Wednesday Night | Senior Pastor Kenneth Carpenter | God Must Be First
by Kenneth Carpenter
First Apostolic Church of Maryville (Maryville, TN)
Kind: Bible study
Scripture: Matthew 6:24-33, Revelation 1:11, Revelation 22:13, Mark 12:29, Exodus 23:14-20, Genesis 4:1-4, Hebrews 11:4, John 20:1, Acts 20:7, 1 Corinthians 16:2, 1 Kings 17:1-7, 1 Kings 17:10-16, 1 Kings 17:17-24

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

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Would you worship a holy God tonight? Hallelujah, God. There's none like you. And I'm beside you, Jesus. Oh, you're holy, Lord. You are everything, Lord. You're all in all. You are all in all. Would you give Brother Hiner and the praise team a great hand tonight? Thank you so much. Thank you, Lord. If you have your Bibles and would stand with me this evening, I'll tell you, we are so blessed around here at First Apostolic Church. And um if we could liken it to uh a team, our bench is deep when it comes to singers and piano players and organ players and drum players and and uh so we don't, pardon the pun, but we don't miss a beat when competition goes. We just go right on worshiping and praising God. How many believes tonight that God could do something in this room? How many believes that God could do something in this room tonight? I believe it this evening. If you would please excuse me and forgive me. Uh everything's a little bit out of sorts with people being gone and uh I didn't turn my scriptures in this evening, but I will be very patient with you. Matthew chapter 6 and we're going to begin reading at verse 24 and we're going to read down through verse number 33. Matthew chapter 6 and verse number 24. We've got to love the word of God, church. We've got to we've got to develop a taste for the word of God. We've got to develop a love for God's God's word. Jesus is speaking here in Matthew 6:24. He says, "No man can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one. He will hold to the one and despise the other." You cannot serve God and mammon. And that word mammon there means money. You cannot serve God and money. Therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor yet for your body what you shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raignment. Behold the fowls of the air. Well, they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feedth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raignment? Consider the liies of the field, how they grow, they toil not, neither do they spin. And yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not a raid like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which is which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you? Oh, ye of little faith. Therefore, take no thought, saying, What shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or wherewith all shall we be clothed? For after all these things do the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knoweth that you have need of all these things, but could we read this last verse in my text together? But seek you first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. Tonight for a simple Bible lesson, I want to minister and feed the flock on this subject. God must be first. God must be first. Father, tonight I ask you, Lord, as I did early this morning, I ask you, Lord, to give me a word for those that would be here tonight. Lord, I ask you this morning that you would know who would be here and you would know what their needs would be. And Lord, I ask you, Lord, to let my mind find the verses and let my mind find the heartbeat of the church. And Lord, these are the verses. And this is the thought that you led me to. And Lord, for the next few moments, would you anoint me that I would be able to prick the heart? I would be able to make sense of the word. and I would be able Lord to plant the word in the hearts of your people. Lord, I'll give you the praise and the honor. In Jesus name we all pray. The church said, "Amen." You may be seated. God must be first. God must be first. There is an established law of gravity. There is an established law of gravity. It's really simple to explain. I could give you a demonstration of gravity tonight with my my pen. My pen that I hold in my hand. If I would release this pin tonight, this pin would not stay suspended in the air. This pin would go down and hit the floor because there is an invisible law. There is an invisible law called gravity. and uh gravity would take over. Whether you see it or not, gravity would take over and my pin would go and hit the floor. If tonight I would I would walk too close to the edge of the steps of this platform and if I would get more of my body weight over a step that's on top of the step once again that law of gravity would take over and I would go plummeting down the stairs. It's just simply it is it is an established law. It's just an established law. And yet tonight, there is an established spiritual law. It is the law of God first. As a matter of fact, this law is established by the God who created the law of gravity. This law is simply a spiritual law and it is a law about God first. God first. As a matter of fact, as we even start reading our Bibles, he introduces himself. God introduces himself in such a manner of Revelation chapter 1 verse number 11. God introduces himself. If you think that I'm going out on a limb tonight to prove a doctrine, God himself introduces himself by saying, "I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last." That's in the first chapter of the last book in the Bible. That's in the first chapter. But yet God wasn't through introducing himself because in the last chapter of the book of Revelation, Revelation chapter 22 in verse number 13, listen to God again. Listen to God again. I am alpha and omega, the beginning and the end, the >> first and the last. So this law of God, this law that is more established than the law of gravity. This this law of God first, God introduces himself. And I could really spend the rest of my Bible lesson on God introducing himself as first. But then not only did God introduce himself, but God had his introduction placed in a book called the Bible. And in this book called the Bible, we find that in Mark 12 verse number 29. Mark 12 and verse number 29. Listen to these words. Jesus answered him and said, "The first of all the commandments is here. O Israel, the Lord our God is one." So, isn't it a comfort to you tonight to know that we're not making a big deal over the oneness of God? It's not something that we're just using to show that we're different. God said there's a law. And he said, "I am the first." And not only am I the first, he said, "The first of all the commandments I'll give, and I'll give I'll give many commandments, but the first and the greatest commandment of all is to hear, oh Israel, the Lord our God is one." But not only not only did he give us that first, but turn with me to Exodus chapter 23 and verse number 14. Now, God begins to tell his children, Israel, how they were to worship. He He even told them, "This is how you're going to worship me." Exodus 23:14. God says, "Three times shalt thou keep a feast unto me in a year. Thou shalt keep the feast of unleaven bread. Thou shalt eat unleaven bread seven days, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed in the month of Abid. For in it thou camest out from Egypt, and none shall appear before me empty. Isn't it amazing that he said, I want a feast. I want a feast to commemorate you being delivered from Egypt. I want you to I want you to keep this in memory that you were delivered. I really believe that what is the igniter of praise of the child of God is that every time we come to church, it ought to be a celebration and a memorial that we once was lost, but now we're found. We once was in bondage, but now we're in freedom. I believe it ought to be a it ought to be a celebration here. God sets it forth. Verse 16 of chapter 23. The feast of harvest the and the first fruits of thy labors which thou hast swn in the field and the feast of in gathering which is in the end of the year when thou gather in thy labors out of the field. Three times in a year all thy male shall appear before the Lord God. Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leaven bread. He tells you how he wants his sacrifice and how he wants things. Neither shall the fat of my sacrifice remain unto mourning. Listen to him now because he's the first, the first of the first fruits of thy land. Thou shalt bring into the house of the Lord thy God. Thou shalt not see a kid in his mother's milk. Behold, I sent an angel before thee to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. Now, I want you to go back up to verse number 19 and put 19 on the screen. He says, "Now when you come to worship before me, I want you to bring the first of the first fruits into the house of God." Look at that. This is amazing. He talks about the first fruits, which we would know it as tithing. He says, "I want you to bring the tithing into my house." And then this seems to even when you read it on the serpents, it's like this is out of place. He then says, "Thou shalt not seie or boil a kid or a baby goat in his mother's milk." Now, when you read that, it's kind of like, where did that come from? I mean, we're talking about first fruits. We're talking about we're talking about bringing first fruits tied into God's house. And then God says, God says, "Do not boil a baby goat using its mother's milk to boil it in." And it's simply this. It's simply this. That milk was meant for the growth of that baby goat. It was not meant for the destruction of that baby goat. It was meant and I want I want to tell you something. If we will put God first, we will prosper. If we will put God first, prosperity in all ways of our lives, it's coming. But we can take what God says is mine and use it for our own and we literally boil our own selves in the milk that should have been prepared for our growth. How many want to grow? How many want to grow? Oh, I want to I want to grow. Let's look at a great man in the Bible in Genesis chapter 4 and verse number one. Genesis chapter 4 and verse number one. Let's look at a great a great man. Genesis 4 and1. Adam knew Eve his wife and she conceived and bear Cain and said, "I have gotten a man from the Lord. She again bare his brother Abel and Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the grounds." Now, these first two sons that that that is introduced to us in the Bible, Cain and Abel, they're introduced to us and their occupation, their occupation is presented along with their introduction. Cain was the firstborn. Abel was the second and Abel the Bible says she again bare verse two and bear Abel and Abel was a keeper of sheep that's his occupation Cain was a tiller of the ground that's his occupation and in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord now what's he do he uses his occupation he uses his occupation what he produces with his hands he is a farmer and what he produces with his hands hands. He brings an offering. That's all it says. He brings something to offer unto the Lord. But then it says, it says in verse four, "And Abel he also brought of the first lings of his flock, and the fat thereof. And the Lord had re respect unto the unto Abel and to his offering and but unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. Cain was very rough and his countenance and his countenance fell. Now look at these two men. Look look at these two men. Now look at these two men. Cain brings an offering from his occupation. Abel from his occupation brings a first ling, a first ling or the first born. There's a type here. He brings the first ling of his flock. That's tithe. And of the fat thereof. That's offering. So now here Abel is respecting the fact that God is first. If there's one thing that you and I should live our lives to make sure that we do is to place God first in our lives. To place God first. And so we know if we took time to read the whole story that uh because Cain did not follow the Lord, he was an emotional basket case. He was full of rage and he was full of jealousy. Why? It wasn't in his personality. It wasn't just the way he was born. It was the way that he viewed God. Cain did not view God as a God worthy of first. But Abel, he viewed God and said, "He is a God that is worthy of my first." And he brought it was the sacrifice. Because in Hebrews 11, look at this closely. In Hebrews 11 verse number four, the writer makes reference to Cain and Abel. In Hebrews 11:4, it says this, "By faith, Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous." God testifying of his gifts, and by it he being dead yet speaketh. God honored and respected the fact that when Cain or Abel, excuse me, when Abel got ready to worship God, he kept this divine law of God in his mind that God is first. And here is the first tithe. Here is the fat thereof offering. And Cain or Abel, Cain and Abel, Cain brought of his work just an offering just accept it. So now let's travel on. Let's go to John chapter 20 and verse number one. Kind of going to let you understand why we do certain things. John chapter 20 and verse number one. The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early when it was yet dark unto the supplr and seeth the stone taken away from the supplr. You may ask why do we worship on Sunday? It's very simple. We worship on Sunday because that was that's the day that the Lord rose from the dead was on the first day of the week. See, the first day of the week isn't Monday. The first day of the week is Sunday. And that's why we come. That's why we come on the first day of the week. We come and we worship God because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And you know as well as I do, if there be no resurrection, then we're all found a bunch of liars. If there's no resurrection, but we witness the resurrection every Sunday morning when we walk into the house of God. Why do you worship? Well, why why do you have to worship? Now, the truth of the matter is we worship seven days a week, several times during the day. I promise you, I know this church. We're not just worshiping Sunday night, Wednesday night. And we're not just worshiping Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night. We worship God throughout the week. We're praising him. Has any of you today, could you could you just wave your hand since you left your Sunday night? Have you uttered the words, "God, you're good. God, you're just so good." Do you know that's a form of worship? But so then why do we have to come on Sunday? Because that's a corporate worship. We come on Sunday morning. It's a testimony. It's a testimony to the power of God. He rose from the grave on the third day. The early church followed it in Acts chapter 20 verse number 7. The early church took it up. The early church did this. Acts chapter 20 verse number 7. Look at this. Up on the first day of the week when the disciples came together to break bread. Paul preached unto them ready to depart on the tomorrow and continued his speech until midnight. Oh, some of you think I'm long-winded. you wouldn't have lasted under the Apostle Paul. He preached he preached into midnight. But my point is they met on the first day of the week. What better reason to meet than to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Not only that, but Paul even went further in 1 Corinthians chapter 16 verse number two. Look at this with me for a moment. In 1 Corinthians 16 and verse number two, Paul said, "Upon the first day of the week, let every one of you lay by him in store as God prospered him that there'd be no gathering that there be no gathering when I come." Now, I'm going to tell you what we have just established here from Cain and Abel to Mary Magdalene early to the tomb to the early church worshiping. We have established that we put God first. Do you know that if you'll put God first in your your worship, if you'll put God first in your time is what I meant to say. If you will make God first in your time, I promise you your week will go better. If you will settle in your mind, Sunday is the Lord's day and I'm going I'm going to the house of God and I'm going to worship God. Don't let it don't don't don't let anything anything that you can put off, you need to put it off because it's more important to be in the house of God. Your life is going to be much better if you get in a regular habit of going to the house of God. If it can be put off to afternoon, put it off to afternoon. But be in the house of God. What are you saying? I am participating in this divine law of God. God, you are first. Now, if you want to waste your time, you can waste your time. But I only got one life to live. And when a day is gone, a day is forever gone. So, I'm going to make sure that I give God the first of that Sunday. I'm going to I'm going to praise him. I'm going to worship him. I'm going to magnify him because he's great. Now, if I wanted to kind of glue things together, you say, "Well, Sunday morning, Sunday would be our tithe. Sunday would be the tithe of our time that we bring to God. It would be the tithe of our time that we bring to God. If Sunday would be the tithe of our time that we bring to God, what would Wednesday night be? I'll tell you what Wednesday night would be. Wednesday night would be an offering that we give to God. It would be an offering that we give we give to him. Now, let me let me show you something. Let me let me show you something about tithe and offerings. Tithe belongs to the Lord. All right? Tithe is a trust issue that God is is trusting you to bring what's already his into the house of the Lord. The 10% is already his to begin with, but all the offering, the offering is my expression back to him of how good. You see, my my offering doesn't have an amount of 10% upon it. My offering is an expression that I give back to God that God, you are so good to me that I'm going to give you an offering. And I believe tonight that when we come on Sunday, we are just doing the commandment of the Lord. But when we make it on Wednesday night to the house of God, I know culture says we don't do this anymore. If we listen to culture, we're not going to have church much longer. >> And see, I guess I'll go ahead and tell you, Sister Sister Hannah, that's one of my fears as a pastor. I'm very careful. I'm very cautious about moving services and moving things around because once you start letting down here, here it'll come over here. Once we start, oh, pastor, you know, we've got several holidays and it would be so good on Father's Day if we didn't have church Father's Day night. And and for those that are listening, don't don't don't don't don't don't even if you're in my organization, don't write me something. Will Carpenter, you shouldn't say this because I don't have church on Sunday. I'm preaching to the people here that I pastor. All right? That's who that's who I'm preaching to. If if if you choose not to have church on Father's Day, that's you and that's your business and I keep my nose out of it and you keep your nose out of my Let me go back to preaching. I I I just have a fear in my heart that if we start Oh, oh, pastor, it'd be so much better if on Easter we didn't have it on Sunday night and on Father's Day we didn't have it on Sunday night and Mother's Day we didn't have it on Sunday night and Memorial Day we didn't have it on Sunday night and Veterans Day we didn't have it on Sunday night. I'm going to tell you before long we ain't going to have church. >> But it's good to have church. >> Church has never hurt any of us. church. You never heard any of I've never had anybody say, you know, I backslid because I went to church too much. I just backslid because I But you know what? I've heard a lot of them say, I started missing here and I started missing there. And before you knew it, >> time first in my time, first in tithe and offerings first. Everybody say first. the God of the God of first. Turn with me if you would. We'll spend the remainder of the Bible lesson on a story from the Old Testament. Story is found in First Kings chapter 17. It begins at verse one. We're just going to make our way. We're going to weave our way through here. God first. Everybody say, "God first." >> Well, don't you want to live with God first? If you don't live in this divine law, if you don't you don't live in this divine law, you're never you're you're never really going to prosper in anything that you do. you don't live in this divine law of God first, you're never really g never really going to prosper. First Kings chapter 17 verse number one. And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, "As the Lord God of Israel liveth before whom I stand, there shall be there shall not be due nor rain these years, but according to my word." The word of the Lord came unto him Elijah, saying, Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherat, that is before Jordan, and it shall be that thou shalt drink of the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there. That's interesting. Verse five. So he went and did according unto the word of the Lord. And he went and did according to the word of the Lord. And he went. You see this God first requires obedience. And he went. He said, he said, Elijah, he said, Israel has backsliden. He said, Israel has backsliden. And the only way that I can wake Israel up is to turn the water off. I got to turn the rain off. There's got to be some years of no harvest. I've got to I've got to turn the rain. I've got to turn I've got to turn it off. And he said, "Now, I want you to know, man of God, that I'm going to take care of you. I want you to know that I want you to go I want you to go tell Ahab I want you to go tell Ahab that it's not going to rain. I want you to I want you to tell him boldly. It it's it's not going to rain according to my word. It's not going to rain. I want I want Ahab to know that when the rain doesn't come and the fields do not produce a harvest and food becomes scarce, I want Ahab to know it's because you have not put me first. And but he said, "But but for you, I want you to go down by the brook Cherith, and there's a water source there, and there I want you to to to to stay." And he said, "I have commanded the ravens to feed you. I've commanded the ravens to feed you." The Bible said that Elijah did exactly what God said. He went down to the brook chair and there he was able to drink the water out of the brook. There every morning here came a raven bird. A raven bird came and brought him bread and flesh every morning and bread and flesh every evening. I have commanded. Do you know that when God commands when God commanded that raven bird that raven bird went against its nature? Wasn't the nature of that raven bird to pick up a piece of bread and a piece of of flesh and go take it and drop it off to a human? But you see, God is so powerful that God could even the creator of the raven, God could even bypass what the raven would do and cause the raven to take that food, take it down. And I'm going to tell you folks, God's word is powerful if you'll believe it. If you'll believe it, God's word is powerful. But the Bible says, brother, or after a while, the brook dried up. The brook dried up. The brook dried up because there was no rain. And uh when there was no there was no rain, Elijah probably noticed he had to get out further in the brook to get water. You see, this world this world is getting a wakeup call. But even in the wakeup call that the world's going to get, God's going to keep his hand upon those that are obedient, those that are putting him first. And then God said to Elijah, he said, "I want you to go down to Zerapath." Now, that's that's an odd command to begin with because Zerapath was not in Israel. It was in the Gentile territory. He said, "I want you to go down to Zerapath, for I have commanded a widow woman to sustain thee. I have commanded a widow to take care of you. Go down to Zerapath. I have commanded a widow." So Elijah again, the Bible will tell us he did according to the word of the Lord. Can I ask you something tonight, precious people, when you feel like that you're going uphill and you're going against the tide and things never turn out good for you, would you ask yourself the simple question, am I going with the word of the Lord? Have I got something in my life? When things are falling apart, the marriage is not where what it should be, the finances are what it should be, >> are you going to the house of God? >> And once you get there, are you worshiping God? >> And and and and and they say that finances is the number one cause for divorce. I I don't know that. I just I' I've read books and I've heard those stats, but you know, there's no greater way. when when when when there's more month than money and and and you seem to you you you you seem to find yourself upside down, you got to ask yourself that question. Am I obeying the word of the Lord? Because I I don't care. I don't care how frustrated I get. Stupid pen. I wish you man. Pen, stay in the air. Watch it. I can get frustrated all I want to about that right there. But if I don't understand gravity, it doesn't matter how frustrated I get, >> it's still going to fall to the ground. >> It doesn't matter how frustrated we get with our time and our finances, folks. if we don't do what the word of the Lord tells us to do over and over and over again. I did hear sister Glenn, I did hear a financial um I don't know exact title, but he's somebody you go to to help get your budget and put a budget together and help you to manage your finances. And he says, "You know something?" He said, "People come to me making $100,000 a year and they got financial trouble. People come to me making $200,000 a year and they've got financial trouble. 300,000, half a million dollars." You see, it's not an amount that's going to get you out of your situation. The only thing that's going to get you out of your situation is called obedience. Obedience. You You may be seated. It's called obedience because until you're obedient, doesn't matter. I got a raise on my job. It doesn't matter. We refinanced. It doesn't matter. We got the equity out of our home. It doesn't matter. But if you can ever put God first, >> if you can ever start putting God first and you don't understand, you say, "Well, KB, you don't understand. I'm in debt and when I get out of debt, I'm going to start putting God first." And you're never going to get out of debt until you say, "God, I don't care. Your word says it and I believe it. And God, you're going to be first in my life." And you watch God. You watch God. Things will begin to happen. Things will begin to turn around. Now, it may not turn around in a month. >> May take a while, but I promise you, I was not brought up. I was not raised to tithe. But Sister Carpenter, her mother raised her, even in the denomin. But when I got into church, tithing was a whole new world to me. And it took me some time to get to get that. But I remember working, Brother Perry's here. I worked on construction with him. But I remember this. I remember I went through the stages of uh God, I'll double up next week and I'll pay double next week. And double and it finally got to the place to where I started noticing when I'd give God what was his, seemed like I wanted to get up and go to work. When I give God what was his, it seemed like things just went better. But boy, when I'd let the when I'd let my flesh reason, you know, all I've got here on Sunday night, I got my t I got tithe in my hand and everybody's going to be going out to Shownies tonight and if I if I put this in the plate, then then I'm not going to have money to go to shownies and all that. And and I tell you, God, me and I, I double it next week and next week and next week. And it's just a roller coaster. It just it is something. And I notice that things would would go wrong. But when I put God first and I I believe God is no respector of persons. And if God honored that I put him first, God will honor if you put him first. And and things will start going and start being a blessing in your life. How many want to be blessed? >> Amen. How many want your children to be blessed? >> Oh yes. I want my children to be blessed. He said, "Go down to Zerapath for I have commanded a widow to feed you." So he goes, he obeys God. He obeys God. In fact, I don't I think if he decided though, I think if he would have decided if he would have decided not to obey God, well, God, I'm going to stay right here by the brook. Sooner or later, it'll rain. I'll get some water. God, ought to stay right here by the brook and the ravens will bring me bread and flesh. I don't believe the ravens would come anymore because God said, "Go to Zerapath." So, he goes to Zerapath. The story goes, he goes to Zerapath and he goes to the city gates of Zerapath and there's this widow there. She's there. She's gathering sticks. She's gathering sticks. And uh he sees the widow woman and the widow woman has been told by God. God has already told the widow woman, there's a prophet coming and I want you to take I want you to take care of him. I want I want you to take care of the prophet. All right? And so she's there at the gate gathering sticks. And so the prophet Elijah comes and he says to the woman, he says, "Would you fetch me a drink of water?" And she turned to go get She turned to go get the water. She turned to go get Let's read verse number 12 or u not verse number 12. Uh it would be um verse number 10. Uh first Kings 17:10. So he arose and went to Zerapath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks. He called to her and said, "Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel that I may drink." And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her and said, "Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand." Now, now get the scenery now. Get the scenery. He says, "Hey, would you would you bring me I'd like something to drink. And as she was going, because after all, God has told her what? What did God tell her to do? Take care of the prophet. As she's going to take care of him, he says, "Oh, by the way, bring me a morsel. Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand." Just would you bring me some bread? But let's go further. Verse 12. And she said, "As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but a handful." Everybody say, "A handful." I have but a handful of meal in a barrel and a little oil. Everybody say little. >> Says, "I I have a handful of meal and a little oil in a cruise. And behold, I'm gathering two sticks. Much much must have been not much of a fire. I'm gathering two sticks that I may go in and dress it for me and my son that we may eat it and die. Now you talk about bleak. You talking about bleak. Think about this. God commands the woman to take care of the prophet and she's just got a little meal, handful of meal and a little oil. It seemed like God's commanding the impossible. And and he says, "Bring me in." And she he said, "No, no, S. You don't understand. All I got is just a little meal, a handful, and a little oil. I got two sticks, not not much of a fire." and said, "I'm gonna go I'm going to go make this and me and my son are going to eat it and die." I don't know about you, that's a bleak forecast, wouldn't you say? Wouldn't you say that's pretty bleak that she's out there gathering? She's out there gathering two sticks because her and her her her in her her her small child is going to eat it and going to die. But listen to me tonight. God can take the bleakest, darkest situation in your family. And if we will put God first, >> God can turn it around. >> It may be bleak. I'm not going to argue with you that it's not bleak. I'm not going to argue that there's not a struggle going on. I'm not going to argue that there may be some old drabby spirit that's weighing you down. But listen to you, pastor, tonight. If we will live by the law that God must be first, God can turn your gloom into praise. God can turn your situation into a praise party if you'll believe it. But you got to live to put God first. It's bleak, man of God. It's bleak. Little oil, handful of meal, me and the boys going to eat it and we die. Verse 13. And Elijah said unto her, "Fear not. Go and do as thou hast said, but make me therefore, are you following me? A little cake." >> What? >> Make me a little cake. What? >> First, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son. I want you to follow this. Now, on the surface, this looks cruel. That insensitive preacher, that insensitive prophet asking for that poor widow. Can you imagine what Facebook trollers would do with him? Can you imagine what people would do to to him? That that Elijah, that preacher, he took the last little bit of meal that that poor widow woman had. Can you imagine the audacity? Get your mind off of a man and get your mind on the word. If there's one thing you need to keep alive in your life is the word of God. If we ever let the word die, we are all doomed. But if we can keep the word of God alive, the baptismal pool will be full. People will be getting the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Blessings and prosperity will be upon our lives. But you got to keep the word alive because it was Elijah that said, "By my word, it's not going to rain." And if it was Elijah that said, "By my word, it's not going to rain." It's going to have to be by Elijah that says, "Let the heavens bring forth the rain." You got to keep alive the word of God in your life. It's got to be first in your life. You got to keep it alive. He said, "Fear not, but go and make me a little cake." I wish somebody'd say that next word. >> I wish somebody say like he meant it >> first. >> Make me a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee, and for thy son. For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, the barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the crus of oil fail until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth. Here's the promise. Here it is. Tonight, I'm preaching to you. Put God first. I'm preaching to you the blessings of being at church on Sunday and Wednesday. I'm preaching to you the blessings of tithing and offering. But now it lies in your court. It lies whether or not will you believe it. And will you act upon it. Look at what the widow look at what the widow did. Verse 15. And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah. And she and he and her house did eat many days. And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruise of oil fail according to the word of the Lord which he spake by Elijah. Church, hear me tonight. I'm telling you, it won't fail you. You'll get more joy when you come to the house of God. You'll get more peace when you come to the house of God. Your marriage will begin to get back together. Your children will get a development for the worship and the praise of God and things. Oh, come on. Praise him with me tonight. Do you do you believe it in the the the praise of the house of God and this? >> Can you imagine with me, Brother Wales? That woman went, she took her fingers and she got in the corner of that barrel. She got the last little bit. Maybe she turned the barrel over and she beat the bottom of the barrel and got it all out on the counter and she took the oil and she just enough oil drip drip drip drip drip drip just enough oil that was she mixed it up and she she built a little fire and she she put it put it together made a little cake and she took it to the man of God and then he after he got through eating he said now you go back and make you something. Oh, you you don't understand. There wasn't nothing in the barrel. But you see, when you go one direction in obedience, God brings blessings down from above. When she went to take the little cake to the man of God, God's heavenly angel said, "Let me deposit a little flower here. Let me put a little meal here. Let me put a little oil." She said, "When I left, there was nothing in that bucket. But when I got back and opened it up, whoo! Hallelujah. There's enough meal in there." And that begin to happen every day. Oh, what a God we serve. What a God we serve. But let me follow on. Let me let me follow on. Let me follow on. God first. Oh, somebody Somebody say it with me. God first. >> God first. >> God. God first. Man, it's a miracle house, wasn't it? M. Sister S. That was a miracle house. But what do you think about living in a house that I see her praising God going to the kitchen every morning? Lord, it was empty last night, but God, you're going to make a way. God, it was empty last night. Look at there. I done I was laying I was laying in bed. I laying in bed. Heard something. Little little boy that I've got. He said, "Mama, what's going on?" Somebody's in the kitchen. Just lay there still, baby. Lay there still. The angel just coming down and providing for us. That's all that that's that that's all that's all. The angel of the Lord providing providing for you. You've heard the story. Sorry if you're not. Let me let me tell it to you for the first time. But there was a woman that believed in God and prayed. She was having it rough. And she started praying for groceries. Said, "God, you know the groceries. God, you know I don't have any groceries." And and uh we need groceries. God, please, Lord, make a way for groceries. And she lived beside She lived beside an atheist and he hated her for what she believed in. And so he heard her pray and he decided he'd go down the grocery store and buy the groceries. and he he filled up the front porch with groceries and rang the doorbell and ran off and hid in the bushes and she walked out on the porch and she began to worship and praised God and and thank you Lord for the groceries and she's standing there praising God for the groceries and the atheist walked out of the bushes and he said you old fool you you're a fool said God didn't bring those groceries said I brought those groceries and she cut loose to shouting like a Pentecostal throwing bobby pins everywhere dancing up and down the sidewalk he said what you Hey, I told you. I told you I brought them. She said, "Yeah, I knew how great God was, but I didn't know that he could have the devil bring my groceries right to my right to my Can I tell you, it's the truth tonight, church. If we will believe God, God will do these miracles for us. But you got to put God first." >> And now wait a minute now. Just because we live in a house of miracles, God wants us to know him deeper than just financial miracles. Deeper than just everything's going good for us. Deeper. Because watch this. Watch this. I believe verse 17 of the 17th chapter. Do you love the Lord tonight? Isn't God good to us? Isn't God so good to us? It came to pass after these things that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick. The little boy fell sick. His sickness was so sore, it was so bad that there was no breath left in him. He He died. He died. Now, let let me share this with you. Please listen to me. Really listen to me. Just because you come on Sunday and Wednesday and you tithe and you worship is not an insurance policy that bad things won't happen to you. >> That's right. That's the truth. There's no Well, you know, I hear people, well, I got laid. I don't understand. I do. Well, listen. All things work together for what? to them who are called boy died. Verse 18, she said unto Elijah, "What have I to do with thee, oh thou man of God? Art thou come to call my to call my sin to remembrance and slay my son?" I want, watch this. Please don't malt God's word. Don't don't malt God's word because when something bad, she had no problem going to a kitchen and getting meal out of a barrel and oil out of a cruise. She had no problem doing this. But when something bad come to her life, she said, "What have I to do?" Go put that scripture back up there for me, please. What have I to do with you, oh thou man of God? Please don't ever become a mocker. Please don't become one that carries tails and go like, "Well, I know somebody that went to church every Sunday and I know somebody that tied in in this and that." Please don't do that. Please don't do that. Don't be a mocker of God. Oh, thou see it's it's it's said in a mockery way. Oh, thou man of God, don't don't mock it. And then look, look what she said. Have you come to call my sin to remembrance? Please have more faith in God. If you've asked God to forgive you of your sins and and and you've got past sins in your life and something bad happens to you tomorrow, please don't sit there and think, "Well, God's getting even with me. Well, God's getting me back. Well, I'm getting what I deserve." I don't serve your God. I said, "I don't serve I heard one amen. >> I don't serve your God. I don't serve a God that keeps tally of the judgment. I serve a God whose mercies are new and fresh >> every morning. I serve a God that said, "If you'll confess your sin, I'm faithful and just to forgive you and to cleanse you." I I don't serve a God that 10 years down the road, he's going to say, "Ah, it's time for me to give him cancer. Oh, it's time for me to take his wife. Oh, it's time for me to take his baby." Foolishness on that. Good people. That woman got in her mind, she had to have her miracle. And when something bad happened, when something bad happened, she be to mock the man of God and begin to say, "You've come to call my sin to remembrance." Don't Don't do that, church. If you've asked God to forgive you, I'm telling you, according to the living word of God, God has forgiven you. If you've asked God to forgive you, according to the word of God, he has cast in the sea, never to be remembered again. And as a matter of fact, I'm going to tell you something right now. We have the issue remembering not God. >> We have the issue of remembering not God. Have you come to call my sin to remembrance? Verse number 19. And he said unto her, "Give me thy son." Can I Can I tell you something? Look at that word right there. Look at that word. Look at those four words. Give me thy son. Can I tell you how good God is? Elijah asked that woman for two things. Give me a cake and give me a son. Can I tell you that God is not only able to take good things that you can hand, but God is able to take care of bad things that you can have. He said, "Would you just give me Would you just give me thy son?" And he took him. He had to be a small child. And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up, had to be a small child, into a loft, where he abodeed, and lay him upon his own bed. And he cried unto the Lord, and said, "Oh Lord, my God, hast thou also brought evil upon this widow, the widow with whom I sojourned by slaying her son?" and he stretched himself upon the child three times and cried unto the Lord and said, "Oh Lord, my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again." Can I tell you, let me let me just tell you this. Elijah is known for a lot of miracles, but the thing that James writes about Elijah is his prayer life. His prayer life. You cannot overemphasize having a prayer life. Prayer can turn your worst day around. You hear me? Prayer can turn your best day into praise and your worst day into worship. Elijah was known for prayer. Prayer. He prayed and the heavens were shut up for three and a half years. He prayed again and the heavens opened up and brought forth both rain and fruit and a harvest. He was a man's subject. You say, "Well, yeah, that's Elijah. That's Elijah." No, Sister Franklin. He was a man subject to like passions like as we are. Yet he prayed and the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avaleth much. It means makes available much power. He took that dead boy out of her bosom. And he said, "I know exactly where to take him. I'm taking him to my loft." And he laid him laid him out and he stretched upon him three times. And he prayed. But look at verse number 22. Look at verse number 22 with me. And the Lord heard the voice of Elijah. God hears your voice. God hears. Sister Patterson, God hears your voice. Church tonight that's gathered here on this Wednesday evening, keep on praying. God hears your voice. Our flesh and our enemy would say, "Well, I've been praying and my boy still not doomed. I've been praying and my family's still not getting better. I've been praying and it's still not going to happen. Pray until you die, but die praying. He kept on praying. And the Bible said God heard the voice of Elijah. God heard the voice. Look at verse 22. And God and the Lord heard the voice of Elijah. And the soul and the child uh came into him. And the let me read it right. And the soul of the child came into him again. and he revived. I'm getting happy right now because that's the word of God. The way he said he heard in the soul of the child revived and he revived. Look at this. And Elijah took the child and brought him down out of the chamber into the house and delivered him unto his mother. And Elijah said, "See, thy son liveth." And I want you to paste your eyes on the screen or your Bible. Listen to the woman. And the woman said unto Elijah, now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word and that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is truth. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. You didn't know I was a man of God when the meal got in the barrel. You didn't know I was a man of God when the oil be to flow. You didn't know I was a man of God when your life started working out. You wait until I can raise the dead. You wait until I do something that'll totally stretch your mind. And when he handed her that living baby, she said, "Now I know that the word of a We need a revelation, church. First Apostolic Church. We need a revelation that we f we going to face some things someday. And God's going to bring us through. And I'm thankful for every financial miracle. I'm thankful for every bank account that we emptied out. And before you knew it, we had money again. But I'm telling you what I'm thankful for. God is going to do some things that we're going to have a revelation that the word of God works. I'm telling you, the word of God works. I wouldn't miss another Sunday. The word of God works. I wouldn't miss another tithe because the word of God works. Stand with me tonight. Yeah. But brother Carpenter, how many times have we prayed for people with cancer and they died? Oh, they did. No, the cancer died. You see, if in this life only we have hope, we're of all men most miserable. Can I tell you, there's coming a day? It's called, let me tell you, if you put God first, how many want to put God first? How many want to put God first? I said, how many want to put God first? And if death comes to you and I, I want to die putting God first because God's going to remember me because a trumpet is going to sound and the dead in Christ is going to rise. And we which are alive and remain shall be caught up. Can I tell you if the enemy wants to discourage you about prayer? Oh, we've been praying for this one and she didn't get her prayer answered. What if God was looking down saying, "No, I want to give her the ultimate healing. I I don't just want to heal him temporarily. I just don't want to heal him temporarily, but I want to usher him out of this world into a world of the glories of glory. Then we shall know. Then we shall know. When we wake up in that glory world, we shall know. And if it doesn't happen down here, there's coming a day and we're going to wake up. All of us. It's not gloom and doom. No, no, no. There's no gloom and doom. We'll all follow that path. There'll be a sickness overtake us that medicine can't pull us through. Family will gather around our bed. Mom will breathe her last time. Dad will breathe her la his last breath. And they'll see in the temporal they'll see. And the nurse will come in and the nurse will say he's gone. But he's not gone >> because you close your eyes here and you wake up in another world. and you wake up in another world, you're going to know that woman said, "I had miracles all my life. I had a mira miracle miracle barrel. I had miracle oil. I was fed all through the famine. But oh, when he handed me that living baby, now I know that the word of God is truth in thy mouth." Put God first. Would you give him some praise at the end of this lesson tonight? Put God first. >> Lord, I love you. Lord, I praise you. Lord, I magnify you. Lord, I glorify you. Lord, I give you praise tonight. Lord, you're so good to me, God. Lord, you've been better to me than I've been to myself. God, in this life, we we have troubles. Lord, in this life, we have tribulations. Lord, in this life, we have setbacks. Lord, in this life, we have issues and we have trouble. But God, I believe with everything that soon a trumpet's going to sound, and they that have put you first, they that have put you first are going to rise out of that grave. And we which are alive that have put you first are going to meet them in the air to be with the Lord. And it is going to be worth it all. Lord, I love you. Lord, I praise you, Lord Jesus. Tonight, keep your hands upon us as we travel home. Lord, reveal to us your great truth. Bless every person that's here tonight. In Jesus wonderful, glorious name I pray. Amen. And amen. Give the Lord a final hand praise. And you may be dismissed tonight.