The Greatest Revelation | Senior Pastor Kenneth Carpenter
by Kenneth Carpenter
First Apostolic Church of Maryville (Maryville, TN)
Kind: sermon
Scripture: Ephesians 1:15-23, Proverbs 7:4-7

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

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Ephesians chapter 1 and verse number and 15 when you find it's amen all right when you find it save me wherefore I also after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and love into all the saints cease not to give thanks for you making mention of you in my prayers everybody say prayers making mention of you in my prayers that the god of our Lord Jesus Christ the father of glory may give unto you the spirit of revelry a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him the eyes of your understanding being enlightened that you may know what is the hope of his calling and what is the riches of the glory of his inheritance of his inheritance in the Saints for a few moments today I want to attempt to bless you with a Bible lesson that I have entitled the greatest revelation the greatest say it with me the greatest revelation father I Love You Father I thank you today for your spirit that has kissed us today I thank you Lord for the answers that have already been given I thank you father today for the hearts that are anticipating the receiving of the Word of God Satan you are a liar and Jesus you are the truth may the Spirit of God rest upon us and prepare us for this upcoming week in Jesus name we pray amen you may be seated the greatest revelation the greatest revelation it was that GMC that brought to light as a text where the prophet Samuel said about Israel he was the Prophet for Israel the leader for Israel and he said about Israel he said god forbid that I should ever stop praying for you for if I ever stopped praying for you I would commit sin he said it is a sin samuel said it is a sin as israel's a leader it is a sin that I would stop praying for you I soon discovered that the Apostle Paul on several occasions Colossians 1 3 Philippians 1 3 and 4 Romans 1 8 and 9 I found that Paul made several comments about the churches that he led that he simply said I mentioned you in my prayer time I pray for you I mentioned you when I pray so that began to spin my mind about exactly if I could have eased drop on Paul what would Paul's prayer for the church sound like what would it sound like if I could eavesdrop on him the apostle of the first century if I could stand beside him and if I could listen to him pray what would he be saying about people who had already embraced the new birth message people that already had the revelation of a mighty God in Jesus Christ what would be his prayer would his prayer focus around their health would his prayer focus around their marital life would his wood would his prayer focus around such things as jobs and decisions and I stumbled upon the texts that I read you today because in one of these texts this is where Paul again begins to say I make mention of you will the first thing that I find very noteworthy in verse number 15 Paul says of Ephesians 1 Paul says I hear of your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ I have heard about your faith but I not only heard about your faith but I have heard about how you love one another how you love the Saints which I believe that is a perfect balance personally I don't believe you can have true faith in God that isn't balanced with true love for your fellow brother if you're going to have true faith in God you're going to be balanced out by having loved one for another he says I remember your faith I've heard about your faith and I've heard about your love for one another and that leads me to tell you that I don't cease 4:16 I don't cease I don't stop praying for you when I hear that you've got the faith and you've got the love I don't stop my prayer for you - I don't know about you today but whether you're a politician a preacher or a parent it is necessary that we pray for the those that we lead whether we're a politician politicians ought to pray for the people they leave they ought to pray that God helps them lead people in the right way as a preacher as a preacher and that could be a preacher and evangelist a missionary anyone that proclaims the word you ought to know that you need to not only prepare a sermon with three points but you ought to also sow that sermon in some tears asking God to help the people that you lead as a parent you need to ask God and you need to call the names of your children call them daily call them daily call out the names of your children daily so that your prayers mount up in heaven as a memorial before the only one that can truly do something to help us with our children and that is God pray pray whether you're a politician trained with whether you're a preacher and pray so Paul said I cease not to give thanks for you I make mention of you in my prayers how many of you today as a member of first Apostolic Church how many of you today would say bye amen I want my pastor to pray for me not just Sunday how many would like to know when this building's dark and you're out driving your truck or you're out you're out behind a desk at your office ma'am somewhere in a dark auditorium is one of the pastoral members of the church calling your name out before God asking God to help you he said I don't cease to give thanks and I make mention of you in my prayers okay Paul what do you say when you pray about me that the god of our Lord Jesus Christ the father of glory may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him him who God because Paul is writing to a church and just because we have embraced the new birth message and been baptized and speaking tongues and know that there's only one God there's still more about God that we need to know he said I pray for you that God would give you the spirit of what first word the spirit of wisdom the spirit of wisdom well what is wisdom wisdom is seeing your life in terms of your future wisdom is seeing your life in terms of your future too many people live in the rearview too many people live in their pasts too many people live out their lives that's why they keep stumbling in their future is there keep looking in the past you can't walk forward by by looking back your legs can take you in one direction but you're going to stumble over things so Paul said I want you to get a spirit of wisdom I want you to understand what your future looks like I want you to understand that your future looks different than your past mistakes your future looks different and I pray and I join with Paul I join with Paul maybe I maybe I'm not going to pray so much financial prosperity for us in the future maybe I'm not going to pray so much health prosperity for us in the future maybe I'm not going to pray so much marital bliss in the future maybe I'm going to join with Paul and just simply pray that God gives each of us the spirit of Revelation that we could begin to see our lives through the future wisdom if you turn with me real quick to proverbs chapter 7 proverbs chapter 7 is an interesting chapter of course they're all interesting but chapter 7 is interesting for the sermon today alright chapter 7 of course proverbs is a book known for one thing what's it known for wisdom proverbs wisdom because God wants you to understand God wants you to realize the spirit of wisdom the spirit of your future I wonder how many pitfalls we could stay out of if we could see our future and what God has for our future I wonder how many automatic decisions would be made in our lives we'd even have to think about it we would know who to friend right we wouldn't know where to go because we see our future he said wisdom he said I'm praying for you that you received the spirit of wisdom and wisdom is spoken of in proverbs chapter 7 and we will begin in verse number four it says say unto wisdom thou art my sister and call understanding that kinswoman now this is talking about he said I want you to liken wisdom to someone in your family now it's actually saying there understand that wisdom and your walk with God your born-again experience have the same parent the father understand we were not born again without the father and we can't have wisdom without the father see there's only two types of wisdom in the world today there's only two types of wisdom there's the wisdom of God and there's the wisdom of the world there's godless wisdom wisdom of God shows you your future wisdom of the world shows you a mirage it shows you something that's really not there paints it all up for you tells you if you do X Y & Z this is where you go when you do X Y & Z that's not what you get but the wisdom of God shows you a cross shows you a death of the flesh shows you wrastling with stubbornness and shows you wrestling with ideas that come from the carnal carnality side of you and it shows you God out but it says if you'll die out you'll have life you'll have life more abundantly and you'll have a life that's much better than what wisdom of the world wants to give you so he said say under wisdom you are my sister in other words what I need from God my future needs to come from the same father that I got my salvation from it's my sister saying the wisdom you're my sister and I call understanding my kinswoman that they keep being far from the strange woman from the stranger which flattered it with her words for at the window of my house I looked through the casement I beheld among the simple ones I discerned among the youths a young man void of understanding and it doesn't end good for that young man he loses his life if I read the rest of the scripture this young man loses his life you know why he lost his life oh it was the harlot that brought him into the house and took his life no that's not what took his life what took his life was he didn't have wisdom were treating symptoms when we need to be looking at the cause the the harlot was the symptom the cause of it he would have never been in the street he would have been where the writer of the book of Proverbs was at Solomon said at my house in my house I looked through the window and I beheld in other words it's a man wisdom talking about another man that doesn't have any wisdom had he had wisdom he wouldn't have been out of the house had he had wisdom he wouldn't have been entertained from a harlot had he had wisdom he wouldn't have lost his life there in the harlots house so today here's what I'm going to pray I'm not going to pray about your symptoms because there's many symptoms here today they're symptoms that older people have that are not the same symptoms as younger people have and vice versa so today instead of having a long list of items that I call out to God and say this that in the other may I just make one prayer and say father would you give the members a first Apostolic Church the wisdom give them wisdom Lord give them wisdom let's go back to Ephesians he not only says that you need to have wisdom matter of fact why don't we just pause for a moment father in the name of Jesus give us wisdom Lord wisdom is that one thing you said in the book of James that if we ask for wisdom we would receive it you said in the book of James that if we ask you for wisdom you would receive we would receive it and God I ask you in faith today to give me wisdom and I ask you today in faith over this congregation right now over the congregation of first Apostolic Church I pray right now of the congregation of the online members I pray that the spirit of Revelation the spirit of wisdom would rest upon them today in Jesus name god help us to see our future through wisdom that the spirit of wisdom verse 17 and revelation that word revelation means revealed it means something that you don't know something that you don't know it's revealed does it mean it wasn't there does it mean it's not there it's just not being revealed to you how many wonderful things are in store for us today that you can't see right now but if we can just simply get the spirit of wisdom how many wonderful callings how many wonderful gifts how many wonderful things are going to come our way that you can't see right now God's already got them into motion God's already got them into working right now and they're just covered up but if we'll pray and it will receive the spirit of wisdom and not the spirit of Pat the pass for example I've been praying you some someone may say I've been praying for years for my son my daughter my loved one to come to church it just doesn't do any good I've been I've been praying for years you know what you just said you've got a rearview mentality because wisdom says you're praying with your future in mind and how many of us know that just before the dawn of victory we have fought the night of hell can I get a witness in this house today how many have come upon weeks of struggle that you couldn't put your finger on can I get a witness trouble that you just couldn't put your finger on a struggle in your spirit a trouble that you can't describe you didn't you just can't really realize what it is but you bet you knew better than to quit you knew better than to stop but you would confess that it seems like I'm praying and that's the ceiling is made of brass and it seems like the more good I do the the more behind that I get and it just seems like I need to throw in the towel I need to quit but how many of you today have went through the night of chaos only to have that unexpected turn in the corner and all of a sudden something you could not see is revealed right before your eyes oh god I pray for this congregation today that God would give you the spirit of wisdom and the revelation of him on the signal mama mama that boy that you've been praying for that's on prescription drugs you keep on praying and you keep on praying because what you don't know is that God is not only going to save him but God's gonna make a mighty worker out of him in the kingdom but you gotta keep on praying oh my sermon is entitled this morning the greatest revelation and I'm here to tell you today the greatest revelation isn't that Jesus is God the greatest revelation is what God wants to do with you that's the greatest revelation that you could ever leave would you please notice something with me does you neither have your Bibles open verse number 15 starts verse 14 has a period at the end of it verse 15 starts has a comma Paul's not through verse 16 Paul's not through verse 17 Paul's not through he says I want you to have the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him the knowledge of him that's God the eyes of your understanding being enlightened that you may know what is the hope of his calling and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the Saints the two things I want to I want to I want to take from this verse of scripture we always say the word with when we talk about our heart we'll say the word I feel in my heart Hemi said that before I feel in my heart very seldom do we use the analogy I see in my heart how this is gonna work out do you know that God not only wants our heart to have feelings emotions but God wants our heart to have eyes and the eyes of our heart when our emotions have checked out on us hey if we only live for God when we want to come on now come on now let's get real let's get real I know the Holy Ghost is real I've had chilled but you could hang a coat hanger on the side of my arm I know all of that I know how good I know how good the Holy Ghost feels but can I tell you I'm not I'm standing here today not because my chill bumps got bigger through the years I'm standing here today cause my wisdom of what I see in my heart has enlarged and enlarged any lords so what you need this morning is not another chill bump experience what you need is to get some eyes inside of your heart and they are eyes of wisdom and their eyes of Revelation and their eyes of expectation because listen this is not let's make a deal you got to choose behind door number one door number two and door number three can I tell you what Jesus Christ ever doors good with Jesus Christ everything that he has so I can be looking at things that are veiled all around me and I could say that's good and that's gonna be good I don't know how that's going to work out but it's going to work out for good I don't know how that's going to work yet but it's going to work out for good I don't know how my layoffs going to work out but I know it's gonna work out for good I don't know how much boy for just a moment this week for just a moment this week for just a moment I got in I got in a frame of mine and I had to stop myself because my good friend my colabor in the gospel judge Sears said he's building a church right now debt-free it's called the he's calling it the miracle of 46th Street there in Bloomington Indiana when I was up there he took me by the miracle of 46th Street it sets on the corner thousands of cars you couldn't have a better location in that city than Judge Sears is God and he's called it the miracle of 46th Street we were off to round that building that gravel driveway and gravel parking lot studied walls man it brought back a lot of memory we talked about what God was going to do and he keeps sending me pictures of sheet rock going up signs going up in August next month they're going to get in that building but this past week week before last he had some dental work done if you had the dental work done you'd begin to have some headaches and he began to have some slurred speech so he just plans to go in what he thinks gonna be a Tuesday routine check with the doctor and before the evening was out he was admitted to the hospital with a tumor on the front of his brain within 24 hours 99% of that tumor would be removed he sent me a picture from his hospital bed he said he sent me a picture from his hospital bed the Sun coming up in the morning he takes me and he says the carpenter weeping may endure for the night but joy cometh in the morning man we both rejoiced together too late that night and would you just just mute me for a moment please just just mute me wants you to believe that's what he wants you to believe that's why he he wants to discourage you today if you're having church somewhere and there's only 10 20 30 people there he would like to tell you and tell you that all you're not making a difference in your city at all you're not making a difference in all of this you know why he keeps telling you that he is afraid that you're going to get the spirit of wisdom and you're going to give the spirit of revelation and you're gonna see what God is going to do for you in your future pray mama pray daddy praying saints of God oh I don't think it's doing any good idiots doing good the fact that you're discouraged tells me that hell is trying to keep you verse 19 what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us with who believe now notice it's all one flowing thought and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us word who believe according to the working of his mighty power which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places far above all principality that's right demonic forces cannot stand against Jesus Christ far above all principalities the devil is no match for Jesus Christ don't go for an answer underneath anything of Jesus Christ because the final answer comes in Jesus far above all principalities somebody say with me far above all principality said again far above all principalities and power and might and Dominion and every name that is named not only in this world but also in the word that which is to come can I tell you years ago an old beer company had a commercial when you said Budweiser you said it all wrong when you said Jesus you said it on I don't know what he'll will produce tomorrow I don't know what name will come across the television stream tomorrow I don't know what new COBIT 19 will come across the screen tomorrow but you listen to this five foot seven inch green eyed preacher this morning I'm telling you that the name of Jesus is above everything that ever come your way when you're in trouble say Jesus when you're fearful say Jesus when you don't know what to do say Jesus when you feel like there's harm coming say Jesus when you're seeking your body say Jesus also when you're wail in your body say Jesus when you wake up in the morning let the first name be Jesus and let the last name be Jesus in the day I'm talking about the greatest revelation the greatest revelation someone say the greatest revelation far above all principality and power and might and Dominion and every name every name every name that is named not only in this world but also in the world that is to come and have put all things under his feet and given him to be the head over all things to the church which is his body the fullness of him that filleth all in all now wait a minute verse 22 Jesus has all things where somebody help me I'm gonna see if you won't stay study with me today verse 22 Jesus has all things hood underwear wear that that's that's right all things are under what and giving and gave him to be the head over all things to the church so he's the head over what church where's our head at this morning I'll go ahead and help you in heaven our head is in heaven that's right where Christ Jesus is this morning in a glorified body he is in that third heaven and I know what he's doing right now the Bible says that he ever liveth to make intercession for you if that don't light your fire your woods with that's all I'd say this morning if that don't ring your bell your clappers broke all right I'm just telling you this morning when I when I begin to think about what he's doing right now why he's praying he's praying that I make it he's praying you know what he's saying right now he's saying I father I pray that those people will listen to their pastor then I put over them and that they'll understand the will that I have for their lives sit down they could go out in a parking lot stand for a minute yeah you will cuz that's your choice but give me tell you what kind of life you're gonna live you're always gonna be needing the preacher to pray for your marriage you're always gonna be needing the preacher to pray for your finances matter of fact you ain't never gonna come up here around the preacher unless you're here to tell him that you got laid off you ain't ever gonna call him unless there's trouble that's right that's right because when you understand what God wants to do for you today is to give you the spirit of wisdom what kind of wants your life to look like instead of you having to find 10 longest ways before you go home to walk in to have to see your wife before you're looking for every reason to be out of the house you're looking for any reason to just not be in the same room with him or her God is able to do something in your life to where you'll be at work sin Oh another holler I get to go home another hour of them now you're gonna send a text two hours from now I'll be coming through the front door you say that's not even real oh yes it is real oh yes it is real Winterson side me today I'm telling you I am in l.o.v.e love with my wife I love her I love to spend all the time I love to hear her laugh I love to hear her talk we love to spend time together you say yeah y'all just you all just connected right you just married the right one no we married the one whose name is Jesus and he give us a revelation oh my god he gave us a revelation he gave us a revelation hey don't make me see ya ah first thing's staying a bit come on you think bonuses karma didn't struggle we struggled just like the rest you struggled we got we got married we didn't know nothing I brought a bag of garbage with me and she brought a bag of garbage with her and we mixed our garbage together when we got angry I brought my garbage out when she got angry she brought her garbage out in our house stunk but somehow somebody kept praying for me they had would receive the spirit of wisdom and I would begin to see that God was gonna do something with me and her and God was gonna God was gonna do something with us although we are romantically in love with each other we love spending time with each other we're also passionate about our callings in God with each other we're passionate about our callings in college that that and we've often said meant me and sister Cartman said we are the poster children that you don't have to have a daddy or a mama or a pedigreed to do something for God don't you sit back there and pull your bottom lip down and say I my daddy wasn't a preacher and my granddaddy would I didn't have a pedigree you don't need a pedigree you just need to go to Calgary you need to go to Calgary folks I just might run here in just a minute that's that's what I'm feeling right now but somebody brother Joshua somebody me about my future somebody crank so I pray the spirit of Revelation on you Joss I pray the spirit and wisdom upon you Josh I pray the spirit of your future upon you Joss o my talk today come on come on let it shake you this morning let it shake it is for some of you come on get up get up starting to set Oh marriage estates it only sticks unless you get a revelation of what he can look like yeah you can stop early on just remain standing with the musicians with you coming I'm not done but it'll make y'all feel good if they'll come you can stop with yarn look at you watch and all your life will be is pray for my kids they're in trouble pray for my kids can I tell you something I'm looking at a student section right now that I'm not praying for you to get off drugs I'm praying for you to find your colleagues because the Utopia of your life it's not that you stay off drugs but the Utopia the revelation of your life is what does God want to do with me what does God want to do with me what's God here this now it is now hear me now real quick the most unlikely the most unlikely many times becomes those that you stand back stretch your head said dad mighty God I'd never believed that if you'd only known that boy when I guarantee that's what they said about old Peter when he stepped out there at the moto tube that day said million brother these are not drunk as you suppose seeing it is for the third hour of the day but this is that spoken by the Prophet Joel in the last days I'll pour out of my spirit about in somebody elbow says is that Peter well I knew him when CR utopia today and I only say this in a spiritual sense I only say this in a spiritual sense I do not say this to anyone that's here on a walker today but there's too many people that have allowed the devil to put you on a spiritual Walker it's way too young for you to be on the Walker it's way too young for you to write yourself off it's way too young for you to believe the lies that you've listened to of yourself because I'm praying for you that God gives you the spirit of wisdom and revelation now go back to this for a moment where's our head at where's our head at what's under his feet what is his body so if his head's in heaven and his body's on earth what's under our feet all things she'd be under our feet the greatest revelation that you could ever receive the greatest revelation we kind of read the Bible and we see it kind of brother males kind of something like this Jesus walks up to Peter and says follow me and I'll make you a Fisher of men Peter says okay that's good I'll follow you do you know that didn't happen do you know that the first time Peter and Jesus met Peter Jesus told Peter your assignments under John you will be called Cephas which is a stone in words he said there's something revealed there's something covered up do you know that Peter began to follow Jesus based on this right here and he followed him from brother Nash I don't know months months months he followed him and there were times that Jesus went out preaching that Peter didn't go and on this day it happened Peter was fishing and Jesus was teaching the word from the bank he turns to Peter and he says Peter I've used your boat because Peters fished all night long I've used your boat Peter let down the nets for a great catch of fish Peter said Lord here's our wisdom I have toiled all night long and caught nothing here's our wisdom I heard it today in the spirit when I was telling you what God could do with you I heard in the spirit some of you say he's not talking to me he's not talking to me he's talking to the other kids he's talking there that he's talking to the other marriages he he's not talking does see that's human wisdom he said Lord we have toiled all night long and we caught nothing and then he had his 46th Street miracle time but nevertheless that's your word don't make sense to me don't make any sense to me but I believe in nothing your word to do an action a drop in the nets over and when he dropped the nets over God revealed to him there was many fish down there and he pulled him open he pulled him into the boat until the boat started sinking but that's not really that's not really why the stories about the next thing happens Peter falls down on his knees and he says get away from me walk away from me go out of this boat get away from me because I am a sinful man get away from me he said Peter stop fearing from this very day you want to start catching men so the greatest revelation that we could ever receive is that God is bigger than our empty night of fishing and we are in sweet our sinners that need to come and get the sin removed so that God can begin to work in our lives would you lift your hands right now would you all over this building would you lift your hands with me right now come on right now in the name of Jesus Oh God yes God loves you but there's some things in your life that you need to bring to the altar today and let God take care of yes God loves you God cares about you but you have a some stubbornness inside of you that's keeping God from working right now these altars are open right now they're open right right now and I ask for the church to begin to pray together begin to pray right now pray father you know there's some stubborn people here this morning God there's some stubborn spirits here today God yeah there's some people here today that God they made their there they're not walking with you the way they ought to God they're not walking with you in the way they should walk with you they've got a memory of being born again but they don't have a current day revelation of you Father come on Church would you help me pray right now some of you've got sin in your life and you need to bring that sin to the altar this morning you need to bring that sin and bow your knees in the altar and begin to say God forgive me god I'm a sinful man God God forgive me this morning God forgive me this morning forgive me this morning come on God's dealing with you sir God is dealing with you sir ma'am God is dealing with you why don't you make all the side of that few and why don't you just come up here kneel in this altar right now you begin to pray God I'm sorry for my sin god I'm sorry for my stubborn yes sorry for my stubbornness God God is a father my stubbornness is gonna take my children to hell God my stubbornness is gonna keep you from working in the lives of our would you move in a little closer when the owner gets folded up oh yeah so Oh the only way that I can show you is to worship you Michelle come on break that stubborn spirit right now so so Oh genius your design so so hands in full charge let's sing it today with real hoping nothing god I give you my stubborn spirit Oh Oh took over this fence this is lift our hands to pray with me one more time God take everything out of me that's not like you y'all take thinking out Lord take thinking out of it god help me to think good thoughts for God up purposely we'll fight against negative thoughts I purposely will fight against negative events in my life they do not belong in my life those negative bits don't need to be replayed in our lives god I pray today that the spirit of wisdom and revelation would fill us all in Jesus name we pray we'll take a couple of things number one as your pastor I appreciate how you responded to the word today you give yourself a hand right now thank you for help thank you for how you responded to the word and number two number two let's remember the prayer room tonight at 5:30 try to those of you husband and wives we've got your children here try to have all your family in the prayer room for a few moments I'm gonna do my best tonight I know my family works all through the church greeters and all that but for just a few moments I'm gonna try to have all of my families just country to help me I'm gonna try to have all my family in the prayer room if you're here and you're the only one from your quote family that comes here then just join with the rest of us one thing I've been one thing I've enjoyed about Kovac 19 one thing that's calls from it all right is I really love sitting with my family I really love I know normally we've got the captain chairs up here you know normally we're sitting up we're sitting up here but I have really just enjoyed sitting with my family and worshiping God with my family there so remember that and remember we might get brother Kade to single virus for some time all right hey dismiss yourself right now in the fear and the love of God god bless you