The Children of Light and the Children of the Day
by Mark McCool
July 29, 2018 · Cornerstone Apostolic Church
Kind: sermon
Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-5, Genesis 1:1-3, John 3:19-21, Matthew 5:14-16, 1 Thessalonians 5:6-8, 2 Corinthians 4:1-6, 1 Peter 2:9-10, 1 Thessalonians 5:11-12, 1 John 1:5-10

Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/mark-mccool--the-children-of-light-and-the-children-of-the-day
Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page.
Free to copy and share with attribution.

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there's a word we use Wow spell the same way forward and backward means the same thing I could have said racecar cuz that works do that spell forward and backwards there's something there's a name for that that I repel a drone or something I to forget what those things are called but all I can say is wow what a service everything has been awesome up to this point what wonderful praise and worship what an awesome presence of the Lord that we feel here what a beautiful beautiful presentation honoring this assembly and most of all your pastor and family so I feel great pressure now because everything else has been perfect and I know what I am and what I've got so and furthermore there's that much more pressure knowing that I'm the only thing standing between you and apple pie strawberry pie yeah I was listening coconut so um I have a I have a genuine difficult task here today but I feel like that God has ordained everything to take place that has happened up to this point I give honor to this great assembly to cornerstone Apostolic Church as you celebrate 20 years of ministering to the of Chattanooga what a blessing what a beautifully and appropriately named Church cornerstone apostolic I'm gonna preach a little bit about that hopefully as we go a little farther but I appreciate an Apostolic Church in this city and then I give the highest highest honor to your pastor pastor Sloane and sister Sloane and their wonderful wonderful family first Apostolic Church of Knoxville is indebted with a debt that we could never repay for letting us have just a portion of the Ministry of Stephen and Brittany I know it's not easy to share such a valuable commodity pastor and I I do also remember when Stephen came to the University of Tennessee and was checking the place out and brother sister Sloane brought Stephen to first Apostolic Church he's always been the epitome of class and character represented his family his church and most of all his God and we put him to work and we so appreciate the ministry and the things that Stephen and Brittany we were excited for them to get married Brittany literally has grown up at first Apostolic Church and she's a part of our family so we're all family here today I I feel like I'm among family and I'm among friends where's Lauren I love you sweetheart I'm proud of this lady if if she can't make you happy just by seeing her she's always smiling but looks like I've I've never met this lady that she didn't have smile on her face I'm honored to to know her and count her as a special friend part of the family you know I do want to put your mind at ease I do feel at home and I want want to to to make sure that you understand what that can mean sometimes you know when you're at home and you're among friends then you're comfortable you know Socrates was known for giving lengthy speeches to his friends I feel like I'm among friends today but I also remember that Socrates was poisoned by his friends too so I'll try to keep that fair balanced today all right I'll try to remember that I also want to say I'm so glad to have more of my family here brother Joseph and sister kami perez their recently married they're newlyweds as as well sister camis part of my blood family now buy the Joseph's part of my family but the Joseph's was down preaching yesterday down in this neck of the woods and they stayed over and and glad to have them here today and then I'm certainly tickled to death to have the love of my life with me this is my wife Jamie and I all I could say was a man when brother Sloane was telling all of those attributes of having somebody that loves the church family and men I can't get very rough at home I could say just in with them it's dealing with her I can't be to laundry with the church family baby I love you and I'm glad we've been married 37 years as of June of this year and I love you dearly but we're celebrating two very special anniversaries today I would like for you to stand with me in reverence to the reading of the word of the Lord and I certainly don't plan on being up here any longer than the Holy Ghost would have me to be but I also don't plan on sitting down until the Holy Ghost is finished - so could we make that agreement whatever the Holy Ghost says that's what we'll do calling your attention to the book of first Thessalonians the fifth chapter first Thessalonians the fifth chapter and while you're finding that on in your Bible whatever device you use I would again say I asked for you to lift us up in prayer brother Sloane told you about working for us that's where you see the character of somebody I mean you see one thing when somebody's in the in the pulpit but I have to tell you a quick story even though I've got you on your feet about your pastor the whole time he was in Knoxville he was high because he was on a lift all the time putting sound systems putting some of y'all really started sweating there just a minute didn't yet putting projectors in and brother Sloan I literally I'm getting contact from all over the country and I'm sending them to your website and to you telling about the projection system that you put in our assembly it's been such a blessing our sound system and and I what a blessing by the Sloan has been to us but what you didn't know in his business and I know folks don't like to talk about business but God's people should be known for their business business ethics brother Sloan we all the business that we've done we built our church by faith we've been blessed to do that and and so he gave us an estimate of what our our total project was going to cost and he did every bit of the work got everything settled and we came it came time to make our final payment and it was considerably less than his original estimate and my dad was in a fall he told you about the bishop my father my dad wrote the check and put it in his hand and we hugged his neck and he left and dad was lamenting he my dad didn't sleep all night long brother Sloan you tore him up he said he the man he said I'm afraid he has made a mistake and he's ashamed to tell me that he's made a mistake in his final patient we didn't pay him enough so early the next morning he he rang brother Sloane's phone but the slow and he said I we've got to fix this at you brother Sloane said no sir brother McCool he said the the company that provided the equipment because you purchased this that the other they gave a considerable discount and I passed that on to the church he didn't have to do that but he did and I know God will reward him for investing in first Apostolic Church of Knox well thank you both Sloane you have a prince of a man for your pastor and I know you know that so let's celebrate first Thessalonians the fifth chapter beginning with verse number one but at the times and the seasons brethren you have no need that I write unto you for yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night we already know that for when they shall say peace and safety then sudden destruction cometh upon them as travail upon a woman with child and they shall not escape but ye brethren are not in darkness that that day should overtake you as a thief notice verse five ye are all the children of light and the children of the day we are not of the night nor of darkness as we celebrate ten ten and twenty years respectively I want to preach to you for this with this thought for a few moments the children of light and the children of day let's pray Savior I love you lord I thank you for your wonderful presence that's been here Lord for the praise team that has so mightily blessed us with the praises that have gone up Lord for your presence that we've so mildly felt no God I pray that you would anoint these lips of clay Lord I'm nothing and I can do nothing without you but God your word is ever settled and ever anointed Lord let us speak as your mouthpiece today let us do all that we can to please you in the name of Jesus we do pray amen and amen Lord bless you you may be seated the children of light the children of the day we indeed are living in a dark dark world it has even become popular and invoked to be dark people want to talk about they live a dark life they want to dress dark you know to be in style to be in vogue they dress dark they enjoy dark things they embrace a quote dark lifestyle there is even something you hear them talking about folks enjoy dark humor I didn't even know what dark humor meant so I looked it up and the definition of dark humor is humor that is viewed as dark morbid cruel offensive to some and/or graphic in nature and is yet still found funny to spokes who are dark there's nothing sacred anymore the more morbid or cruel something - we gotta laugh about it a little bit it's dark humor they call it and as if the internet isn't bad enough now there's a place in cyberspace that they refer to as the dark web you're not just on the web it's the dark web the dark web is the part of the worldwide web that is only accessible by means of special software allowing users to go to websites and operators to operate and remain anonymous and untraceable Darth Vader beckoned Luke not the physician to join the dark side and even Batman himself has been known as the Dark Knight it seems like the world wants to embrace darkness Genesis 1:1 said in the beginning God created the heaven and the earth and the earth was without form and void and darkness was upon the face of the deep and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters and God said let there be light I think there's something we can learn already if there's light there's going to be God darkness isn't from God God stepped on the scene and his first operation was I want some light in this darkness and when he said let there be light the Bible says there was light and God saw the light that it was good and God divided the light from the darkness I submit to you that light comes from God so what's darkness all about where did darkness come from John Milton in his poem Paradise Lost refers to Satan himself as the Prince of Darkness so why would anyone want to dwell in the land of darkness with a prince like Satan as your prince why be dark Jesus gave the quick answer in John 3:19 and this is the condemnation that light is coming to the world and Men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil let me back up and give you the revised mccool edition of that verse and this is the condemnation that light is come into Chattanooga when cornerstone Apostolic Church happened up in Chattanooga 20 years ago light came into a dark Chattanooga when the slums showed up ten years ago the light was coming on in Chattanooga there may be darkness in this city but God has sent some light here to shine his love Oh hallelujah now he gives explanation for every one that doeth evil hateth the light and neither cometh to the light lest his deeds should be reproved now just being a an East Tennessee and I graduated from the University of Tennessee I'm a city boy I don't know a lot about agriculture you know the closest thing we had to agriculture at home is I had a cowbell on my drums but but with that said I have been in the country enough to know that every once while you can turn over a log or an old piece of wood and let the light shine in you've done it before and there's all kind of creepy crawlers they'll start heading for the darkness they don't like the light we're living in a dark dark world and when the light comes on there's a lot of things start scurrying when the man of God preaches against sin and Rome there's things that will start running and scurrying the world does not like cornerstone Apostolic Church being in Chattanooga why because it exposes the evil that men do but verse 21 says but he that doeth truth cometh to the life how do you do truth how do you do truth I submit to you the way you do truth is obey truth and if you'd obey truth you got to know what truth II when men of God come to this city and start preaching the Apostles doctrine they start preaching the keys to the kingdom they start preaching repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sin and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost if you want to do truth you need to do what they said but you see as a pastor and as a part of our great apostolic movement my greatest fear is the temptation that has beset so many to become what I will term is the dark church after 20 and 10 years respectively I give this challenge we must never become the dark church in Chattanooga God does not need a dark church there may be dark humor there may be dark web there may be darkness in the world but the Lord does not need any dark churches Matthew 5 said it this way Jesus again speaking ye are the light of the world a city that is set on a hill cannot be hid neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel but on a candlestick and it giveth light unto all that are in the house now look if you came for something deep today you can take your galoshes off it's simple as this we are the light of Chattanooga cornerstone Apostolic Church you are Chattanooga's hope God has teached you a family that leads you as pastors you are the hope for this city we don't need any dark churches there's enough dark churches around verse 16 said let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father which is in heaven you know it sadly is becoming controversial to be a church with a definable denomination and name on it dark churches want to be anonymous we do not need covert churches with double entendre names with the intention of being so vague so most will not know for sure what kind of church they're going tip to is this a church is it a restaurant or is it a rehab center give me some apostolic churches this is not Cornerstone this is corners don't Apostolic Church those who are scared to death to preach biblical separation from the world and holiness identification will become a dark church those who are ashamed to embrace their heritage and identify as apostolic Pentecostals in the name of relevance and power and compromise will become a dark church those who develop strategies to not be identified as apostolic Pentecostal oneness or people of the name dark church those who feel that the Apostles doctrine should be taught only to Saints in a quasi private setting because it might scare off the mainstream is in danger of becoming a dark church we are who we are we are apostolic Pentecostal from the top of our head to the soles of our receipe feet that's what I am that's what I came up being I'm not ashamed to be called apostolic stealthy operation or black ops may be fine for covert military operation we do not need stealthy churches the world needs to see the light shining brightly at Cornerstone Apostolic Church we had a little something happened several years ago we've got and been blessed we've got a couple of silver eagle buses that when we can take our choir we travel with and several years ago some of you might remember there was a like they called a trucker strike to bring a teaching to the high cost of fuel and they said then and and so they wanted all truck drivers to stay off the highway and there were a few gypsy truck drivers that tried to drive during their trucker strike and there was some dangerous thing that took shots at them several things so we had a citizens band radio that's that's kind of like a cell phone that everybody can hear for all you young we had a citizens band radio CB radio on our silver eagle bus and you got to understand our silver eagle bus it doesn't say the happening down the side it doesn't say the church at the ridge in great big box car letters it says first Apostolic Church so we're riding down the road and the normally noisy citizens band radio is quite quiet because most of the truckers were off the road but we heard a driver say breaker what's your 20 and he gave the guys handle and the guy said I found me an insurance policy and I'm running with it and he said well what do you you got to figure out these guys you know they were had all these language in this stuff that and come to find out this trucker he was trying to make one last run and he was afraid somebody was gonna shoot at him so he found him a church bus and he was driving as close as he could to the church bus hoping nobody would take it shot at him so the guy said in their conversation again we're just listening he said you found you a church bus insurance policies yeah he said what kind of church is it guy said I don't know let me look there was a little bit of silence and he said man I believe it says first alcoholic church this is not Cornerstone alcoholic church this is not a rehab center this is cornerstone Apostolic Church you got a god called man of God who preaches the Apostles doctrine that's what we're celebrating today I'm not ashamed to be called apostolic with a godly pride we as an assembling need to pull our shoulders back stick our chest out and say yes we are apostolic Pentecostal Jesus name holiness people that's what we are our tech said but you brethren are not in darkness you're children of the light the children of the day verse 6 said therefore let us not sleep as do others but let us watch and be sober sometimes pastor saloon is gonna step behind this podium and it's gonna sound like his entire message said wake up because you can go to sleep in the light if you aren't careful stop your sinning keep the light bright verse 7 said for they that sleep sleep in the night and they didn't be drunken are drunken the night but let us who are of the day be sober putting on the breastplate of faith and of love for our helmet and the hope of salvation we've got a hope we know the salvation message I'm thankful for the Jesus name message we must preach the gospel that it not be hid we aren't motel 6 we're not leaving the light on we are the light we are the light we don't have some hidden gospel that we're trying to fool folks into getting sight you keep trick people into getting saved I remember brother Korn well if you've ever heard brother corn well preach brother corn well he's a rough customer sometimes he he can be tough I heard him tell about one fella had joined his church said the fella would come about every four weeks and repent and pray through said he'd go right back out and he said I thought about getting a great big hammer next time he repented and got everything right just hitting him right in the head before he could force in him he's I didn't do it but Cornwell told a story that there was a little couple that he started in a Bible study - he said I taught them every Bible study he said I went all the way through it 14 weeks of this he said I taught search for truth 1 and 2 said I I'd taught him into his marvelous light I had mine he said I just taught a little bit of everything he said I got to the very last lesson he said I was at the end and you got to understand Buckhorn well he he doesn't mince words but the corn will said he got the lesson lesson and he said the elderly lady looked over husband she said and said she said honey I believe he's trying to convert us brother corn well said you mean you got it you figured it out listen we're not trying to put a secret doctrine on somebody we're not trying to trick somebody into me and say we're penny ripped we're preaching repent be baptized every one of you and then that's what we'll turn the lights on in chanting the Jesus name message why are you working so hard we want to bring folks to the light circuit Corinthians 4:1 says therefore scene we have this ministry as we as rich as we have received mercy we faint not you know what happens when you faint things go dark several years ago several years ago if I was playing basketball that was several years ago it got to be cool with all the young guys you know to go around with your basketball shoes you get those hot tough to get your Jordans you know I tops but you loosen the strings that were cool you walked around didn't I'm up you can't slip them on slip them off you know had my Jordans at home we didn't have a gymnasium at that time we had a concrete patio that we played basketball on so some of the guys you know I was walking around cool like the rest of the guys you know so let's shoot some ball well I didn't take the time to tie my shoes that's too cool to do that you know so I got loose on fast break went in I know a guy was trailing me he was gonna try to block my shot so I was thinking I'm gonna pump fake let him go by so I stopped at a jump stop fake and when I did that jump stop my shoes one time and both of my big toe slid all the way to the front of those shoes felt like they came out my heels almost and the next thing you know all you squeamish folks just hang on both of my toenails turned bluish black it was blood into the nails man it hurt I just want y'all to know it hurts I prayed and it still hurt so we went home after church and my uncle was there preaching the revival at the time we were still I was standing up and I remember Michael saying you know Martin if we'll take the pressure off of those nails get that blood after learning now some of y'all just dying right now aren't you he said you can take a needle and you can start spinning that needle on that nail and that's the last thing I remember him saying I started seeing little tingly things up here in the air and I vaguely remember hearing somebody say sit down I didn't know her down wash I was and the next thing I remember I was being pulled up out of the floor I fainted they're foreseen we have this ministry we have received mercy we faint not I see too many fainting churches nowadays listen a little adversity comes the cornerstone apostolic we don't fake we work harder pastor I came to tell you no matter what discouragement the enemy would try to place in your way we don't faint we've got mercy we get stronger we we say Jesus I've given this one to you too you don't take care of it we don't faint we have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty not walking in craftiness not handling the Word of God deceitfully we're not getting new revelations there are no new revelations the only revelations that are new are false doctrine hear me those that will take you away from the Jesus name apostolic holiness message they have revelation it's false doctrine we're not going to handle the Word of God deceitfully but by the manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God but if our gospel be hid its hid to them that are lost they're the ones in the darkness in whom the god of this world who's the god of this world it's the Prince of Darkness have blinded the minds of them which believe not lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ who is the image of God should shine unto them for we preach not ourselves this is not the race loan ministries don't worry brother Sloan's not going to get him a bus but race loan ministries this is cornerstone Apostolic Church who God has made him the Shepherd over we don't preach ourselves but Christ the Lord and ourselves your servants of Jesus sake What did he say prayed for the man you heard him he prayed for workers we're doing this unto God that's why this is such a working growing thriving assembly because we're doing it under God for God who commanded the light to shine out of the darkness has shined in our hearts hear me you can't shine - he's shining in you if you're in this house today and you don't have the baptism of the Holy Ghost you haven't repented of your sins you haven't been baptized in Jesus name you're in the right place this is where you can get it all done get the light shining in you so you can shine everybody else he's shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ I've been brought out of darkness let me move quickly apple pies waiting first Peter 2:9 says but ye are a chosen generation you know what most of y'all could quote it with me you're a chosen generation a royal priesthood don't go around thinking that you're second-class citizens because your Jesus name apostolic Pentecostal you got the truth you're the real light you're a royal priesthood a holy nation a peculiar people that we should show forth the praises of him who what did you have called us out of darkness man if I don't hand this microphone to you folks I guarantee you we could go up and down the aisles and you could tell just how dark the world was you were living in before you found Christ he's pulled us out of darkness into this marvelous like there's something there that I'll briefly give you I want you to get a hold of he said we're a holy nation a peculiar people I don't mind telling you in this world where our debts in the church world we're still odd ducks they don't understand us they can't figure us out we're not the norm you see I was born in Knoxville Tennessee I'm an American citizen by birth that is my nationality it indicates it is indicated in the way I dress the way I talk let me go up north I want to hear you talk the way I behave that's my nationality we've traveled abroad so y'all sometimes they'll say you got to be careful you we can pick out these Americans and it's dangerous you know they they think they know the way you even the way some of you Americans walk you know you act like you've got purposes they'll warn you about that but that's that's who I am that's my nationality I'm I'm an American citizen I was born in East Tennessee I have all the rights privileges and responsibilities of an American citizen but the scripture said that you're a holy nation you see when I was born again I got a new holy nationality when the Holy Ghost came in I took on a new citizenship I've been born again my new spiritual nationalities showed up it will be demonstrated in the way I talk in the way I dress in the way I behave I have a holy nationality we are a holy people which in tongues pass we're not a people but are now the people of God which had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy it's the mercies of God that's allowed us to be here it's not that I'm special or you're special but the mercy of God has given us a new characteristic a new way to walk a new way to talk Oh hallelujah oh I move with haste I'll skip a few things here Thessalonians 5 went on to say wherefore comfort yourselves together and edify one another even also you do that term edify means to instruct or improve someone morally or intellectually cornerstone apostolic church in a dark world you have the opportunity to improve people that's what we do it's not just the pulpit ministry those little ones that you bring in that all they've been brought up around is vulgarity and crudeness and darkness this is some time the only light they see you have the opportunity to improve them the Holy Ghost will not get us only ready for days to come but it'll make us better citizens it will make us people of integrity folks will want to higher apostolic people because of the hardest-working the most honest the ones they can trust that's what edification oh sometimes we limit some of these terminologies to just being in the confines of a church service but a thousand times so it makes us complete we have a new nationality when we're born again and we beseech you brethren to know them which labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you you know your pastor you know his voice church family after 10 years they'll start reading you pretty good there'll be times even in the assembly I'm with family now can we talk a minute even in the church family that it will be times that the enemy will try to send darkness in among the saints try to be disruptive try to challenge the leadership try to challenge the God called Authority but the real Saints you know what they start doing there go they start looking to their leadership they'll know when brother Sloane is a man and sometimes when brother Sloane's not a man for proper decorum sometimes not to be embarrassing he may not give an open rebuke but you can read him real quick Sam that's not a God I probably ought to leave that alone myself I probably ought to read my you see this is part of the church family now I realize what I'm telling you right now may not make you wanna walk the chair backs today may not make you want to roll in the floor right now but this is what's going to keep us in the days to come because we are the Church of the light we are the children of the day we're not darkness let me take us to the end musicians whatever your custom has come quickly you've got a somebody's over there saying oh god what could you possibly sing after a message like this children of the light know their daddy first John 1:4 says this and these things right we unto you that your joy may be full this then is the message which we have heard of him and declare unto you that God is light and in him is no darkness at all now if we're gonna be children of God I want to have his DNA if there's no darkness in him I want there to be no darkness in me if we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness we lie and do not the truth you see I hope you're noticing in the scripture there's a there's a continuing thing here with truth a lot of folks or insight about knowing truth but the thing today is doing truth we got to do truth if we walk in the light as he is in the light we have fellowship one with the nether we're not on an island we're believing the same thing we're preaching the same message we're fellowship in the same way and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin are we perfect know we've been washed we've been cleansed we've been born again if we say that we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us look fella that's not angel dust on your shoulders you may need head and shoulders we're not perfect we're sinners but you see when you let the light come into you if we confess our sins that's what this alters for now I pause there for even in the church world the term to confess your sin has become the wrong thing I'm gonna go tell everybody what I've done wrong everybody can't forgive your sins you need to confess your sins to the one that can forgive your sins don't confess your sins to some carnal individual that'll lead you to temptation how did I jump that rabbit this late in the message you need to come to an altar and say God I've sinned God I've done wrong God I need your mercy one more time I need you to cleanse me one more time I need you a lot to shine back in I need you that that brightness if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness stand with me if we say that we have not seen we make him a liar man I'm certainly not gonna call God a liar and his word is not in us cornerstone apostolic church on the studious celebration of this light coming to Chattanooga I think it would be appropriate for us today to have a celebratory praise and prayer and what I would like for you to do if I would not be out of order I would like to ask Pastor sister Sloane to come down Freddy sister Lauren but statement sister Brittany you're coming I want y'all to face the audience in the police I promise you brother Sloane didn't tell me what to say cause if he did know what I was gonna say he might not whatever there's me to be here but God has blessed this assembly I cannot overemphasize God has blessed you with anointed power forward-looking leadership this is the leader of the line for the city agenda it's right here in front of you I'm gonna ask me all the church family I want you to step out I want you to get as close as you can on what some of the the brothers of the church I would like for you to come and lay your hand on your pastors shoulder some of the sisters I want you to come and pray for sister slow you're not anointing them but you're thanking God for them step out right now which is come on church family I want you to gather in first I want y'all to gather around the pastor and sister Sloane and their family these folks need your encouragement they need your support and I know you do give it to them but they need fresh strength everybody else in the house if you wouldn't be so kind if you're against if you're a visitor would you find a place to give praise unto God if you want to step out and I'll pray right where you are but I want us right now as one body because we're all in the family of God to give praise for our leadership and it's to celebrate what God has done mighty God we do love you Savior I thank you that you are our light and God you have commissioned us but I thank you for a church family so rich and the work anything to do work for you god I like you for leadership that you have sent our way God there are so many who are searching and God you have sin define leadership and direction God I pray for a special anointing of strength power and encouragement that's true sister Sloane Lord you know the enemy would try to invade with darkness and discouragement but God you are the god of light lord I pray that you would shine your light brightly lord I pray that you would give it a special encouragement renewed fire every sing in this place Lord we have a great work to do we have an art city to win God thank you for this opportunity we celebrate all that you have made us in the name of Jesus we pray