Wednesday Night Schedule | Thankful | Senior Pastor Kenneth Carpenter
by Kenneth Carpenter
First Apostolic Church of Maryville (Maryville, TN)
Kind: Bible study
Scripture: Acts 2:1-4, Romans 8:1, Hosea 6:1-3, Galatians 3:1-3, Galatians 5:16, Galatians 5:25, Genesis 5:22, Genesis 5:24, Genesis 6:9, Genesis 1:1-5, Matthew 3:11, John 3:1-5, Acts 1:8, Ephesians 3:16-20, John 14:26, 1 Corinthians 15:1-2

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

------------------------------------------------------------
Isn't the Lord good to us tonight? Amen. He is so good. So good to see everybody in the house of the Lord tonight. Thank you for loving God's house and loving God and loving the things of God that would bring you out on a Wednesday evening. You know, uh some people think church starts at 7:30, but you know, if you're involved in uh the university or you're involved in some of the uh teaching sessions that go on here, this parking lot starts filling up a little bit after 6:00 and people are coming. It's a it's extra classes they're doing. And I think that speaks very well of people wanting exactly like the song just said, more of God. And you know how to get more of God, give him more of you. Amen. The more you give of yourself, the more that you have that God gives back that God gives back to you. We had a prayer request come in uh during service and I guess I I was thinking about Sister Lorie Hawkins. uh her mother was uh u all possibilities was having a heart attack Sunday night and they sent a text here and they knew that sister Lori would be in church and her family sent a text here and we prayed we prayed u we prayed for sister Mary Lou and um then tonight during service Gabby Helms got a text that her father had been in a motorcycle accident they don't really know how serious it is, but uh just to pray. She said, she said, "Could you just have the church pray?" Do do you know if I had to get bad news? If if God could say, "Okay, you're there's bad news coming, you choose the place when the bad news comes." I would choose to be in the house of God >> because if one of us can put a thousand to flight, how much more can a lot of us get a prayer answer tonight? So I'm going to read a text and then let's pray for for uh Gabby Helms. Let's pray for her father tonight. The book of Acts chapter number two verse number 1-4. Then the book of Romans chapter 8 verse number one. And let me just make this simple uh comment tonight. You know there there's a lot of churches. There's a lot of churches. The the it's it's above it is a it is when I say a lot of churches I mean like a lot of churches. They have all this technology, brother Hammond. They have all the streams and they have all the technology and all of that, but all their all their team basically knows how to do is turn it on, operate it. But when a glitch happens, when like what we had tonight before service, when when there's a a a technical uh problems that happen, u they just have to accept that's the way it's going to be. And then they have to call somebody. And a lot of times it's somebody from uh brother Darren Cooper and those men Cheshshire that that operate all that and they have to travel all the way to where their church is at and they have to climb under the platforms everything. But I am glad tonight see I got to find things to be thankful for. I'm glad that in the midst of technical difficulty that we've got the text right here in house. Amen. And probably there's men under this platform working right now as we we speak. They're probably somewhere trying to connect wires. And I I thank you. That's like uh that's like uh having a toothache and your brother's the dentist. Amen. I mean, that's how can you how can you go wrong with that? Thank you, tech team tonight. You're doing an awesome job. Acts 2 and one. When the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. Suddenly, there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind filled all the house where they were sitting. There appeared unto them cloven tongues like as a fire and it set upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other tongues as the spirit gave them utterance. Romans chapter 8 verse number one. Romans 8 and1. There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk. Everybody say who walk. >> Who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit. I sent my title tonight to brother McBroom and I said I got a long title tonight. I said if you just want to put down the word thankful, you can put down the word thankful, but I don't guess it matters right now. How long be could be a paragraph, couldn't it? But tonight, I want to do a Bible lesson on this subject. Thankful for the gift of the Holy Ghost. >> Thankful for the gift of the Holy Ghost. Let's pray. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we pray right now. God, we we pray for Sister Gabby Helm's father. Lord, you know everything about his condition right now, Lord. Lord, his prayers have been going up for him. We pray over him right now, God. We pray that his life would be spared. We pray, God, for healing for his body, Lord. We just call his name and bring him before you this evening, Lord. Father, I just ask you this evening that you would anoint my lips of clay, that I would speak your word, God. I am so thankful Lord that you have filled me with the baptism of the Holy Ghost. I'm so thankful Lord for this experience in Jesus mighty name we pray. Amen. Amen. You may be seated and I thank you for standing in honor of God's word being read. According to Google that has the ability to uh track phrases, phrases that are said, they have the ability to track phrases that are being said and uh they they have the ability to tell when it's uh increased, the phrase has increased or the phrase has decreased. Well, there is a phrase goes something like this. you just had to be there. You just had to be there. And in other words, you're telling about an experience and you're saying to them, you just had to be there. You just had to be there. They say, Google says that this phrase kind of got traction in the early 1960s that people began describing an experience. They begin to describe an experience and they would just simply say, "Well, you just had to be there. You you you just had to be there. You just had to be there." And they said that through the 60s that it that it it plateaued. But yet in 2012 at the height of the greatest increase of people getting smartphones, people getting smartphones that there was a a a great increase um that year 2012 uh over the previous year of 2011 that that more people that more people got smartphones. And then they noticed that the phrase you just had to be there has declined and has declined ever since. Because somehow we believe that reality that you know when somebody tells us you know oh you you ought been to this country or you you ought to sing you ought to sing this you you you know you you hardly don't say you you had to you just had to be there because now with smartphones it appears that we can be anywhere at any time and view anything right and so the phrase you just had to be there. Well, I want to cross reference something. I don't care how smartphones say they are. There is one experience. They may be able They may be able to show you the mouth of a volcano. They may be able to show you the birth of a butterfly or they may be able to show you a lot of things, but I'm here to tell you there's nothing like receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. >> Nothing like it. It's beyond my ability to articulate just how thankful that I am this evening for the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Having the spirit of God in our lives is the most valuable thing any human being could ever experience. Having the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Please don't miss a good place to say amen. Unless you don't have it. All right. Now, if you're if you're quiet, may if you you don't have it and you're quiet, I understand. But I wouldn't really understand if you're quiet when I say that. I'm I'm gonna bring the plane back around again. Give you all a good chance to say amen. The baptism of the Holy Ghost is the most valuable gift that a human being >> could ever receive. That's right. That's right. >> >> But not only the experience of the Holy Ghost but to walk in the spirit. To walk in the spirit. Now by walk in the spirit it means to allow the Holy Ghost time in your life. To allow the Holy Ghost time in your life. Time to bring a different way of thinking. Time to bring a different way of acting. time to bring a different you. Sure, we can experience the baptism of the Holy Ghost in a matter of seconds, but please don't just walk off. Walk in the Holy Ghost. Because when you begin to walk in the Holy Ghost, that's when he really is able to change the way you think. >> He's able to change the way you act. And he's able to change who you are. You see, you need to stay in the frame of mind and spirit you were in when you received the Holy Ghost. One way to one way to keep the Holy Ghost, now you hear this, this is a deep revelation tonight. You want to write it down. One way to keep the Holy Ghost active in your life is stay around the place you got it and stay around the people that you got it with. If if you will if you will stay around the place you got it and stay around the people that helped you get it, you're going to begin to walk in the spirit. I just got written down here time time time. Acts 2 1-4 told us about that experience appearance of fire like cloven tongues. what that experience must have been like when that 120 including the mother of Jesus Mary was there and in that upper room they heard a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind like a tornado like a freight train. There heard a sound as of a rushing mighty wind. No sooner had they heard the sound, there appeared to them cloven tongues like as a fire. Man, what an experience. What an experience to hear this sound. To hear this sound and to see these appearance of cloven tongues of fire and then to watch these cloven tongues of fire be divided in the room and come over and set on each of them and all of a sudden they were all filled with the Holy Ghost. And they began to speak in another language. They begin to speak in an unknown. It was unknown. It was an unknown tongue. It was an unknown tongue to them. What an experience that must have been. What an experience. Like like when we received the Holy Ghost for the first time. Don't you remember? Don't you remember when you received it for the very first time? Don't you remember that that that wonderful experience that they had? And then to find the city was gathered around the upper room and a crowd was gathered there and people were asking people that hadn't received the Holy Ghost were asking what's this all about? What what what's this all about? People were saying what in the world's going on. Now there may be a debate on whether or not the entire city of Jerusalem heard the sound of a rushing mighty wind. about 10 and I wouldn't fall out of the boat with anybody if you this just my speculation is my speculation and and uh I wonder if the whole city of Jerusalem didn't hear the sound of a mighty rushing wind because that's a it's a city it's a city and and they all gathered around that upper room which was a location that would house 120 and they're saying what what what is going on here what what meanth this these are these are Galileans we know that we know them to be Galileans and Galileans are not biling lual people. They're not they're not educated people. And yet we hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God. And then they were just there was just the critics there. They were just the critics there. And and anytime the Holy Ghost is moving, you'll have the critical that need God and the critics that don't know they need God. All right? So they they said, "Oh, these men are full of new wine." But Peter stood up with the 11, lifted up his voice and and said, "These men are not drunk." And you know, you know this, you know the story, this is that which was spoken of by the prophet Joel. What a what an experience that was. What an experience that was. But yet it didn't stop there because after the day of Pentecost when they were receiving the Holy Ghost and over in the epistles that were written to the churches, you and I, they begin to refer to it as walk in the spirit to walk to walk in the spirit. Everybody say time. >> Say it again. >> Time. Time. You got to give God time. You got to give God time. Hosea chapter 6 and verse number one. Hosea 6 and1 it says these words to a backsliden Israel. Come let us return unto the Lord for he hath torn and he will heal us. He has smitten and he will bind us up. Wow. There's a time that God knows what we need. Can I Can I get a witness tonight? God knows what we need. When we don't understand why God knows what we need. And the prophet said, "Let's come back to him because he hath torn. He has torn like tearing something." And he will heal us. There's a time that he has torn. There's a time that he is healed. There's a time that he is smitten. There's a time that he is binding us up. Look at this next verse. Verse two. After two days, that's time. After two days, he will revive us. And in the third day, he will raise us up. Everybody say time. >> And we shall live in his sight. Look at that. Two days. After two days, he'll revive us. And the third day, he will raise us up. Second day, reviving. The third day raising us up. Time, time, time, time. Verse three. Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord. So here again, thank God for that experience of the Holy Ghost. But I have got to realize that walking in the spirit is just as needful as the experience of the Holy Ghost. Then shall we know if we follow on to know the Lord, his going forth or his ways is prepared as the morning. In other words, just like we have morning, noon, and evening, that's a day that was planned by God. God has a morning spiritually, a noon spiritually, an evening spiritually, a midnight spiritually. He has he has a season. But you'll never you'll never get from morning to noon unless you walk there. You'll never get from noon to evening unless you walk there. Then shall we know his going forth is prepared as the morning. And he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain upon the earth. He's talking about seasons. Seasons that you're going to walk with God. Seasons. Now, let's come back to the New Testament. Let's go to the book of Galatians. Let's go to the book of Galatians. Uh something interesting is happening in the book of Galatians. Galatians chapter 3 verse number one. Galatians is a church that has received the Holy Ghost. They have been baptized in Jesus name. They are they are as apostolic as we are with one exception. Something went wrong. The wrong voice begin to influence them. It comes out in gen excuse me Galatians chapter 3 verse number one. Listen to Paul writing to this church. Oh foolish Galatians who hath bewitched you or who has put a spell on you? Who hath bewitched you? who has put a spell on you that you should not obey the truth before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth crucified among you said who who has bewitched you who has got you not believing this anymore this only verse two this only would I learn of you I want to learn something of you receive ye the spirit by the works of the Paul or by the hearing of faith. In other words, he said, you had a spiritual experience. You received the gift of the Holy Ghost. You received the power of the gift of the Holy Ghost. He said, I got one thing to ask you. Did you receive it under the works of the law or did you receive it by the hearing of faith? Now, we all know the answer to that. They didn't receive the Holy Ghost under the Old Testament works of the law. No joy was given under the Old Testament works of THE LAW. IT WAS WORK. But when the gospel came and the hearing of the gospel and the believing of the gospel, THERE COME THE OPPORTUNITY OF repentance and the opportunity for baptism in Jesus NAME AND THE OPPORTUNITY TO RECEIVE THE PRECIOUS gift of the Holy Ghost which is joy unspeakable and full of great glory. And Paul just simply said, I WANT TO DRAW YOU BACK to your experience. >> Did you get it by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith? Verse three. Oh ye foolish. Oh, are are ye so foolish? Having begun in the spirit, are you now made perfect by the flesh? He said, are you so foolish? You started in the spirit. Do you think you're going to be made mature and perfect by going back to the flesh? And the answer to that is obviously no. Can I tell you, if you've had the Holy Ghost like me for over 45 years, I want to tell you tonight, I need the Holy Ghost tonight. I feel I need the Holy Ghost more tonight than I've ever needed it in all of my life. And I cannot only speak of myself, but I can speak of the whole church that I'm pastoring. We all need the Holy Ghost. I don't know you can receive it two years ago, 20 years ago, 50 years ago, 60 years ago. That's all well and good, but I got to look at you tonight and tell you as your pastor, you need the Holy Ghost more tonight than you've ever needed it in all of your life. If you believe that, say, "Amen." >> Now, let's go over to chapter number five of Galatians, verse number 16. Because he's he's trying to correct them. He's trying to correct them. Oh, foolish Galatians. He's trying to correct them. Galatians 5:16. This I say then, walk in the spirit and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. Walk in the spirit. I promise you, there's no hold on your life. There's no ingrained desires that you have that are sinful that walking in the spirit will not eventually lead to you breaking that habit. And that's the truth in Jesus name. Some of us are waiting for an instantaneous deliverance. And I can only share my testimony with you tonight. But my testimony, I've heard people say, "Well, when they got the Holy Ghost, they were delivered instantly from nicotine. They were delivered instantly from smoking. I It wasn't the case with me. Wasn't the case with me. I received the Holy Ghost. I had the experience. I spoke in tongues. I had the Holy Ghost. But I still had an ingrained habit that was was still coming around. Now, I believe that that ingrained habit was going to try to lead me to condemnation. But I allowed the spirit to convict me and not live in condemnation. Somehow somebody told me to keep getting back up. I'm glad for a pull pit that tells people to get back up. >> I I'm I'm glad for a pull pit that tells people, "Hey, you fall down. Get back up. Get back in the race. Hey, YOU MESSED UP. GET BACK IN HERE. LET'S SERVE GOD TOGETHER. LET'S GET BACK IN THE LET'S GET BACK IN THE CHOIR. LET'S GET BACK TO DOING THINGS WITH GOD." DO YOU BELIEVE THAT TONIGHT? AREN'T YOU GLAD YOU GO TO A CHURCH? I don't KNOW ABOUT YOU, BUT I'M GLAD THAT MY CHILDREN WENT to a church that taught THEM IF YOU FALL, GET BACK UP. I'M GLAD MY grandchildren are going to a church. But you know something, you you'll never walk you'll never you you'll never break those habits. You stop walking in the spirit. >> He said, "Walk in the spirit. Make progress. Walk in the spirit." Then again in verse 25, the same chapter verse 25 of Gen Galatians 5:25 he says if we live in the spirit if we live in the spirit let us also walk in the spirit he says you've been filled with the spirit you've had your experience but now it's time just to make progress what does progress what does walking in the spirit look like well I got news for you several hundred people in Blunt County walked in the spirit today they tell us about it. Yeah, they're here tonight. >> They're here tonight. That's walking in the spirit. They're reading their Bibles tonight. They're looking on the screens tonight. They're working. They're looking on the screens tonight when the scripture the scriptures up there. Oh, great. Awesome. All I can see is the back of my bald head. So, anyway, um they you you walk in the spirit. So, you're reading your Bible. So, you're walking in the spirit. Guess what it'll look like in the morning when you get up and you got time to come by the church and sign in in prayer. Guess what you're doing? Come on, church. Guess what you're doing? You're walking in the spirit. You read your Bible tomorrow on your lunch hour. Guess what you're doing? You're walking in the spirit. And then you you you come back Sunday morning and guess what you're doing? You're walking in the spirit. And can I tell you, if you're walking in the spirit, it may not happen this week or next week, but you're slowly but surely. You you you know I if I took OFF WALKING TONIGHT IF I TOOK OFF WALKING tonight to California if I took off walking to California I'm not going to get there tomorrow. Matter of fact, it probably take me months to get there. But one thing would be for sure. If I took off walking tonight and I walked till I just couldn't walk anymore, got a hotel, went to sleep, got up the next morning, took off walking, I promise you by this time next week, I'm closer to California than I was tonight. >> And if you will see you're coming to the house of God, reading your Bible, and praying and worshiping God, there's a group there's a there's a there's a group of of young people. And I and let me just say this to you tonight. I know when I walked up among our young folks, I I think I put terror in a lot of parents like, "Oh my god, is my kid up there talking?" Well, and and I tell you what what I was doing when I come up here. I'm up here training. I'm up here training because I want to train our children that there's more forms of worship than just running and jumping. >> Right now, running and jumping is is a form of worship, don't get me wrong, but it's not the only form of worship. >> And and I want I want to train our children. There's times you're just going to raise your hands and and I don't know if you seen them all raise their hand. That's cuz I I kind of bent down and said, "Let's all just raise our hands right now, right? Because I want I want to train them. I I I want to train them. You You don't I love I love the jumping, love the leaping, love all that. Love all that. But yet, I understand that we're going to have to have more in our lives than just the excitement of experience of feeling God. Sometimes I'm just going to be able to come and lift my hands and say, "God, I just want you to know that I love you. I just want you to know that I need you, God. I just want you to know you're everything to me, God. You're you're you're the chain breaker, God. You cry. You cause dry bones to wake, God. You do all of these great things." You know what we were doing tonight? WE WERE WALKING IN THE SPIRIT. >> We're closer to God. We're closer to God than we were when we started. We walking. were walking with God. Well, let's see if this walk with God, let's see if how many people if if we can find some successful people in the Bible that walk with God. Don't have to go far. Don't have to go far. Genesis 5 verse number 22. Let me read you about a man. Genesis 5:22. And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah 300 years and begat sons and daughters. And Enoch walked with God. There's a man walking with God. He's walking with God. The Bible says it. Then Genesis 5:24, let's see, let's see his reward. And Enoch walked with God and he was not for God took him. And what that simply means is they couldn't find him. Enoch walked with God and was not. For before his translation, before God just took him to heaven, he had this testimony that he pleased God. And Enoch is an Old Testament type of the rapture. All right? That's what he is. He's an Old Testament type of the rapture because you got Enoch and later you got Noah. Noah's an Old Testament type of tribulation. He's the Old Testament type of tribulation. And so Old Testament type is rapture occurs later tribulation comes. But the man that went up in the rapture and don't you want to go in the rapture? >> I said, don't you want to go in the rapture? >> I talking to brother Bill Burkett last night on the phone and he's either 90, he may be 90. If he's not 90, he's close to 90. All right. And he's having some uh he's over 90. Amen. And uh he's eight years from being 100. Praise God. And he's having a little heart issue and uh he's going for some test and all that. And he said, "Bro Carpenter," and I believe I I really believe he means this with all this heart. He said, "Bro Carpenter," he said, "I just want to lay down one night, go to bed, and go on to be with Jesus and see Yoko." He said, "That's that's what I want to do." And I said, 'Well, brother Bill, I said, 'Brother Burkett, I said, why don't we just talk about flying out of here together? Hey, why don't we just talk about the rapture? And he said, 'Well, brother Carpenter, I don't want to shorten your life any. He said, I sure would like to see Jesus in Yoka. Well, I got news for you. I want to go in that rapture. I want to go when that trumpet sounds. And it's going to sound. And he's coming back for his church again. But he's coming back for a church that is, you hear me? HE'S COMING BACK FOR A CHURCH THAT'S WALKING WITH HIM. HE'S COMING BACK FOR A GROUP OF PEOPLE THAT'S GOT A RELATIONSHIP with him. Thank God for MY EXPERIENCE. THANK GOD FOR THE BALL OF FIRE. THANK GOD FOR THE WIND OF PENTECOST. BUT I'M HERE TONIGHT NOT NECESSARILY BECAUSE OF THE WIND AND THE FIRE. I'M HERE TONIGHT BECAUSE I'M JUST WALKING with God. Man, that's a great reward. Enoch was not for God took him. Well, let's see about somebody else in the Bible. You might recognize his name. Genesis chapter 6, verse number nine. These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations. And Noah, what's it say now? What'd he do? >> And Noah walked with God. He had a relationship with God. He had a daily relationship with God. Noah walked with God. Do do you know this evening, brother Nolan, creation of the earth is a witness of the spirit's progressive work. And we all know this. I'm I'm not going to play you for a fool tonight, but we all know this. God could have said, "Let there be the earth." And it would have all been there. Man, woman, it would have all been there. But the Bible talks about the progressive stages of the spirit. The Bible says in Genesis 1:1, look at this. Now, let's just all understand God, Sister Wells, God could have done that, right? It's not a trick question. Not not not God could have done it. Brother Mayo, right? You're you're you're you've studied your Bible. God could have just said, "Let there be." And everything would have been. But God chose working with his spirit. God chose to let it be a progressive stage. All right, here it is. Genesis 1 and1. In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. The earth was without form and void. Darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the spirit, here it is, and the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, "Let there be light." And there was light. God saw the light that it was good. God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light day. And the darkness he called night, and the evening and the morning were the first day. Can I tell you in his progressive work, all he did on day one was to show you what a mess the earth was. So there is a progressing in the spirit where God just is simply showing you what a mess you and I are. But don't give up on God cuz God hasn't give up on you. >> He's just showing you. See, it's it's dark. You're without form, void and empty. But you don't know you're without form, void and empty because it's dark. And so God says, "Let there be light." And it was a progressive day. It was evening and the morning were the first day. And God just simply said, "All right, this is what I'm going to show you that you're that that that the the the earth is." And and you know, we ought to all be thankful that God turned the light on in our dark hearts and showed us just what a mess we were in. But thank God for day two because I'm not only going to live a life that I'm talking about where God has my life was a mess. I'm going to also live a life to where you can see and I can see that look what God did with a mess of my life. God has made all things beautiful in his time. So creation is a witness. even the the days of creation progressing, progressing, progressing. Um, back to the spirit of God, thankful for the Holy Ghost. You know, it was John the Baptist that promised that that first brought it in Matthew 11 3 and 11. It was John the Baptist that said, "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear, he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire." From the very beginning of John's preaching, John was telling even the people that were being baptized by him, "This is good, but you got to look. There's one coming after me that is mightier than I. He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire. Now, I'm thankful tonight. I'm I'm so thankful tonight that when you do embrace God, that God is always telling you there's more. There's more. There's more. Good people that only hear about believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ as their savior will testify to the fact that they walked out of that church and they were saying, "I know there's got to be more. There's got to be more." And even after we receive the knowledge of the truth and repent and are baptized in his name correctly and are filled with the gift of the Holy Ghost of which they say is no longer being poured out. Even when we do that, I'm still here this evening to tell you, I still feel like there's more. >> I still feel like there's more. That's why we're having prayer from sun up to sun down. Why? We just believe there's more. That's why we're coming to church. We're not having less church around here. We're having more church around here. Why? Because we just believe there there's more. There's there's more. There's more. There's more. Jesus, he spoke of the new birth. And I want you to hear this tonight. Jesus spoke of that Holy Ghost new birth. John chapter 3:5, he spoke to a religious man. There was a man, John 3 and verse one, there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. The same came to Jesus by night and said unto him, "Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God, for no man can do these miracles that thou doest except God be with him." He came and brought a compliment to Jesus. But Jesus answered and said unto him, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Nicodemus saith unto him, "How can a man be born when he's old? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb and be born?" I believe he is I believe that I believe that Nicodemus is being sarcastic here. I believe he got offended because he brought Jesus a compliment and Jesus didn't gobble up the compliment. Jesus went right to the heart of the problem and the man needs to be born again. And when he said that, I believe he was being very cynical is what I believe. I believe he was being very cynical. Nicodemus saith unto him. Nicodemus saith in verse four, "How can a man be born when he's old? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb and be born?" Jesus answered, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water, that's baptism, and of spirit." That's spirit baptism. He cannot enter into the kingdom of God. Now, some want to say, "Well, the Bible says there's one Lord, one faith, and one baptism." How can there be both water baptism and spirit baptism? That one baptism is two parts. Part one is baptism in water and part two is baptism in spirit. And it makes one it makes one baptism. Now hear this tonight, please. Being born again is much more than a new start or a second chance. It's about becoming a new creature. Being born again is not a new start for your life. It is not a second chance in your life. Being born again of God's spirit, you become a new creature. You become a new creation. Old things have passed away and behold, all things are new. Didn't he say it in Acts chapter 1 and verse number eight when they were asking about the Holy Ghost? He said, "But you shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and in Samaria and to the uttermost parts of the earth." Now watch that. Read this again with me. He didn't say, "You will be given power to go witnessing." He didn't say, "I give you power to go witnessing." He said, "You will be witnesses unto me." You will be witnesses unto me. What is the witness you're going to be? I am a new creature in Christ Jesus. I'm not what I want to be, but thank God I'm not anywhere near what I used to be. I'm somewhere between what I used to be and what I'm going to be. It's called sanctification. And I'm going to walk in the spirit and I'm going to be a witness of Jesus Christ. I believe we go witnessing but I believe greater than that when we allow the spirit to change our lives I believe we become witnesses >> of Jesus Christ. Ephesians chapter 3 verse number 16. I'm thankful for the Holy Ghost. I'm so thankful for the Holy Ghost. Ephesians chapter 3 verse number 16. Listen to Paul. He's talking to you tonight. Apostolic. He said that God would grant you according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with might by his spirit in the inner man. God wants to strengthen you from within. You'll never conquer without until you get within. You'll never conquer the out. You know, you used to we used to sing a song around here. Jesus on the inside, working on the outside. Oh, what a change in my life. I got Jesus on the inside. He's working on the outside. Oh, what a change in my life. But I'm going to tell you, some people would like to rewrite that song. Got Jesus on the outside, working on the inside. It don't work that way. is Jesus on the inside. Oh, if we could just get the Holy Ghost activated us. Thank God we spoke in tongues. Thank God we can tell testimonies of laying in the floor and talking in tongues. We can tell great experiences. All that. But what good is all of that if I don't have that power working on the inside? >> Did he not say it in verse 16 that he would grant you according the riches of his glory? Look at this. to be strengthened with might by his spirit in the inner man that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith that you being rooted and grounded in love. It's going to take time. Have I told you about time yet? Going to take time, time, time. Rooted and grounded in love. Rooted and grounded in love. You plant something in your front yard. You plant a tree. Can I tell you? In order for that tree to grow, it's got to stay there. In order for that TREE TO GROW, IT'S GOT TO HAVE THE right climate. Banana trees don't grow here in Tennessee. Huh? It's got to have the right climate. It's got to have the right right time. It's got to have the right water. It's got to have the correct sunshine. All of that. You'll never grow anything in God by saying, "Well, I just don't feel like I'm growing. Let me uproot myself and move over here." Well, I don't feel like I'm really growing in God. Let me uproot myself and live over IT. YOU'LL NEVER GROW. THE BIBLE said rooted and grounded in love. Stay with it, church. Stay at IT, CHURCH. YOU FALL AND SKIN YOUR KNEES. GET BACK UP AND TRY AGAIN. YOU TOLD GOD SUNDAY NIGHT, "I'M going to be here every day this week, and I'm going to BE IN THE PRAYER ROOM." But yet, you missed Tuesday, and you're going to miss tomorrow. Can I tell you what you need to do? DON'T GIVE UP ON PRAYING. JUST START OVER AGAIN. GET AT it again. KEEP WALKING. KEEP WALKING AGAIN. WELL, MAN, I had something in me that made me mad. I had SOMETHING THAT HURT MY FEELINGS. Keep walking in the spirit UNTIL YOU GET OVER THOSE FLESHLY FEELINGS. UNTIL YOU GET PAST ALL THAT CRAZY BUSINESS. AND ON THE OTHER SIDE, THERE IS VICTORY FOR YOU. ON THE OTHER SIDE, THERE IS VICTORY. YOU'LL BE GLAD YOU STAYED. Verse 17, that Christ may dwell in your heart by faith, that you being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth, the length, the depth, and the height. You'll be able to see how wide God is, how tall it is, how long God is, and to know, look at verse 19, and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. But here's the here, here's the part I want to get to. Now, unto him that is able, if you've heard this before, say amen. Now, unto him that is able to do exceedingly, abundantly. Tell I stop say amen if you've heard it. All right. Above all that we ask >> or think. >> You heard that? Here's the hinge. According to the power that workketh >> in us in able, he in other words, he is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ask and or think. But here's the hinge. ACCORDING >> TO THE POWER >> THAT WORKKETH IN US. THAT'S WHY TONIGHT I'M THANKFUL FOR THE HOLY GHOST BECAUSE GOD CAN HAVE ALL THESE BEAUTIFUL PLANS THAT ARE MINDBLOWING THAT YOU CAN'T EVEN COMPREHEND. BUT IF I DON'T HAVE THE HOLY GHOST ON THE INSIDE OF ME, IT JUST DOESN'T WORK. You know why we're here in a multi-million dollar building paid for? Because a group of people had the Holy Ghost moving in their lives. A group of people had the baptism to have the Holy Ghost moving. It was the most ridiculous thing. I kept telling the s Carpenter that when we sat down with the architect drawing all this, he asked if he asked it once, he asked every time we drove to Michigan and sat down with him and talked to him about the building, he would ask, "How much you going to finance?" how much you going to finance. I just told her, I said, "Act like you don't hear him. Just just act like you don't." I said, "If we go in there and tell that man that we're going to build this building by faith, he ain't going to have anything to do with us. He's he's an Armenian guy. He's he we we brought him down here before. Armenian guy, kind of large guy, and and and we'd take him food and everything and sit in the office and talk to him and and I said, "Just don't tell him every time. How much how much you going to borrow on this?" And I just act like I'd say, you know, you you know the hamburger cake, you want to go out to eat. Well, I mean, you you know, you you you want this, you want that. And it and and finally one day I had the price down on the plans. I said, "Well, let's just talk about the price of the plans. Let's just talk about getting a set of blueprints." And he gave me the price on the plan. And then he asked me that again, Sister Glenna. And I looked at him, he got big black hair and bushy eyebrows. And I looked at him and he said, "How much are we going to borrow?" And I said, "Art, we're not borrowing anything. We're going to build this building by faith in God." And he said these words, "You're kidding." So, no, I'm not I'm not All right. I'm not kidding. I I I believe that God spoke to me and said if we'd begin to give to missions, he'd take care of of of the new auditorium. You know, we're here tonight. If you're if you're new here at First Apostolic Church, I want to tell you what brought us to this building right here. A group of people sitting on top of each other up on the hill could couldn't get the building cool enough. People set people coming two hours. People coming two hours early to get a seat. They believed when the pastor got up and said, "God told me that if we begin to give to missions as never before, he would take care of the new auditorium. You bought into You know how you bought into it? Because the Holy Ghost was on the inside of you and look far above what we can ask and or think. I promise you. I promise you if you resurrected our founding pastor, Brother R. Wood, tonight, if you re if you could resurrect him, take him back to 1981 at 501 Mcinley Street and show him this building, he would say that you're kidding me. I I can't really believe this right here. Why? He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ask and or think. But it's ACCORDING TO THE POWER THAT WORKKETH IN US. AREN'T YOU THANKFUL TONIGHT FOR THE HOLY GHOST? AREN'T YOU THANKFUL TONIGHT FOR THE HOLY GHOST? ARE YOU LOOKING AT SOME IMPOSSIBLE THINGS? ARE YOU LOOKING AT SOME IMPOSSIBLE THINGS? SOME OF YOU GOT CHILDREN AND NOT A SERVANT GOD AND YOU'RE SAYING, "MAN, THAT'S PRETTY IMPOSSIBLE." BUT GET THE HOLY GHOST STIRRED UP IN YOU. AND GOD IS ABLE TO DO THE WORK THAT WE need him to do. Well, let me tell you one of the things the Holy Ghost to do. Many things the Holy Ghost to do, but Jesus mentioned one of them. Now, I'm thankful tonight. I'm so thankful that when I got the Holy Ghost, I'm so thankful that he gave me a sign, an outward sign that I got the Holy Ghost. I I don't want to belittle I'm not going to belittle that at all. No, no. I thank God for that outward sign. But do you know that when you walk with God, I still speak in tonesues. I still pray in tonesues. But there's a difference. There's a difference. The first time I spoke in tonesues was the evidence tongue. What was an evidence? That I'd received the Holy Ghost. The next time I spoke in tonesues, what is that? That's a sign that that the Holy Ghost is still in me and he's working on me. It's called praying in tonesues. >> Keep it going. Keep it going. You don't You don't have to fall into the trap. Well, I got it and you you know, I got I I I won't I won't call his name and I'd have to ask a family member because he he's deceased now and I wouldn't call his name. But there's a precious man went to this church years ago and he told me I got the Holy Ghost and I spoke in tongues. I haven't spoke in tongues since and I've got the Holy He kind of he kind of a strong willed guy. He kind of a strong willed guy, you know. I got the Holy Ghost. I haven't spoke in tongues since and I got the Holy Ghost, you know. And I was so privileged is that that man in the last few years of his life would call me. He would get up and pray for me early in the morning. And he'd call me and many mornings he would call me. He'd say, "I'm already up praying for you, pastor. I'm already up. I've been praying for you in the name of Jesus." He just go to talking in tonesues. He'd just go to talking in tongues. Can I tell you something tonight? Keep it stirred up in your life. Keep it stirred up. Why wouldn't you want to stir it up? Don't get into this. You're not walking in the spirit if you got this have to mentality. Oh, do you mean I have to? You're not walking in the spirit. Because if you understand how beautiful the Holy Ghost is, it's a get to. It it's it it's a it it it is a it is a it is a get to in your life. It it is a get to. So, I'm not I'm not belittling that at all, but I do want to give you something the Holy Ghost will do. John chapter 14 verse 26. Listen to the words of Jesus himself. John 14:26. But the comforter which is the Holy Ghost whom the father will send unto send in my name. He shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said to you. Can I tell you memory is a wonderful gift from God. I said memory is a wonderful gift from God. And as you serve God, you forget about things that God has done for you. But aren't you thankful at a time when you need them. God will bring it back to your memory. God will bring things back to your memory. You'll be going through a trial or a test. You'll be facing a mountain and all of a sudden you haven't thought about that miracle in a long, long time, but you'll just begin to think about the time God did this and the time that God did that. Aren't you thankful tonight that God can bring some things back to your memory? And if he did it once, who's to say he won't do it again? If he was MY GOD BACK THEN, HE'LL BE MY GOD RIGHT NOW. BECAUSE I MAY be changing. I'm going through the seasons of aging and you are too. BUT WE SERVE AN ETERNAL GOD. THE HOLY GHOST ISN'T AGING. THE HOLY GHOST ISN'T GETTING WEARY. THE HOLY GHOST DOESN'T HAVE JOINTS THAT HURT. THE HOLY GHOST DOESN'T HAVE HAIR THAT'S TURNING GRAY. THE HOLY GHOST DOESN'T HAVE ALL THESE THINGS. BUT I GOT NEWS FOR YOU. I MAY BE CHANGING. YOU MAY BE CHANGING. BUT OH, THE HOLY GHOST IS THE SAME TODAY AS HAS ALWAYS BEEN. AND I GIVE him praise. Come on, would you stand with me right now? memory. He said, "I'll bring all things. I'll bring all things to your remembrance. I'll bring all things to your memory." Memory is a wonderful gift of God. Yes, it is. I said memory is a wonderful gift of God. You ought to be thankful for memory. >> I said you ought to be thankful for your memory. Some of the saddest situations I've ever been in is when people have Alzheimer's and kids come in to see their mom or dad. Mom or dad don't recognize who they are. Husbands and wives have been married for 50 and 60 years. One of them gets Alzheimer's and they don't know that other person. They don't want that woman in the room with them. They don't want that man in the room with them. I don't know. Those kids will come in and call him daddy or mama. And that's a terrible thing, isn't it? That's a that's a terrible thing, man. Memor is a good thing. Memory is a good thing. You know, if you live for God very long, you'll start having good memories. But it's going to take time. You live in the world. Come on. If if if you give you're 20 years old and you give your life to God, at least give God a few years to make some good memories. And I promise you, if you'll give God just a little touch of your life, you'll look back, you'll never want to go back >> because he's a good God. >> He give us memory. I'm I'm glad that he can bring things back to our Let me read you Let me read you one last verse of scripture found in 1 Corinthians 15:1. Let me read you one last verse of scripture. But you know the ten commandments, the ten commandments, one of them has a memory involved in it. He said, "Remember the Sabbath day. Keep it holy. Six days you're going to work, but on that seventh day, you take a break and come and remember how good I am. You come and remember how good that I He's a good God. Oh yes, he's a good God. He's a good God. Memory. Here's how important memory is. Listen to Paul. 1 Corinthians 15 verse number one. Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel, which I preached unto you, which also you have received, and wherein you stand. So, I preached to you. You received it. I preached it to you. You repented. I preached it to you. You got baptized. I preached it to you. You got the Holy Ghost. You're standing. Verse two, by which also you are what? >> Saved. That's pretty important, isn't it? >> To be saved, right? >> By which also you're saved. What's that next word? >> If what? Do you realize that my salvation is hinging on me keeping in memory what I've heard? You see that? I got to keep it in memory. That's why I'm here tonight. That's why you're here tonight. I'm reminding you. I'm reminding you. You're you're you're you you're you're remembering tonight. You're you're you're you're remembering tonight is unless you if you keep in memory what I have preached unto you unless you have believed in vain. I don't know what people do that embrace the doctrine of unconditional eternal security. That means they believe that once you believe on Jesus Christ, there's nothing you can do not to be to be unsaved. There's nothing you can do to lose your salvation. You you believe in you got it. Your sign's healed. It's called unconditional eternal security. Now, I do believe the Bible teaches eternal security, but I don't believe the Bible teaches unconditional. See, if if if if that were true, why would Paul ever write unless you have believed in vain, to no profit, to no veil? But Paul knew the only way you're going to be saved is to keep in memory. To keep in memory what God has done for you. How far God has brought you. I know you've fallen. I know it's an ugly mess. But get back up. Pick yourself up. Dust yourself off. Get back in this walk. You'll be further next week than you are right now because God is a God of love. And God is a God. He's a good God. Aren't you thankful for that tonight? Are you thankful for the Holy Ghost? Oh yes. I'm so thankful for the Holy Ghost. Let's just take a moment right now before we go home. Let's just take a moment and re uh reminisce about when we got the Holy Ghost. Come on, let's just take a moment. Lift your hands and lift your voice and begin to verbally love him and tell him, "I thank you. I thank you, God, for the Holy Ghost. I had my mouth open the night I got the Holy Ghost. I was telling you I loved you the night I got the Holy Ghost. God, it's been many years and many blessings and I wouldn't take nothing FOR MY JOURNEY NOW. GOD, you've been better to me than I've been TO MYSELF. GOD, YOU'VE GIVEN ME THE ABUNDANCE OF MERCY. GOD, YOU HAVE BLOWED MY MIND ON WHAT YOU'VE DONE WITH MY LIFE. I love you. I PRAISE YOU. BUT IT'S ALL POSSIBLE BECAUSE OF THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY GHOST. I THANK YOU. I THANK YOU TONIGHT FOR THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY GHOST. I THANK YOU FOR THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY GHOST. TONIGHT, I PRAISE YOU FOR THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY GHOST. TONIGHT, I CLAP MY HANDS BECAUSE OF THE BAPTISM of the Holy Ghost. Tonight, I LIFT MY VOICE BECAUSE OF THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY GHOST. TONIGHT, THANK YOU. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. THANK YOU. I PRAISE YOU. I PRAISE YOU. I LIFT MY VOICE. I DON'T CARE WHO'S WATCHING. I DON'T CARE WHAT ANYBODY THINKS. I THANK YOU TONIGHT FOR THE HOLY GHOST. WOO! I THANK YOU FOR THE HOLY GHOST TONIGHT. COME ON, JESUS. I PRAISE YOU FOR THE HOLY GHOST TONIGHT. Oh yes. I praise you for the Holy Ghost tonight. Well, let's keep walking in the spirit. Let's leave here tonight. Let's walk Let's walk back to prayer tomorrow. Let's walk back to Bible study tomorrow. Let's do one thing different. Sunday morning when you get ready to walk to church, bring somebody with you. >> Bring somebody with you. God bless you. I love everybody tonight. Thank you.