Voices | KidzQuest Pastor Nolan Carpenter
by Nolan Carpenter
First Apostolic Church of Maryville (Maryville, TN)
Kind: sermon
Scripture: Mark 4:23-24, Genesis 1:3, Genesis 1:6, Genesis 1:9, Genesis 2:16-17, Genesis 3:1-5, Genesis 3:9-11, Ephesians 5:27, 1 Kings 18:41, 1 Kings 19:1-3, 1 Kings 19:11-12, Romans 10:17, Psalms 1:1, Proverbs 9:8, Proverbs 26:20, Proverbs 22:10, Proverbs 18:21, Proverbs 26:22, John 7:38

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

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be so kind to stand with me in honor of the reading of God's word. We'll start in Mark 4 verse number 23. Mark 4 and verse number uh verse number 23. Mark 4 verse number 23. If you've got in your Bibles or if you're turning there in your Bibles, would you say amen? >> If you're going to cheat on the screen when Sister Rochelle puts it up there, would you say amen? Yeah, I figure there's some cheaters in the house. Thank you, Sister Ro Shell. If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. And he said unto them, "Take heed. Take watch." Need to I need to look out for just a moment. I need you to just pay special attention to this this statement. Take heed what you hear. I need you to take watch to what you hear with your ears. With what measure you meet, it shall be measured to you, and unto you that hears shall more be given. Often times we make emphasis on the power of our tongue, but Jesus is speaking here in Mark 4 and placing emphasis on what you allow your ears to hear. He says to take heed, to take watch what you hear. Not just what you speak, but what you allow your ears to hear. Just praying this afternoon for this Bible study tonight. And I believe the Lord wants to speak to us tonight on voices. Voices. What we allow our ears. What we allow our ears to hear. You put your Bibles down, but most importantly, lift your voice. to let the ears of God hear our voice tonight from FAC. If you lift your voice, let's ask God to touch us. Lord, we thank you, God. We ask that you would anoint us tonight, God. Your word is already anointed. Father, I pray, God, tonight, you would anoint my lips, God. You would anoint, God, my heart tonight, God, to deliver a word, Lord. I believe you've given me for this church, Father. God, it may not be for all, but God, I know it's for one tonight. It might be for me, Lord. God, what I allow my ears to hear. What I allow people to speak into my mind. And God, BECAUSE I KNOW IF IT GOES IN MY EARS, IT MIGHT JUST GO IN MY SOUL. LORD, I'm so thankful YOU GAVE US THIS SCRIPTURE TO TAKE HEED what you hear. Lord, in Jesus' name we pray. In Jesus' name, you may be seated all across the house of the Lord. Tonight, I want to preach to us on on voices. Some of my favorite days growing up in school were um in the second and the third grade. I was a little Heliion child and um I was u I was like a little Chihuahua. All right. Didn't Yes. I was like a little Chihuahua. Didn't you know I thought my bite was a lot bigger than my bark. And and uh I'm not making fun tonight. And if if um it's not my intention at all, but I I grew up with with a speech impediment and um I grew up with a speech impediment. And I, you know, it's cute when you're you're five. Um but I'm thankful that my parents, you know, put me in classes and such that when I'm 28, it's not so cute, you know. And and um so as second grader, I I remember my my parents would would They enrolled me in these classes down at Mary Blunt and it was my favorite my favorite day. It was on Thursdays um in the second and third grade and um and I didn't want anybody to know where I was going and I don't want anybody to feel sorry for me tonight. Okay, this is not my not trying to throw a pity party and ask asking you to come. All right, not send an RSVP for you to attend my uh pity party. That would not be um that would not be my intention. But Thursdays at at 12:15, I remember it's it's in Sister Harden's class, and I remember um on the dot 12:15, my dad would be waiting on me and um and the my classmates would ask me where I'm going. Where are you going? Every Thursday, Sister Sharp at 12:15. Well, I didn't want to tell them. I was going to my speech pathologist to to help correct my speech. and and I just, you know, I was just telling him it was because my dad's awesome. He wants to spend time with me every Thursday at 12:15. That's what it was. All right. It's a special perk that you don't get. All right. But little did they know that I was heading down the road to to Mary Blunt to to work on my speech. I had troubles with um my Rs and my S's. I would say my O's and my ethus. And it was just a And you really can't make fun of people when you talk like that. You know, it's second grade. you're trying to, you know, uh, talk back to the bully and that bully's name is Lauren Hammond and, you know, she starts, you know, she goes to the jugular and she starts imitating how I talk and and so I had to Yeah, I don't need you to feel sorry for me, okay? She's not here. All right? I don't She may be watching. She She probably saw me walk up to preach. She probably turned it off. But, um, you know, she tried to teach me how to how to talk, right? She would I would I would call her call It sounds like it's still got issues today. Uh, I would call her Warren. Warren. All right. I can thank God I can barely say it how I used to say it, but she would try to help me. She would say, you know, repeat after me. She would go l and I would go la. She would go la Lauren. And I used to come back at her and say la one. And I just couldn't I couldn't quite couldn't quite get it out um right. And so after her speech pathology, her class didn't work. I was enrolled in Mary Blunt uh every Thursday at 12:15. I remember it. My dad would call me uh the office would call me and my dad would be waiting on me. Um and he would have me a Big Mac with Mac sauce and onions only, a large fry, Brother Andrew, and a large sweet tea. That was my lunch every Thursday at 12:15. I had two and a half minutes to scarf it down. Uh my class turned at 12:30. I had two and a half on the drive down to Mary Blunt. when I had time to scarf uh my lunch down, my big M every Thursday. It was like clockwork for for my second and third grade year. Um and thankfully those two grades only took two years. It didn't take longer. So, and uh you know, fifth grade was the toughest five years of my life, but nothing like that. It was um Thursdays 2 or 12:15. My dad would be waiting on me. And I remember going in I remember going into the first uh the first class was super nice lady and she was there to help me. It was just it was just her and I and um I remember she um we begin to talk and I just you know that thought there was really nothing to it. It was just conversation and and uh at the end she says Nolan um you have problems with your Rs and your S's. And I remember being so hurt, okay? And I walked out and my mom and dad were there waiting on me and um u I said, "Mom, that woman said I had troubles with my O's and my S's." And she said, "No, how mean of her to say such a thing." And uh just only the way my mother can. She said, "Let's work on it. Let's go back. Let's see what she says next week." week and so and there really wasn't much homework the first week and so I went back uh the second week and she brought out this machine and she wanted to test my hearing and um she says well um with with those ears uh you hear perfect and uh I was trying to think what are you trying to say um all right it was just like as a kid it's again I was like a chihuahua I had these big ears and u big teeth and I don't know, I was like 110 percentile, my two front teeth and my ears. And then thankfully my body grew into them as we got older. Uh but she said, "Nolan, your your ears um you hear perfect." And I said, "Okay." She said, "But you still have problems uh with your Rs and your S's." And and I I said I remember saying, "Are you sure?" And I I probably said, "Are you sure?" You know, that's how I talked. Are you sure? And um she said yes. And I remember I remember Sister Boyd her grabbing a a telephone and she put the the the telephone. There's it's just like it was just like a tube and um it literally just connected your your mouth um to your ears. And I began to talk and I realized in the second week of that class that I indeed did have a um a speech impediment. And um and I again don't need anybody to feel sorry for me, but that day a second grader was crushed at um that you know Lauren wasn't just lying to me that I actually did have I remember going up to her too at lunch and I think it would embarrass her. I I would say one do you have any toys? All right, I wasn't asking for a turtle. I was asking for quarters. All right, quarters. I need 75 cents to buy something out of the the machine. And uh so the bully was right because the speech pathologist said um that you have you have a speech impediment. And what's crazy is I was in such denial for that week. I got so used to hearing the wrong sounds and syllables that I convinced myself that my speech was normal. But that second Thursday, I walked out knowing that I had to change my voice. All right? And I I got you I got you feeling sorry for me tonight. And now I'm going to hit hit you with some preacher. All right? I've pulled you in with a little story, making fun of myself, and now I'm going to slap you upside the head. All right? Because your ears can deceive you to thinking what you are hearing is correct. All right? My ears had convinced me that my voice was normal. And we ought to be careful getting used to hearing a voice that is not right. All right? It's a voice that cannot speak truth, but it comes through our ears and we think everything's okay. I found myself as a second grader finding out that my ears had been lying to me, that my voice was right, that everything was good. And we better be careful who we let speak into our ears, because eventually we will con be we will convince ourselves of what we are hearing with our ears is correct. Because your ears can deceive you into thinking that voice is speaking truth when it's really not speaking truth at all. We can convince ourselves even though it's contrary to everything you you know, everything you been taught upon the word of God. Let someone be talking in your ears something that is not true. and you'll find yourself as a second grader trying to convince yourself that you really don't have a problem. Your ears can deceive you into thinking what you're what you're hearing is correct even though it's a voice. How do how do people how do people backslide? How do people walk out from a church that's been preaching truth that church that they used to love? It's because they'll let somebody get in their ears and begin to talk to them. The church is not different. The message is not different. The only thing that is different is a voice that begins to talk to you. A voice that begins to speak to you. Whether that be a voice of culture and now the popular thing to do is to be a podcaster. If it be a podcaster that they have convinced you that the way that you have been raised, you need to deconstruct that faith. What am I hearing with my ears? If I'm not careful, like Jesus said, we got to take heed to what we are allowing ourselves to hear. There is a right and there is a wrong. If we're not careful, we'll let that enemy come into our ear and we'll think that they are speaking truth when they are not. My goal tonight is simple. Just to get us to take heed in what we are allowing ourselves to hear so you can convince yourself that it you are hearing the truth. You are hearing the right thing. But that's not the case at all. And the Bible says that what you hear it shall be measured to you and unto you that that hear shall be given more. This is the same this is the same principle that that it's pressed down, shaken together, and running over. This is a good and a bad thing. If you listen to the right things, then you're going to crave the right things. Your desire for good, strong, if you love the preaching of God's word or if you love the reading of God's word, it's something you can't live without. It's something that you can't go long without. But if you if you've tuned your ear away from God's word, then what you allow yourself to hear or not hear will be pressed down, shaking together, and running over. That's not just a good principle in scripture, but it's also a bad principle. It could be it could be of consequence, too. What you what you allow yourself to hear, you will crave that that much more. There are plenty of voices in the Bible. There's plenty of voices that we could talk about tonight. And and just to put them in three uh different categories tonight, uh I want to talk about God's voice, Satan's voice, and then we have man's voice. The first voice that we see speak or we hear speak in the very beginning is Genesis 1 and3. And God said, "Let there be light." And there was light. Verse six, "And God said, let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters." Verse nine, "And God said, let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear." And it was so. Every time God spoke, it was it was so. We see God's voice then speak to man, the man Adam in Genesis 2:16. And I'm and I I plan to read a lot of scripture tonight because what better voice can you hear uh than the word of God. But Genesis 2:16 says, "And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, of every tree of the garden, thou mayest freely eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it. For in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die. When God speaks here in Genesis 2:16-1 17, notice the freedom that is associated with his commandment. Whenever God speaks to us, there is always a freedom that God allows for us to partake in. God says to Adam, he says, "You may freely eat of anything in the garden except one tree, the knowledge of good and evil." Of course, this is um uh the most elementary Sunday school lesson you could ever teach. But there is a freedom with God's commandments. But then we see a second voice. And we've heard it preached before and I think it's it's so true and very powerful that we're concerned with the mark of the beast in Revelation. But really the the mark of the beast that will send more h will has sinned and will send more people to hell is the the mark of the beast in Genesis 3 and verse number one. It says, "Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God hath made. And he said unto the woman, "Yay, HATH GOD SAID, "YE SHALL NOT eat of every tree of the garden." The first question mark in your Bible was asked or was put there by Satan. God has been a God up to statements. He's been a God that declares. When he said, "Let there be," there was. When he said, "Let there be light," there was light. But now we have this different symbol in scripture. We have a question mark. And we see this second voice come to to Eve and say, "Did God really say?" Immediately this voice changes Eve's ear to stop hearing about the freedom. And now she starts hearing about the captivity that she's currently living in. Notice with God, it's about freedom. you may freely eat. But with Satan, that different voice speaks to Eve and says, "Hey, did God say, did God say that you shall not eat of every tree of the garden?" Do you see the focus here? The focus is not, brother Marshall, on the freedom, the the beautiful freedom that God allows us to have. This voice gets us to focus on the captivity that you're in, the rules that you're under. how how unfair for God to put you in a place that YOU CAN'T EXPERIENCE ALL THAT HE HAS to offer. This question mark of God's word. And this is where I really feel like tonight I was praying here this this afternoon. I I prayed here this morning asking God to speak to us. And it it's just it boggles my mind how how somebody could hear preaching all their life and now that preaching just turns a a pit in their stomach. and now how it's a bunch of different rules that you have to live by. What happened? Where where where did the the person go that you love the preaching? You love strong preaching of of God's word and and God's commandments, but but now you you you just say that's a bunch of you're just a bunch of slaves in captivity. What happens? Somebody begin to speak that's not according to God's word. Somebody begin to talk to say, "Hey, you really need to get off the freedom and focus on what you can't do." do. But I've come to tell us tonight there are some good things we can do in the presence of God. There's some good things. ISN'T ISN'T A GOOD LIFE TO live for the Lord? Yes, I know there's some commandments in here. I know THERE'S SOME THOU SHALT NOT. BUT IF WE OBEY THE THOU SHALT NOT, WE MIGHT HAVE PEACE IN OUR MINDS. WE MIGHT HAVE THE PRESENCE OF GOD IN OUR SOUL. THERE IS A A BEAUTIFUL FREEDOM LIVING FOR THE LORD. I WISH I COULD GET AN AMEN TONIGHT. THAT THERE IS NO BETTER LIFE THAN LIVING FOR THE LORD. There's no better life. But all that second voice, that second voice begins to get Eve to focus on what you can't do. Wow, Satan, you're really exaggerating when you come to Eve. You're speaking God's word. Because we must understand that Satan knows God's word. And Satan knows God's word than a lot of us better than a lot of us. Did God really say that you you can't eat of everything, you shall not eat of every tree of the garden? No. You you you got to get your focus back. Eve, God did not say, and this is what she responded back to him. It said, "The woman said to the serpent, we may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, but of the fruit of the tree, which I'm going to change my perception back to the freedom. It's just one tree. And then and Satan wants us to focus on what we can't do. But Eve responds back with what we can do. But the three the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, "Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest you die." And the serpent said unto the woman, "Ye shall not surely die." That's the second voice. For God doth know that in the day you eat thereof, then your eyes shall be open, and you shall be as God's. God's holding you back. That's that second voice that begins to talk, knowing good and evil. Here's a problem. Eve is entertaining a conversation that she really shouldn't be having. That's that's that that's the problem is letting that conversation happen. Now, I don't know. I wasn't I wasn't there. I I don't I don't think animals could talk. Um, I don't think any and you see this serpent come sliding up and of course we know, hey, don't have the conversation. But anytime a conversation turns to going against God's word, that's not a conversation worth having. All right? You're not going to convince you're not going to convince some people of God's word. It's not worth getting in an argument. And I love what pastor says that this thing is too precious to argue over. If somebody is hungry, then you could speak the word of God to them. But you're not going to convince a devil that that that there is freedom in in God's house. But you got to be careful on what you allow your ears to hear. I want to warn somebody tonight or maybe even just warn myself or or warn my generation. If you're constantly hearing the voice, the the voice that God's word is keeping you from a life of pleasure or God's commands have you captive. It's not might, it's not maybe, but it's when your ears get you to act. All right? It's not a good idea to have conversations with people and you just talk about how negative it is living for the Lord or how strict the church may rules may be. I have to do this to get in the choir. I have to do this. I have to do this to get on in ministry. That's those are not good conversations to have because there are plenty of freedoms in living for God. There are plenty of freedoms. The Bible says if we're going to go down if we're going to go down the route of of rules and regulations, we can hear that holiness is a bad word. Or I can hear the word of the Lord that follow peace with all men. and holiness. Why are we a holy church without which no man shall see THE LORD? ANY CONVERSATION THAT DEGRADES HOLINESS IS NOT A CONVERSATION WORTH HAVING. ANY CONVERSATION THAT DEGRADES HOW OUR WOMEN DRESS or how our men act is not a conversation worth having. All right. So many times we get in conversations with people and and we begin to we just try to talk about uh you know different things around the church and and but but when it comes to tearing down God's holy word that's not a conversation worth having. It's a different voice. I don't want it in my ear. It's it's you can hear those things. But I've heard God's word speak in Ephesians 5:27 that he might PRESENT IT TO HIMSELF a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish. I beg you in the name of the Lord tonight to take heed to what you are allowing your ears to hear. I beg you tonight, not just what you say, but the conversations. There's a principle. I don't know if it's in the scripture, but you are guilty by association. All right? It's hard to be in that crowd that's constantly degrading God's word or God forbid degrading the preaching of God's holy word. And I'm not talking about this preacher up here that overcame a speech impediment at two and three, sec the second to third grade. I'm not talking about my preaching. If our pastor gets up here and preach tonight, I'm glad he's not here because I want to preach on him just a little bit. God, help us not to have conversations tearing down the authority of our man of God. God help us tonight IF THERE ARE ANY CONVERSATIONS GOING ON TRYING TO GRADE HIS AUTHORITY. GOD'S NOT PLEASED WITH IT. I'M TELLING US, CHURCH, GOD'S NOT PLEASED WITH IT. WHY? BECAUSE ONE DAY WHEN SIN COMES IN YOUR LIFE, YOU'RE GOING TO BE COMING BACK TO THAT MAN OF GOD AND YOU'RE SAYING, "WHERE DID I GO WRONG, PASTOR? WHERE DID MY FAMILY GO WRONG?" YES, HE CAN TELL YOU. I TOLD YOU SO. BUT YOU WON'T FIND HIM THAT WAY. YOU'LL find him trying to put you back on your feet. Be careful. Be careful tonight. But you allow your ears to hear. you're not a part OF THE YOU'RE NOT YOU'RE NOT ADDING to the conversation but if it enters your ears Jesus says to us take heed to what you are allowing yourselves to hear Genesis 3 and9 we'll finish this story and we'll go on to the next voice and the Lord God called unto Adam and said unto him where art thou Satan asked a question and now man's sin now God himself has to ask questions he says where art thou And he said, "I heard thy voice in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked and I hid myself." Adam's ears heard that voice that you he used to hear in the cool of the day. That voice that brought him comfort now brings him condemnation. All right? That voice that used to bring him peace now brings him fear. HOW IN THE WORLD DID THIS HAPPEN, ADAM? I'll tell you how it happened. You let a different voice get in your ear. Now that voice that used to bring you comfort, now you're hiding yourself from it. That voice that used to bring you just such great joy to hear, now you feel condemnation that God is asking where you are. How does this happen? It's when your ears are listening to the wrong voice. It changes how God's voice sounds. When you are in a wrong group and you partake in wrong conversations, that same preaching you used to love to hear now and that just it just sounds angry. How's that happen? You get your ears tuned to the wrong the wrong voice. That preaching that you used to love him, get up here, get all red. I remember sis Sister Masa in the old church. I remember you coming up to dad after a Sunday night service where we had so many we had the the row of chairs and and you come up to dad and you said we need a new church and dad's like yes sister Moss we need a new church and you said no while you were preaching you spit on me. All right. Yeah. Yeah. THAT'S THE PREACHING I LIKE TO HEAR TONIGHT. I LIKE TO HEAR THAT GOOD OLDFASHIONED RED FACE THAT FIERY PREACHER YOU KNOW BUT IF WE ARE NOT CAREFUL WE'LL LISTEN TO CULTURE THAT WE GOT TO HAVE A BAR STOOL UP HERE AND you got to be 20 MINUTES IN AND OUT. YOU GOT TO HAVE YOUR SERMON, the four points. You got to end with a kumbaya. No, no, no. I'M NOT LISTENING TO THAT VOICE. GIVE ME THAT OLD TIME PENTECOST. GIVE ME THAT OLD TIME PENTECOST. AND IT'S A WEDNESDAY NIGHT, BUT SOMEBODY BEGINS TO PREACH THE WORD OF THE LORD. I'M NOT GOING TO LET A VOICE TURN WHAT USED TO COMFORT ME INTO CONDEMNATION. NO, NO, NO. CONVICT ME, PREACHER. THAT'S WHAT I NEED TO HEAR. That's what I need to hear. But Adam, that voice, that voice that used to comfort you, now you feel like it condemns you. Hey, I look at people in my generation that used to serve God and now they don't. That same preaching they love to hear that same word. Maybe they used to preach. Now it's just all condemnation. What in the world happened? It was a different voice. It was a different voice. The word did not change. The anointing did not change. The church didn't change. The only thing that changed was a different voice that began to speak in your ear. And he said, "Who told you that you were naked?" God's asking Adam. He's saying, "Who who what voice are you listening to now? Who told you that you were naked? Hast thou eaten the tree whereof I commanded thee thou should us not eat? God's asking him who's been speaking in your ear. And in the first three chapters of our Bibles, we have identified two voices. We have the voice of God and we have the voice of Satan. And now we slip into, and I'll spend plenty of time here, we we slip into the voice of a man. Elijah goes from hearing that Israel has backsliden, hearing that they're worshiping the prophet or they're they're worshiping the false god Baal. And and we see that Elijah Elijah goes from hearing this. Now Elijah gets fed up with it and and he calls down fire from heaven. We know this story quite well that he has ears to hear. He has ears to hear what God will do. But he hears the false prophets, the 450 prophets of Baal. He that he begins to hear them defy God and begin to pray to their God. And once God rains down fire on the altar, first Kings 18-41, he speaks to Ahab. This is on his way out. He's speaking to Ahab. He says, "Get thee up. Eat and drink, for there is a sound of abundance of rain. Everything's going good." He heard God speak. He heard the sound of abundance of rain. He has his ear He has his ear tuned just right. But then the voice of a man comes. And really, it's not even a voice of a man. It's a voice of man, but it's a voice of a woman in First Kings 19. And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done. And with all how he had slain all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, "So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them, by tomorrow, about this time, Jezebel says to Elijah, by this time tomorrow, you're going to be just like one of those 450 dead prophets." He's heard the voice of God. He's heard the sound of abundance of right. He's got his ears, brother Nathan. Just tune right to God's word. But let the man, let a woman, the voice of of man, an evil spirit, Jezebel, begin to speak. And when she begins to speak to him through a messenger, verse number three, AND WHEN HE SAW THAT, he arose and went for his life, came to Beersa, which belonged to Judah and left his servant there. I mean, we've still got the fire kindling brother Mike on the altar. All right. This is not long after. This is this is this is the next day. All right. All right. By this time tomorrow, you're going to be by this time tomorrow, you're going to be like the the the the prophets of uh uh the the prophets of Baal. You're going to be like those one of those 450 dead prophets. You got the fire still kindling on the altar. You still got the rain. You still got the rains uh uh pouring down, but now a messenger a messenger tells you that Jezebel is going to kill you. All right. You've heard God speak, but now you listen to the voice of Jezebel. And no, I I I I really like what this this first three words, the first three words of verse number uh verse number three says u verse number three, the first four words. And when he saw when he saw that when he saw that he arose and went for his life, notice Elijah begins to see differently when he hears the voice of Jezebel. Because it's not just what comes in your ears. What comes in your ears usually affects how you see. And it's I don't know why it's so much easier to see. You can picture it with your eyes when the enemy speaks. But we have a tough time seeing it with our eyes when God speaks. And that's what Elijah finds himself in. He finds himself hearing the evil voice of man, the evil voice of Jezebel. Jezebel's voice doesn't just affect what you hear, but it affects how you see your life. He He goes from seeing God do miraculous things. Now, this this mighty prophet is fearful from his for his life because of an evil queen named Jezebel. Elijah's not seeing the dead prophets. He's not seeing water fallen or fire falling from the sky or or that cloud the size of a man's hand that turned into a dark cloud that that put rain and broke the drought. He is now seeing the possibility of what Jezebel can do to him. How'd this happen? He let it get in his ears. He let that word get in his ears. He believes what he is hearing with his ears. Jezebel might be a voice of a man or voice of man, but there is a spirit behind this voice. The spirit behind the voice of Jezebel is against anything that stands for truth. Anything that stands for an absolute, you're going to see Jezebel's voice coming not too far behind. It is literally, I heard it put this way today, and I like this that it's literally the last tool of the enemy is Jezebel's voice. And I've come to tell us tonight that Jezebel's voice can stop an Elijah or if Jezebel's voice can stop a church and that church is not powerful at all. But I've come to tell us that the church and Elijah will be triumphant. The Elijah will see God move again. Elijah will see. And I know so many times it's easy to get in the dumps. It's easy for Elijah. Elijah goes from calling down fire from heaven. Now he hides underneath a tree and he says, "God, just take me now. Just end it all. End it all." How how do we go from few hours ago you call down fire from heaven and now you're fearful because a woman says she's going to kill you. All right. It's because it got in his ears and it affected how he saw life. It affected how he thought about himself. And we see that God put him asleep. God fed him. God woke him up by an angel and fed him. But here he is still running from Jezebel. First Kings 19-11 says, "And he said,"Go forth and stand upon the mount before the Lord, and behold, the Lord passed by and a great and strong wind the mountains and break in pieces the rocks before the Lord." But the Lord was not in the wind. It's not about what you can see. After the wind, an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. What you see, God was not in. After the earthquake, a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. But after a fire, Elijah, I got to fix how you're hearing again. I'm I'm going to allow you to see some things. I'm going allow you to see the fire come by. I'm allow you to see the earthquake come by. I'm going allow you to see the winds what it can do. But Elijah, I need to check that your ears still hear. And after the fire, a still small voice be to speak. God was telling Elijah, "It's not about what you see, but what's more importantly, I got to I got to fix how you can hear. You can see Jezebel's power, but Elijah, I need you to see or I need you to hear that still small voice." It's a little It's a little uh New Testament lesson for Elijah. For we walk by faith and not by sight. It's a little it's a little New Testament lesson for Elijah. Well, how do you go from faith? How do you go from hearing to about faith? Well, the Bible says in Romans 10:17, "So then faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God." I can see with my eyes that God said to walk around the walls of Jericho six times and then seven times on the final day. But I look at my eyes and I see the walls that are just as big and the walls that are just as long and the walls that are just as wide. BUT I HEARD GOD SAY on the seventh day you're going to blow the trumpets and the walls are going to fall. You can go by what you see or you can go by what you hear God's word says. And I want to choose to hear God's word and believe it with all MY HEART BECAUSE FAITH COMES BY hearing and hearing by the word of the Lord. I I I SERVE A GOD THAT IS ABLE TO SAY, "DESTROY THIS TEMPLE." THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO SEE WITH YOUR EYES. BUT ON THAT EASTER SUNDAY MORNING, IN THREE DAYS, I'M GOING TO RAISE it up. Your your your eyes may deceive you, but when you hear God's word, that will never that will never deceive you. And when it was so, it was so. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in the mantle and went out and stood in entering of the cave. And behold, there came a voice unto him and said, "What in the world are you still doing here, Elijah? Now that you got your ears fixed, that good checkup in the cave, not your eyes. You're going to see a bunch of crazy things with your eyes, but as long as you don't let your ears get affected by that voice, need you to get busy. Go preach. And God did did did miracles through the rest of Elijah's the le the rest of Elijah's life. And just for the next few minutes, I want to speak about another voice of of man that we see in the book of Proverbs. Proverbs is is the book of wisdom. And it it is a book that speaks of if we had time tonight just to dive into this, we could spend a whole series on the different voices of uh in the book of Proverbs. In the book of Proverbs, you have the voice of wisdom. That's a good voice to listen to you. But then you have the also you have also the voice of a fool. That's another voice in the book of Proverbs. You have the voice of the simple uh in the book of Proverbs. But then you have the voice of a of a scorner. I never want to be a scorner. Never want to be somebody who is cynical or or critical of people trying to to do their best. And in in the book of Proverbs, the scorner is somebody who's got a dangerous voice. A dangerous voice. The scorner is a scoffer or it's a mocker. It's a mocker of the things of God. It's a mocker of of someone trying to do right. And the scorner in the scripture is is oftentimes like the fool in the book of Proverbs except that they have chosen to be critical of those doing the right thing. All right? And to give you a little just little synopsis, just a real small excerpt of of of of this these voices. The simple person is is clueless. The fool is careless. But the scorner is critical. And we must refuse to be the voice of a scorner. A person who is critical about the things of God or the ways of God. Psalms 1 tells us, Psalms 1 and1 says, "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor siteth in the seat of the scornful." This tells us that this is a choice that we all can make. We can choose to sit in the seat of the scornful. Be critical about Be cool about your job. Be critical about your politics. Be critical about your favorite sports teams. But for heaven's sakes, don't be critical about God's church. Don't be critical about the things of God or the ways of God. What is so sad about the scorner in the book of Proverbs is that oftent times the person who is a scorner does not recognize that they are a scorner. It's kind of like if if you know everybody they say everybody's got that ant you know that that ant that crazy ant. And if you don't know who the crazy ant is then you're the crazy ant you know. So, it's kind of like that way with scripture that that the scorner doesn't know that they are a scorner. They think that their ways are above everybody and they recognize everyone else's mistakes but are are are a failure at one thing and that is the failure to be critical about themselves. If you try to discipline a scorner, I just want to identify the voice of a scorner. It's my goal tonight. If you try to discipline a scorner, they will hate you. According to the book of Proverbs, Proverbs 9:8, reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee. But if you rebuke a wise man, he will love thee. The Bible says that a scorner cannot be reasoned with. No. Why? Why on this Wednesday night? You're all by yourself. We, if you wanted to, we could have the band up here. playing shout beats and and this is such a good church. We would shout on a Wednesday night. You're all by yourself and this is what you choose to preach. I want to tell you a scorner has sent more people to hell than the lack of praise and worship because a scornful person is dangerous once it reaches your ears. Once their voice reaches your ear that the the scorner the Bible says that they cannot be reasoned with. The scorner feels like they are the judge of everyone. They are the judge of everyone else in their life. They control it with their critical voice. There's a stench to a scorner. Bible says the thoughts of foolishness is sin. The scorner is an abomination to men. Now, it doesn't talk about a stench in here, but this is a bomb. Anybody who's around a scorner is going to have the sin of a scorner. If you're in the trash with the scorner, you're going to smell like trash, right? There's a stench that that comes with a scorner because a scorner can't let anybody reach get to the top. It's like that old crab that you've heard the illustration of that one crab, you just you don't have to have a lid. You just have to have two crabs. And and once a crab gets to the top, one crab will reach up. that old scorner reach up and says, "Nobody's going to get above me." And pull them right back to the bottom. It's a voice. It's a voice of a scorner. Come to just just warn us tonight to just take take heed. And I'm not thinking about anybody in particular. If if you are thinking about somebody in your mind, then you might be the corner. Okay? Not thinking of anybody. I just want us to take heed of voices that you could allow your ears to hear. And I've heard this statement made before that, uh, well, you know, he was just venting to me. No, that's not how that works because you are just as responsible for what you allow your ears to hear as if you were saying it out of your own mouth. All right? It's according to scripture. That's just not my thoughts. That's according to scripture. Take heed to what you hear because what you hear, what you allow your ears to hear is is something that you'll crave the next time. You'll crave it even more and even more. The script the the scripture cannot lie. It's impossible to receive critical words in your in your ears without changing how that you view that person that that scorner is talking about. But the Bible gives us a a good indication, a great thing. It gives us a great thing on how to stop this voice. The Bible says in Proverbs 26 and 20, where no wood is, the fire goeth out. So where there is no tail bearer or scorner, the strife sees it. See, and it sounds like I need to go back to class. Seizeth. All right. Where there is no fuel, WHAT'S THE FUEL? IT'S GOSSIP. IF YOU ARE IN CONVERSATIONS THAT ARE GOSSIPING, YOU ARE A PART OF A SCORNFUL CONVERSATIONS. OH, if I can get an amen here tonight. All right. IF YOU'RE A PART OF OF A CONVERSATIONS THAT ARE PULLING PEOPLE DOWN, THAT'S THE FUEL TO A fire that a scorner wants to create. Come to tell us tonight, we got to watch what conversations were a part of. All right. A scorner wants to wants it to just be so it wants it to sound good with their words, but then at the end somehow it's all about pulling the pastor down. It's all about, hey, there's not really opportunities. Let's just pull the pastor down. That those are those are conversations that I promise you tonight are not worth that are not not worth having. He is not pleased with scornful conversations. But this is what the Bible says about scorners is to drive them out of your midst. Proverbs 22 and10 says, "Cast out the scorner and the contention shall go out. Yay, strife and reproach shall cease." If you cast out, and I'm not talking about going to somebody say, "I'm not going to be your friend no more." That's like elementary. All right? What I'm talking about is don't give your ears to their voice. You cast out the scorn. cast out their voice of that negative talk that pulling people down. And I promise you, the Bible is true. And and and the strife and contention, reproach shall cease. Have to cast out their voice because how what you let in your ears, Eve, is going to let is going to affect what you do. It's going to affect how you act, Elijah. It's going to affect how you see life. It's going to affect how you see people. it's going to affect. But the Bible says to cast out the scorner. That's how simple it is, right? Cast the voice out that says that everything's wrong. That everything is not the way that people want it to see. Cast out the scorner and the contention shall go out. Strife and reproach shall cease. And I've looked at this scripture, Proverbs 18:21. And I always thought it was about the words. It was the words that you speak. death and life are in the power of the tongue. But I believe there might be a two-fold message here that it's also about the the the tongue that you allow your ears to hear. That death and life are in the power of the tongue. This is not just about what you speak. This is about what you allow your ears to hear. It's also about the speaker. Another another scripture that that that almost scares me to death, church, if I'm honest, that the words of a tail bearer, the words of a scorner are as wounds in Proverbs 26 and 22. They're as wounds. They go down in the innermost parts of your belly. Brother Nolan, what in the world are you talking about? the wounds of a scorner, the wounds of a tail bearer, THE THAT THAT THAT ALWAYS HAS THE DIRT ON PEOPLE. All right, God forbid. And I might just preach this screen so nobody thinks I'm preaching to to them tonight, but we got to watch the conversations we have about people, right? We got to watch the conversations. I know your family's perfect and you think that everybody else has got dirt on them, that there's going to be one day that you need some mercy, too. And the Bible is true. Whatever you sow, that's what you're GOING TO REAP. I want to SEW MERCY SO ONE DAY WHEN MY KID LITTLE MAGNOLIA ONE DAY WHEN SHE'S A HELION AND I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT ONE DAY MIGHT HAPPEN FLAM BUT ONE DAY I'M GONNA NEED SOME PARENTS IN THIS CHURCH TO HAVE MERCY ON MY BABY AND I HOPE YOU LOOK BACK AND SAY MAN IN 2026 NOLAN WAS AWFUL KIND TO MY KID BECAUSE I WANT TO I don't want to I DON'T WANT TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS OF A SCORNER. All right, it's not a good thing if SOMEBODY CAN TRUST YOU WITH information on dirt on people. All right. Those are not conversations. God, I I I sound so mean tonight. I I apologize, but it's the truth. Don't let people think you're just a soundboard for their gossip, a soundboard for their negativity, a soundboard for everything that's wrong in the church. All right? >> It's not good converations. Innermost part, innermost parts of the belly. But then we see Jesus. All right. that the tail bear the the wounds of a tail bear and this is where we'll end tonight. The wounds of a tail tail bearer are as wounds. The words of a tail bearer are as wounds and they go down to the innermost parts of the belly. Jesus says in the New Testament in John 7:38, "He that believeth on me, as the scripture has said, OUT OF HIS BELLY SHALL FLOW rivers of living water." And some people wonder why they come to the house of God and they can't feel anything. IT'S BECAUSE YOU'VE GOT WOUNDS IN A PLACE WHERE GOD IS SUPPOSED TO FLOW FROM. YOU'VE BEEN WONDERING WHY GOD CAN'T MOVE THROUGH YOU OR YOU CAN'T FEEL GOD. IT'S BECAUSE WE'VE ALLOWED GOSSIP AND NEGATIVITY. WORDS OF A TAIL BEARER. WORDS LIES UPON PEOPLE. WORDS OF A SCORNER to wound where God is supposed to move out of. YOU WONDER WHY YOU CAN'T FEEL GOD IN THAT IN HIS house is because the place he's supposed to move from is wounded by conversations you shouldn't be having. I felt that word so strong in my spirit that wounds or rivers can flow out of you. And it's all about what comes in your ears. You can hear the word of the Lord that rivers of living water shall flow. Or you can hear the words of a tail bearer that take that innermost parts of your belly and cause wounds. You come to church, but all you can think about the is the gossip you heard, but someone next to you is letting the rivers of living water flow out of their belly. How can you hear the same message, one gets a touch of God, but one just has those wounds from the tail bearer, that wounds of a scorner? How can you hear the same songs, the same worship leading tonight? You heard brother Josh sing and and people are being touched in the altar, but all you could think about is that person on the stage and and what you know about them that's not even true. All right, it's the wounds of a tail bearer. But God, tonight, I I hope I hope somebody's getting touched by the Lord tonight. God, let that rivers of living water flow where I allow gossip to get in me. Let Let the rivers of living water flow where I allowed that scorner to get in my ear and cause wounds into my spirit. Because God's word is flowing out of us if our ears will hear and not wounds where God is supposed to flow. Be so kind to stand with me. And I know this is this is an unusual this is an unusual message tonight. And I hope the Lord I hope the Lord speaks to us this evening. I hope the Lord has spoke to you this evening. Not thinking about anybody in particular. Absolutely not. But I'm just talking about voices that could affect your life. Be so kind to bow your heads with me and close your eyes. But most importantly, would you lift your voice and let's ask the Lord to help us. Let's ask God's word to speak to us tonight. God's word has spoken. And I'm asking everybody lift your voice right now. Come on. You've let things get in your ears that are not pleasing unto God. Come on. You've let Satan begin TO TELL YOU THAT God's word God's word that really doesn't mean that when when they're just we're just saying the same thing. We're just saying there's three and then and we're saying there's one. We're really saying the same. Did Did God really say that holiness HOLINESS IS IMPORTANT? DID GOD REALLY SAY THIS THAT THAT YOU HAVE TO COME TO MIDWEEK Bible study? NO. THERE THERE IS A FREEDOM IN GOD'S HOUSE THAT I CHOOSE TO LIVE BY. THERE IS A FREEDOM OF GOD'S WORD THAT I CHOOSE TO LIVE BY through the LORD IN THIS PLACE TONIGHT. GOD, IF I'VE GOT ANYTHING IN MY HEART, GOD, IF I'VE ALLOWED WORDS TO COME IN MY EARS OF OF TEAR OF TELLING TEARING PEOPLE DOWN, GOD, IT'S CAUSED TO GOD, YOU NOT TO BE ABLE TO FLOW THROUGH ME, GOD. THOSE WOUNDS OF A TAIL BEARER. GOD, TONIGHT, GOD, YOU WANT TO HAVE RIVERS OF LIVING WATER COME HEAL, GOD, WHAT TAIL BEARERS HAVE WOUNDED. GOD, YOU WANT TO SPEAK TO SOMEBODY TONIGHT, GOD, WHERE THAT GOSSIPER OR THAT SCORNER BEGIN TO TALK TO THEM AND IN THEIR INNERMOST BEING, IT HAS BEEN WOUNDED BY THE LIES, WOUNDED BY THE GOSSIP, GOD, you want that spirit of li that that that water, THAT LIVING WATER TO FLOW out of that belly tonight, God, and heal tonight, Lord. I want to listen to the right voices, God. I WANT A VOICE THAT PUTS ME CLOSER TO YOU, NOT ME QUESTIONING EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU, LORD. GOD, I want my ears, God, TO BE ATTENTIVE, GOD. GOD, HE THAT HATH AN EAR, LET HIM HEAR WHAT THE SPIRIT SAYS TO THE CHURCH, GOD, I FEEL YOU IN THIS ROOM RIGHT NOW, CHURCH, FOR THE NEXT 30 SECONDS, GOD, COULD WE JUST ASK GOD TO HELP US ON WHAT WE ALLOW OURSELVES TO HEAR, TAKE HEED OF OURSELVES, WHAT WE ALLOW OUR EARS to hear. God, God, I thank you tonight for such a good church, Lord. God, I KNOW YOU SPOKE TO ME THIS WORD FOR SOMEBODY TONIGHT, LORD. Let our ears hear the right thing, God. God, and we'll walk in fullness of truth, God. We'll walk in the fullness of life, LORD. GOD, WE'LL WALK IN THE PEACE, GOD. THAT VOICE I USED TO HEAR, GOD, THAT CALLS PEACE IN MY SOUL, GOD. IF NOW I HEAR CONDEMNATION, GOD, I'M LISTENING to the wrong voice. God, we do everything in your name. In Jesus name. In Jesus name we pray. Could we clap our hands all across this room tonight? Thank you Lord. Thank you Lord. Thank you so much for coming to the house of the Lord tonight. Shake hands and be friendly and we'll see you Sunday morning. God bless you.