Sunday Morning Worship Service by Mark McCool First Apostolic Church of Knoxville (Knoxville, TN) Kind: sermon Scripture: Proverbs 23:22-26, 2 Corinthians 2:8-11, 2 Timothy 2:14-16, Matthew 24:5, Matthew 24:10-11, Galatians 1:6-8, 2 Peter 2:17-21, 2 Thessalonians 2:8-10, Jeremiah 10:2, Matthew 16:4, Mark 16:17, 2 John 1:7, Acts 4:12, 2 Peter 3:3-5, John 8:42-44, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, Hebrews 12:14, Zechariah 14:20-21 Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/mark-mccool--sunday-morning-worship-service-32 Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page. Free to copy and share with attribution. ------------------------------------------------------------ If you would remain standing just a few more moments. Uh I want to take us to the word of the Lord. Uh calling your attention this morning to the book of Proverbs the 23rd chapter. The book of Proverbs the 23rd chapter. We're going to read beginning with at verse number 22. Proverbs 23 beginning with verse 22. Hearken unto thy father that begget thee. In other words, listen to your dad. And despise not thy mother when she's old. Buy the truth and sell it not. also wisdom and instruction and understanding. The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice, and he that begetth a wise child shall have joy of him. Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that beare thee shall rejoice. My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways. for a few moments. And please bear with me for a little while to explain my title. But my title is simply this. Don't be duped by the duper. Don't be duped by the duper. Let's pray. Savior, I love you. God, I am so grateful for your marvelous presence that we feel so close to us in this house. Lord, I thank you for a move of God that we've already experienced. for your hand of love, your hand of assurance, your hand of protection, and most of all, we thank you for your hand of salvation that ministers to us. Now God, I pray that your word would once again be established in every heart. That your salvation message of repentance, baptism in the name of Jesus, and filling of the Holy Ghost and a holiness life would be instilled in us through your word this night day. God, I pray that you would let us receive your word as you would have it spoken. For all this, we're grateful and thankful. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen. And amen. Lord, bless you. You may be seated. Don't be duped by the duper. There's a lot of new vocabulary words that I've had to learn in the past few years in this uh so-called age of uh enlightenment and uh uh the way we're able to communicate on so many platforms and forms. By the way, we welcome all that are joining us online and all of our multimedia platforms. Thank you for being in service with us as well. But there's words that most of us, we kind of know what they mean, but if we were actually required to definitively explain them, we would stutter a bit. There's words like spam, scams, fishing with a ph. Uh, and we're growing accustomed to texts and calls from unknown numbers to our cell phones with different accents asking for sensitive information promising us everything. I read a statistic concerning the United States that every month in the United States, this is according to the FCC, the Federal Communications Commission, there are 4 billion rooc calls made to US consumers every month. Some of y'all saying, "I got half of those just on my cell phone." They're wanting to buy your house. They're wanting to sell you something. And if you feel like it's inordinate where you live, you are not imagining things. For I also discovered that the city of not we, let me just say it after last night. We've always wanted to be top 10 in something. Knoxville is number seven nationally in a top 10 list of high frequency of scam calls with a per capita rate of 15.18 spam call complaints per 1,000 people. We're number seven nationally. We're in the top 10 with something. From eBay to used cars, no statement rings truer than let the buyer beware. We must be cautious. There's an old saying that used to say, don't lift don't look a gift horse in the mouth. But I'll guarantee if you're buying a horse, you better know what how many teeth he's got and whether he's got four legs and can walk or not. It's important before you invest your resources and your skills that you responsibly identify what you are investing in before you make a purchase. But isn't it amazing how cautious so many of us are with the purchases of natural goods and services. Yet there are so many who are so careless, so carefree and cavalier with what they buy into when it comes to their salvation. They'll believe about any sales pitch when it comes to eternity. They'll do no due diligence when it comes to their soul. Additionally, many will sell their most valuable commodity, their salvation, to spiritual scammers and purveyors of counterfeits, generics, and yes, dupes. 2 Corinthians 2:8 says, "Wherefore I beseech you that you would confirm your Lord love toward him. For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether you be obedient in all things. To whom ye forgave anything, I forgave also. For if I forgave anything, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I in that person of Christ Jesus, lest Satan should get an advantage of us, for we are not ignorant of his devices. Folks who do not have a forgiving spirit are susceptible to the devices and the deceit of Satan. You better have a forgiving spirit because a forgiving spirit will give you a spirit of understanding to not be ignorant of the things that the enemy would try to steal your salvation and try to steal your walk of God with. Satan devices include spiritual counterfeits, spiritual generics, and yes, dupes. Second Timothy 2:14 says, "Of these things, put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord, that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers." study to show thyself approved to God. You need to know the word. You need to know the truth of the word. Our text said, "Buy the truth and sell it not. Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the words of truth." Study is not just for the preacher and the teacher. Study is for every saint of God. We need to know the word of God for ourselves. Don't depend on what someone else tells you. What does the book say? What revelation have you got on the apostolic message? >> He said, "But shine profane and vain babblings, for they will increase unto ungodliness." Spiritually, you need to hang up on some stuff. Spiritually, you need to say, "Nope, I'm not answering any questions." Hang it up. There's some stuff we don't even need even even need to entertain in our spiritual life, but we need to buy truth and buy wisdom and buy knowledge and buy understanding and then say it's not for sale. Let's examine some of these devices of Satan in detail. If you've ever visited New York City, there's a a part near lower Manhattan called Soho, which is short for south of Holston or Houston, some would pronounce it in New York City. There you can go down on Canal Street and there are vendor tables everywhere, at least when the police aren't around. Some of you have been there. I know. And at those vendor tables, you can buy Mont Blanc pins, Rolex watches, Louis Vuitton and Prada purses, Oakley sunglasses, pirated videos of the latest movie that might be out, and bogus perfumes. And all of them are about 20 bucks a piece. >> They'll call your name if they know it. If they don't necessar Louis Vuitton $20 spiritually seeking in this world of organized religion, one can nowadays find no cost non-committal denominations, intentionally false doctrines to subvert and deceive followers to follow after man's agenda instead of God's truth. Matthew 24:5 said, "For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ and shall deceive many, and then shall many, verse 10, be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another, and many false prophets shall arise, and shall deceive many." Some of us do not even have to leave the sanctity of our home. We can just scroll on our favorite platform and find any doctrine to suit our way. Any counterfeit of what the real truth of God's word says to find an easier way. The false god of money and financial gain. The false gods of lust, pleasure, and excess. Those will always equate to earthly success with truth rather than to God's will. Galatians said it this way. The apostle told the Galatian church, he said, "I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel. I'm ready to switch up for an easier counterfeit, which is not another, but there be some that trouble you and would pervert the gospel of Christ. >> But though we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you than that which we preached unto you, let him be accursed. Let me tell you that if it's a new revelation, it's not true. And if it's true, it's not new. It's been in the book all the time. There is no new revelation to salvation. Let me tell you, the apostolic message is clear, plain, and simple. Repent of your sins. Be baptized in the name of Jesus for the remission of your sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost is evidenced with speaking with tongues. And you will live a holy life, a holiness life. Second Peter 2 said it this way. If you don't get much out of this message, I'm going to read a lot of word today. So stay with me. Second Peter 2:17 said, "These are wells without water, looks like a church, clouds that are carried away with a tempest, to whom the midst of darkness is reserved forever. For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lust of the flesh, through much wantedness, that those that were clean escaped from them who live in error, while they promised them liberty. Oh, you need to be delivered from the bondage of so-called legalism. I have never understood why that term legalism is such a bad word, but it's been branded as so. If you're not a legalist, in other words, you don't believe and follow the letter of the law, I guess you're an illegalist. I want to do what the word says. I'm not looking for a shortcut. I'm not looking for a counterfeit. I'm not looking for some easy way. I want to do what thus sayaeth the Lord. I want to follow the word of the Lord. While they promised them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption. For of whom a man is overcome of the same as he brought in bondage. For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I paused to breathe like Pastor Anthony did. They are again entangled therewith. I've been delivered, but I'm going back to sin. Let me tell you, the Lord loves you too much to leave you in sin. Don't tell me that there's some salvation found in living in your old sinful ways or going back to them. That's not liberty. That's bondage. >> When you've been delivered from sin, when you've been delivered from addictions, when you've been delivered from perversion, you don't find a a place that calls itself church and go back to those things. For if after they've escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangle therein and overcome. The latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than after they have known it to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. With revelation comes responsibility. Let me say that again. With revelation comes responsibility. That responsibility is to obey the word and then to grow in truth, not look for loopholes and shortcuts around what the truth teaches. You see, we're living in a generation now that's looking for signs. I I I've got to see it to believe it. The trouble is, we're also living in the AI generation. The stuff you see that you can't believe. If your salvation is based on what you see, you're subject to being tricked and fooled and receiving counterfeits in your walk with God. 2 Thessalonians 2 said beginning with verse number eight, "And then shall the wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume in the the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming, even him whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivleness of unrighteousness in them that perish, because they receive not the love of the truth that they might be saved. You better forget the bells and whistles. You better forget the dog and pony shows. Do you still have the truth in your heart? Do you still believe the truth? He said, "Buy the truth and sell it not. Don't you sell out to what God has revealed to you." >> Oh, hear me today. Hear my heart. First Apostolic Church, we should love and desire truth, not in any way bully us or burish to a lost world. But I'm speaking to those who have revelation of truth today. Jeremiah 10:2 said, "Thus say the Lord, learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven, for the heathen are dismayed at them." And quit stressing. A lot of us would do good if we'd turn off Fox News and CNN and all the national pundits and tune into heaven a little while. If you're worried about the future, get back in the book. You can find where the ending's going to be. Sure, I want us to be socially and politically aware, but not socially and politically intimidated by what's going on in this world. Jesus is still large and in charge. He's still in charge of every situation. He's dealing with it. He's taking care of it. He's my father and I trust in him. >> Good word about signs of the times according to man's direction and ideology. Don't learn the way the heathens. They're looking for this and that to give them a sign. Matthew 16:4 said, "A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh of a sign, and there shall no sign be given unto it." If you base your following of Christ on signs versus truth, you are subject to be misled by false signs. In fact, Mark said it this way in Mark 16:7, "These signs shall follow them that believe." Believers don't follow signs. Signs will follow us. a healthy apostolic church. Folks are still coming in, getting baptized, getting a Holy Ghost that's growing, thriving. We're not looking for signs. Signs are going to follow us. That's a sign of God moving. What you felt in this house this morning already, a move of God should be a sign to you to understand he's following where his people are, where his people are worshiping. >> These signs shall follow them that believe. In my name shall they cast out devils. We've got authority over the enemy in our lives. They shall speak with new tongues. But oh, I I'm aware of counterfeits, but what about generics? That's different. Second John 1:7 said, "So many deceivers are entered into the world who confess not that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh." This is a deceiver and an antichrist. There's a lot of folks looking for the Antichrist, and there's Antichrist all around us. Let me say that again. They're looking for the Antichrist. And there's Antichrist activities. There's Antichrist voices. There's Antichrist churches. What do you mean? They've denied who Christ really is. I've had folks tell me, "I am so dismayed with so-called organized religion. Well, I believe in being organized. I I don't want to be a part of disorganized organization. But the term generic, let me define it for our purposes, means a consumer product having no brand name or registered trademark. If you apostolic wouldn't dwell on this Jesus name stuff so much. You would certainly be accepted more in the mainstream and you can drown in the mainstream. Now, I'll date myself a bit, but I do remember going in the grocery store as a newlywed. They had one whole aisle of generic stuff. All the labels were solid white with black writing on that. It would say soda, green beans, corn, and that's that's all there was is white. And that's the no branding, no label. And it was cheaper, a lot cheaper, lot less expensive and a lot less quality control. It didn't have a name on it. Generics may be okay to save a little money with groceries or medicine. But let me tell you, when it comes to salvation, you better have the name of Jesus on this thing. >> You better not find yourself denying the name of Jesus and who he is. Act said, "Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none, there is none, there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved." The only saving name is the name of Jesus Christ. You've got to take him on. You've got to take his name on for salvation. Buyers, beware of generic, non-committal doctrines that are inclusive of sin and fleshly desires. Those that say it just costs too much to serve Jesus. I'm looking for a feelgood, no cost message. But let me touch just one more for my purposes of this message. And to understand our title, there's a new term that's being bantered about nowadays. It's called dupes. I'm having to educate myself. So, I had to find an article and let me read you just a portion of of this article on dupes. Now, anybody goes out here says, "Brother Mark's preaching against dupes and preaching against generics, you've missed Mark by a mile." Hear the spiritual application today, please. But let me read a portion of this article. It says, "With the rise of cheap knockoff items on commercial sites, brand equity has become harder to obtain and more important than ever. It used to be you had to find a shady street vendor to find a knockoff version of a high-end luxury brand. I told you about that already. But dupes are openly sold on the internet these days. And it raises interesting questions about the value of branding when cheaper lookalikes are so readily available. Dupes can be found on Tik Tok hall videos. influencers showing off the great clothing halls they recently acquired on Reddit threads and on Instagram. The appeal of a dupe is straightforward. The items are cheaper. They look almost indistinguishable from the real thing. So for consumers with Cadillac taste but Toyota budgets, dupes are the perfect purchase decision. DHGate, Teimu, AliExpress may be okay for athletic jerseys, athletic shoes, Oakley sunglasses, etc. But when it comes to our walk with God, I desire no dupes. I desire nothing but the real absolute thing. The one thing worse than being fooled by counterfeit are satisfied with the generic are those who willingly go after what's not the real thing. >> Second Peter 3:3 said, "Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last day scoffers walking after their own lust and saying, where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of. Man, it's one thing to be fooled, but something else when you buy into it, that by the word of God, the heavens were of old and the earth standing out of the water and in the water. That term dupe defined as a product that is a duplicate or an imitation of another but does not use the original protected trademarks, logos or packaging. Jesus said in John 8:42, "If God were your father, you would love me, for I proceed forth and came from God, neither came I of myself, but he sent me. Why do you not understand my speech, even hear my word? Ye of your father the devil. The lust of your fathers ye will do. For he was a murderer from the beginning. Abode not in the truth. Now our text said by the truth. But the enemy never abode in truth because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of him his own. For he is a liar and the father of it. I said we would talk about don't be duped by the duper. I guess if that be the case, you could call Satan the super duper. >> He's the liar and he's the father of it. He wants to find some way to fool you, to change you, to offer you something different than the real truth and real wisdom and real understanding and real knowledge. I saved the list. I had this as I was preparing for this message. I had this list from probably oh maybe 15 years ago. I had put together a list of something that would now be called dupes before that term ever appeared on the scene. They used to sell something called pleather jackets and it was advertised said this is unreal leather. You got that right. It sure was unreal leather. And then they begin making dupes of different soft drinks. Those who like Dr. Pepper could instead opt for a cheaper price for Dr. Thunder or Dr. Perky or Dr. Bold or Dr. Best. Those who liked CocaCola or Pepsi could find dupes called Max Cola, fresh cola, sparkling cola. Those who like Mountain Dew could option for Mountain Holler, Mountain Shoutton, Mountain Mania, and Mountain Lion. Sprite and Seven Up was replaced by Lemon Lime Soda, Team Sting, Twist Up, and Sunpot. But let me tell you, there's just something different about the real thing. There's just something different about a real move of God. Do you hear me? There's just something different when the Holy Ghost starts moving in a church service. There's something you feel. There's something that you can't deny. There's something that takes place. something that moves down inside you. I've had folks tell me, "I I I I've been everywhere. I've been to services here and I've been to services there, but I got in an apostolic service and I felt something down inside me that I'd never experienced before." When the convicting hand of the Holy Ghost starts moving, when the power of Holy Ghost starts encouraging and starts calling you, there's just something different about it. It doesn't matter if the keyboard player changed keys. It's not an emotional experience. It's a Holy Ghost move that takes over and changes you. Oh, hallelujah. [Applause] 2 Thessalonians 2:1 says, "Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, that ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter, as from us, as the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means. For that day shall come not come except there come a falling away first that the man of sin be revealed unto the son of predition who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped so that he as God sitth in the temple of God showing himself that he is God. Remember ye not that when I was yet with you I told you these things. That means that there will be those who will stand in temples called the place of God and they will exalt themselves above the one true God. Yes, even among ourselves, there will be those who will try to evaluate the apostolic message and the apostolic church and say, "If you folks just back up just a little, sell out some of those things that we used to hold so close and so dear. You could become mainstream and you could appeal to so many more if you would just relax it. Become a spiritual dupe, if you will. Dumb down the Jesus name message. Lose this idea of holiness and its tenants and the foundations that you call truth. Sadly, I've heard some say, "Oh, they're still apostolic. They just do not practice a standard of holiness. Holiness is inseparable from the apostolic message." >> Sit down, everybody. Calm down. I felt a cold breeze. Maybe that was the Lord saying, "You need to dwell there." I said holiness is inseparable from the Jesus name apostolic message. You better be a holiness church before God if you're going to be and be complete in him and be obedient to his word. You're not fulfilling the apostolic message if you're not a holiness church as well. Hebrews said it this way, "Follow peace with all men." And holiness without which no man shall see the Lord. You can't see Jesus if you're not holy. You can't see Jesus if you're not a holiness church. Let me tell you, somebody ought to stand up and give the Lord a clap offering a praise right now. I'm thankful for the holiness message that goes along with the Jesus name salvation message. It's a lifestyle. Stay on your feet. Praise team. Get ready. Stand up. John Wesley. He died in 1791. But before he did, he made this statement. The holiness message hath no greater enemy than those who once embraced its tenants. For having forsaken righteousness, they cannot bear to forsake alone, but are not and will not rest contingent until they bring others to their estate. >> For as long as there is one left standing, they stand condemned. We should never walk around bandering ourselves as being holier than other folks. That's not holiness. That's self-righteousness. Be clear. But we should in lifestyle, in appearance, in conversation, in our business, we should practice holiness. >> What does that mean? I don't need a WWJD bracelet to remind me what would Jesus do, but I need to live it. I need to conduct my business with others in an honest and way of integrity. I need to represent Christ in every part of my life. David Bernard said it this way in some holiness means to imitate Christ. Are you acting like your daddy? To imitate Christ. To be Christlike. The holy person will not gratify the desire of the sinful nature but will put on the personality and the mind of Christ. Oh God, let me think the way you would have me think. Let me have the mind of Jesus when I deal with challenging situations. Let me have the mind of Christ when I prepare myself to go out into this world and interact that I might be a witness. We believe in holiness, but many folks think holiness is a dress code. Couldn't be farther from the truth. Holiness is a lifestyle that affects every part of your life, every part of your being. It will give you the desires to be modest. It will give you the desires to be honest. It will give you the the desires to have integrity when no one else is looking. It will give you the desires of married couples to be one in flesh and work together according to Christ. It will give children the desire to obey their parents. The promise of long life. Holiness will permeate every facet of your life if you're truly living a holy lifestyle. Sister Jamie and I when we were building this building had the desire and it was our brain our brainchild and contribution to put the stone that's over the door as you come into the sanctuary that says holiness unto the Lord. That was not an attempt to in any way be self-righteous, condescending to the loss. When folks walk through those doors, there should be no condemnation. When sinners come into this place, they should feel a welcome of love. We're not here preaching a message of condemnation, beating people over the head. That is not holiness. Instead, we should be an example to a lost world, a hungry world that that knows there's something different. I don't need any more counterfeits. I don't need anything generic. I don't need dupes. I need the real thing. Zechariah 14:20 said, "In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses holiness unto the Lord, and the pots in the Lord's house shall be like the bowls before the altar. Yay. Every pot in Jerusalem and in J and Judah shall be holiness unto the Lord of hosts. And all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them and seeth therein. And in that day there shall be no more Canaanites in the house of the Lord of hosts. In other words, everybody's welcome into a holiness church. Every lifestyle, every ethnicity, every color, every creed, you're welcome into an holiness church. We make no blocks. We keep nobody out. This should be a place of welcome. Oh, hallelujah. [Applause] Let me head toward a close. CocaCola at one time advertised itself. It said, "Coke, it's the real thing." To all you folks that will think I'm carnal, pray for me. But to quote Marvin Gay and Tammy Terrell, they once cruned out ain't nothing like the real thing. Baby, I'm not here today preaching about cola drinks, nor pop songs about love. But I'm telling you, once you've had the real power of the Holy Ghost move in your life, once you've been changed by the authority and power of the Holy Ghost, there will be nothing that satisfies you. There will be nothing that can take the place of a real move of the Holy Ghost in your life. I don't know, somebody in this house may need a new refreshing of the real thing today. Somebody needs to really sell out to Jesus instead of what's been trying to call you in your spiritual life and pull you away. Somebody may need to stop selling what you have and say, "God, I'm here to have a real commitment to you today. Somebody may need to feel the real thing." Again, I'm going to do this in just a moment. And I'm going to open this altar for everybody that wants a fresh touch of the real power and a move of the Holy Ghost on your life. I need it new every day. I need it fresh in my life every day. If you don't have the Holy Ghost, would you come with us? If you have never repented of your sins, would you step out and take that first step? We have folks that can baptize you here today in the name of Jesus. We have clothes for men, women, boys, and girls. We will baptize you and let you take on the name of Jesus if you've never done that. You're promised the gift of the Holy Ghost >> if you'll be obedient to his word. Okay, the altar's open. If you want to have the real thing reign in your life, would you step out? Would you come forward right now? Praise team, would you lead us in praise and worship as we call on the Lord? Hallelujah. >> Hallelujah. Oh Lord.