With Haste
by Raymond Sloan
December 19, 2021 · Cornerstone Apostolic Church (Chattanooga, TN)
Kind: sermon
Scripture: Luke 2:1-15, Luke 2:16-18, Acts 2:37-39

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

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the truth of the matter is when we look into history we look into the events that brought this time of year to us if you will we noticed that the doctor the physician luke there was a whole lot of activity going on in in what he wrote about the account of that day and and i do hope listen to pastor for just a moment i do hope parents that you will stop before you open the gifts around your tree if you so do if you do that and you will first spend time remembering what it's about at my house our custom is we read the christmas story before anything happens and we get there we sit down and one of the kids will get the bible out anybody remember that yeah and they read the christmas story i'm going to help you though today luke 2 came to pass in those days that there went out a decree from caesar augustus that all the world should be taxed this taxing was first made when cerinius was governor of syria and all went to be taxed everyone into his own city and joseph verse 4 says also went up from galilee out of the city of nazareth into judea under the city of david which is called bethlehem and again another parenthesis because he was of the house lineage david to be taxed with mary his espoused wife being great with child so it was that while they were there the days were accomplished that she should be delivered she brought forth her firstborn son wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn and there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field keeping watch over their flock by night and lo the angel of the lord came upon them and the glory of the lord shone round about them and they were sore frayed the angel said unto them fear not for behold i bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people for unto you is born this day in the city of david a savior which is christ the lord this shall be a sign unto you you shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger and suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of heavenly hosts praising god and saying glory to god in the highest and on earth peace good will toward men came to pass as the angels were gone away from them into heaven the shepherds said one to another let us now go even unto bethlehem and see this thing which has come to pass which the lord hath made known unto us everybody say my favorite story the christmas story the greatest story ever told to humanity this should bring a smile to your face when you hear this story it ought to bring an excitement to your ear once you realize what happened on that particular day a savior came to the world a savior came because people prayed listen carefully now that means in that day they were looking for a savior if you go into your history books and you'll notice very very descriptively that they would cry they would seek they would look for salvation it was prophesied about by the old prophecy it was talked about there's one coming out there generation upon generation would talk about the messiah the christ salvation coming to the earth and finally in the new testament it begins to unfold and luke the physician wrote the words and you and i read them today in 2021 i've come to tell you today that when jesus came it was an exciting and a momentous time on planet earth listen some would accept him with joy others would be fearful of him and like try to find him to destroy him remember herod's story there was a lot of speculation out there there was a lot of conversation that went on what does this mean how can it happen there was zachariah who had the encounter with the angel and the burning while he was burning incense in the temple there was mary who came face to face with an angel and she accepted the declaration from heaven that the word of god would be born in her joseph he got the same story that mary got in the midst of his doubt and his fear and his questions and wondering what to do confirmation came to joseph and he received it and he said so let it be there was so much going on in that hour y'all hang with me for a moment there were so many things the past the present and the future of the world was at stake at this moment but we must understand that god was up to something great and miraculous as we celebrate this moment in 2021 what does it really mean to you and i what does it really mean to you and how excited do you get when you talk about salvation coming to the earth what does your heart say when you realize that sin and shame can be dealt with what does it mean to you that when you hear the message of the birth of the christ child what happens in your heart and in your mind when you recognize without him you are truly lost and going to a devil's hell is are you too busy to take time to recognize that jesus christ has brought salvation is your mind running even right now i look across this room and i see that long look in some of y'all's faces you're concerned about tomorrow you're wondering about next week some of y'all are off in the next months or what you're going to do some of you your minds are still connected to things outside these walls and you're no more here in the presence of god than anywhere you might well be sitting in your car in the line at starbucks why i'm telling the truth today because as humans we have acclimated ourselves into the moment instead of remembering what was done for the moment for our future that's why when you come into the house of the lord you want to step in here with a pep in your step one more time you've got to come to the presence of god once again hey every time you open your mouth to pray there ought to be something inside of your spirit that says there is still a loving savior and his name is jesus there's something ought to happen and every one of us to say what god hath wrought has changed my mind i stand here today with a reminder for every single one of us listen carefully if you will i don't want you to miss what happened over 2 000 years ago in the writing according to luke the bible as we read to verse number 15 there was a a a conversation that went on with the angels come on we need to go we need to find bethlehem and we need to find what this angel told us so luke chapter 2 verse number 16 notice what happened and they came with haste and found mary and joseph and the babe lying in a manger and when they had seen it they made known abroad this saying which was told them concerning the child and all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds i've come today with a message for somebody notice what the angels did with haste they got up from where they were and they took off towards bethlehem i've got to ask somebody on this sunday afternoon when was the last time you hurried to the things of god you stopped dragging your feet and stopped lollygagging in your worldly desires and you decided this is a day i need to get close to god when was the last time you made haste with everything inside of you to get to an altar and throw up your hands and worship the king of kings and the lord of lords i've come today to ask somebody is there still a reason to magnify him or have you run out of things to thank him for the shepherds they decided we're not letting another moment pass come on we're headed to bethlehem let the sheep go let's get to the city why we must make haste there was a word my drill sergeant used to say stop lollygagging get up move point a to b my dad said it a few times as well but by the time the word came out of his mouth i was on the floor somebody hear me i'm saying told you to pick that up spout guess what i did i hurried up and picked it up oh lord i'm about to get in somebody's business y'all love me anyway we spend a lot of time today hurrying for things rushing around trying to get what we want huh frustrated at the drive-thru quick serve not being such a quick serve huh well some of y'all like see that's just so cool to watch people react what's taking them so long this is supposed to be a drive-through and then they got the door like well let me in covered huh was the last time you sat in the doctor's office patiently waiting you how long you been here about four hours i think i'm good how about you you good say you was here last night i can see your jammies you're okay huh don't they know who i am yesterday i'm standing in line with my lovely wife down in georgia we went to visit dear friend of ours and you have to sign in this poor guy behind me about to have a heart attack yeah he said he's all oh just take so long why don't they have more than one person in there and he's all in circles and who's this is what is going on he had this child with him standing there and she's just looking at him and finally he's like we might not ever get in this place and i'm standing were you in a hurry but you're in a hurry for they ain't gonna have fuel down at the station when you get i don't know your coupon expired at noon i mean come on i realize i'm not i can do the same thing anybody else huh how many how many get frustrated don't say nothing that's all you get no i'm fine i wasn't hungry anyway she wouldn't know she'll know you should have got ketchup first now i'll just be honest with you i'm am i touching somebody today y'all be nice to me this morning this morning i decided to get me a cup of coffee and i do that on sunday mornings because i come over here early in my quiet time with my joe and i was in the line and i decided brother drawn i was going to pay it forward by the guy behind me breakfast i do that once so i just see the guy behind me yeah whatever what you have just put on there it's fine so i was going to do that this is confession i'm sitting here waiting i get mine i look in the mirror guess where the guy's at he's still at the window he at the microphone he even ordered sorry about that buddy and i pulled out huh now i'll be honest with seth in my mind i thought i bet he's ordering for the church oh lord i'm gonna need 18 donut i'm going to need 18 dozen i'm going to need four boxes i don't know i pulled out and can't get back there and they're trying to get their microphones working in there and i'll be honest with you what i said i said well lord i tried come on y'all know what i'm talking about lord lord you know lord if you don't want me to have this donut let all the parking places be stopped people in them come on you gotta drive around four or five times brother jerry before the one opens you can pull in all right lord there was an opening come on you know what's real listen to me listen to me we're in a big old fat hurry for something fast as we can go does anybody ever been sick and couldn't go laid up how what was you interested in in that moment when you couldn't go anywhere doing what trying to go you couldn't so what'd you finally come to the understanding of i'm here and there ain't a thing i can do have you ever been in that state y'all hang on a pastor a minute this is a christmas message been in that state wondering why in the world you're in that position in that condition and can't do nothing about it it might very well be that the lord god has his hand in what's going on in your life could it be that he actually knows your name could it actually be that he's got it better in control than you've got in control come on i don't mind i never said a couple weeks ago a few weeks back i was late i did i had temperature i had covered i had dill i don't know what i was having i was talking to things i didn't see my wife said baby on it went i couldn't have couldn't have nothing and when i laid there and i finally woke up i said lord if i could get out of this bed i wouldn't do it because if i got out of this bed i know how i'd get where i need to go and once i got there lord i don't know if i could get up lord i thank you for this bed now i didn't say that a thousand times but at the moment brother daniel i realize you know what i am here in this moment and i have no idea what's happening in my body and my mind with this fever with this i don't know god but all i know is this if you'll help me live i just want to live come on i went all the way down from instead of wanting to run do go have this and that lord i got a basic require i just have one question for you today can i just live can i just live i got a feeling if i could today somebody's reaching for it right now there was a group of shepherds out on the side of the hill back then i have no idea what they did in the shepherd's work cause i've never done shepardy work i'm not sure what they look smell or whatever like i know there's some things about them i've read i've googled it i've been able to pet them once in a while when i was a kid went to the farm but i don't know a whole lot about sheep but one thing i do know is on that particular night all of the attention that the shepherds were giving those sheep change why because an announcement came to them and you need to get up from where you are shepherd and you need to move out quick as you can and you need to go find this christ child and when you find him when you locate him tell everybody that you can about him get to the place where folk are tired of hearing about it can i pull it forward 2021 i've come to tell somebody to what was born to you this day in the city of david is your salvation you ought to be running to him as fast as you can you ought to make case to decide i'm tired of living in the junk that i'm in my life's been a mess i don't know what's coming or going i don't know how to make it happen i've done everything i know to do i've tried everything i know to try well i've come to tell somebody stop walking in circles stop dragging your feet up get up and make hay stuff and as quick as you can get to the presence of jesus christ and let him do something in your life those shepherds were never the same after that moment i can only imagine brother sam for generations to come my great-great-granddaddy was standing on the side of a hill and these angels came and declared the saiyan god today in this room on this christmas message i've come to ask somebody with haste are you looking for god come on people you need to understand something what those shepherds did i can only imagine their livelihood was those sheep but a decision had to be made whoo what we gonna do who's the low man who's the high man on the totem pole that's how that goes it's not low man y'all know it's high me story for another day the low man is the good guy who can help you he's right there the high guy is the little one that's waiting to make his the story who can we leave over these sheep i got a feeling i got a feeling the guy that didn't have much power nor authority we're standing there saying hmm if it's been me and i'd have been the last one hired you know what i'm talking about the last one brought on sister jennifer i don't mind saying i have nothing to lose i just simply broke out i don't know what y'all gonna do with them but this host of i mean heaven heaven opened up and this incredibly large group of angels y'all gonna tell me to sit and watch a sheep i don't think so as fast as i can get to bethlehem and as many folk as i can ask have you seen do you know where do you know how and when i finally get to where he is listen to me i don't have anything to offer him i don't have anything to give him i'm not the wise guy bringing gold frankincense or myrrh i don't even know what those are i've never seen gold i don't understand myrrh nor frankincense but one thing i know i have had a visitation from the heavenlies and therefore as fast as i can get to jesus i'm gonna do what i gotta do to get to him jesus came to bring salvation the wise men came looking for him herod wanted to kill him people were trying their best to simply get to jesus now we know the story according to the new testament and we find it in matthew mark luke and john's account how that jesus did what he did while walking in shoe leather i've often wondered what would it have been like to watch jesus come and watch jesus go anybody heard the story of him feeding the multitudes how many times did he feed that multitude how many times after that do you think that the multitude came back to that hillside to simply say it lunch today so yeah what had happened was i got nothing in the house so i come out here to see if the food maker's here he's gone friend the lady with the issue of blood she's fighting the crowd to get to him if she hadn't reached out when she did and touched him do you realize what jesus would have done he would have kept on walking bartimaeus on the side of the road heard that jesus could ain't never seen him never understood it but he saw you know i got one shot at that i don't know if he's three feet from me or 300. one thing i know because if he hadn't yelled out what would have happened are you with me i've often wondered who the lord helped me stay on track i've often wandered that multitude on the day of pentecost brother sam the bible says 3 000 were added to the church y'all know that story they found that upper room they saw these guys coming out of there and the spirit of god moving right they're on that corner on that that building doing that thing what if i would have been down down the other side of town at another building at another corner sorry i don't know what that noise is ain't nothing i got no i'm here down here doing busy and i would have missed the whole thing because i would have been doing me listen to me listen to me there's a whole lot going on in your world today your job your family your finance you're trying to make ends meet you're trying to save for the future investments you're trying to save for retirement you're trying to plan your this you're trying to make this happen you're trying to make this happen and that all the while jesus is saying but i came to save you and no matter what all you gather while here in your earthly walk brother jerome would you come no matter what you gather together on your job in your bank account or none it ain't gonna matter anything when you stand before me so the question for the day in this christmas message you think maybe today would be a good day to become like a shepherd and make haste you know make haste that's a fancy word let me break it down for all of us country folk in tennessee get up and get moving stop dragging your feet fast as you can hear it up get the lead out make it there do whatever it is you got to do it's christmas time this was such a powerful moment the birth of jesus it wasn't just a few decades later peter stood up in the midst of a group what do we do y'all come to the right place you repent you'll be baptized every single one of you in the name of jesus christ for the remission of sins and you shall receive the gift of the holy ghost this promise is for you your children all that are far off as many as the lord our god will call the situation is in humanity generation past generation past generation if you're going to answer the call of god you better make a choice and you better give it all you can now you kids here listen to me carefully if you're a kid under 12 years old and you have the gift of the holy ghost would you please lift your hand come on raise it high one two look at there look at all these kids that have the holy ghost look at all these children that have the holy ghost been baptized in jesus name do you want to know why that's important thank you kids you wanna know why that's important because when they're 22 or 23 35 or 41 55 or 65 the longer that they can understand the power of god the more they can determine it's well worth it every step i take that's why we pray hard lord let these babies receive the holy ghost at a young age why because god i don't want them to have a testimony like a lot of us have some of y'all if i handed you the mic right now you would say and i took so many drugs i smoked so much of this i drank so much of that i put so much of this your testimonies way out here it's long and it's big listen to me and every day you deal with that every day you gotta find a place and put it away the lord's forgiven you say yes he's remitted though sin say yes but he didn't take away your memory i dare say in 2021 there was such a powerful influence in our world it's pushing and pulling and some of you that are dealing with all these past issues and stuff because the world's condition it's quickly coming back to you but imagine if you will if you would have received the holy ghost as a child and you were to walk with god and you would have found favor in his eyes as a child and you would have learned and grown and matured in the things of god think about your testimony how different it would be now i'll be honest with you i haven't done all things right i did one thing really good that was marry my wife but oh is she even in here there's a whole lot of mistakes and things that i've made but i am so thankful that i received the wonderful gift of the holy ghost as a child because i have so many fond memories of an altar of a prayer meeting a church service i cannot tell you what god has done in my life by sitting at the feet of old prophets and apostles sister stacy mentions him a lot because of her grandmother sister hedges people that she got to rub shoulders with my kids will tell you man we've been around some of the most incredible people full of the holy ghost and apostolic message that i've ever met i won't ever forget my kids at this height this tall spending a couple of days with brother jeff arnold in florida anybody ever heard that guy he is such a nice guy kids long remember that we're walking across the parking lot going to eat lunch or supper one night he's raising his wallet and pulls out two twenty dollar bills and hands them to my kids here guys go buy yourself some drugs his wife sister patty said honey you can't tell him they said well that's what my mom said well honey how long has that been well that's true don't buy drugs give it to god now i got to fix this my kids won't ever forget that one of the most humbling experiences for us was being in the presence of for the dan scott old old old missionary from way back when whiteheaded now he's probably in his 90s sister scott's passed on that he's still alive he's well in his 90s now my what a witness the lord you have given me such a gift i'd be foolish to let it go make haste go to him establish who you are and let history be written about salvation that's come to you parents grandparents invest in your children your grandchildren you don't know what's going to happen in them but they could be the one that brings revival to our nation make haste invest in them do it quickly god pour something in him god do a work in him mom and dad realize coming to the house of the lord cannot be a drudgery and it can't be something that you despise coming to your children are going to feel that and sense that but you come into the house of the lord with expectancy god you're going to do it when your children mess up and hit the ground and they hurt themselves or whatever don't run pick up the phone and call a doctor first first of all put your hand on them and pray in the name of jesus you are the first responder in my family and in my life i don't mean you're not going to take them to the doctor but you let god be god in your life let them realize i'll never be the same i will never be the same when i was a child seven eight years old and my head busted open and blood running out my mom grabs me and she don't run me to get stitches she don't do none of that she sets me on the bed she grabs my head and she squeezes it together i can still see it in my mind's eye and she says you repeat after me when i pass by the solely polluted and unknown bloody i say until they live yeah i say unto thee live the third time through the blood quit mom handed me a coke i sat there and i relished in the fact that my brother was getting in trouble because he threw a rock and busted my head but the blood had ceased and rushed me by an ambulance too i don't have nothing against that but i'm telling you friend there is glory in the presence and in the name of jesus christ he can come to where you are in a breath moment as you plead the blood of jesus full of faith and favor to save with haste i come running to the master i don't run left or right i run straight to you jesus why because i'm familiar with the altar i'm familiar with what to do when i get there i know i don't have to wrestle through doubt and fear and shame and all the sorrow but i can step into your present come on you know what it's like friend can i ask you this you remember the old-timers man they walked through the door speaking in tongues and you look over at them that's crazy how can they just come into the house or the lord speaking in tongues it takes you 30 minutes to get through all the doubt and all the junk and all the garbage and they walk right in speaking in the name oh hello i get my mom on the phone on a monday and there's 10 minutes of tongue talking and she's just talking about something here it goes leave it out here you go and i'll say okay mom okay and she's stopping i talk a little more and here she goes again i'm like jesus i thank you for a heritage of a prayerful woman in my life listen to me carefully friend you better run to him make haste to get to him it's christmas time and the greatest gift mom and dad you could ever give to your children is an assurance that the name of jesus is still a strong tower and the righteous can run into it and they're safe with haste you can come to him and recognize who he is stand with me all over this room there are some under the sound of my voice watching online or in this room today you've forgotten the what the voice of jesus even sounds like because you've allowed the things of this world to overshadow you i'm asking you right now are you willing to run to the presence of the lord this alters open run move out run lord i'm coming lord i'm coming make haste make haste lord i'm not gonna drag my feet i'm not gonna just sashay into your hell come on open your mouth and begin to pray right now you know how open your mouth begin to pray right now open your mouth begin to call on the name of the lord right now jesus i need you i desperately need you i need your power i need your spirit i need truth it's christmas time lord but i am quickly coming into your presence i'm asking you god to move move lord jesus do great things lord i know you do great things oh come on that's right in the name of jesus come on that's right in the name of jesus i believe in you come on let's try pray oh god my god how majestic is your name in all the earth in all the earth how majestic is your name how glorious is your name how wonderful is your name come on run to him become accustomed to the trail that gets to him i come to you jesus i come to you jesus oh that's right lift your voice to the lord come on that's right mom and dad lift your voice set an example for your children come on set an example for your babies come on if you're gonna get an answer it's gotta come from god it's gonna come from the throne it must come from the hand of jesus it must come from the hand of jesus presence speak in tongues let the spirit of god move in your life right now you need that reassurance you need that affirmation god you're still in my life in the name of jesus in the name of jesus that's right they tried to try get a hold of god in this altar get ahold of the master in this altar make forever case today vacation today i've come to love you come to serve you i come to worship you i am not my own i'm all with the price i am yours you came oh that's right come on come on go pass the emotion now press on into his presence let it be real face to face face to face with him in the name of jesus i honor you lord i trust in you lord i believe in you jesus i love you savior there is no god like my god there is no god like my god jesus salvation has come i love you jesus i trust you lord come on before you leave this house go grab a hold of somebody and pray with them come on go get a hold of somebody pray with them men go find somebody pray with ladies go find somebody pray with them come on call their name out right now to the lord call their name out lord you know where they are you know what they're going through i speak peace into their situation i speak joy into their situation god in the name of jesus come on that's right come on that's right in jesus name in jesus name make haste hurry hurry hurry get to god get to him get to him jesus i'm running to you i'm running to you jesus i am running to you sweet jesus i am running after you sweet savior you are the answer god yes you are you are the answer you are the answer jesus you are the answer yes you are god you open doors you make a way you're a provider you're a healer you are a deliverer you are everything i need there is hope in you jesus there is joy in your presence oh god i am completely whole in you sweet savior i love you lord i love you jesus i believe in you jesus i believe in you lord now you're holding on to somebody lift their hand as high as you can get it jesus i thank you for coming to earth god you so loved the world you gave you gave you gave you we would believe you if we would follow you if we would run after you we can be safe truth can open and unfold in our lives help us today jesus i pray lord for every heart every individual every home lord god i pray lord jesus for joy and peace in this season to be focused to be focused about you lord god i love you have your way bless our weak keep us safe lord till we come again jesus keep us by your side the wonderful name of jesus thy kingdom come lord thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven i love you lord i love you somebody say in jesus name give him a handclap of praise right now i love you jesus oh that's right i love you lord come on love him i applaud you jesus a standing ovation for the king you are holy you are holy you are worthy you are worthy you are worthy you are worthy jesus glorify your name o god we glorify your name jesus oh yes yes yes don't you thankful for the wonderful gift make haste get to him as fast as you can every day get to god i love y'all go with god shake hands and be friendly now wednesday night we're back in here seven o'clock come let's study the word together greet one another in jesus name