Why We Believe What We Believe | Senior Pastor Kenneth Carpenter
by Kenneth Carpenter
First Apostolic Church of Maryville (Maryville, TN)
Kind: sermon
Scripture: Titus 3:1-5, Acts 1:4-8, 1 Peter 1:14-16, Haggai 2:10-13, Haggai 1:2-11, Romans 12:1-2, 1 Samuel 16:7, Exodus 21:1-6, Romans 8:35-39, Hosea 6:1-3

Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/kenneth-carpenter--why-we-believe-what-we-believe-3
Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page.
Free to copy and share with attribution.

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well if you have your Bibles go ahead and turn with me to the book of Titus the book of Titus Chapter number three and we'll begin reading at verse number one one I do say it's so good to see everyone in the house of the Lord tonight on this midweek service the power of God and the presence of the Lord is here that one song in my my deepest valley I choose to praise but I want you to know whether you're in the valley or on the mountain he is worthy to be praised why do you praise because he's worthy to be praised I have no ulterior motive other than that why do you praise he's worthy to be praised whether I'm having a good day or not he's worthy to be praised tonight he is worthy he's good god he's a great God tonight he's worthy to be praised Titus Chapter 3 and verse number one put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers to obey magistrates to be ready to every good work to speak evil of no man to be no Brawlers but gentle showing all meekness unto all men for we ourselves also were sometimes foolish disobedient deceived serving divers lust and Pleasures living in Malice and envy hateful and hating one another but after that the kindness and love of God our savior toward man appeared not by works of righteousness which we have done but according to his Mercy he saved us by the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost why we believe what we believe tonight's subject is the infilling of the Holy Ghost why we believe what we believe father thank you tonight for your word thank you tonight God that for the relationship that has been spawned in our lives God by Your Word Lord for the next few moments God anoint your servant that I may Minister your word God lord I'll give you all the praise and all the glory and all the honor we ask it all tonight in jesus' name and honor of you in Jesus name amen amen you may be seated again thank you for standing in honor to the reading to the reading of God's word it's very important that we understand when we read our Bible uh the book we're reading from the time that we're reading from we're reading from Titus tonight Paul is writing to Titus us a young preacher he is writing to the people that Titus will influence and Titus will Pastor he is writing to an Apostolic church just like you and I tonight the only difference it was the first century we're in the 21st century but they were just like you and I they had repented of their sins amen they had been water baptized in jesus' name for the remission of their sins and they had been filled with the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in other tongues and they believed in one God they were just like just like us tonight just like us I find it very interesting that Paul would say to Titus to the first century church because sometimes we can get the book of Acts bigger than what it really is we can think that everybody in the first century Church walked on water and everybody in the first centur church was perfect and boy don't we have a lot of flaws here in the 21st century Church well I got news for you this evening sounds like to me they had SE several flaws he said you're going to have to put them in mind go back to verse one Titus 3 and one he said you're going to have to put them in mind to be subject to principalities and Powers other words you're going to have to tell them they need to obey the government they they need to obey the laws of the land they need to obey magistrates they need to be ready to do every good work said they need to be on the green light button they need to be ready to do to do every good work verse two again I'm just wanting to bring us go ahead and put Titus three and two back up on the screen um listen to what he has to say to them he says speak evil of of no man speak e evil of no man uh don't be a brawler don't be looking for a fight can I tell you something if you're looking for a fight you can find one before you leave your house now you just read into that all you want to and it's a God's truth if you're looking for a fight don't be a brawler but be gentle be a gentle person showing all meekness to unto how many people everybody all men then it brings us back home sometimes we need to be reminded church we need to be reminded of where God brought us from we may just be more compassionate to people if we can be reminded that God brought us out of the same shape and without the grace of God where would we all be tonight for we ourselves look at verse three for we ourselves also were sometimes foolish I wish somebody say that's me that was me sometimes foolish that was me sometimes disobedient that was me you can follow along if you like did deceived that was me serving divers lust and Pleasures that was me living in Malice that was me and envy that was me hateful come on now you better say it I'm going to call you out right now hateful that was me and hating one another that was me now notice I put the word was there because you know what none of that should fit us right now I said none of that should fit us right now there's nothing that I read that would say you know that that that but evidently it did fit them and Truth the matter is it does fit some of us tonight verse four but something happened didn't it but after that the kindness and love of God our savior toward man appeared not by works of righteousness which he which we have done but according to his Mercy he saved us what did he do by his Mercy he what saved us how did he save us by the washing of regeneration there's water baptism by the washing of regeneration because in the Bible they were not baptized to join the church and they were not baptized to show that they believed in Christ they were baptized for one purpose and one purpose alone for the removal and the remitting remitting of sins that had been confessed and repented over of the washing of regeneration not my righteousness which we have done but according to his Mercy he saved us by the washing of regeneration and and renewing renewing of the Holy Ghost he put his Spirit back in us he put his presence back in us just like the original Adam that was formed he breathed his breath and he put his Spirit he put his Spirit back in us now I believe that we're going to duvail into Acts chapter one in verse number four again these people had witnessed the death burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the Ascension into heaven and the Bible says in Acts 1 verse4 and being assembled together with them commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem but wait for the promise of the Father which saith he you have heard of me for John truly B baptized with water but you shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence when they there were come together they asked of him saying Lord will thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel and he said unto them it is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the father had put in his own power but you shall receive power you sh 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 unto the uttermost part of the earth leave verse eight up there for a moment he said when you receive the Holy Ghost when you receive the Holy Ghost you are going to receive power you're going to receive power power to do what power to be a witness of Jesus Christ power to be a witness and and and when we understand what our lives should be lived for we should live our lives we are the bride of Christ and I'm not ashamed of that Heavenly bridegroom we are the bride of Christ and I'm not ashamed to him either I'm not ashamed of him at church I'm not ashamed of him anywhere because what kind of a bride would be ashamed of her groom the only kind I can think of is the one not in love with the groom but I'm in love with him tonight and I believe you're in love with him tonight and so the power of the Holy Ghost that we're given is to give us power to be a witness of unto look at the words there a witness unto me you're going to be a witness of me now you can look up several things the the Greek word for witness it could be used in a a legal sense it can even be used as a spectator they even called Spectators in the Bible days they they even called spectators at the games the Roman games uh they didn't call them fans they called them Witnesses well why would you and and of course there's a verse I believe Paul referred to it when he said we are compassed about he's referring to the Coliseum we are compassed about with such a great cloud of witnesses and uh the the The Spectators what we would call them they're Witnesses in the Bible because they are witnessing something firsthand that is that is going on now when we understand it could be a legal sense or it could be from a spectator a a witness I have seen God I believe the song they sang tonight so beautifully fits this message I've seen his faithfulness I've seen his ability to heal I've seen what he can do I'm a witness tonight of a change life amen I'm I'm a witness tonight of the before and after what God did what I was doing in my life before the Holy Ghost and what God has done in our lives after we've received the Holy Ghost but the witness there goes farther than just that you see that early church was going to suffer persecution that early church was going to suffer ridicule that early church was going to be despised and rejected and persecuted some were persecuted even even to death and the power was in the hardship of life that that early church would keep shining brightly the glory of God that even though persecution came to them they would keep lifting up the name of Jesus they would keep praising God put them in a prison and tie their hands and their feet up but what happens to Paul and Silas they begin to praise God they begin to magnify the Lord they begin to shine forth go ahead and do everything you want to those Christians and they come out when Paul was setting one of his letters was written from a prison and he was about to have his head severed from his body what does a man talk about when he knows at any time his head is going to be removed from his body he begins to talk about run a good race Church fight a good fight church for henceforth is laid up for me a crown of righteousness with the Lord wait a minute you're about to have your head cut off and you're talking about a crown that's exactly right because to the bride of Christ the world can do to us whatever God allows them but in the midst of the persecution whether it's a diagnosis of cancer whether it's some kind of financial bankruptcy whatever it may be may we shine forth the power and the glory of Jesus Christ but I I got to tell you tonight I got to tell you tonight I'm not preaching I'm not preaching the power of positive thinking I'm not preaching the power of looking on the good because sometimes we go through things there's no good to look at but I'm talking about having the power of the Holy Ghost and the power of the Holy Ghost helps me to be a witness unto Jesus Christ come on give him praise right now A Witness unto Jesus Christ come on a witness unto Jesus Christ come on how many want to be a witness unto Jesus Christ oh I certainly do whether it's by persecution or it's by our lifestyle whether I'm being persecuted or it's just the way we live I want to be a witness of Jesus Christ First Peter chapter number one verse 14 and again let's remind ourselves who's being preached to the first century church is being preached to the first century Church 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 14 as obedient children not fashioning that's an interesting word there that's an interesting word because that comes from the word fashion it comes from the word fashion you know a lot of people want to have Christ in their heart but the fashion of the world on the outside doesn't work doesn't work that way as obedience children not fashioning yourselves according to the former lust in your ignorance but as he which hath called you is Holy as he which has called you is Holy so be ye holy in all manner of conversation now that's not just talking about how you speak and we ought to be holy and how we speak and I'm going to tell you there's more Unholy talk than just cussing there can be Unholy jokes I believe God is not pleased with Unholy jokes don't believe God is listen the Bible says corrupt communication verbal evil communication corrupts good manners evil talk evil walk Dirty Talk Dirty walk that's why the Holy Ghost is in us he says but as he which hath called you is Holy so be you holy in all manner of conversation just not the way you speak the way you live the way you the the the the the way that you you you uh transact business if you own a business to be be holy in all and yes when we mention the word holy we begin to think about clothing and yes the word of God wants us to be holy even in the clothing that we wear matter of fact we're the bride of Christ and that bride has a garment on and that identifies her as the Bride As the bride of Christ be holy verse 15 again but as he which hath called you is Holy so be you holy in all manner of conversation because why should I be holy because it is written be ye holy for I am Holy now let me tell you in the Old Testament when that was first written when it was first written it was an impossibility that God gave them to be holy for I am Holy why because man cannot have an attribute of God because they were living in unredeemed flesh and unredeemed spirits and unredeemed souls the best they could do was to look at the law and try their best to measure up to the law but they never could measure up to the law for the law was weak that it worked through the flesh so man could never compreh the man could never reach that commandment be ye holy for I'm holy but that's another reason God has given us not just a spirit watch the word that goes before ghost holy God gives us the Holy Ghost more than to let our tongues speak a language we don't know and that's part of it but don't let it be 99% part of it God gives us the Holy Ghost so that we can obey this scripture for without the Holy Ghost we cannot live holy there's no way way we can live a separate life without the Holy Ghost because it affects more than our emotions it affects our minds we not we cannot comprehend spiritual things without the Holy Ghost that's how much we need it we can't understand spiritual things without the Holy Ghost now the Bible the Bible talks about three types of Minds a spiritual mind a natural mind and a carnal mind now the carnal mind is the one or excuse me the natural mind was the one you were born with you were not born with the ability to discern spiritual things you were not born with the ability to see spiritual laws and precepts and things that the world looks at us tonight and says going to church on Wednesday night what doing what going to church on Wednesday going early for prayer what oh doing all these things what what what are you talking about you know why because it's a natural mind they cannot understand spiritual things but once we get the Holy Ghost we have the mind of Christ things we once would not understand sister sepon now we understand matter of fact things that we once hated now we love things we once would stay away from now we can't wait for the church to open its doors why it's called the Holy Ghost it's not by works of man lest any man would boast you are who you are tonight spir seeing spiritual things tonight because God gave you the holy ghost or the Holy Spirit you have that Spirit living so there is the natural mind you were born with that there is the spiritual mind that's what you get when you get the Holy Ghost you get the Holy Ghost you get that spiritual mind well you said the carnal mind what is the carnal mind well that's that's a mind that you never want to get to because a carnal mind had at one time been a natural mind got born again and got a spiritual mind but then didn't cultivate a lifestyle of prayer dedication submission to the ways of God and that mind became a fleshly carnal that's where we get the word Carnage it becomes a carnal mind it is it is a mind that is making excuses for the reason you live the way you live live all the while claiming to be spiritual claiming to be spiritual it's called the it's called the carnal mind you can't live holy hear me tonight you can't live holy without the Holy Ghost has nothing to do with how many times you come to church now listen to me now listen real good being holy has no nothing to do with how many times you can come to church you can come to church every day of the week and and not be holy you can even change the way you talk and not be holy you can either now now now there's two sides to this tonight there's two sides to this tonight you can either change your wardrobe and still not be holy but if you change your you let God change your heart you will change your ward wardrobe but you can't have a heart that's not changed in a wardrobe that is because it just won't go together it just won't go together so please don't be confused tonight please don't be confused coming to church doesn't make you any more a Christian than standing in your garage makes you a car let me let me read a little scripture here the book of hegi chapter two in verse number 10 let's read from he I think this is going to kind of bring something to light in the 4 and 20th day of the n9th month in the second year of darus came the word of the Lord by hegi the prophet saying thus saith the Lord of hosts ask now the priest concerning the law saying if one bear holy flesh holy flesh that's a a piece of Flesh that is offered on the altar to God if one bear holy flesh in the skirt of His Garment and his and with his skirt do touch bread pottage or wine oil or any meat shall it be holy and the priest answered and said no he said if you've got a piece of holy flesh in your in your you you the priest had it wrapped up in in his in his in his robe and as he's moving around with that Holy piece of Flesh he touches a loaf of bread or he touches a bowl of pottage or he touches something because that is Holy wouldn't it automatically make what it touched holy and the answer that he gave is no verse 13 then said hegi If one that is unclean by a dead body touch any of these shall it be unclean and the priest answered and said it shall be unclean now wait a minute let's get this if I've got a holy piece of Flesh in my in my my hands and I move them through the Tabernacle and I touch a loaf of bread it's holy does it make the bread holy and the answer is no if it touches a bowl of soup does it make it holy no but what if I'm carrying a dead body and I touch something does the dead unclean body make what it touched unclean and the priest said yes because sin is contagious the uncleanness of of sin is contagious that's why we watch who we fellowship with I didn't say witness to I said fellowship with there's a difference in being a witness to a world and fellowshipping with the world now listen tonight you need to have your fellowship with other Holy Ghost Phill Believers you need to witness to the world you don't need to get it back backwards you don't need to have your fellowship in the world be more at home with the world than you are the church people because sin is contagious if you stay around them and fellowship with them you will pick up their ungodly ways you will pick up their ungodly ways now I'm trying to preach to you tonight but so help me we need to work on being the bride and understanding who we are and I don't want to be close to the world because I'm going to see Jesus and he said if you're a friend of this world you're not a friend of God and I want my bridegroom tonight to know that I love him that my heart is true and faithful to him so if we if we have all this communication with the world and I submit to you tonight that some people have issues with church music because they have a heavy diet and I don't believe you ought to have any diet with worldly music I don't believe any of our children children or adults or anybody should have that diet of music that glorifies sin if it glorifies sin it's going to desensitize you to church music you're not going to get in well I've seen his faithfulness I've seen his faithfulness to me I'm confident he'll do it again if all you've heard all day long is I'm cheating on that one and I'm here in this bed with this one but I got that one on my mind and all of this degrading I mean music today is so degrading to women and it's so it's so degrading in its sinfulness and The Vow the the the foul dirty language that comes out of their minds can I tell you tonight no Holy Ghost F believer should be having and listening to that and letting that be in their mind come on do you believe it tonight or not I don't believe it ought to get quiet in here we are the bride of Christ tonight come on we are the bride of Christ tonight no if something's holy and touches something it doesn't make it holy but if it's Unholy and it touches it it's contagious why here's the here it is Holiness isn't by a touch of one of the five senses Holiness can only come through relationship that means you can come and touch this parking lot we dedicated it to God we got pictures when we bought the property we poured oil out on this property we dedicated this property to God that means it's holy property we dedicated this building the walls of pews and everything about this building to God that means this is a holy place but just because we come and touch a holy Place three times a week does not make us holy the only way that we can become holy is to allow a relationship with a holy God not to get on the outside and try to get in but a relationship with a holy God to get on the inside and work his way out do you know that's why prayer you said well I don't understand I said a few words and I just don't feel like God heard me that's because your flesh your flesh now now I'm I'm not saying that God doesn't hear a short prayer but I'm telling you there's times when you got to pray in the spirit there's times when your spirit has got to take over your flesh and when your flesh wants to get up you got to tell your flesh you're staying down there you're going to stay down why I need to hear from God I need an answer from God I'm going through something that only God if God don't help me I can't get through it you ever been there if you've never been there you're going to be there and you're going to have to learn to say I got to get a hold of God I got to pray I I got to and my flesh is saying get up get up and shut up and walk on but I got to say no flesh I got to get a hold of God I've got to get a hold of him I got to pray in the spirit I got to pray in the spirit because Holiness only comes by relationship you can touch this parking lot seven days a week and not be holy you can touch each Pew seven days a week and not be holy what was their fault I'm going to show you what their fault was go back a chapter to hegi chapter 1 verse number two here was their fault they had been they had been a people living in Exile and when they finally got back to Jerusalem which was a Holy Ground they became comfortable touching Holy Ground but God said I need a holy house because Holy Ground is where the holy house is why do you need a holy house because I need a holy man to teach the holy word well why do you need a holy man to teach the holy word because the only way that I can have a relationship with you is through the word of God you can come to Jerusalem all you want to and stand on Holy Ground and you're still an Unholy people because they had become satisfied they felt like they had reached all that was required of them is just to get to the Holy Ground Church let's not be like them let's not believe that it's we've reached what we preacher I got here tonight you just better be thankful I'm here on this Pew you you just better be thankful I come to church tonight well I am thankful you would come to church but I would really Rejoice if you got a relationship with God I would really Rejoice if you got enough of God that you weren't hateful anymore I would really get excited if you got come on now you know I got you treed right now you know I'd really get excited if you got enough of the love of God you didn't hate anybody and you wasn't hateful the people and you didn't walk in church looking like you're sucking on a lemon Born On the Dark Side of the Moon can I tell you something Holiness will put a smile on your face Holiness will help you go up and forgive your enemies and love your enemies and go on with life that's the kind of God I want to serve oh yes yes somebody say Amen preacher look at HEI chapter 1 verse two thus speaketh the Lord of hosts saying this people say the time is not come the time that the Lord's House should be built then came the word of the Lord by HEI the prophet saying is it time for you oh ye to dwell in your sealed houses and this house lie waste wait a minute it wasn't that they didn't have the ability to build God a house brother Namy it wasn't they didn't have the ability to build God a house it was simply it wasn't their priority they couldn't say to God God we can't build you we can't build your a house God we don't have the lumber we don't have the material to build your house because God was saying you say the time is not come the time that the house of the Lord should be built you know I think every one of us here in our minds every one of us here in this building and those watching online tonight somewhere in our minds saying one of these days I'm really going to get fired up one of these days I'm really going to get my life to get but one of these one one of these days but just not right now hegi said thus sayith the Lord you say it's not time it's not time but you live verse four and your sealed houses and this house which was referring to God's house lie waste now there therefore thus sayith the Lord of hosts consider your ways now he says since you've not put me first I hope you're listening to this tonight he said since you're not putting me first since you put you first and you're waiting for the ideal time to build me a house he said I would like for you to consider consider consider your ways verse six you have SED sown much but how many how much did did they bring in how much did they sow how much they bring in huh they sowed they brought in you eat but you have not enough you drink but you are not filled with drink you clothe you but there's none warm and he that earnthenecklace put it into a bag with a hose I don't know about you that sounds like a miserable group of people right there to me you sew a whole lot in your field and guess what you have high anticipations oh friend I'm telling you you know some people brother Carpenter my ship is going to come in one day and they only learned that it came at the train station you know oh when I'm about to hit it brother car I see the light at the end of the tunnel yeah that's the headlight of an on approaching trains what you see there at the end of the tunnel you see when God is not put first in your life you will have worldly anticipation but you'll also have a lot you'll have a lot of dissatisfaction and disappointment he said you sowed much and how much it bring in little he said you eat Never Satisfied drink Never Satisfied clothe you never warm and then he said you earn a lot of lot of money you earn a lot of money and you put it into bags that's got what hes in it you leave the job and you got a big bag full of money but by the time you get home you don't have any and you're wondering where in the world did my money go to he said consider your ways he said consider your ways now verse seven now listen to me church I am so glad that God has never rebuked anybody and left them there he always gives them the remedy he always says now you're in a mess aren't you thankful for this you're in a mess but this is how you come out of the mess now now now now you're you're sewing a whole lot you're bringing in a little you're disappointed you can't get enough food you can't get enough drink you can't get enough clothes and on and on and on it goes but then he says that's you right now bags holes in it you don't know where your monies went you think the answer is and I I I heard of Financial uh a guy that does a lot of financial counseling and helping people and he says the number one thing people walk in my office and say is if I could just make more money and he says the man comes in he makes $100,000 and he says if I could just make more money and he says another man comes in and he makes a quarter of a million dollars and guess what he says if I could just make more money and he says a man comes in and made 500,000 in one year and guess what he says if I could just make more money it's not more more money we need to make come on hear me now it's not more money we need to make it's more of God first that we need to have it's more of putting God first in our lives now God gives the remedy verse seven thus sayeth the Lord of hosts consider your ways go up to the mountain and bring wood and build the house and I will take pleasure in it and I will be glor glorified sayith the Lord you look for much and loow it came to little when you brought it home I did blow up on it why saith the Lord of hosts because my house that is waste and you run every man to his own house therefore the heaven over you has stayed from Dew and the Earth is stayed from her fruit and I called for a drought upon the land and upon the mountains and upon the corn and upon the new wine and upon o upon the oil and upon all that the ground bringeth forth upon man upon cattle and upon all the labor all the labor of the hand give me give me verse 12 if there's verse 12 there to that the next verse would you would you give me would you give me that uh go ahead there's something uh give me give me verse number 13 for for a moment he he goes in here and he begins to tell them this is the message that I want to give you I have caused all of this in your life can I tell you if I could just get ahead but I'm fighting against a bad economy if you don't have God first you're not fighting against the bad economy you're fighting against God I don't care how much you bring home God said I'm going to blow on it when you get it home and then I'm going to call for a drought all of these things why because you have not put me first you've not built me a house that a man can teach my word and a man can call you up around the Altar and say Church let's pray let's lift up God a man can say let the song service go on keep on singing why do we do that why do we have song service why do we play music why do we have the altar whereing it's all for one reason and one reason alone I want you to develop a relationship with God you can touch a holy Pew and not be holy you can come to a holy place and not be holy you've got to have a relationship with God it comes through the prayer room it comes through singing it comes through worship it comes through while the preacher is teaching the word I'm going to hang up on every word because I need a relationship with a holy with a holy with a holy God can I tell you tonight that in order to be the bride of Christ we have to have the correct spirit and attitude to be the bride we have to have the attitude of the groom Oh How He Loves Us oh how he's given how he's given himself for us oh how he adores us for God so loved the world that he gave you know I I I'm not going to call no names cuz no names are coming to my mind but situations have it's a sad thing to watch a boy and a girl dating and one is not as much in love as the other one is it's either the girl just having to run after him and that's another thing I preach on right there the girl either have to run after him and he just sits there like Mount Rushmore you know and she just patting around on him and I love him and he's kind of you know right you know and I look at that and I say that's that's pitiful right there that if that couple gets married it ain't going to be no good are you really saying I I really mean that and I've seen it the other way around I've seen a boy in love with a girl and that girl she just she listen she she just looking around and the boy looking around and all that you know the marriages are going to make it when the man is is in love with the woman and the woman is in love with the man you know who's going to go into Rapture the people that are as much in love with him as he is with us not ashamed of him not ashamed of him not ashamed to talk about him oh you know I'm preaching to you tonight come on Who Wants to be the bride of Christ the bride of Christ now I'm going to tell you something I don't call you brother Jim or sister Sally here at church and then when I see you in the world I call you Jim or Sally because the world don't understand I don't care and you shouldn't care either and if somebody from the world wants to say something you ought to say that's just how we live in Christ we are Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus our lord it's brother Carl brother it was brother Carl when we're here at church and it was brother Carl when you're out there digging them hes for them light Po for the for the for the softball field it's still brother Carl it's brother Carl when the concrete truck driver got there it's still brother Carl if you want to be a part of the bride of Christ you have got to learn to be as much in love with him as he is with you what is that he came down from Glory he came down from heaven he had a plan to win you do you have a plan to win him he had a plan to get into a relationship I'm G to tell you why I'm here at church tonight I love him I love him I love him I love him tonight I I I love him tonight I tell you why I was in the prayer room before church I love him I I love him I don't tell you why I'm doing what I'm doing right now I just love him I I I I I love him I love him tonight oh my Lord come on worship if you're the bride tonight I want you to erupt With Praise In Your Heart Right now I love him I love him I said I love him I said I love him he was never ashamed of me he said for this reason I came into the world he was never ashamed of me he went up to an ugly cross and hung naked on an ugly cross I just imagine if he could hang naked from an ugly cross I could put some clothes on to identify me as a walking breathing man or a walking breathing woman that professes godliness I want everything from my haircut to my clothes to tell you I love him come on now we're getting somewhere right now now we're getting somewhere right now I won't ever oh I want the way why you doing that because I love him that's why I'm doing that I I love him I love him I love him marriages end in divorce when one of them is not as in love with the other it never works out and we won't make it in the rapture we won't make it in the Rapture brother Ron my Bible study brother Ron would you stand right now would you stand back there I just love this fell to death right here we're doing Bible study God let him he drove by the church several months ago said the Lord let him to come in here and we've been doing Bible study and we've been talking about the Holy Ghost tonight in in the room and I'm going to tell you what he told me he said it stamped on my mind he said you said something a few weeks ago that is stamped on my soul I'll never forget it and he can't hardly say it without tears in his eyes if we miss the rapture we we've missed everything if we missed the Rapture we've missed everything but here's where I got to tell thank you brother Ron but here's where I got to teach you the Rapture is not for the world it's for the bride of Christ the second coming to the Earth is when he steps and ends the attack that's going to be on Jerusalem that's the second coming but the Rapture is only for his bride you better be his bride are you willing to be as much in love with him as he is with you oh he said in his word he said the thoughts that I have for you cannot be numbered he said I think about you and the thoughts that I have cannot be numbered God help us that we think about Jesus more than Sunday and more than Wednesday and God may we think about him when we get up every day of the week I love him I love you I love you Jesus I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you God hallelujah I love you Lord I love you I love you I love you the bride has to be equally in love with him and here's where it comes in Romans 12 Romans 12 and 1 I beseech you here again he's talking to the church I beseech you Brethren therefore brethren in light or by the mercies of God that you present your body a Living Sacrifice holy acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service come on don't fall prey to this junk in the world God sees my heart sure God sees your heart but it's going to take God on your body for the world to see him I said it's going to take God on your body for the world to see him and by the way isn't that what the Holy Ghost is all about you shall be Witnesses unto me I hear this quoted a lot and if they only knew it proves the point they use the P of scripture that says in the book of Samuel for God seeth not as man seeth for man for God lookth upon the heart man lookth upon the outside to me that just that that proves Holiness that proves that there ought to be a difference on the outside why I'm not trying to win God the world can't see your heart all they see is the outside you'd offer your body what kind of sacrifice a living sacrifice then here's the inspection here's the inspection are you ready for the inspection holy holy acceptable unto God now I'm going to tell you God will talk to you just like your pastor God will talk through your pastor but I'm here to tell you if you talk to God and if you'd ask God about your behavior and you'd ask God before you're going to do things and say things and go places if you'd ask God about it and be sincere you'd get you you'd get an answer you'd get an answer and and can I tell you something too sometimes the very fact that we got to ask ought to be a good answer to us I if there's that little bit of a nudge if there's that little bit of a nudge acceptable unto God which is what your reasonable in other words the fact that you would Surrender Your Body the fact that you would you you would you would watch what you say the fact that you would identify as a woman in your dress and a modest woman in your dress and the fact that you would identify as a man in your dress and a modest man in your dress is not that you have reached a Utopia boy I have graduated from God's Harvard it's just our reasonable service what little God ask of us and what great blessings God has given to us and then he says it plainly in verse two and be not conformed look at verse two I wish we would read it together all right and be not conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God Church you got to stay in love with him that's why we have that's why we we preach to you have a daily prayer life why you need to stay in love with God and a daily prayer life will help you stay connected to God because it is possible to have a revelation of Holiness but if you don't keep up the relationship with God you lose your revelation of why you would do what you would do and you go back to the world that's why we need a relationship people say I can't but can you believe so and so after so many years of living for God did you see that on Facebook and I don't did you see this and did you see that do how in the world could do that it's simple church it's simple it's it's very simple they lost their relationship a relationship causes you to see the things of God lose the relationship lose the Revelation lose that relationship lose that Revelation but if you can keep that re Revel relationship you will keep maintaining that Revelation with God I've got a relationship I want to be in the house of God every time the doors are open I've got a relationship I want to be in the prayer room I've got a relationship if brother Carpenter lets us come up around the altar tonight I got a re I got a I got a relationship that I want to be there but let me start losing my relationship Wednesday night becomes optional Sunday night becomes optional Sunday morning is mostly attended because that is the worldly custom to go to church on Sunday morning I don't want to get in that boat oh I want to stay in love with God I want to stay in love with with him I love him can you say that with me I love him he's been good to me say that with me good to me he's been good to me in Exodus chap 21 verse 1 is an interesting read says in Exodus 21 and 1 Exodus 21 go ahead brother praise him that's right that's right you know what that is right there that's a man that's got a a relationship with God and I'm I'm I'm he going to say he ain't bothering my preaching one bit he ain't bothering my preaching one bit you know why he's there he loves God he loves God and he's he's feeling the deepness tonight of the of the pool I want you to listen to Exodus 21 And1 now these are the judgments which Thou shalt set before them if thou buy a Hebrew servant six years He Shall Serve the seventh year he shall go out free for nothing if he came in by himself he shall go out by himself if he were married then his wife shall go out with him if his master gave him a wife and she had borne him Sons and Daughters the wife and her children sh shall be her Masters and shall not go out by himself and if the servant shall plainly say I love my master my wife and my children I will not go out free I've served six years I've served six years I'm free now but it's been so good to be in this house it's been so good to be in this house I I've learned about the master I you're you're a good Master you're not an old Taskmaster you're a good master I love my master I love my wife I love my children he could come and say I don't want to go and if he would say that the owner the master would take him to the judges he would take take him to the public and would say you see this man right here he could go free but he loves me he could do whatever he wants to but he loves me oh we had sister Lori Hawkins I choose to be a Christian I choose to live for him nobody's making me do it this is how I want to live oh I choose to be a Christian I love my master he said judges this man could go free but he chooses to change his identity from a slave to a love slave but they did something the Bible says they would take him to the door of the house and the man would take a sharp a which was just an iron pencil and he would take the man's ear and he would push it on the doorpost and he would nail the all and disfigure the ear of that man that man walked all over that house with that disfigured ear to some it was an ugly thing but to those that said hey he doesn't have to be here he's in love he's in love with the master can I tell you woman when you wear Godly clothes in this community and the world wants to snigger at you you are saying I'm doing this because I love my master oh I love my master how many of you love your master tonight I love him enough to stand I love him enough I love him enough I love him enough I love him enough you know not remain standing tonight you know not the trials that wait you you know not what's going to befall you in your latter days you dreamed of retirement you dreamed of having good health until the day that you died you dreamed of a life that would end like a fairy tale book but here you are retired and here you are full of sickness here you are with things happening in your life can I tell you dear Lord I feel anointed right now can I tell you what's going to keep you no matter what hell brings against you can I show you Angelica what's going to keep you no matter what Hell Comes against you can I show it to you tonight elderly people can I show you to it to you tonight Romans 8 and verse 35 Paul said who shall separate us from the love of Christ shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or Peril or sword as it is written for thy sake we're killed all the day long we are accounted as sheep to the slaughter nay in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us don't you know you're in Tribulation he loves me don't you know you're in distress he loves me don't you know you're in oh my God don't you know you're He Loves Me He Loves Me He Loves Me He Loves Me if I get a diagnosis of cancer he loves me he loves me he loves me you know a lot of people fall by the way they don't believe the love of God they don't believe the love of God let me keep on reading tonight for I am persuaded that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus get in love with him come on brother sister Holland come on brother sister Holland I know why you're here tonight I know why you can worship God tonight I know why in just a few weeks ago you had to kiss your baby boy goodbye to death and Unexpected death I'm going to tell you yeah they're Apostolic yeah they are Apostolic oh they've been baptized in Jesus name oh they have been that oh they have the Holy Ghost oh they do have that but can I tell you why they're here tonight because there's a lot of people that have quit serving God that were baptized and they quit serving God that had the Holy Ghost but but you know what's the difference between the Hollands and those that quit when tragedy comes the Hollands love God they love God I'm not blaming God I'm not angry with God I'm up not upset with God you deserve my praise tonight just like I had it when I was on the mountain you deserve my praise oh I wonder for somebody else that would like to walk down to this altar tonight and say I don't have to but I want to I don't have to but I want to I don't have to but I want to I could turn around and go home but I I don't want to go home I want to go to the altar I want to tell my God that I love him tonight I love him I love him I love him come on I love him come on I love him come on brother step you're worshiping god without a wife tonight come on brother sister Holland you're worshiping god without a son tonight come on brother Shay you're worshiping god without a wife tonight come on brother burky you're worshiping god without a wife tonight come on sister Bryant you're worshiping god without a husband tonight come on Bryant grandchildren and great grandchildren you're worshiping God come on I don't have to lift my voice I want to lift my voice my bridegroom is coming back with a shout and if he's coming back with a shout I want to go up with a shout hallelujah Hallelujah I can't live holy without the Holy Ghost I said I can't live holy without the Holy Ghost I can't live holy without the Holy Ghost I can't live holy without the Holy Ghost come on it be a good night to get a refilling right now that refilling will come when you get love on your tongue I love you Lord I love you Lord I love you I'm not ashamed I love him I love him I love him I love him a pastor a church of people that love him hallelujah hallelujah six years when you bought me and you put me under conviction and you bought me I didn't I didn't understand all your ways Master the first year I didn't understand all your ways master I'm on the sixth year now you ain't been nothing but good to me things you asked me to step out in faith and do that the world said that's foolishness God I see now where you tested my obedience and God when I obeyed you you flooded the you flooded me with your blessings oh God oh God God oh God hallelujah come on Bride come on bride talk to him right now come on bride talk to him right now I know you're tired but that's what we call a sacrifice of praise holy God Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Jesus oh God let me read just three scriptures for you brother Lawless let me read just three scriptures to those of you that I gave my scriptures to it's the last one it's Hosea 6 and one can I say this tonight in the Holy Ghost if you would follow him long enough you would love him if you would follow him long enough you would love him I'm sure of that if you would follow him long enough you would love him three scriptures in in your home Hosea 6:1 God says come 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 after two days he will revive revive us after two days but you got to serve him a day to get the Reviving of two days oh I say if you'll love it if you'll stay long enough you'll love him if you'll keep your mind on God long enough in church it'll come to pass that you'll just you'll leave cell phones in the car you'll set listen You'll tell your friends listen if y'all don't stop talking during church I'm gonna move the other side of the building but I can't be distracted by you talking right now because I didn't cut listen I can talk to you at AUB tonight but right now it's me and Jesus and I don't want I don't want anything to interrupt us you got to follow him a day watch this after two days he will revive us and in the third day he will raise us up and we shall live in his sight then shall we know if we follow on to know the Lord his going forth is prepared as the morning and he shall come unto us as the rain and the latter rain and the former rain on the earth you know what he's saying he's saying serving God's like getting up every morning it's just a new day to live for God serving God's like you know the rain is going to come we might go through a drought but the rain is going to come the rain is going to come he's a faithful God he's an awesome God tonight one last time and I want you to look at your past I want you to look at your pastor tonight because I want to tell you something thank you for loving God thank you for loving God thank you for loving God because you know what this is the best place in all the world you hear me this is the best place in all the world I preach in a couple of churches other than this one but can I tell you I preach as hard at those churches but I don't get anywhere near the response as this church you know why you love him you love him and I'm glad I'm thankful unto Jesus Christ Christ the head of this church I'm glad that I Pastor such a people that love God I want you to lift your hands and give him praise and when you're done you can go home