The God Who Prepares a Place | Senior Pastor Kenneth Carpenter
by Kenneth Carpenter
First Apostolic Church of Maryville (Maryville, TN)
Kind: sermon
Scripture: John 14:1-3, Ephesians 2:4-6, 1 Corinthians 15, 1 Corinthians 2:9-10, Psalm 23:1-5, Exodus 15:1-2, Hebrews 11:7, Revelation 21:1-5, Matthew 25:41

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

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if you're not already on your feet would you get on your feet tonight that's what his mercy did for me now i know that the plan of salvation is acts 2 38. i know john 3 5 and acts 2 38 which i'm so glad for so glad if you were not here this morning go online and listen to me give the testimony of sister kelly cheshire's mother her mother which is my sister-in-law and how she was filled with the holy ghost and baptized last evening and um mercy amen and i want you to know when you get to heaven yes it was acts 2 yes it was john 3 5 but i want to tell you something else it was his mercy it was his mercy it was his mercy i'm here tonight not necessarily because i've been baptized and got the holy ghost i stand before you tonight a man that's had a lot of mercy give to him and um i've had a lot of mercy give to me the bible said blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy and i'm glad i'm in a house tonight with a group of people that are here not necessarily because we believe deuteronomy 6 4 and acts 2 38. but we're standing here tonight because we all could testify where we all are the recipients of a lot of mercy god's been so merciful god's been so merciful leave your bibles for a few moments tonight i want to go to john chapter 14 and verse number one john chapter 14 verse number one jesus says in john 1 and after we go to john 14 and verse number 1 we're going to go to ephesians chapter 2 and verse 4. how many is ready for the word tonight i'm glad that i just don't attend a church that loves singing i'm glad that i attend to church that loves preaching i don't know if ought to say this or not but you'd probably wonder what i wanted to say you know but we went to a quartet convention a few weeks ago and i just shoot straight with you tonight it's hard for me to open up and worship because i always believe that singing ought to be accompanied by the word and just be quiet honestly if anybody's here from the quartet you sing i'm not i'm not bashing you but to me it's entertainment all right it's entertainment it's good entertainment i mean i would take that over gaga or something like that you know it's good it's good entertainment but it's just entertainment because anytime i'm going to worship god i'm opening up my spirit to god anytime you open up your spirit to god you better be careful of what you allow to be spoken to you music was designed to have your spirit open for the word not some watered-down gospel but the whole truth and nothing but the truth somebody shouted so help us what so helpless god let not your heart be troubled you believe in god believe also in me in my father's house are somebody say are in my father's house are many mansions if it were not so i would have told you i go to prepare a place for you and if i go and prepare a place for you i will come again and receive you unto myself that where i am there ye may be also ephesians chapter 2 and verse number 4. if you still happy said amen but god who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us even when we were dead in sins hath quickened us together with christ by grace you're saved and have raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in christ jesus for a few moments tonight i would like to leave us with this thought the god who prepares a place the god who prepares a place now father i love you tonight i thank you lord for everything that has went on up to this point god i thank you lord for the worship the praise and the blessings that have been received but lord now it's time for your word to come help us lord to receive your word with meekness help us god to seek your word as if we're seeking direction because we are lord help us tonight in this message to see you as the god who prepares a place for us in jesus name we pray amen and amen you may be seated now i feel it very needful to tell you that john chapter 14 verses 1-3 are probably in the top five of funeral texts that you will hear at a funeral let not your heart be troubled you believe in god believe also in me in my father's house are many mansions if it were not so i would have told you i go to prepare a place for you that where i am there you may be also and you'll hear something come across the intention is honorable but the scriptural footing is not in the proper context you will probably hear somebody say something that goes something like this god created the earth in six days how beautiful it is he's been gone 2 000 years building a mansion for me to dwell in the only problem with that is that he doesn't say i go away to build mansions reading the text he says in my father's house are many mansions they're already there but i go to prepare a place for you we understand that ephesians brings a little clearer what is meant by that place that jesus said let not your heart be troubled you believe in god believe also in me in my father's house are many mansions if it were not so i would have told you i go to prepare a place for you that where i am there you may be also this is not referring to our eternal place of abode this is not referring to that eternal place of heaven that the believer will live in when he says i go away to prepare a place for you he is referring to the role of a mediator he is referring to the role of a go-between for up to this time there was no one to connect a holy god to an unholy man there was no connection unholy man had no right for the entrance of heaven unholy man had no way to reach a holy god but when god became a man the bible says that he became the one mediator between god and man the man christ jesus we understand that when jesus rose from the dead and ascended into heaven he is now seated at a place of authority and power with god he is at the place of a mediator and and in accordance with first corinthians 15 he will be seated at a place of a mediator until the last enemy is destroyed and that is death now man has a mediator now man has access into heaven i have never been to heaven physically but i want you to know as a believer i have been in a heavenly place spiritually paul says in ephesians that god who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us even when we were dead in sins hath quickened together with christ by grace ye are saved and hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly what places in christ jesus i submit to you tonight when jesus told the disciples in john 14 i go away to prepare a place for you he was not referring to a mansion because there are already mansions in heaven he said i go to prepare a place for you that where i am there you may be also and the writer of hebrew says let us now come boldly into the throne room of grace that we may find help in the time of need what is my access into heaven if the name was written on that tattered banner that i wave before you tonight when i say jesus i have spiritual access into the heavenlies of all heavenlies when i'm baptized in his name and filled with the holy ghost and i begin to commune with him i submit to you we leave this old terraformer and we go to a spiritual realm and we are seated together with christ can you say amen he is the god he is the god who prepares a place i i invite you to go to first corinthians chapter number two and verse number nine and once again some of you are going to think i'm really funeral bashing tonight i'm not funeral bashing i'm just bringing things out more than likely you've heard this at a funeral but as it is written i have not seen nor ear heard neither hath it entered into the heart of man the things which god hath prepared for them that love him and it most of the time stops right there and the minister will begin to tell you that heaven is indescribable he'll begin to tell you that you you you cannot fathom what heaven is like he will say the bible says that i have not seen and ear has not heard and it has never entered into the heart of man the things that god has prepared but the problem is they need to read the next verse which is verse 10 but god hath revealed them unto us by his spirit for the spirit searcheth all things yea the deep things of god what he's saying to you there is god has a place that he has prepared and as long as you stay tethered to the flesh your eye will never see it sir your ear will never hear it your heart will never fathom what god can do with your life but just as sure as you enter into that heavenly realm by embracing the name of jesus and the power of the gospel all of a sudden things you never dreamed of begin to come into vision and things you never heard of begin to come into your ear and things your heart begins to ponder oh what a mighty god that we serve i've come to tell you about a god who has prepared a place for us he's a god of preparation he's a god of preparation i'll tell you he's preparing for the backslider to come home he prepares for the prodigal as sure as the prodigal leaves god does not necessarily erase their name from the role no i submit to you that when the prodigal leaves god begins to tell the angelic host to fatten up the calf when the prodigal takes the trip out of the church god begins to tell the angels to shine another ring and tells the angels to make another robe what are you doing god they turned their back on you what are you doing god you've given mercy and grace and died on a cross and dealt with them what are you doing god what are you doing i'll tell you what i'm doing i'm preparing for their return i'm preparing when they get sin sick let me tell you something if anyone knows the answer is not in the world it's god if anyone knows you're not going to find what you're looking for in the world you're not going to find it in the world so god therefore knows that you're going to come back disgusted you're going to come back broke you're going gonna come back and turn your attention to the house of god and when you do turn back and you decide in that hog pin that you're tired of feeding the swine and you're tired of paying the high price for low living and you're tired of everything you thought was there and you turn your face back toward the church there's a god that has prepared he's got a fatted calf he's got a robe he's got a ring he's got a kiss he's got a song he's got a music to play i wish somebody would just help me magnify the god that prepares a place well i'm not a backslider i'm staying in the church great but can i tell you something he's the god that moves by observation god is observing your life what a god we serve god watches your life god knows when danger's coming before you ever thought about it god knows when the horizon has dark clouds before you ever thought about a storm or heard the heard the thunder or saw the lightning god saw the storm god saw the small cell when it went when it when it when it broke off and stopped doing what it should be doing and god saw that sail in your body as it began to form a tumor no test revealed it no blood tests no no no blood work no x-ray but god knew it was there god knew was there so how in the world do you know all this because he simply tried to tell us in the gospels when he said your heavenly father keeps his eye upon a sparrow your heavenly father a most insignificant small creature this small bird of which there is an innumerable number of these small sparrows and god says let me tell you there's not one of them that fall from the heaven what i don't take note of it you know what he's trying to tell you he's not trying to tell you how much he loves the sparrows he then says and are ye not much better than they he's trying to tell you that you are of more worth than that small insignificant bird he says i've got my eye on you i don't know about you but there shouldn't be anybody in this room that doesn't have a reason to praise god that we listen apostolic jesus name bible-believing people ought to be and should be the happiest people in all of black county we ought to be the happiest people oh do we need to revive the song we are happy people yes we are we are happy people yes we are been baptized in jesus name spoke in tongues when the holy ghost came we are happy people come on church stop waiting on some rays to get happy stop waiting on some family situation you've already got everything you need that you ought to be happy about tonight sit there with your arms folded if you want to but you will die miserable because you have not fully understood a god that's done a lot of preparing for you before the cancer ever got there god already knew it was there long when it was being discussed in the backboard rooms of your corporation that they were going to lay you off god already saw it coming god saw the pandemic and probably chuckled at all of us preachers when we were getting our 2020 sermon of 2020 vision ready i can just see god now saying boy ain't they gonna have to change a little bit our whole thing for our general conference was 20 20 vision didn't see that one coming how many so-called prophets need to get up and we think a whole lot more of them if they would just get up and say that what they prophesied for 2020 and who was going back to all right i've got off sermon notes here but god saw it god saw it god knew it was coming god has his eye on the sparrow he says i know you so god think about this tonight god is tracking your life god is observing your life he sees what's on the horizon a month from now a year from now he sees what's on the horizon if god knows that you're going to have a great trial i believe that god already begins to strengthen you can anybody testify to this can anybody testify of an unusual blessing of an overcovering of an overshadowing of the presence of god that was something you could not explain of why you received such a tremendous blessing on a sunday only for the next week to reveal something you said oh thank god i got my touch thank god i got to touch on sunday night because i sure did face something on tuesday that i didn't see coming you know what that actually was that was an almighty god that's observing your life that already knows what next week holds but he loves you so much that he says i'm the god that prepares i'm not going to wait for it to happen i'm going to step out and go ahead and make things in their lives psalms chapter 23 of which you're going to think i'm bashing on funerals probably psalms 23 is right up there i'd say it's be the number one verse of scripture that's on that little program that you get the lord is my shepherd i shall not want he maketh me to lie down in green pastures he leadeth me beside the still waters he restoreth my soul he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name sake yeah 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 step they comfort me look at the god who prepares thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies god knows the enemy that wants to come and devour you he knows the enemy that wants to get a hold of your life and god's telling angels to set a table down and spread the cloth and set the setting put the plate and the salad bowl and the spoons and the goblet and the dessert why in the very midst of your enemy when you think man i shouldn't be praising god god says just keep on eating son i don't know i've got so much fallen apart i don't know why i'm so happy i'll tell you why in the presence of your enemy he prepares a table the devil has to watch me eat when he wants me to run the adversary has to watch me and my creator oh i'm preaching about the god who prepares a place but are you ready to take a turn in this sermon tonight are you ready to take a turn let's go to exodus chapter 15. verse number one the children of israel have come out of a bondage of 400 and something years of their wives being raped their husbands not living i read one time that the average hebrew man in egyptian bondage did not live past 20 years of age the building of the pyramids and the working was of such that a man was totally wore out by the age of 20 years old these poor uneducated hebrews but a god who delivered them brought them out of egyptian bondage split a red sea they went across on dry land when egypt tried to go after them the waters collapsed and what was once a a pathway of deliverance became a set up for death for pharaoh pharaoh and all of his armies drowned in the red sea when the sea went back together and things calmed down the hebrew saw the drowned bodies of their tormentors as their bodies washed up upon the sea and the bible says in first in the first verse of chapter 15 then saying moses and the children of israel this song unto the lord let me tell you singing is not a choice singing is a response i said singing is a response it's not a choice you want to know who's been redeemed or who is enjoying redemption the next time we get song service going on just look around and see who's singing singing is not for the spiritual it's not for those that love good singing it's for the redeemed if you are redeemed it is not maybe might you will begin to sing you will sing because of redemption if you're not redeemed you won't sing but if you are redeemed you can't help but open your mouth and say he brought me out of the my replay he set my feet on the rock to stay he put a song in my soul today a song of praise hallelujah i said he brought me out of the my reclaim he set my feet on the rock to stay he put a song in my soul today a song of praise hallelujah if you don't want to sing you ought to pray right now if you don't want to sing about redemption lord we can sing about susie leaving we can sing about the dog getting drunk we can sing about everything else mighty god why don't we sing a song of redemption he brought me out if you don't want to sing i don't believe you're redeemed but you show me a singer and i'll show you somebody that has been redeemed then maybe you see that i'm going to get this out of my system then saying moses and the children of israel this song unto the lord and spake saying i will sing unto the lord for he hath triumphed gloriously the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea your song ought to have something about redemption your song should have something about him bring you out i'll spare you again but he brought me out of the maori clay he set my feet sister irene on the rock to stay he put a song in my soul today a song of praise hallelujah a song of baptism in jesus name a song of speaking in tongues i've got it i've got it i've got it i've got it oh something about the power of the holy ghost i can't explain it but i've got it oh i've got it how about this one he's got up on the platform he's god back at the door he's god in the amen corner he's god all over the floor i know god is god and god don't ever change i know god is god and jesus is his name well they call us holy rollers they're all time poking fun but what they need to get is the holy ghost and the speaking in other tongues and they'll know god come on apostolic church this is the movement redeem people sing and they sing about redemption the horse and the rider he threw into the sea the lord triumphs gloriously the lord triumphed gloriously the horse and his right are he thrown into the sea come on verse 2 the lord is my strength and song he has become my salvation he is my god more missing some good amen parts here let me try verse 2 again the lord is my strength and song he's become my salvation he is my god i will come on all you pew warmers that are loving god preparing something for you because that praise has two two sides to that coin he's a god that's prepared a place he's a god that has prepared mercy but after we get a hold of it we need to flip it around and say god i'm going to prepare a habitation i'm going to get busy preparing something for you to live in and the last time i read my bible the bible says god inhabits the praises of his people why don't you build him a place come on carl come on brother being get on to the dub come on brother what in the world's happening in this church tonight in case you don't know it we just built god something for him to move we just built god something that he can live in are you tired of being depressed give him some praise are you tired of being down and out give him some praise are you tired of being negative give him some praise are you tired of the enemy running rough shot over you give him some praise give him some praise right now listen hell don't want to mess with you if you're a praiser hell don't want anything to do with you as your appraiser the last thing the enemy de la mama that probably you may be seated there may be a lot of counselors go out of business in this town if you'd learned how to praise him well the enemy just messes with me why don't you pop a praise on him why don't you just pop why don't you get him in a headlock of praise ah i got a praise i gotta pray and oh creepy that old creepy spirit begins to get on you and it'll ugly down and nothing's working right for me and that old gloomy fall gets in your car and maybe if you're not listening to the right stuff no wonder because you just invited it in but that's not the point that old gloomy fall come comes into your car and you begin to like i can't make it i'm i'm a victim i wasn't raised right i don't know this i i don't know i got done wrong why don't you begin to praise god i don't know who my mom and daddy is i don't know why don't you get your thumb out of your mouth and your hand lift it up and why don't you just begin to worship god praise him what are you doing i'm building a room for him to live in i'm building a room for him to live in i'm building a place for him to live in tonight instead of going home and the first thing you do is turn your television on why don't you walk into that house and begin to praise the name of jesus oh god i praise the lord almighty god i worship you i love you lord jesus you're all together lovely you're my bride and my voting star you're my elf and my omega you're my fourth man in the very furnace you're the one that locked the jaws of the lion you're my lily of the valley you're my brother come on what in the world are you doing i'm building god a room you know why the enemy you may be seated you know why the enemy don't want you to praise god because the verse of scripture goes like this let god arise am i done and his enemies be sound like to me all i gotta do is get him high and lift it up i don't need no oil i don't need no devil rebuking oil sent to me from somebody i don't need a cloth i don't need a band-aid if i want to get the devil out of my life i just got to learn how to praise god lord i magnify you god i got all this weird stuff going on up here in my head but bless the lord o my soul and all that is within me i will bless your name the lord is my strength and song and it's become my salvation he is my god and i will i will i will not the praise team i will not the choir i will prepare him a habitation my father's god i will exalt him praise praise can i tell you the next time you start praising god just visualize a room you're building that god's going to come down and say i love that i love that you know god's favorite place of the tabernacle was the gates of judah it was something about judah that he loved because judah was a praiser judah was appraiser well let me move on just for a moment move on for just a moment once you get it together brother once you get it together sister then turn to hebrews chapter 11 because after you get it together and you've prepared god a habitation hebrews chapter 11 oh don't get quiet on me now chapter 11 verse number 7 after you get it together through praise hebrews 11 verse number 7 by faith noah being warned of god of things not seen as yet moved with fear prepared an ark to the saving of his house by which he condemned the world and became the heir of righteousness which is by faith can i tell you something when god spoke to noah and god said noah the end of all flesh has come up before me i'm going to send a water a flood and all flesh is going to be destroyed build an ark noah can i tell you something noah saw it by faith he saw it too many of us you know why a lot of people get extra stirred up when we go to war and there's a there's a hyphen stirring of people right now there's more people interested in god right now you know why russia attacked ukraine but do you know that it's never should be the reason you get stirred up if god says it you need to visualize it the lord is coming as a thief in the night the lord is coming back the lord is coming back when god told noah that he was going to destroy the earth noah saw it before there was ever a drop of rain fall from the sky noah heard the screams of people clawing at the sides of the ark let me in noah let me in noah let me in he steps out and he tells his three sons shem hammond james that boys god is going to flood this place and for a hundred years they labored the laughing stock of the region he built a boat miles from a body of water there had never been a recorded flood upon the earth he was a laughingstock they gathered around that vessel and they laughed at noah and his three sons as they labored to build the boat they laughed but let me tell you something just like the world laughs at us for what we did the last 15 minutes it's all right to go to ball games paint your belly and put the the letters of your team and get men lawyers cpas corporate leaders standing belly-to-belly spilling out their team that's all right but don't let a group of men get excited about jesus and start running around an auditorium can i tell you something tonight keep on laughing because i'm going to keep on building laughers are another bible prophecy the bible says that in the last days markers shall come they will laugh if you can be laughed off the wall you'll be laughed off the wall but honey i mean this for my babies i've got a felon and a chad and a paris and a windsor and a london and a penny and a zack and a lauren and a beckham and a hampton and a nolan and a plenary i got a church don't you see it don't you see it i gotta build me a church maybe see we all going on wednesday night don't you see us over here in your driveway we got our little league ball bats our little league all right man i got a major league boy on my hands right here you ought to see the way he can pitch you ought to see the way he can why don't you sign your boy up for little league sorry we're going to bible study what bible study can't you do that on another night can't you practice ball on another night can i tell you something you keep on building a boat you keep on taking that five-year-old boy let those kids be born into apostolic homes where they know nothing else but on wednesday night we go to church they don't even dare ask their parents are we going tonight as a matter of fact if your kids are asking you or you're going you need to tighten it up with your home it shouldn't be well listen i think my one of my kids fell and hit its head if they come in on wednesday and say dad we going tonight if you lost what little brains you were born with but how many kids get up on wednesday and ask mom are we going tonight shame on us shame on us cause i'm gonna tell you something when you spend all your time on that little little league stuff it's gonna let you down your kid has a better chance of getting hit by lightning than even be considered by a major ball team i remember years ago i don't know why it fell i don't know why it fell that didn't come out of my pocket i don't think did it let's say thank you lord i don't know why i feel my my i was at the school one day and they said hey would you give a tour to someone so i walked was up on the hill so i walked a man around and he he had i think a first or second grader he began to ask about ball teams and what we had for football what we had we didn't have any of that what we had for this one we had for that and he was just straight up he said well my son is in a little league football deal right now and said he's he's really got the frame the stature and said i really thought i wanted private education but but i hate you don't have this to offer about 10 years later about 10 years later the same father called the church want to meet with me his boy was in the 11th grade and was hooked on crack cocaine preacher is there any way we can get him in your school sorry sir sorry sir we can help you through our youth group but we can't help you through the school now i know some of you looking sideways at me tonight but it is a christian school it's not a reform school and the people that we allow to come in that are not of this church i'm going to tell you they are vetted they're vetted because i prize what we're trying to do right here i prize what we're trying to do preacher he's got a court date he's been thrown out of william blunt he's got a court date i've got to get him somewhere enrolled i'm sorry sir we can't help you what a reversal of the rose you see he didn't ask me about football teams he didn't ask me about scholarships he didn't ask me about any of that you know why because when it comes to it what really matters is the life that is lived keep on bringing your kids to listen if you could just see every time you drive up to school you're just nailing another you're just nailing another board in your salvation you're just you're building a bar because times are coming gender all this crazy times are upon our youth listen friend their youth are going through more right now they have more availability to turn to sin than any generation that has ever been there is more government approval and endorsement of sin there's more society approval and endorsement of sin they've got a lot of ways they could turn but somehow god has got a group of apostolic young people at the first apostolic church that somehow their mamas and their daddies paying tuition and bringing them to the house of god when they were wore out on wednesday from working they come in and said come on junior we're going to church tonight they built the house well i preached to the church tonight by the help of god we rode the celestial wave of praise and for just a few moments entertained another world through the praise of our god for the last few moments for the last few moments we have been exposed to a man named noah that saw the inn coming and built an ark to the saving of his children boy you really know you've done it when your kids when they get grown and this is something this is something do you know that we're starting to see now children and even grandchildren of former students at aca i want my kids there i want my kids now when they were in school some of them said like i did when i get out of here adios amigos i mean i'm done but it's amazing how kids mature and when they get married and have children they begin to say please hold a spot at the daycare for my my child please hold a spot at the school for my boy you know why they get old enough they get old enough to see the value of the ark i'm so glad i've got my children my grandchildren now i've got my grandchildren somewhere where i have absolute confidence in the teacher there's never but no none of those teachers are going to try to mess with their gender identity there's not going to be any of this going on they're going to be given the word of god they're going to be prayed over they're going to be prayed over now for the last segment of this message i turn my attention to the center that may be here to the person that would lower their head right now and say i don't know if i'm saved i really don't know someone told me i invite your attention to the 21st chapter of the book of revelation chapter 21 and verse number one and i saw a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away there was no more sea and i john saw the holy city new jerusalem coming down from god out of heaven follow me now church prepared as a bride adorned for her husband i heard a great voice out of heaven saying behold the tabernacle of god is with men and he will dwell with them and they shall be his people and god himself shall be with them and be their god god shall wipe away all tears from their eyes and there shall be no more death neither sorrow nor crying neither shall there be any more pain for the former things are passed away thank god for the funeral of the funeral the former things have passed away and he that set up on the throne said behold i make all things new and he said unto me right for these words are true and faithful what a place prepared new jerusalem when the angel was given a measuring stick to measure new jerusalem new jerusalem that god prepared city for the church new jerusalem 1500 miles wide what a city 1500 miles long i'm not talking about a state i'm talking about a city 1500 miles high three gates on the north three gates on the south and three gates on the east and three gates on the west and the righteous and the holy and the redeemed of god the bride dwell in that city don't know about you but i just described to you our future home i just could we just meditate on it for a moment musicians would you come right now come on i just described to you our future home is this really all we're going to hear tonight when i'm talking about our future home i love you lord i praise you god kelly cheshire sweetheart there's no more tears flowing down your face for your mama there's no more death over there in that land you'll never say goodbye to your wife you'll never say goodbye to your husband you'll never say goodbye to a child there's no death there's no sorrow and there's no more pain everything has died all things have become new there's not even a sun in that city the source of light is the lamb thereof and in an inconceivable word called eternity that we're not even wired to comprehend there we are with the lord he prepared that place but we turned around and prepared him a vessel but i'd be less than a man of god but the cat still i would be less than a preacher of the gospel of jesus christ to stop right here there's another prepared place it's found in matthew chapter number 25. in verse number 41. then shall he say and say also unto them on the left hand depart from me he cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels by the help of mercy and grace of god i'm going to new jerusalem by the help and the grace and the mercy of god almighty i'm walking streaks of gold by the help and the grace of god almighty when the rapture happens i'm going to be caught up in the moment and in the twinkling of an eye this mortal shall put on immortality and i shall be changed but if you're here tonight and you're so caught up with this world the music of this world is appealing to you the things of this world is appealing to you you walk by the bar in the restaurant down at calhoun's and somehow the people drinking seem to have a wondering i'd like to be happy that way the world has a pull on you you better tonight listen to your pastor you better crucify the world tonight because the world is going to pass away in the lust thereof and don't you listen to an old hellish rock and roll song that tells you there's one big marijuana smoking party going on in hell there's one big everybody do what you want to down here in hell that is a lie that is a lie that is a lie that is a lie let me tell you what's coming from hell water just a little bit of water you know what's coming from hell please let me go to church one more time please let me hear the pastor one more time let me just have one more time to do that that's what's coming from hell it's not one big party they're weeping and gnashing with their teeth but you don't have to go there tonight you don't have to go there would you stand with me you don't have to go there tonight would you bow your heads with me right now we've we've praised god we've rode the wave of praising god tonight but church family if i've ever asked you to begin to pray for people in this room right now mighty god would you begin to pray for the lost right now oh if they go to hell let them go to hell over our prayers if anybody in this room tonight goes to hell let them go to hell over hearing me in their ear saying come to the altar come to the altar there's a place prepared for you he went away to prepare a place for you come on pray right now come on pray right now pray right now pray right now there's a place prepared listen to me pray right now pray right now listen to me pray oh pray right now pray right now this is not a game this is not a game you're either saved tonight or you're not you're either going to do jerusalem or you're not please listen to me for a moment i'll gather you in this altar listen to those of you that are altered just keep on praying right now but everybody in the pew look up here at pastor right now how many would agree with me tonight that some of the hardest people to overcome a barrier and to witness to is your family i was asked to pray for jeanette yesterday i was asked to come and pray for her kelly said would you come pray for mama and as i stood there in that room with my sister-in-law sister selena that i affectionately call my aunt she's been in my family i've known jeanette since i was a 10 11 12 year old kid it's the hardest thing didn't have any trouble going to anointed with oil and pray for but a little bitty bump was this ask her about baptism ask her about baptism and that little bitty resistance but nudge jeanette i'm not only going to pray for you for strength for healing but jeanette i'm going to pray for you that god would give you strength to be baptized and then jeanette she knew the other side of calvary with kenny carpenter she knew the other side she knew what god had brought me out of and i said jeanette he did it for me he did it for me she didn't commit to baptism we left and an hour later she's getting dressed to come over here and to be baptized in jesus name now i said all that just say this if you're sitting there on the pew tonight young person middle-aged person or elderly person and there's someone on your pew a friend a family member that's not ready you would be a friend to them right now to turn and say hey why don't you come to the altar with me tonight why don't you come to the altar with me tonight why don't you come to the altar would you pray right come on pray right now with me please you don't have to be lost ma'am we got water tonight there's already a precious young lady that's going to be baptized we got water we can baptize you tonight that's one of the steps of salvation we can baptize you in jesus name tonight come on you've got things in your life that you need you need to get rid of these things would you turn to somebody tonight and invite them to the altar would you turn to somebody there in your pew and would you invite them to the altar come on i know it may be a little awkward it may be a little awkward but will you turn and say hey let's all go to the altar together let's all go to the altar together let's all go to the altar together come on i'm going to need everybody to move up as close to the altar as you can i'm going to need you to move up as close to the altar as you can there's going to be a massive crowd in the altar tonight the pews are going to empty there's going to be a massive crowd in this altar come on move up as close to the altar as you can as close to the altar as you can fill up the empty spots over here fill into this altar right now move up close move up close don't let there be any gaps i've got to get everybody in the altar tonight i've got to get everybody in the altar alternate fill in the gaps fill in the gaps come on fill in the gaps that's right fill in the gaps tonight oh in the name of jesus that's right go ahead start praying oh let's pray right now oh let's pray right now he's a god that has prepared a place he's a god that has prepared a place he's a god that has prepared a place to those of you that are watching online tonight to those of you that are watching online maybe you're a prodigal tonight and god is using this to deal with you get down beside your couch get down beside your chair if you live here in blount county you've got time to come to the church get down beside your couch make your couch an altar right now that's right lift those hands lift those hands there's a place prepared for you his name is jesus begin to say it jesus jesus jesus help me help me god help me jesus you'll begin to feel power you'll begin to feel annoying you'll begin to feel a change right there in your living room come on he's prepared a place for you oh he's prepared a place for you god forgive me of my spirit forgive me o god that i've allowed things to come into my life i've allowed attitudes and spirits i've allowed negativism i've allowed these things to come into my life i have become negative about the preaching i've become negative about the singing i've become negative about the church i've become negative about the school oh god forgive me come on church yes yes yes yes yes yes yes oh yes yes yes yes oh yes church there's a savior that's waiting the calf has been batted the robe has been pressed the ring has been shined come on there's a god ready to receive you tonight you're going to be revealed with the holy ghost yes yes yes yes yes yes okay come on souls are being saved right now souls are saying i don't want to go to that place called hell i don't want to go to that place called hell call out on that name you'll immediately go to the throne room of heaven call out on that name jesus oh god help me you're gonna be spiritually transported to the new heaven it's a place prepared for you it's a place of forgiveness it's a place of redemption it's a place where hope is restored it's a place where all things are made new oh hallelujah oh yes oh yes oh yeah so yes oh yes oh yes oh yes oh yes lay your hand over on someone lay your hand over on someone right now yes oh yes oh yeah so yes oh yes oh yes the holy ghost is moving the holy ghost is moving right now the holy ghost is moving oh yes the holy ghost is moving the holy ghost is moving right now the holy ghost is moving come on brother cox receive you the gift of the holy ghost in the name of jesus father baptize brother cox right now baptize brother randy cox with the holy ghost right now jesus help him lord to yield his tongue to you oh the holy ghost says i on him the holy ghost is on him yes jesus jesus oh in the name of jesus christ oh in the name of jesus those of you that are praying those of you that are praying i want you to continue to pray but i want to bring notice to something this is the second sunday night this is the second sunday night that we have baptized a little one that is connected to family of parents and grandparents and great-grandparents last week was the amber family the ross monroe family this week it's the jeter family brother sister bryant where are you at i saw you a few minutes ago who'd ever thought years ago when brother lewis and brother carthage was convincing you all of the gospel when you were driving miles to get brother bryant prayed through to the holy ghost when you were being faithful to revival after revival after revival who would ever dreamed one day there would be a massive group of people in this room that are connected to you hey listen to me tonight before the grandfather baptizes his granddaughter listen to me tonight if i walk noah and shem and him and jthep if i walk them out here on the platform you know what they would say you all kind of us every last one of you can do us because there was a day when there wasn't nothing but eight of us and because a little eight faithful few brother marshall were faithful to the gospel look at what we have tonight and i want to speak a word of encouragement david david listen to me tonight listen to me tonight david david stay faithful to god that's you one day david that's you one day with your children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren getting baptized getting the holy ghost going to the christian school that's you one day david so one you're the only one in your family coming to church no wonder sister karen hell fights that one person so hard you know why hell fights them because hell knows if i can get them i get all these if i get you i get all them those early days of pentecost brother and sister bryant when hell breathed hot and heavy down the back of your neck when you were laughed at and ridiculed because you went to a tongue-talking church you know what hale was trying to do it was trying to get you so it would get all of these but thank god he didn't get you and this is the reward of noah and his house keep on building tonight keep on coming to church let's turn our attention to brother stan jeter at this time [name redacted] upon the confession of your faith in obedience to the word of the lord i now indeed baptize you in the name of the lord jesus christ yes for the remission of your sins and ye shall receive the gift of the holy ghost in jesus name hallelujah now begin to praise him oh yes thank you lord hallelujah in jesus is is one more time oh let's give him praise right now oh let's give him praise right now thank you lord glory to god glory to god