Sunday Evening Worship Service | Pastor McCool “What are my True Colors?”
by Mark McCool
First Apostolic Church of Knoxville (Knoxville, TN)
Kind: sermon
Scripture: 1 Chronicles 21:1-4, 1 Chronicles 21:6, Mark 14:66-72, Ephesians 6:1-4, Hebrews 10:22-24, 2 Timothy 1:6, Acts 1:8, Matthew 28:18, Psalm 100:1, Mark 9:23, Matthew 10:1

Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/mark-mccool--sunday-evening-worship-service-122
Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page.
Free to copy and share with attribution.

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you can move to your seats and then you may be seated we greet you on this Sunday night in the precious name of Jesus We join with the voices that have preceded us welcoming you to this service and thank you for your consistent giving of yourselves I quite often am amazed when I see the teams that work together here at First Apostolic church every time we have a service to make the service presentable something pleasing to God we give sacrifices of Praise some think that the sacrifices of Praise can only be given by the praise team but the sacrifices of Praise is given by the Saints it's given by every team that works together to make a service successful and most of all by the saints of God so thank you for your sacrifices of Praise thank you for being here tonight I would tell you that we have just had a wonderful week I would give you this report sister Jamie and I had the privilege of preaching the Michigan district camp meeting of the assemblies the Lord Jesus Christ what a marvelous time in the Lord we had and we saw Souls filled with the Holy Ghost our souls baptized in Jesus name and just wonderful folks there are several in our assembly that are originally from the Michigan district and I I had several folks coming up to me is so and so still at your church I said absolutely they're doing a great work I saw family and friends and if I start calling names it would take a while because there's several but they greet you and we greet them in the precious name of Jesus on your behalf but it is always of greatest blessing for me and for sister Jamie as well to get back to first step Apostolic Church of Knoxville and we're so thankful to be home be with you tonight I want to take you to the word of the Lord on this Sunday night I would call your attention to the book of First Chronicles the 21st chapter I'll give you just a moment to turn in your Bible or in your device that you've been keeping scores with I hope you'll turn to the Bible now and stay with us uh First Chronicles the 24 first chapter we're going to begin reading at verse number one first Chronicles 21 verse number one and Satan stood up against Israel and provoked David to number Israel David said to Joe abben to the rulers of the people go number Israel from Beersheba even to Dan and bring the number of them to me that I may know it joab answered the Lord make his people hundred times so many more as they be but my Lord the king are they not all the Lord's servants why then death my Lord require this thing why will he be a cause of trespass to Israel nevertheless the king's word prevailed against joab wherefore joab Departed and went throughout all Israel and came to Jerusalem for a few moments tonight I would speak to you on this subject what are my true colors what are my true colors let's pray savior I love you God I'm grateful for your word and the mighty praise that's gone up already the blessings that have come down the Lord let your word speak to us this night Lord there is a sweet calming spirit in this house that ministers to your church now Lord let us receive your word let's act upon it in the name of Jesus we pray amen and amen what are your true colors in the past several weeks on the world stage there have been accusations in World conflict between countries of something taking place called a false flag operation a false flag operation is an act committed with the intent of disguising the actual source of responsibility and pinning blame on another party the term false flag originated in the 16th century as an impression meaning an inter-national misinterpretation of someone's Allegiance the term was famously used to describe a ruse in Naval Warfare whereby a vessel flew the flag of a neutral or enemy country in order to hide its true identity the tactic was originally used by Pirates and privateers to deceive other ships into allowing them to move closer during attacking them and let in later times it was deemed an acceptable practice during Naval Warfare according to International maritime law providing the attacking vessel displayed its true flag or true colors once an attack had begun the term today extends to include countries that organize attacks on themselves and make the attack appear to be by an enemy Nation or terrorists thus giving the nation that was supposedly attacked a pretext or a provocation for domestic repression or foreign military aggression it is one thing to react and respond to the actions of someone but it's something else to be provoked into action those who respond to provocation usually Act irrationally in haste and in Anger rather than considering a rational response or if any response is needed at all I would say provocation is practiced early among siblings siblings Master the idea of provocation long before they get to be adults even tonight and I've given this illustration before now I understand I'm an only child so I can give you the greatest Insight on provoking siblings right it's kind of like folks that can tell you how to raise kids or people's never had kids but I have seen siblings provoke each other right under mom and dad's nose and Mom and Dad don't see it happening it's not that Mom and Dad aren't necessarily aware siblings are just good at it sometimes it's nothing more than just a look a batting of an eye a nod or a tune under one's breath that goes something like this even some of you with that little tune have memories that came back of a brother or sister that knew how to get your attention and provoke you into doing something and making outlandish statements like he's looking at me she touched me she crossed into my space provocation to be provoked I looked up the term to provoke and it had two definitions one to incite to anger to be provoked you can be incited to anger and number two is to stir up on purpose to incite to anger or to stir up on purpose in other words it's manipulation it's to try The Artful unfair or Insidious way of manipulating someone else into doing something that term Insidious means it means causing harm in a way that is gradual or not easily noticed to be provoked there are many times Insidious actions it has a gradual and cumulative effect developing so gradually as to be well established before becoming a parent never mistake Satan's tool of provoking is in Insidious mode his attacks on morals Integrity Family Values marriage or gradual but they're cumulative and enticingly seductive but they have catastrophic results he will provoke us to anger under the false flag of concern and supposed rationale he will tell you something and make you think it's true and he will provoke you to respond in Anger he'll he'll want you to respond in kind he'll make you show your true colors Satan desires to provoke to manipulate so he can make you irrational unreasonable irresponsible illogical foolish senseless in your actions and reactions his attacks are indeed diabolical is it any Wonder we see so many horrific acts of violence and in you inhumanity in our world today from road rage to terrorism perversion to abortion murder Satan has provoked and manipulated the minds of mankind into appalling Dreadful actions but I've got news for you Satan's provocations are not new as was already Illustrated in scripture Our text said Satan stood up against Israel Satan will sometimes rise up against you and provoke David to number Israel you see God had said that wouldn't be so he didn't want them to count Israel that was against God's precepts for Israel at that time he didn't want a number established and David said to joab into the rules the people go number Israel from Beersheba to Dan and bring the number of them to me why just because I want to know it Satan provoked David into doing something that he knew God was not pleased with but Satan provoked it under the false flag of you're not keeping up with everybody else I don't know maybe David went to the king's conference and everybody said well how many of you got in your kingdom I've got this many In My Kingdom and while they begin spitting out numbers David was a bit embarrassed because he didn't even know how many there was in Israel he didn't understand how large his number was to be able to tell someone oh we have this many chariots and this many who who draw a sword David couldn't even brag because he didn't know so somewhere Satan was provoking him Satan was appealing to his flesh to show his real colors at that time Satan calls David to reveal what his frame of mind was and his character was never mistake David had an ego yes he would later be called the man after God's Own Heart but David at this point had an ego if you read on you're fine that David would be challenged to a point by his next in command joab joab gave him logical advice sadly which David ignored because David was provoked please hear me I may not be spitting and screaming but hear me Satan wants to provoke you into making illogical sinful decisions in a moment of passion Satan would like to convince you that you're not keeping up with everybody else Satan would like to convince you that if you don't do this and so that's in violation to God's law and God's wishes that you're not being safe and you're not doing all that you can do Satan was flying an ally flag at this time joab told him the Lord make his people a hundred times so many more as they it's obvious that David wanted to know because there was some comparisons going on somewhere David was being prodded and poked somewhere by someone to know the exact number you have told him he said why do you need to know he said aren't all the Servants of God for you see at this juncture in David's life he just wanted to know could I tell you there's some things that God will never reveal to us because we just don't need to know it let me say that again there's some things that God will never reveal to us simply because we don't need to know it there's some things we will never understand till we get on the other side of glory and if it's not revealed to you don't let Satan provoke you into getting your feelings hurt and trying a new direction to figure out what it is you really want to know he said that I may know it is why now I can surmise there's a reason God didn't want David to know the number a large impressive number would give Israel confidence in their own numbers and their own ability rather than trusting God they could start making decisions intellectually and In the Flesh rather than leaning on God if God said to fight God wanted him to fight but they didn't have to take a rank and row and see how many they had to fight if God said fight they had to fight if God said defend they needed to defend but if they knew the numbers they would count the costs and make a fleshly decision as to whether God's command was what they needed to do there's an old story that has been well worn but I would tell it again it is said of the Bumblebee that the laws of aerodynamics say that a bumble bee because of its body mass versus its wings should not be able to fly but since the Bumblebee does not know the laws of aerodynamics it goes ahead and flies anytime right there are some things that God tells us to do if we leaned on the Flesh and we tried to do it in the flesh we would never step out by faith and try to accomplish it but God said do it so you step out and do it because you trust in him David you don't need to know the numbers great or small because one of two things will happen either you'll be afraid to move in faith or you'll be overconfident in your own abilities and we also find as this took place the tribe of Levi the priests and The Tribe of Benjamin did not submit to the senses for the king's word the Bible says in verse 5. was abominable to joab they said nope you're not going to count us we're not going to give you a census let me tell you there are times that we need a few more Levi and Benjamin Spirit when Satan steps up and tries to provoke us into saying something doing something acting a certain way that we'll say Satan you're not going to provoke me into taking such action I refuse to be provoked I'm going to do thus saith the Lord but David was not the only one scripturally that was provoked you remember the story of Peter being provoked by his peers or at least by one little Maiden when Jesus had preached him the message and told him when thou art when thou are converted strengthened the brethren when Peter had denied all savior I will never deny you though the whole world deny you I won't deny you and Jesus told him before the crows three times in other words in the next mourn you will have denied me Thrice so we find Peter in the Book of Mark the 14th chapter Jesus has been arrested and the disciples have been scattered and scripture says as Peter was beneath in the palace there cometh one of the maids of the high priest and when she saw Peter warming himself she looked upon him and said and thou also was with Jesus of Nazareth but he denied saying I know not neither understand I what thou sayest he went out into the porch and the Crow and a maid saw him again and began to say to them that stood by this is one of them and he denied it again and a little after and they stood by and said again surely Thou Art one of them for thou art a Galilean and thy speech agreeth thereto but he began to curse and to swear saying I know not this man of whom I speak and the second time the grew and Peter called to mind the words of Jesus and said unto him before the quote twice Thou shalt deny me Thrice and when he thought thereon he wept a confrontation of accusation provoked Peter into cursing let me tell you good Holy Ghost feel bible-believing tongue talking altar shouting choir singing people if we don't stay full of the Holy Ghost you can find yourself in a time that your true colors come out in the flesh you can find yourself in Anger you can find your emotions rising up in you to a point that anger will cause you to say things act in a manner behave in a manner that the true colors of the flesh come out in you I'm here to tell everybody in the house we need to stay full of the power of the Holy Ghost we don't need to be changing our flag every once in a while that we we don't need to be changing our colors and saying I'm just going to lay my Holy Ghost down for a little while there's going to be controversy coming along how do you behave how do you act when you find yourself in a conflict sometimes conflict outside the walls of the church in our day-to-day life is when we can prove to a lost world before we ever tell them the apostles doctrine that there's something different about us let me say that again outside the walls of the church when we're not talking Doctrine the way we behave the way we act the way we respond in difficult situations maybe the greatest testimony before they ever hear the apostles Doctrine from us in fact it may determine whether you ever get the door open to preach the apostles Doctrine there's some folks that I'm not sure after the way they behave out in the world I want them telling them where they go to church hear me tonight God wants to remind us again that we have a responsibility not to fly under a false flag and not to go out in this world and be a different creature we should be representing Christ at all times preacher you preach that a whole lot you know why because we have to live it every day there's a challenge every day Satan's trying to provoke us every day he wants to destroy your influence in this world that don't mean you get run over but there's a way to deal with controversy without losing your cool and showing the true colors of the flesh Peter began to curse and swear to prove that he was not a follower of Christ I mean scripture even gives us proper parenting skills with that word provoke Ephesians 6 says children obey your parents in the Lord for this is right honor thy father and thy mother which is the first commandment with promise once you get to be a parent you certainly wish that Ephesians 6 stopped with verse 2. man we we would we could ever more be parents if our kids would obey children obey your appearance of the Lord for this is right but you know why children don't always do that because they're children and they're needing to be taught properly and I've come to this I'm going to give you some deep Revelation right now everybody ready yeah that you may want to write this down and underline it italicize it adults are just grown-up children and they are easy to revert back to being children it takes some maturity in us to be have parenting skills now here's what he said he gave one two and three as instructions to children because the promise of honoring your father and your mother is it may be well with thee and thou mayest lived long on the earth now that doesn't mean cause your mom and dad's going to kill you if you don't behave some have interpreted that way but verse number four also says this ye fathers to ask rat these are parenting skills now again I'm kind of going slow tonight I hope you don't mistake this for not still being the word of the Lord but sometimes we have to back up and some of those scriptures that we'd like to read through quickly we have to be reminded understand he gives Specific Instructions Not to do things provocative to your children that cause them to be angry now does that mean you don't correct your children absolutely not but he goes on to say but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord here's what nurture means the term nurture means care and attention given to someone or something that is growing or developing you're going to have to have some patience having children you're going to have to do some teaching you're going to have to be repetitive in reminding them nurture means training and upbringing nurture means something that nourishes training means the sum of the environmental factors influencing the behavior and traits expressed by an organism that child of yours is that organism that God has blessed you with and you have the responsibility to bring them up in the nurture give them care and attention they're going to need extra attention and understanding the ways of the Lord that includes bringing them the church not sending them to church that includes being patient and loving with them but the other statement says you bring them up in the nurture and admonition what does admonition mean a criticism or warning about Behavior now it goes on also on to say a gentle or friendly reproof you know grandparents like to teach this way a gentle and friendly reproof but sometimes grandparents have to get out of the way and let Mom and Dad give the criticisms and warning about their behavior Bishop tells of a individual that was once at our home they were from north or south of the Mason-Dixon Line east or west of the Mississippi okay but the mama would said I'm only going to give you five more chances that's not a proper warning but I've also seen just the opposite that a child needing to be taught all they got was a backhand without understanding what was going on that's not proper nurturing either a gentle or friendly reproof counsel or warning against fault or oversight nurture and admonition don't allow yourself parenting to ever be provoked and don't allow yourself to provoke your children to anger and wrath lovingly correct them this is scripture just like Acts 2 38 is and I want us to love our children for you're bringing up another generation of apostolic powerful worshipers and leaders well preacher where are you going with all this I've seen the pirate ship the way the pirate ship worked was it flew the flag of a neutral or friendly country until it got close enough to attack and then it would expose its true colors believe it or not there was a rule of war that they actually agreed on eventually and that pirate flag was to mean as they called it the Jolly Roger that pirate flag was to mean if you don't cooperate things are going to get worse but it was flying a flag but then it showed its true colors let me tell you this we need to always be flying the flag of Christ we're not going to change our colors whether inside the church or out whether greeting the world or greeting our brothers and sisters we need to be flying the flag of love we don't change our flag out in the world we don't change our flag with our family we don't change our flat flag with those who are are near to us and those who we feel comfortable in rebuking oh but let me tell you to provoke is not always a bad thing either for there was a second definition of provocation and that was this to stir up on purpose to stir up on purpose Hebrews said this in Hebrews 10 22 let us draw near with a True Heart in full Assurance of faith having our heart sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering for he is faithful that promised and let us consider one another have you considered your brothers and sisters before you speak Kurt and evil have you considered one another here's how we should consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works now there's some good provocation to stir up on purpose love and good works Timothy was told stir up the gift of God if you want to stir something up if you want to provoke something let's provoke good works and love let's provoke the good works and the gift of God what's the gift of God it's the gift of the Holy Ghost he said he told Timothy I put my hands on you I laid hands on you he said I want to stir up the gift of God that's in you but let me give you some information you can't stir up something that's not there you can take a glass of unsweet tea and put a spoon in it and stir it all day long it don't get sweet without the sweetener you can't stir up the Holy Ghost in you unless you've got the Holy Ghost in you I'm here to tell you we need to be full of the Holy Ghost and keep the Holy Ghost stirred up in our life I want to provoke you to good works every time we come into this house I want to be provoked to worship praise team you provoke me to worship when you come in this house and you start singing praises I want to be provoked to love and good things [Applause] you see to be able to provoke you got to have the power to do so found something interesting heard this mentioned before but I wanted to call it to our attention acts 1 and 8 said but ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you if you do a little bit of study about that word power in Greek that word power and I don't claim to be a Greek scholar but that word power is dunamis dunamis power and that word dunamis coming from the Greek is a word that Refuge that refers to strength power and ability and notice it is the root word of our English words Dynamite Dynamo and dynamic when you get the power of the Holy Ghost and you you suddenly have power you have Dynamic power you got explosive power to be a witness the Holy Ghost says you see when you get the Holy Ghost stirred up inside you when the Holy Ghost gets provoked inside of you your true colors are this to be dynamic to be a Dynamo to be dynamite in your power if you will yeah but in Matthew the word power is also used but it's a different Greek word in Matthew 28 16 it said in the 11 disciples went away into Galilee into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them and when they saw him they worshiped him but some doubted and Jesus came and spake unto them saying I have all power but this power is and again pardon my Greek it's xusia exousia power he said I have all exousia or power is given to me in heaven and in Earth now if you look up that definition that power is defined as physical and mental power the ability or strength with which one is endued which he either possesses or exercises and most importantly the power of authority you see you've got to have Dynamic power but you've got to have authority as well you see I want both power I want dunamis and I want exorcia I want to have what Jesus has for me the dynamic but I also want to have the authority of his word when brother Whitley starts singing that song he rose with all power and authority he conquered my enemy he put them under my feet that lets me know that I've Got The Power of the Holy Ghost to be stirred up inside me to provoke be provoked and everybody in this house that's Holy Ghost filled you need to have the Holy Ghost provoked inside you as well you need to have it moving and going and growing it will Empower you to witness it'll give you power and courage and authority to be a witness it'll give you that legal power if you will you see the Holy Ghost should become our motivator and it should be provoked in us we should have a reason to do something we should be provided with motives we should be inspired if you will the influence to move or guide by Divine or Supernatural natural inspiration the Holy Ghost should Inspire us musicians come quickly you see when you have authority and you do things by inspiration suddenly you're being intentional in what you do that's why the psalmist said in Psalms 100 Make a Joyful Noise unto the Lord all you lands that term make again meant there was a concerted planned effort I and rightly so have bragged on the teams of First Apostolic Church things don't just happen there is preparation that goes forth every day we have Representatives coming into this building at 6 30 in the morning to begin a day that's not haphazard there's there's a plan that's going forth to take care of children to minister to children in our community our child care center and our school will begin our in-service training tomorrow that means there's a plan going forth we're wanting to minister to our children to the children of our community it's a planned effort if you're going to make something happen that means you you work on it you don't operate under a false pretense and a false flag you don't let the enemy provoke you into doing things unseemingly he said Make a Joyful Noise unto the Lord all you lands we want to enable others Jesus said unto him in Mark 9 23 if thou can't believe all things are possible do you have faith to believe and not be provoked by the enemy stand with me Matthew 10 1 said and when he had called unto him his 12 disciples he gave them power now again the word here is that exousia power which is Authority Jesus gave authority against unclean spirits to cast them out to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease oh if I can provoke anyone in this house to worship God better than you ever had before that's what I want to provoke you to do if somebody could be provoked tonight to be a better witness that's what I want to do if I can Inspire someone to a new level of commitment that's what I hope to do if we can enable anyone to do anything in God's house that's what I want to provoke no false flag let my true colors be that of the stirred up holy ghost in my life so I asked you this night what flag are you flying what are your true colors are you flying a flag of bitterness tonight I'm saying it's time to tear that down you're flying a flag a Discord sowing a flag of envy a flag of jealousy a flag of hurt I submit that you need to take that flag down and destroy it instead would you raise a flag of worship would you phrase a flag of good works could could I provoke you to good works tonight could you raise a flag of Love could I could I provoke somebody into loving God just a little more could I provoke you in the long-suffering you don't know what I've been putting up with that's okay I want to provoke you into being a little more long-suffering today could I provoke you the gentleness could I provoke you to fly in the flag of meekness oh God what are my true colors tonight would you bow your heads for a moment hallelujah hallelujah I would ask everybody in the house to consider yourself for a moment if I've said anything if I've done anything if I've acted in a manner that would fly the colors of the flesh God I'm asking you to forgive me right now God if I've been offensive representing you God I pray that you would forgive me and Lord give me a spirit of reconciliation Lord I desire to do a good work in your kingdom Lord I desire to be fresh in you Lord when I'm under pressure Lord when the enemy would try to provoke me Lord let me not return evil for evil but God let me instead be provoked to show your love Lord let me again be provoked to show the good works that are stirred up in US when the Holy Ghost is moved in US I ask you right now if you're in this house and the enemy has been trying to provoke you or maybe he's cause you to lose you cool about something you're not back sliding but you're just needing to talk to the Lord a little while to say Lord I I need to get my spirit back where it needs to be I I've been dealing with some distress I I wonder if you'd step out in the aisle and come around the Altar for a minute and say God I I want to make sure that I stir up your gift in me I want to make sure that I'm representing you every day Lord not just within confines of this building but Lord to my neighbor to my friends to my co-workers to my peers to my unsafe family God let me promote me provoke to Good Works Lord let me show the colors of Christ Hallelujah would you come right now would you come right now he's the god of forgiveness he's the God who loves you would you fly his flag tonight Hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah [Music] [Music] [Music] thank you faithfulness [Music] and foreign [Music] yours to yours [Music] the righteousness of righteousness and it's what I alone [Music] every day for you Lord let me know [Music] what it should be foreign [Music] [Music] please [Music] [Music] foreign [Applause] [Music] Apostolic Kitty Academy Apostolic Christian School as we begin our in-service training tomorrow we need the guidance of the Holy Ghost that we can represent Christ in every way this is a Ministry of disassembly that God has given us we are not a separate entity we are one and the same and we need the prayers of this assembly like never before it the enemy is attacking the educational system he wants the minds of our children and I'm asking everybody in this house for just a few moments would you pray for our staff as we begin a new year money God I love you God you know what you've called us to do God I'm calling on you right now for a fresh Holy Ghost anointed Lord you know the women and the men who give them their time and who worked in the field of Christian education God I pray right now that a fresh fire and anointing would reach down and minister to us Lord I pray that you would touch our hearts you would touch our tongues Lord would you give us fire of the Holy Ghost Lord let us be promoted to love let us be promote to nurture Lord let us be promote to admonition as you would have us to be God we need a holy ghost touch a mighty touch Hallelujah would you let your voices just a little more God we need your touch right now let the power of the Holy Ghost go throughout this building every classroom Lord to every instructor every worker to every student God let the power of the Holy Ghost foreign [Music] amen and amen thank you First Apostolic church for flying the flag of faith unashamed in Christ would you greet everyone in Jesus name you are dismissed at this time