It's Still Worth a Dollar | Kids Quest Pastor Nolan Carpenter
by Nolan Carpenter
First Apostolic Church of Maryville (Maryville, TN)
Kind: sermon
Scripture: Galatians 6:1-3, Acts 1:6-8, Revelation 22:1-5, Hebrews 4:15-16, Revelation 13:8, Romans 5:19-20, Ezekiel 37:1-3, Ezekiel 37:11

Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/nolan-carpenter--it-s-still-worth-a-dollar
Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page.
Free to copy and share with attribution.

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let's turn to the word of the Lord in this house I believe God's going to do something great I believe Pastor is right there is victory in this house there is victory in this place I believe the victory is going to come through the spirit of restoration I believe someone could be restored in the Holy Ghost tonight and Galatians 6 And1 tells us brethren if a man be overtaken in a fault ye which are spiritual do I have any spiritual folks in the house tonight restore such a one in the spirit of meekness considering thyself lest thee also be tempted bear ye one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ for if a man thinketh himself to be something when he is nothing I like this he deceiveth himself you ain't deceiving nobody but yourself if you aren't willing to look across the aisle and restore such a one you're you're we're absolutely nothing at all if we claim to have Apostolic on our sign Apostolic means restoration being Apostolic if we think we're something then we're really not but there's going to be a spirit of restoration if you believe that tonight if if there are any spiritual people here tonight I believe there's going to be restoration put your Bibles down in this place lift your hands lift your voices let's ask God to touch us here for the next few minutes God we thank you for what you've done we thank you for the spirit of Victory that's in this house we thank you for the lives that have been touched this very week in this place God we thank you for the souls that have been filled with the Holy Ghost God we thank you for the souls that have went down in a watery grave taking on your name through baptism tonight God and I know a spirit of restoration can come to someone who's found in sin God the spirit of restoration can find someone God who's battling of their life right now and God you can do a good work tonight God First Apostolic Church we're going on a hunt tonight we're looking for such a one to be restored God I feel you in the room right now we're looking for such a one who's found in sin God we're looking for such a one who's at the pivotal point of their life and we're looking to restore them in the name of Jesus if I have any spiritual people in the house tonight would you clap your hands all across this room in Jesus name in Jesus name you may be seated it's good to see my my father-in-law here this evening brother Corey Sanders I always love I know he come he drove 7even hours today to hear me preach and it has nothing to do with a 9-month-old baby that is going to sleep 2 hours last night and hopefully she does the same for him tonight I look forward to that I look forward to that I uh I'm not a person that carries uh cash not a person who um if you're going to find me and you want to to to rob me uh you'll be thoroughly disappointed um you will I don't matter of fact I don't even have my wallet on me right now I don't have my wallet planner it's in office okay see she knows better of where my wallet is than I do I don't carry cash I um I could show you some people in the church if you're looking to rob somebody I can show you some people who carry cash but uh uh uh not not me not me if brother fa I had it in my notes if brother Ferris Gable was here I was going to mention his name but he's not here tonight due to work but it's the the thought still counts if you want to Rob him Wednesday night he's going to be full of cash he's going to be always I always feel that uh you know cash is is somewhat of um feel like it's not but I feel like it's like free money you know I shouldn't think that and that's probably why uh probably why I spend probably too much feel like it's free money it's a I uh I know come on I'm trying to get there I'm trying to uh uh bring something out of this I you know we're we're Bound by uh brother Delta and uh sister Sky miles that's what that's what we do to you know for those free flights brother Mayo every 10 years that you get through those credit cards you know uh you know I uh that's that's kind of uh how we operate and I shouldn't think about this being free money I don't hardly ever carry cash but we've been honored and privileged uh to have uh Flan's little sister [name redacted] with us lately and it has been an awesome time it's been a wonderful God's helped us it's been a wonderful it's been a wonderful time and and there there's a few reasons why well first of all she she sometimes not all the time but most of the time she's annoying you know um she uh she's awesome she's so precious she is she is and the bad thing is she looks like my wife so I can't get real I can't get mad at her too much you know um and she's quick she's quick you know we were arguing the other day and we go back and forth like and we're both the babies of the family so of course it's all about us you know and when two people meet together and it's all about them you know that is quite a conflict and she quick she's had to survive with her three older sisters and um she uh she looked at me we were arguing the other day and I said hey you can talk to me when your breath doesn't stink you know and I'm like oh man I got her I could see that little 12-year-old girl was thinking she's like well you could talk to me when you don't use so much hair gel in your hair I'm like okay first of all that hurt I was just kidding that is for Real okay it takes quite a bit of of product on a credit card I guess to make it look like that but you know she's been with us for a little bit and don't carry cash until my father-in-law has uh gave us some cash to take care of her and you know and I just feel feel odd you know carrying cash he's not a credit card man he's a cash man he's a he's one of those one of those guys so if you want to talk to him after church he might have some cash to give somebody but he gave us he gave us some cash and I'm not used to it I I I feel awkward carrying it I want to get rid of it um don't want to carry it and and I went to to spend some money on on [name redacted] me and flandry buy or some some groceries or whatnot and and we went to the store and we bought some groceries and I was handing over the cash and it's just such an awkward feeling when they start to hand you the change because I don't know like do you put the change in your wallet like as they're handing you dollar bills and they give you like seven not seven quarters that would be terrible that's how much a handle cash they give you a few quarters and few dimes do you put that in your wallet I have no clue I have no clue just awkward you know you're just like this trying to uh to fill it to to to put the cash where it needs to go and that's why I just don't like it just give me a credit card and it might be the mark of the beast but it gives me free flights okay so um just I I like carrying a credit card but the reason I I haven't given you a title yet is from the change that I received while paying for groceries for my little sister-in-law she started to hand me the cashier started to hand me some money and I noticed one dollar that was felt a little odd matter of fact I've got this dollar uh uh with me it felt odd um there was something on the back that wasn't quite right the change was a few dollars but the dollars she laid on my hand was uh and I hate that interaction too because their hand touches your hand and that's just awkward okay and that's just like it doesn't happen with a credit card but it happens with cash and so she handed hands me this dollar and I look to the backside and this dollar is held together by three strips of duct tape and Scotch tape down the middle I was like can I get a can I get another dollar and she looked at me and she said it's still worth a dollar like we going to put that in my pocket we might use that so tonight I want to preach it's still worth a dollar I want to preach it's still worth a dollar it might not be much but it's still worth a dollar and I know some of you tonight are we've heard $100 messages we've raised offerings from thousand messages but I hope tonight this is a dollar message that's my goal that's my goal somebody thought and took the time to take three strips of duct tape and rip them long ways this took some time now obviously they could have took it to the bank and got another one if you have two two parts of the bill this is ripped right down literally right down Main Street this is ripped in two but you could take as long as the serial numbers would match you can take this dollar bill to the bank and you can get a fresh crispy dollar bill but not to a person who restored this dollar they took time it took effort and it took energy to restore this dollar and a matter of fact I don't know how many hands this has been through I don't know if I'm the only weirdo carrying cash around that this is the I'm the first hands after the restore that this dollar bill got into I don't know but there's just something there's a principle when restoration takes place in the right manner it's able to be used time and time again and I know I might have confused Kids Quest Sunday morning with church service Sunday night I probably should have preached this this morning but I want to tell you that we serve a god of restoration we serve a God that it doesn't matter what you've been through it doesn't matter where you are at you are still valuable in the house of God you are still valuable to the people of God doesn't matter what you look like or what you smell like I want to tell you on a Sunday night there's still value in you I know you might feel broken I know that life has May Rift you apart but you've come to a people that we claim to be spiritual and I want to be spiritual but we believe tonight that you can find restoration through the power of the Holy Ghost do I have anybody under the sound of my voice that you are glad we serve a God that can restore you are glad that you serve a God that can put life back together amen once you're in the family of God we all have a first name and that is a such a one such a one that has received restoration restore such a one in the spirit of meekness considering thyself lest also thee be tempted I'm thankful we serve a God who is a restorer God restored man's Soul after man fell in the Garden of Eden it was God's plan to restore them to their rightful place what was the beauty about the Garden of Eden was it the trees that were planted in the garden absolutely not was it the grass that was watered with the Dew of the morning was that the beauty absolutely not the beauty of the Garden of Eden was that was the place that man and God could commune together and once the fall of Man took place once the the sin nature entered into man's nature that that communication and that relationship with God was cut off but after we see the cross and and what all Jesus did Jesus restored man to his rightful place the beauty of the Garden of Eden was that was the place that man could commune with God and learn about God and be with God acts 1 and6 we know that God restored man's Soul when they therefore were come together they asked of him saying Lord will thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel Jesus did all these things he did all the Miracles and he did all the things on the cross and then and being buried in a tomb and being raised again from the grave and we we see that but then we get to right before he ascends they asked him Jesus will you restore the physical Kingdom of Israel will you restore our power and make us a a mighty nation like we were like we've heard stories about and Jesus said you've missed the restoration restoration message he said unto them it is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the father had put in his own power but ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you what kind of power are you talking about Jesus he was talking about restoration power they were talking about restoring the Kingdom of Israel but he said ah you've missed it this is not a physical restoration but this is something much more powerful this is a spiritual restoration and you should receive power how after the Holy Ghost has come upon you and you shall be Witnesses unto me both what what are we being Witnesses of we're being Witnesses of how God restored our spiritual lives in Jerusalem in all Judea in Samaria and in the utmost parts of the Earth how am I supposed to be a witness on my job tell them how God restored your life how am I supposed to be a witness to to family and friends tell them how God took two pieces of a dollar bill and took three strips of duct tape called Grace and one scotch piece of tape called mercy and put your life back together I know we can get all uh uh uh just uptight with our spiritual Halos but when we look back over our lives we had to have restoration just like that dirty rotten Center that we meet in the community and we can all agree tonight we look back over our lives and we see God's restoration happening and process in our life that's right God restored man's Soul God restored man's language I was talking to someone the other day and and he had a neat thought of how how did God and man communicate he said they they might have spoken tongues to one another and that that makes a lot of sense because we see how their language was scattered and we see how in Acts the book of Acts God restored man's language unto one language and that is the language of tongues we see that God restored man's place in revelation 22 and verse number one and he showed me a pure River of Water of Life clear as Crystal proceeding out of the Throne of God and of the lamb in the midst of the street of it on either side of the river there was the Tree of Life which bear 12 manner of fur of fruits and yielded her fruit every month and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the Nations where are we talking about this is heaven this is a restoration of the Garden of Eden when we see the tree of life being present and they shall see his face and his name shall be in their foreheads and there shall be no night there in Need No candle neither light of sun for the Lord God giveth them light and they shall rain forever and ever we see God restored our man a man's Soul He restored man's language He restored man's place of living and then we see in Hebrews 4 and 15 that God restored man's relationship with him for we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities but was in all points tempted like as we yet without sin Let Us therefore come boldly into the throne of grace I'm thankful we can come boldly before the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find Grace to help in the time of need I I I think that God liked this idea of restoration I I think God really liked this IDE maybe God's favorite thing to do was to be a restorer we can say that tonight because man didn't need restoration yet but restoration was already in place at the very beginning of time Revelations 13 and8 says the lamb was slain from the foundation of the world makes me think that God had this restoration plan in place from the very beginning it makes me feel good to know that God would know where I would mess up and he would give me a chance of restoration I I'm thankful I serve a God that knows every detail of my life he knows the good times when I would give my life to God he knows the good times of of when I would bring my family to church but if God knows every detail about my life he knew where I would stum stumble and fall he knew where I would miss the mark and thanks be to God tonight that he had an opportunity where I could come before the throne of grace because I'm going to need some Grace in my life I know I'm striving but there's going to be a point where I'm going to need some mercy and he still gave me a chance of restoration God restored the first man Adam the first man Adam failed so the second Adam could restore first man Adam failed by eating some fruit on a tree and the second am second man Adam restored of being nailed to a tree Romans 5: 19 says for by one man's Disobedience many were made Sinners so by The Obedience of one shall many be made righteous I want to preach to someone tonight that you're in need of something in your life tonight you've been wondering you've been struggling Ling I I I I know a lot of bad decisions have led you to where you are tonight but just like all those bad decisions can be erased when one decision to follow God with everything you got one act of obedience can restore you tonight one trip to the altar can change the rest of your life one trip to the baptismal pool brother John can save your eternity one trip to the altar one trip to prayer one trip to the altar to say God I know every decision has led me to this point but by one man's obedience I know that's your obedience and God I'm going to obey your word and there I can find restoration moreover the law entered that off fence might abound but where sin abounded Grace did much more abound makes me feel good tonight that in a world that is becoming exceedingly Wicked what that means is is they're figuring out more ways to sin they're figuring out more ways to sin a and to become Wicked it it it's good for our young people to know that they have a cell phone that it has more opportunities to become Wicked on a cell phone but in the midst of gross wickedness and in the midst of exceeding wickedness as the Bible says that that's going to be the moment that Grace is going to be the most for us I'm so thankful for that tonight that the moment that there's more wickedness in the world the scripture says that Grace did much more abound I don't know about you but that makes me feel good that makes me feel good that I go throughout my day and I'm tempted I'm tempted you go through things you're just tempted that the Bible says that Grace much more abound that OB obiously doesn't mean tonight for us to take advantage of Grace it doesn't mean to to come to the Altar and say sorry and then go out and live the same old life that's not that's not true repentance repentance is a decision to turn away from an evil and a wicked way it doesn't mean for us to take advantage of Grace but it does mean Rejoice not against me oh my enemy when I fall I shall arise When I Get Knocked Down by sin somebody hear me and the sound of my voice when you get knocked down by sin there is a restore called the holy ghost that could pick you up out of the pit of sin there is a restoration power called The Gift of the Holy Ghost that's wants to bring you back up it can restore your family it can restore your marriage if you have a prodical son or daughter it could restore them back to where they should be I'm talking about the power of the Holy ghost it's a restorer and if there are some spiritual folks and when I do this that means sarcasm God forgive me for being sarcastic and they say some old maybe it's an older brother of the prodal and you say well they got what they deserved well I like how Paul puts it he gives us all a little humbling when it comes to rest restoration and such were some of you but you were washed and you were Sanctified and you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the spirit of Our God by the spirit of the Holy Ghost I'm thankful I was washed in the blood of the Lamb I was thank I'm thankful I was justified it was justified never sined it's Justified never went down that road into temptation I'm thankful but some were such of us but such a one received restoration but such a one entered into an Apostolic Church where they didn't find judgmental people but such a one found a family that would restore them through the power of the Holy Ghost I like how opening text puts it it says if you think you're something and you're not willing to restore you're really nothing if you you you're deceiving yourself if you can't look across the aisle to that brother that offended you or that sister that you believe talk bad about you God forbid we obey the scripture if a brother offend you go to them and talk about it that's restoration that's how we operate in the family of God if we're not willing to restore a relationship and I may not be preaching about a a sinner off the street and we know that's true true but what about relationships that we have here in the church brother Hammond preached it so beautifully last Sunday night if we're not willing if you think you're something you're really not if you're not willing to go and and and and and try to restore that relationship the Bible says you're really not anything but I want to be a restorer I want to be a giver of what I have received and that is the restoration power of of my life and the Bible is clear that we are to restore we are to restore Ezekiel 37 and one tells us a familiar passage of scripture the hand of the Lord was upon me and he carried me out in the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the midst of the valley was full of Bones and caused me to pass by them roundabout and behold there were very many in the open Valley and lo they were very dry and he said unto me son of man can these bones live and I answered oh Lord God thou knowest Ezekiel was carried by the spirit of God to a valley that as far as you can see there was death no hope of Life there was matter of fact the the the Bible gives a us a description that was an open Valley as far as you can see there were just dry bones bones and death these dry these bones had been there quite a while because the scripture says not only were they dry but they were very dry not only were they very dry and dead for a long time we can read and we can go through the Book of Leviticus to see that there were certain specifications of how the priest and how the man of God would deal with dead things and and we see that these bones were disgraced because they didn't have a proper burial Ezekiel being a priest being a man of God when he looked across this valley of dry bones he understood that these bones did not have a proper burial and there were rules of of how a priests were to deal with dead things and we see these bones in an open Valley but Ezekiel being a priest saw a disgraced group of people and God put a man of God in the midst of a disgraced group of people God put a man of God Ezekiel a priest right in the middle of something that was a disgraceful situation son of man can these not only dead bones but these disgraced dead bones live again can this dead disgrace situation live again I want to preach this so bold tonight that not only can dead Sinners that are found in little sins live again but I want to preach and Proclaim that disgrace sinners in our minds maybe homosexuality they can live again I want to tell somebody that the adulterer can live again I know they're dead but I'm talking about disgrace I'm talking about people who have shamed you I'm talking about people who have disgraced the family people who disgraced the church I want to preach and Proclaim they can live again who am I to say who can live again or who can who am I to say who can find Mercy and who can when I think back over my life I've been disgraceful and if God would give me mercy that person watching online whose disgrace can live live again oh I'm looking for some spiritual people tonight I'm looking for some spiritual folks tonight to restore such a one I'm not talking about just little little white lies of people are committing I'm talking about people who are saying they're different genders that's a disgrace but I believe you can find Mercy and I believe you can find Grace in this time I'm telling the more wicked that the world gets the more that God's going to put us around disgraced people and when God puts us around disgraced people it's our job to reach across and pull them into the family I don't care where they've been I don't care what they've done there is Mercy For You There is Mercy can these bones live again can these disgrace people well Jesus you know Master this woman was taken in adultery in the very the very act you want to talk about a disgraced woman you want to talk about a woman that was caught up in embarrassment talk about one who they drugged from the very Act and the pull pit is no place for any talk that's not clean but we can use our imaginations of what she looked like there at the feet of Jesus where was the man now that is a God's honest truth where was the man that is that is the truth that is the truth you can preach that next time I'll save that for you okay that's the truth they were scheming they were conniving they were planning to catch this woman in the act of adultery and with this you had to have multiple Witnesses for capital punishment to be given to someone that was caught in the act of adultery it was almost near to Impossible but they were scheming and they were planning and a bunch of unspiritual people were looking to destroy rather than to restore but when a bunch of Pharisees took a woman in her shame and in her sin they took a woman and threw her at the feet of Jesus if I am around a bunch of people tonight and I know they meant it mean and they meant it wrong for that person but if I'm ever found in sin somebody throw me at the feet of Jesus some I know the devil meant it for evil but God meant it for good let those people that are talking let them throw people at the feet of the church and what do you say about this person I say they can be restored what do you think about this drug addict I think they can be restored what do you think about this alcoholic I know they disgrace I know they've caus shame to their family name but they can be restored through the power of the name of Jesus now Moses you may be seated commanded Us in the law that these should be stoned but what sayest thou sounds familiar here lies a situation Ezekiel what do you say oh son of man what do you say son of man Jesus in this they said tempting him that they might have accused him but Jesus stooped down and with his finger wrote on the ground as though they heard them not want to tell somebody tonight you're found in sin and you make a decision to come come to the Altar and here in just a moment you're not going to find people who are accusing you you're going to find someone who's willing to stoop with you Jesus stooped in the ground as though he heard them not as he heard them not and begin to write and he says he that is without sin among you let him cast the first stone at her and again he stooped down and rode on the ground and they which heard it being convicted by their own conscience went out one by one beginning at the eldest even until the last and Jesus was left alone and the woman standing in the midst we see that this woman I just seen this I I I didn't even have this in my notes to preach but I feel like God just spoke this to me you see that the Jesus was willing to stoop down with the woman when the woman was was thrown at his feet and you see that Jesus was willing to get on her level you're not going to find Jesus standing up and condemning you but you're going to find Jesus stooping down to restore you I know Jesus might could have stood up and restored you but God had to stoop down to restore me God had to get down to the dirtiest of dirtiest to pick me up and when Jesus stooped down to restore her you find the woman next standing in the midst of Jesus and when restoration takes place properly and the church begins to stoop thems and get on the level get on the level of the accused you're not going to find a church that's up here condemning you you're going to find a church that's stooping with you they're going to get on your level and you're going to say oh you're an alcoholic you see that man over there shouting that was a former alcoholic you see that man over there worshiping oh that was a man that was caught and drugs in his life and when restoration takes place properly you don't find her stooping anymore you don't find her laying in her embarrassment anymore but you find her standing in the midst now this is not so you can go back to your own life that's not the purpose your old life that's not the purpose of restoration but the purpose of restoration is to pick you up from your pit of in and put you back on your feet and you can say hey come on we're all walking the same direction where your accusers haveth no man condemned thee Jesus said unto her neither do I condemn thee go and sin no more in the restoration business you have to be willing to get on the guilty's level and begin to speak to them where they are and when a church Church gets on the level of the accused and the level of the guilty we find the guilty next standing in the midst of the presence of Jesus I feel like in this church we are about to enter into a season I know what's coming I know who's preaching here in the next month but I feel like God's about to enter Us in into a Revival of restoration I believe with all my heart that people I used to go to school with are going to find restoration through the power of the name of Jesus I and if I can be completely honest with you tonight I heard the same messages as some as your children I heard that I said in the same rush hours as some of your prodical sons and daughters it humbles me to know that I'm still here and they're not and I don't say it proudly that's not my intention tonight but I I I I want to tell you how I feel that there I am without the grace of God you could easily switch me for any one of your prodical tonight because we heard that we were in the same classrooms we were in the same rush hours but I feel in the Holy Ghost tonight the restoration is coming and when they come they're not going to find us standing over them condemning them you're going to find us stooping with them and say hey we can get up together if you join the family of God we can make it through this we can make it through I want to encourage every mom and dad that you have a prodical we heard the same messages mom we heard the same we heard the same we were in the same spirit of God moving in rush hours and they are going to come home and it might be good for us to get around a bunch of disgraced people it might be a good humbling for some of us that God puts us in a disgraced group of people and then you ask can these people live again can they live again but I feel like in the Holy Ghost that God's about to restore some disgraced people people that you have connections with God is going to restore those who were around you might be surprised you might end up in some places that you never imagin you asked Ezekiel how that was how that how how that went for him you're going to go to places that you never been before and God's going to put you about a b around a bunch of disgrace dead bones and then I want to ask you can you restore them can God restore them so I want to ask the church tonight can these disgraced people find the grace of God absolutely absolutely and if we don't think these bones can be restored or we lose hope that they can live again we must know that the difference between disgraced people and the people of Grace is that someone believed that they could live again that's the only difference between disgrace people and people that have found Grace in the eyes of God is that someone believ that they could live again I want to preach to someone who's been the choir before but you found yourself in disgraceful sin I believe you can be restored and get back there and sing in the choir and worship where you used to be I want to preach to someone who's disgraced here tonight that you can live again you're finding yourself in a group of people that can believe you can believe again I want to declare that these bones in ezekiel's Bone Yard had hope they they sure did have hope the Hope was they were dead and you can ask any prodal here tonight that's found Grace that the moment they found restoration was the moment they hit rock bottom they were dead and that was their hope they had nowhere to go no much they had didn't have more to spend they didn't have anywhere else to lay their head at night and that's the moment that they came to themselves to realize they could find restoration you know where I'm going when the prodal son was in the pig's pen the lowest of lows went from a rich father to to a a pig pen feeding something that we've heard preach it couldn't feed him back and we see the scripture says when the famine came and there's going to be a famine that comes to our prodal there's going to be something in the world that they they found joy in but now the fam's there and they have no joy in what they've been in and the Bible records the famous statement that when the prodal came to himself when he had nowhere else to go and no more to spend when he thought to himself how many servants in my father's house has bread and I'm about to die here where I know where I'm supposed to be I'm about to die in a pig's pin where I've been I've had the the Royal robe on it I've had the ring on my finger and I've had nice shoes on and I I'm I'm a prodical and I I'm about to die in a pig's pin the hope that a lost person has you have nowhere to go no more to spin you've tried absolutely everything but then you just think of how good it is in the father's house and when the prodal came to himself here Rose and came to his father but when he was yet a great way off his father saw him and had compassion we see Jesus being in the restorer stoop down and we see the father got out of his character when he saw his son take one step for him he started running after him when you make one step for God you're not going to find God just waiting for you to get to a certain place if you'll I feel the Holy Ghost right now if you'll make one step in the right direction tonight you're going to to see the father running after you what is that when you come God's Direction God can't help but run to your direction and I heard I I heard and God helped me for being sarcastic but I heard somebody that was a so-called spiritual one said well it never says the father left the front porch must have been a pretty big front porch dad that's not the that's not the father that I serve the father that I serve is willing to get down in the mess and the muck and the Meer if there is a child of God in there he is willing to run from his throne of glory and humble himself and become like a man and put on the worst sins why because he knew that someone would need restoration when that father exited that front porsch and went running after that prodical son that was limping his way to the house that was coming his way to the house he said hey he's still valuable he he's still Val valuable and the son had practiced this over and over again he said hey if I could just become if you could just hire me as a servant this conversation went in his head over and over again he I know he left the house by saying give me and give me and give me but the world had a way of humbling him that he came to the father and he just said just make me make me a servant that's all I ask but G the father looks to him and says no he interrupts us when this whole pre-planned speech he interrupts him he said I know you feel like you deserve to be a s a servant but there's still value in you you are still a son or you are still a daughter I don't care what you've been through the night the the father is telling you that you are still a child of God you are still a person that belongs in the house of the of God I know you don't feel like much but you're still worth something to God still he said hey I left this house by saying give me give me give me now I'm coming back to this house humbly saying make me just a servant you might have filth all over you tonight but you still have value you might smell like the world tonight but I want to tell you there's still value in you you might have spent everything you might have given everything tonight but don't lose hope you still have value they might have slandered your family name prodical mom and dad but I want to tell you tonight they still have that value but then we have the older brother we have the one the spiritual one but as soon as thy son and you know the story comes he's like hey I've been here the whole time you didn't do anything for me you're a brat that's what you are older brother all right just be honest and we see this is it was almost humorous to me I was studying this out this afternoon we see that he gives this whole long speech I've been here you haven't celebrated me I've been here you didn't shake my hand and now this prodical runs in y'all are throwing a party for him well but as soon as thy son was come which had devoured thy living with harlots yeah go ahead accuse her remind them of what they've been that's fine thou has killed for him the fatted calf and he said unto him this is the father speaking son thou are ever with me and all that I have is thine you could go through throughout this whole chapter this whole portion of scripture where where where Jesus is telling this story and the word son is used several times it's it's obviously we know the definition of son it could be a a a man it could be just the the The Offspring of a father and when when when the father is referring to a son he's referring to a grown man he's referring to an adult that has made their own decisions but not in verse 31 and I don't have time to go in the Greek because I'm not that smart but I did see today that when the father looked to that son that was was was was uh thre threw his head down at the younger brother when the father looks to that son and uses the word son in this context you know what it means child baby ww brat that's what that's my definition that's what it means it means a little child and when someone has a different view of restoration they are and you've been here the whole time and I know we haven't celebrated you but we're all doing what we're supposed to do that's really not worth a celebration but when a prodical son comes in you got to know that heaven's throwing a whole party so we can't say hey hey we want Heaven here on Earth and we're not willing for when a prodal comes to the altar we're not willing to throw some party because that's what's happening when one comes to repentance the Angels just go absolutely Ely crazy and when you come to the altar in a few moments I want to tell you you would you would just enter into a party of restoration you're not going to find a son you're not going to find an older brother that's putting their nose on you there a spiritual breath what the scripture in my opinion says has to be all about us we'd have no Greater Joy tonight than a prodical son to come home we'd have no Greater Joy tonight for someone to give your life to God I know you you you you you smell like the world you've been in the world and I hope that God one day we have so many people who are addicted to to cigarettes that we are witnessing to I I hope we walk past them and get a case of the secondhand smokes I don't even know if that's a real thing but that's what I want that's what I want this church to smell like because we're a restorer of those who are disgraced I hope this church never always looks like us I know we're going to Main and don't get me wrong don't older brother don't get me wrong wrong I know we're always going to hold our Holiness standards but I hope to God that 100% of us don't look like holy people I hope we have some disgrace folks that we can stoop down and say oh you want to be holy I can show you how to be holy I I can show you how to stay out of sin I'm going to stoop down with you I'm not too holy to stoop down with you because the holy God Of Heaven stooped down and became like a man and stoop down to pick up a woman caught in the act oh the act the act of adultery you may be seated last portion of scripture I know and I I've been too long tonight when God looks down to Ezekiel so a man can these bones live plays it safe he says oh Lord thou God thou knowest you you know you know all things smart when Ezekiel and God says okay if you believe that these bones can live again then prophesy prophesy and say thus sayeth the Lord I'll cause breath to enter into you and live and I will lay Senus upon you and so Ezekiel did as he commanded and he began to prophesy life to a dead valley of dry bones and the Bible says there was a great noise that bones came together a leg bone over here connected to a hip bone over here and then we see that a foot over here wled itself to the leg bone over here a collar bone over here begin to move and I would love to have been there to see this sight that a a a skele comes together and we see here in this story as Senus come and connects to tissues begin to form and it begins to go up down you have skin laid upon these skeletons that before the spirit of God can enter in into a lifeless dead disgraced person their first half to be structured because God has always looked for structure to pour His Spirit into and so no wonder we see such fighting from Hell against the church because the church is a place of structure if Satan can run the structure of the church he can run the Avenue that God's spirit flows through that structure so I want to tell somebody tonight if you find yourself disconnected connect yourself back to the structure that God ordained in your life connect yourself again to the structure don't let anything remove you from the structure if something can remove you from the structure there is no chance of restoration and you may be going through a seasons of disappointment but I want to tell you this dollar has value if it's crumbled this dollar has value if it's stomped on this V this dollar has value if it's squeezed but the only time this dollar does not have value is when it's disconnected when it's torn in two when it's separated and then it loses its value if you can in your life and I I feel such an urging in my spirit tonight for somebody I know you've disconnected yourself from the church and that's why you're broken and that's why you're torn heart I want to tell you tonight that we're not looking to replace you we're not looking to get rid of you and and try to find someone else to to fill that Pew space that's not the will of the church but the will of the church is to stoop down with you and take your broken life and F Fix You Back Together put you back together with grace and mercy and then you have value again be so kind to stand with me and musicians come all across this room who's in the who's in ezekiel's bone yard the scripture says that it's the whole house of Israel Ezekiel 37:1 says son of man these bones are the whole house of Israel 12 tribes of Israel were in the dead bones Ephraim was in those bones and his name means fruitfulness Judah was in those those bones and his name means praise Levi he was in those bones his lineage was in those bones and his name means callings and Ministries Asher was in those bones and his name means happy or blessed isachar the tribe of isachar was in those B if it's a whole house it's a whole house and his name means reward zebulun is in those bones those disgraced bones and his name means honor Joseph the tribe of Joseph the people of Joseph was in those bones and we see that in those bones his name means may he add or what can God add to my life Benjamin the benjamites were in those bones and H his name means son of the right hand indic indicating strength power and favor so I want to tell somebody tonight I've been preaching about a prodal a lot but maybe you find yourself in those bones and you've lost your fruitfulness maybe you've lost your Zeal or you've lost your happiness you've last lost your your thought that God can add something to your life want to tell you that your bones can live again you can have happiness in your life if you'd willing be willing to join the structure you can have find forgiveness in your life if you be willing to join the structure God wants to put you back together tonight to have his Spirit enter into your life God's going to put somebody back together I I I believe I've seen people fall I've seen people get back up and God spoke to me so clearly tonight that a spirit of restoration is going to take place in this house God's going to put you back together but God's going to fill you with the gift of the Holy Ghost this evening because when God brings bones together and structure then the wind they prophesied to the wind and life came back to those bones life came back to that disgraced person it's time for someone to get your joy back this evening it's time for someone for get your peace back this evening it's time for your calling to be restored all across this house would you bow your heads and close your eyes come on I know there's no older brothers here in the house tonight I know we're all spiritual here tonight we wouldn't be here if we weren't spiritual I want this church all across this room right now to lift your voice I want you to lift your voice and begin to pray for a a someone someone a disgraced person tonight I want you to lift your voice right now if you've ever received mercy and Grace I want you to begin to lift your voice right now and pray for someone I know they're disgraced I know I know they're broken I know they're disconnected would you begin to pray right now would you begin to lift your voice and begin to to plead for that prodal right now would you begin to plead for that person that's disgraced in this house yes God yes God come on right now Church would you lift your voice oh yes God yes God yes God yes God thank you Lord thank you Lord thank you Lord