Sunday Evening Worship Service
by Mark McCool
First Apostolic Church of Knoxville (Knoxville, TN)
Kind: sermon
Scripture: Psalm 37:1-5, Genesis 6:11-13, Exodus 13:17-18, Proverbs 13:15, Proverbs 14:12, 1 John 4:7-8, 1 John 2:8-11, Matthew 24:3-5, Matthew 24:10-13, 2 Timothy 3:1-4, 1 John 2:15-16, Galatians 2:17-21, Titus 3:1-5, Acts 17:28, Colossians 2:20

Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/mark-mccool--sunday-evening-worship-service-33
Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page.
Free to copy and share with attribution.

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I want us to get into the word of the Lord tonight. I would call your attention to the book of Psalms, the 37th chapter. We're going to begin reading at verse number one. Psalms. Thank you, Pastor Anthony, for a marvelous word this morning. Thank you for ministering to our hearts and giving us directions. Psalms 37. We're going to begin reading at verse number one. A Psalm of David. Fret not thyself because of evildoers. I could stop right there and there's a good message in that. Neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass and wither as the green herb. Trust in the Lord and do good. So shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the Lord, and he shall give thee the desires of thy heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord. Everyone say, "Thy way." >> Commit thy way unto the Lord. Trust also in him and he shall bring it to pass. For a few moments tonight, I hope to enlighten us all from the word, not of my abilities, but I would speak to you on this subject. Committed to the way. Committed to the way. Let's pray. Savior, I love you. Lord, I'm so grateful for your precious presence that we have been and are experiencing this in this service. God, I thank you for the praise that's gone up, the freedom to worship and to praise that we are experiencing now. God, I pray that we would be sure of our commitment unto you, and that we would know our call before you. Guide my lips and order my steps as I speak your word this night. Let it not be of me, but of what your word would touch our hearts with. This we're grateful for and thankful for. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. I heard a sports pundit give an opinion concerning the reason athletes of equal ability and opportunity have varying levels of success in their careers as athletes. This experienced expert gave a reason that he felt covered a grand scope of success which encompasses actually most any field of labor. And that's this. He stated when all factors are equal, one's level of success will usually be determined by whether you like it, you love it, or you live it. What a revelation. I believe this also applies to serving God. So with this concept in mind, I want us to examine this supposition with walking and serving God in mind. Our text spoke and said, "Commit thy way." Notice that's not a plural statement. commit thy way unto the Lord. Trust also in him and he shall bring it to pass. The first thing we must do is determine what is the way. I would give you a working definition of the term way. One is a method, a style or a manner of doing something. The second would be a road, a track, a path or a street for traveling on the way. If we read in the book of Genesis, we find that God himself basically rebooted humanity because something had happened with the way they were living and the way they were walking. Genesis 6:11 said this, "The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence, and God looked upon the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth." And God said unto Noah, "The end of all flesh has come before me, for the earth is filled with violence through them. And behold, I will stro destroy them with the earth. The earth had become corrupt. It was a willingness to be dishonest. You see, there's a right way and there's a corrupt way. If we're going to walk in the way of the Lord, we need to know what the true way of the Lord is. And I would give you this insight. God does not always direct your paths on the shortest route. Yes, I know it's been said that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. But sometimes God does not take you on the shortest path to follow his way. >> I would give you this example. In Exodus the 13th chapter, beginning with verse number 17, we read, "When the children of Israel have just been delivered from Egypt's bondage," we read, it says, "And it came to pass when Pharaoh had let the people go that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near." In other words, that was the shortest distance to the promised land. For God said, "Les per adventure, the people repent when they see war, and they returned to Egypt." But God led the people about through the way of the wilderness of the Red Sea, and the children of Israel went up and harnessed out of the land of Egypt. Time and time again, we see that God provides the way, that track, that path, that road of success and escape or deliverance. But in our humanity, it seems that we're always looking for the shortest distance. God knew that when his people were delivered from Egypt, that they would be weary. and if they faced an obstacle immediately, as vicious as the Philistines were, that many would be discouraged and would return to Egypt's bondage. So, he took them a different path. Don't be disappointed when God takes you down a path that seems to be a little longer track than you expected. Just let God lead you in the way he chooses to. Isaiah said it this way, "The way of the just is uprightness. Thou most uprightest way weigh the path of the just. Yay, in the way of the jud of thy judgment, O Lord, have we waited for thee. The desire of our soul is to thy name and to the remembrance of thee." You see, in humanity, there can be apparent shortcuts to success. A little lack of honesty and integrity may appear to be the way to get ahead of everybody else. Not keeping your word and being a little bit dog eat dog, if you will, in humanity may seem like the way to be the most successful. But I'm here to tell you, the way of the just is uprightness. The ways of his judgment are those who wait on the Lord's direction. Proverbs said it simply this way. Good understanding giveth favor, but the way of a transgressor is hard. Why do so many folks end up living such a difficult life? They're doing things the hard way rather than God's way. They find themselves addicted to all of the vices and devices of this world and they find a hard life. They find the way of the transgressor. Proverbs 14:12 said, "There's a way which seemth right unto man." That's humanity's way, but the end thereof are the ways of death. You see, there's a way that GPS can't direct you in. I remember reading a few instances in the early days of global positioning systems that they were loaded into the vehicles and they were not updated like our phones are updated now. when if you bought a a 20 automobile, it would have a 2020 GPS unit and by 21 any new additions and changes in the roads were not updated. And in the early days of using GPS, there would be folks that would find themselves in dire situations because the road had changed. Their GPS had not been updated and it would direct them right off of a bridge or into a river. I remember well one of the vehicles that I had. I was uh going to North Carolina to preach a series of services over on the eastern side of North Carolina. And we got somewhere around Greensboro and I'd been following the GPS and all of a sudden we got on this new edition of Interstate 40 and man it was beautiful driving wide open things looking good and I looked at my GPS and I was out in the middle of a field according to my GPS. You see, there's a way which seemth right to man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. But I have good news for you tonight. Just as Pastor Anthony preached about Thomas this morning, when Thomas said unto the Lord, "We know not whether thou goest, how can we know the way?" Jesus said unto him, I am the way, the truth, the life. No man cometh unto the father but by me. I have good news for everybody in the house. Jesus Christ is still the way. Following Jesus is still the path you need to go on. Now understand, if you came for some great revelatory message, you've already missed the point. It's just that simple. We must follow Jesus. >> He's the way. >> But I take you back to my introductory statement. The only way you can follow Jesus is to follow him completely. The sports pundit said, "When all else is equal, the difference in success would be to like, to love it, or to live it. So, what about those folks that like things? I'm really going to reveal my age now. All you young folks before there was anything called texting or Snapchat or private messages or DMs. There was this archaic method of communication that we dared indulge ourselves in while we were in elementary school. It was called passing notes. Some of y'all probably remember doing that. And the schoolyard notes usually dealt with a multiply folded piece of notebook paper that would be delivered by your best friend to someone that you were too shy and too bashful to speak to. And if you were really brave, it was crudely decorated with drawn hearts. XOXO. Oh, and if you were really forward, you put S W A K. See, this generation just thought they were the first ones with emojis and abbreviations. Lol. FYI, S w a sealed with a kiss. And after they unfolded that message, there would be a statement that said, "Do you like me? Check yes or no." And if you were real innovated, the yes was real big with a big box, and the no was teeny tiny with a itty bitty box. Then we waited and hoped and anticipated that your best friend would deliver an answer to you. It's okay to like things. The term to like means to enjoy something, to get pleasure from it, to uh find it in a favorable way, to feel an affection for, to enjoy being with someone or something, enjoyment, desire, preferences. You see, I see those who will come into the house of God, who will visit an apostolic church for the first time, and they will experience a real move of God. His convicting, compelling presence will fall, and they like what they feel. I've had folks, man, I like what I feel when I come into that church. The praise and the worship, the fellowship and friendliness of the saints, the wonderful experience of attending an exciting service is something they really like. They might even come to the point of coming to an altar of repentance because they like what they feel. Man, I like the way this church does things. Several years ago, we had the mayor of Knoxville visit our Sunday morning service. Some of you would remember that. He came in and Bishop Mcool invited him to the platform just before we went on air to do our broadcast back then. He sat in one of the chairs on the platform and we did what we always do. We just started having church and the choir started singing and folks started clapping their hands and worshiping the Lord. And I noticed the mayor, he started looking around a little bit and before long he was sitting there and I saw his leg start patting and before long other folks started clapping. He started clapping and when it came the opportunity because of his position, we had him speak to this congregation for a few moments. His opening remark was, "This is the first church I've ever been in that I couldn't keep my right foot still. He liked what he felt." >> And I'm here to tell you, like is the beginning, but you don't stop with liking the Lord. Liking is just the first thing that draws folks. I I don't ever want to find it that somebody says, "Well, I just like being in church." And that's the only experience they have. Like alone won't keep you in a storm. Like alone won't keep you from getting offended when your flesh gets insulted. You can't live on like for long. For you see, there's another step that must be taken. You got to love God. Love is on the pathway to the way. And I am so thankful for the love of God. Oh, do I love God? First John 4 stated it this way. Verse 7, "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God, and everyone that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God. For God is love. Man, I love God, but there's a brother in the church I can't stand. That's not the way. For first John 2, it told us this again. A new commandment right unto you, which thing is true in the past and in you because the darkness is passed and true light now shineth. He that saith he is in the light and hateth his brother is in darkness even until now. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there's none occasion for stumbling. But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whether he goeth, because the darkness have blinded his eyes. Let me tell you, you can't have the love of Jesus if you don't love your brothers and your sisters. You're walking in darkness. In fact, Matthew gave us a little more insight. In Matthew 24:3, we read, "And as he sat upon the mount of all his disciples came to him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be?" They were asking for the signs of his coming. What shall be the sign of thy coming and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, "Take heed that no man deceive you, for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ, and shall deceive many." Let me tell you, those who just preach Christ, they can preach Christ for the wrong reasons. I won't read it all. You can read verse 6, verse 7, verse 8. But then verse 10 goes on and says, "And then shall many be offended." Have we ever lived in a time that more folks find a reason to be offended? Everybody's getting their feelings hurt about something. Everyone's getting insulted about something. And then shall many be offended and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. You see, like in love, even alone is not enough in your service to God. Those are starts. But verse 13 says, "But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." Let me tell you, in the natural, I didn't know what love love was until I met Jaime Sers. I'm just telling you, I thought I knew what love was till I saw her and my heart went and life was never the same. It has been said that love is blind. And I can agree with that cuz how could somebody that pretty love me? I found out what love was about. But like and love were great. But see, there's a third step in the natural and the spiritual. For there was a commitment, a lifelong commitment that I wanted to make. You see, misplaced affections can cause you to love the wrong thing. 2 Timothy 3 says this, "Know also that in the last days perilous time shall come, for men shall be lovers of their own selves. Have we ever lived in a more narcissistic, selfc centered generation than the one we live in now? It's about me. It's about my. It's about all about me. He goes on to itemize covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affections, truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasure, more than lovers of God. likes good, loves good, but first John 2 said, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, the pride of life is not of the father, but is of the world." Yes, I like what I feel. Yes, I love Jesus. I mean, you can walk up and down the streets and you can find a whole lot of folks that'll say, "I love Jesus." But they're not willing to commit their life to him. I like to go to church and I like what I feel. I just love Jesus. But have you committed your life to him? I ask you that question tonight. If you're really going to walk the way, are you committed to him tonight? Am I ready to live it? Not just like it and love it. You see, to live it requires total commitment. I heard the earthy statement made that when it comes to breakfast. Chickens make a contribution, but pigs are totally committed. You'll have to figure out the difference in eggs and bacon. Are you totally committed? Have you died out to sin? Have you become totally committed unto the Lord? Galatians 2 said, "But if while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is there Christ? Is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid." You can't live in sin and be totally committed. For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. For though the law the for I through the law rather am dead to the law that I might live unto God. Are you living unto God? That's where total commitment comes. When I'm living unto God, I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me. and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith of the son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace of God. For if righteousness comes by the law then Christ is dead in vain. You see those who like him and love him but don't live him frustrate his grace. Titus said, "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 and all men." This is what will exemplify those who are living the life, living the way. Because here's what we were. If we ourselves also were sometimes foolish before you got to know the Lord. Just how dumb were you? Just think about it a minute before you started serving the Lord. Just think about how foolish the things were that you did in the name of enjoyment. I don't want to itemize too much, but man, let's face it. Every Friday night there's folks serving the Lord and every night in between Friday night, Saturday night, they look to party. They want to ingest things. They want to smoke things. They want to do things. Makes them feel so good that they regurgitate. Man, isn't that bright? Isn't that intellectual? I mean, I I went to college. I I I heard the folks talking about the stuff that they were doing in the name of serving the world, living in the world. I'm going to drink so much that I get so sick that I put my face in a throne where my face wasn't intended to be. Oh, now I know I know that's a bit crude for some, but remember just how foolish we were before we served the Lord. Remember how foolish we were that the resources that we had earned that we would blow it on riotous living. For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy and hateful and hating one another. Don't be living in malice. That's not the way. Malice is that desire to cause pain or injury to another. Hurt people hurt people. Envious people are resentful and find themselves so aware of others so-called advantages. Hateful people are hostile and full of intense aversions to anything good. That's hate. These traits frustrate the grace of God and are not attributed to someone living for God walking in the way. But you see that passage didn't end in Titus with verse three. For ver verse four said this, but after that the kindness and love of God our savior toward mankind 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, which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Lord. You need the Holy Ghost if you're going to walk in the way. You need to be filled with the baptism of the Holy Ghost in your life. If you're going to walk in the way, you repent of your sins. You take on his name and water baptism. That's more than like. That's more than love. That's I'm going to live it. That's the way I'm going. >> You see, the Holy Ghost will give you the desire and the direction to live for Jesus. And then you know what you can proclaim with all cander and honesty? No brag, just fact. Hey man, I'm living the good life. There's no life better than living for the Lord. Blessings untold. Fact. Praise team musicians, get ready. I'll draw toward the end. When Paul would have an opportunity to testify at Mars Hill, he told them, he said, "For in him we live, we move, we have our being." I want my life to be all about serving Christ. every facet of my life. Not just when I show up to church at the scheduled service times, but everything in my life. Every morning when I get up, when the sun is shining or if it's beating down snow, if I'm having a good day or things are going rough, I want to be living for him without any reservations. For in him we live, we move, we have our being. as certain also of your own poets have said, "For we are also his offspring." I'm a child of God. I'm living the good life. Man, what an inheritance I have. >> Man, we sing about it all the time. We We sing songs about the way, the old songs and we used to sing, "Oh, I have found the way." Yes, I have found the way. Mom and dad used to sing, "He maketh a way when there seems no way." See, brother thing, you know, y'all know where he got his singing this morning. Now, choir used to sing, "Lord, you made a way when there was no way." In fact, I I'm privy to their the choir's song lists. We had so many songs about way makers and making a way that we had to start in uh had to start identifying him on the list with some of the lyrics because we sing about him being a way maker. For the greatest thing is he makes a way when there seems there is no way. If you've been dealing with an ai an impossible situation, I came to tell you Jesus is the way maker. I came to tell you if it looks like all hope is gone, I want you to follow Jesus. He can lead you through it. He's the way maker tonight. Oh, hallelujah. Colossians said, "Wherefore, if you be dead with Christ from the rudiments, the fundamentals of the world, why as though living in the world, ye are not subject to the ordinances. I don't have to follow the world's rules. I