here today. But he told me about having a heart attack. He said he preached one Sunday morning and wasn't feeling well and preached and went to his office after his message and and uh he had a heart attack and he was telling me how they took him to the hospital and um was telling him that they they're going to have to do more than likely they can't get a stent to open up the artery that's 100% blocked, but they're going to do uh open heart surgery. And they were prepping him and preparing him that there's going to be a lot of people come in the room at in at a in a in a moment and and please and and then he told that that the stint went in and the stent went in and the stent was able that ballooned and he said when when when when it opened when they opened that valve when they opened that artery he said he said this the the the doctor said did you feel that? He said I did. He said you could just feel that the blood was now flowing. And then he talked to me a little bit later about going to therapy at therapy every week. And he said he and and and I told him when he said it, I said, "Man, that'll preach." He said he began to tell the doctor that he wanted to do certain things. He said, "Man, I'm well enough now to do this and do that." And he said, "You are, but your heart's not." You know, if you could understand, you got to get this in your heart. You got to see your treasure as your heart because if your heart's not in it, you'll never do it. You'll never be able to last if your heart's not in it. He's a God of the dirt road. I close with this today. You'd stand with me. I close with this. The next thing we have that God is going to play in the dirt. He's going to play in the dirt two more times. And here's the first time he's going to play. 1 Thessalonians 4:13. But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that you sorrow not even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout and with the voice of the archangel and the trump of God. And the dead in Christ is going to rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together in the clouds to meet to in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words. The next time he's going to play in the dirt, he's going to be in the graveyard. Don't ask me for the how. I'm not here to tell you will the dirt actually come up, will the will the grave actually burst up or whether it just come out. I don't know. All I got to tell you is what is holding that body 6 foot under the ground is going to be joined with God's power and God's spirit. And he's going to enter into that corruptible body. It's going to be raised. It's going to come out of the ground. It's going to rise in the sky. And then we which are alive and remain. Well, that's a lot of dirt. Really? That's a lot of dirt. How? Please, it don't listen. They could bury your loved one 6,000 ft below dirt, but if God says they coming out, the coming out. We're going to ascend to heaven. We're going to go to the marriage supper of the lamb. Three and a half years later on this earth, they will gather around Jerusalem to annihilate Jerusalem. For Jerusalem, Israel has escaped many, many attacks, but this will be the doom of them, they will think. For on that day, Zechariah 14 and1 says it, "Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee," talking about Jerusalem. "For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle. The city shall be taken, the houses rifled, and the women ravished, raped. Half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall the Lord go forth and fight against those nations as when he fought in the day of battle. Just when they getting ready to pull the trigger, just when they getting ready to send their missiles and annihilate Jerusalem, the Bible said the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations as when he fought in the day of battle playing in the dirt again. and his feet shall stand in that day upon Mount Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west. And there shall be a very great valley. Half of the mountain shall be removed toward the north, and half toward the south. Ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Ail. Yay, ye shall flee like you fled before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah. And the Lord my God shall come and all the saints with him. It shall come to pass in that day that the light shall not be clear nor dark, but it shall be one day which shall be known to the Lord, not day nor night, but it shall come to pass that at evening time there shall be light. It shall be in that day that the living waters shall go out from Jerusalem half toward the former sea and have toward the hinder sea. In the summer, in the winter shall it be. And I like verse nine. And the Lord shall be king over all the earth. And in that day there shall be one Lord and his. Praise him right now. Come on. Some of you people that are nothing more than dirt, would you begin to praise him right now? Some of you people that were nothing but dirt. Come on. Come on. Come on. There's a promise coming down your dusty road. >> There's a promise coming down your dusty road. >> Are you lost this morning? He's looking for the dirt. So what you need? >> Are you lost? >> There's a promise coming down. >> He's looking for the dirt. >> He's looking for the dirt. >> There's a promise coming down that dusty road. >> Come on. Are you saved? >> He's a healer. >> Are you in sin? >> He's a sin cleanser. >> Are you in sin? I will. >> He's a sin cleanser tonight. >> There's a promise coming down that dusty road. >> Gather up. Gather up. Gather up. >> There's a promise coming down that dusty road. >> Oh yes. He virtue will decree. There's a promise coming down. >> Oh yes, God. There's a promise coming down that dusty road. >> Hallelujah. >> And from this holy hand to flow. >> Hallelujah. Let him work on you. >> Let him work on you. There's a promise coming down that dusty road. >> Let him work on you. Wonder when Jesus did. Lesson two. >> He said, "Your daughter is not dead, only asleep." Then he turned to the multitude. He told them all, "Go home." >> Yeah. >> They heard him say, "Leave me and tell the Lord." >> Just you and Jesus. >> And then he laid his hands upon that child. He said power in heaven and earth to me that sound like thunder. Heard the sun when he said little girl coming down that dusty road. >> Oh that's right. That's right. That's right. alone. So what you feel there's a promise coming down that dusty road. >> Now I want you to listen to me for just a moment. I want to expose a lie. When God gets ready to work on me, he'll let me know he's ready to work on you right now. >> He's ready. be right here, right now. Well, I don't feel. It doesn't matter how you feel. Are you sick and tired of living what the way you're living? That's the only thing I got to ask you today. Are you tired of living the way that you're living? Because there's a God here right now that all he needs is your permission to come into that dirt to come into your life right now. It doesn't matter what's going on in your life. Get your hands up. Get your prayer going. Let's pray right now. There's a promise coming down. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. is coming down the dusty road down below. You need that will be there's a promise coming down that dusty road. Oh, there's a promise coming down that dusty road. the truth alone with the pro down. I can feel it in my head. I can feel it in my feet. I can feel it in my heart. Heat. Heat. Yeah. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Just feel something good is about to happen. Just feel something good about Just something good. Something good is just feeling. I just feel like something good is about to happen. Promise something good. is coming. I just feel like something good something I can feel in my head. I can feel it in my feel. I can feel it in my heart. I can feel down below. So you will be there coming down that dusty road. There's a promise coming down coming down to what you need as it will be. There's a promise coming down that dusty road. There's a promise coming down that dusty road. Rolling down to flow. So what you need? There's a promise coming down that dusty road. Oh, there's a promise coming down that dusty road. Coming down that road. Healing virtue flow. He's got the keys to what you need to be. There's a promise coming down that dusty road. There's nothing better this morning. There's nothing better this morning than somebody that has been delivered that's that's got victory. How many's got victory today? got the victory than to put their hands over on somebody else right now and to pray a victorious prayer. To pray a victorious prayer. Put your hand over on somebody right now. If you got victory, if you don't have victory, wait for somebody to pray for you. But if you got victory, lay your hand over on somebody right now. Nobody ought to leave here bound today. Nobody ought to leave here bound today. Nobody ought to leave here bound today. Oh, no, no, no, no, no. Lay your hand over on somebody right now. There is deliverance in this house. There's deliverance in this house. Receive it right now. Receive it right now. There's deliverance in this house. There's deliverance right now in this house. There's deliverance in this house right now. Believe it right now. There's deliverance right here. I'm not going to preach about a God of a dusty road. I'm not going to preach about a God of a dirt road and not tell you to open up your faith and to begin to receive it right now. Come on. He can heal your body in Jesus name. He can deliver you right now in Jesus name. He can fill you with the Holy Ghost right now in Jesus name. Oh yes God. Come on, keep praying. Keep praying. Keep praying. There's deliverance in this house right now. He's a god of a dirt road. He's a god of a dirt road. You don't understand his ways. You don't understand his ways. The way some people treat themselves with pride, you would think God made us out of diamonds. The way some people treat themselves, you think God made us out of gold, silver, copper, whatever. But I'm going to tell you something. God made us out of dirt. >> Made us out of dirt. I don't understand. I don't understand his ways, but I'm called to preach his ways. The Bible says that when you repent of your sins, that your next step is to be waterbaptized in the name of Jesus Christ >> for the washing away of the sin for the remission of your sin. You say, "Well, do I have to talk to the blind man >> on the way to the pool of Salom? >> Where you going? I'm going to wash in the pool. >> I don't believe you have to do that. Talk to him. He would say, "I'm going to the pool of salom." >> Maybe later in life, somebody said, "I don't really believe you have to do that." Can I tell you if he says to do it, you really do need to do it. You do. You really have to do it today. So, if you've not yet been baptized in Jesus' name for the remission of your sin, we've got water. We've got a change of clothing. We've got everything you need today. All we need is your dirt. All we need is your willingness today. That's all we need. Just one more time. One more time. I I keep feeling compelled to do this. Lay your hand over on somebody. Pray with them right now. Receive it right now. Receive it right now. Receive it right now. Receive it right now. Receive the Holy Ghost right now. Receive the Holy Ghost. Let him speak through you right now. Receive the Holy Ghost right now. Oh, receive the Holy Ghost right now. Receive the Holy Ghost right now. The power of the spirit, the moving of God. Receive it right now. Jesus. Oh mighty God, mighty God. Mighty God. Lord, let there be healing in this house today. Lord, let there be healing in this house today. God, you took 39 stripes for the healing of our body. Lord, I right now I pray for anyone that is tormented today. I pray for every lonely soul in this room right now. Lord, I pray for every empty soul right now in this room. Lord, I pray right now for the person that yesterday was just thinking about how empty their lives are. Lord, I pray for them right now in the name of Jesus Christ. I pray for them right now in the name of Jesus Christ. Come on, help me pray for just another moment. Hallelujah. Hallelujah to God. Come on, let's lift our voices up in prayer. I want to help somebody get help. I want to help somebody get help. I want to help somebody get help. I want to help somebody get help today. I lay my hand on you. I want to help somebody get help right now. I want to help somebody get help. I want to help somebody right now. I want to help somebody lonely. I want to help somebody lonely today. I want to help somebody that's despondent today. I want to help you. Jesus, wonderful name. You're thankful this morning. If you're thankful this morning that he's the God of the dirt road, would you take your last act of worship, raise your hands in the air, without any pride, would you give him praise right now? Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. I believe God's done it. I believe God's not only doing it. I believe God's done it right now. I believe God's done it. I believe some of you are going to walk out of here different today. Yes. I want you to push the pause button with me right now. Just reach up and push the pause button with me right now. Bible said from the going from the rising of the sun to the going down of the same, the name of the Lord shall be praised. We'll be back tonight right here at 5:30 for prayer meeting. 6:00 another great evangelistic service will start tonight at 6:00. There'll be another opportunity given for the God who works on a dirt road to come walking. Invite somebody today that needs a miracle. Invite somebody. Be back tonight at 5:30 for prayer. I'll see all of you here.