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Sunday Evening Worship Service

First Apostolic Church of Knoxville (Knoxville, TN)

Transcript of a published sermon by Anthony McCool, transcribed from YouTube. An attributed primary source — not Acts 2:38 Life doctrine text.

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Summary

Summary prepared by Acts 2:38 Life from the transcript below — the preacher’s words follow in full.

The report, and Ziglag burned

  • He reports preaching a youth conference on the island of St. Martin in the Caribbean this past weekend — with his wife and their two kids — where six St. Martin churches were joined by churches from Dominica and Jamaica, and the Holy Ghost moved every night.
  • He turns to 1 Samuel 30 and reads: David and his men come to Ziglag on the third day to find it burned by the Amalachites, their wives and sons and daughters taken captive, and the men lift up their voice and weep until they have no more power to weep.
  • David is greatly distressed — the people speak of stoning him — but David encourages himself in the Lord his God, calls for the ephod, and inquires of the Lord: 'Shall I pursue after this troop? Shall I overtake them?' The answer: 'Pursue, for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.'
  • Verse 18 is read as the sermon's promise: David recovered all that the Amalachites had carried away, and rescued his two wives — not a partial recovery, but all.

Scriptures: 1 Samuel 30:1-4; 1 Samuel 30:6-8; 1 Samuel 30:18

Reclaim: the Woman in Gold

  • He tells of Maria Alman, the elderly Austrian refugee in Los Angeles who fought the Austrian government all the way to the United States Supreme Court to reclaim her family's painting by Gustav Climpmp, stolen by the Nazis — 'I'll close the shop only when I croak.'
  • Maria often said this very story of David gave her the confidence and the fight to go after what was rightfully hers; David's recovery is not just history but a pattern for our own losses.
  • David strengthened himself on purpose: not pretending everything is fine, but purposefully recalling what God has done in the past to build faith for the present — and then going to seek God's guidance before he moved.

Scriptures: 1 Samuel 30:18

Who do you say that I am?

  • He lingers on the dialogue in Matthew 16: Jesus asks who men say he is, then turns it personal — 'But who do you say that I am?' — and Peter answers, 'You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.'
  • The question cannot be answered through a grandmother, a youth pastor, a parent, or what the church teaches: each person must answer who Jesus is to them, and what they believe he is able to do in their own life.
  • Idolatry can be caring more about others' opinions and analyses of our lives than about what Jesus himself has said — 'My sins have been forgiven; I am redeemed.'

Scriptures: Matthew 16:16

The hand that clave to the sword

  • From 2 Samuel 23:10 he takes Eleazar, who arose and smote the Philistines until his hand was weary and clave to the sword, and the Lord wrought a great victory that day — his grip so determined that an outside force would have to pry the sword loose.
  • The application is determination: my family, my marriage, the future generation, my calling and my salvation are too important to let go — I have cried my last tear, and now I am going to stand up and fight.

Scriptures: 2 Samuel 23:10

The key of David: an open door

  • In the altar movement he reads from Revelation, the letter to the church in Philadelphia: he that is holy and true, who has the key of David, opens and no man shuts — 'I know thy works; behold, I have set before thee an open door… for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.'
  • Everything is set up — the singing, the morning sermon, this word — but each person must choose to walk through the door: get my joy back, my peace back, my health back, my family back.
  • He closes in corporate prayer with that determination — to keep praying, fasting and praising until the last breath — and the congregation answers his call with the cry, 'Restore all.'

Scriptures: Revelation 3:7-8

Scripture index: 1 Samuel 30:1-4; 1 Samuel 30:6-8; 1 Samuel 30:18; Matthew 16:16; 2 Samuel 23:10; Revelation 3:7-8.

Transcript

Keep that same spirit as you make your way back to your seats and you can be seated across this house. I welcome each and every one of you to Sunday evening worship here at First Apostolic Church. There's nothing like Sunday night service and it's always the highest honor every time I get the opportunity to address this uh fantastic congregation to which I count it the highest honor and privilege uh to be able to serve alongside each and every every one of you. What a tremendous sermon we heard this morning. Thank you, Pastor Mcool, for that. I think it would serve us all well. Well, I brought this sword in case those grapes are sitting around somewhere. That's what it would take to to cut those to cut those off. But that was absolutely uh fantastic. I got to give a shout out to my friend, brother Dion, in the house. It's good to see you, my brother. Honored to have you here. And if there's Give him a great big hand. There's any other guest that might be here tonight. We welcome each and every one of you. And let me echo the same sentiments as Bishop. Uh especially now that I have kids that are able to participate in the great spring program. Pastor and Sister Whitling, Sister Hannah, Sister Kayn, Sister Michaela. Thank you all. That uh Friday night was absolutely tremendous. Give them another huge hand. What a blessing it is. And I for these for all of these teachers that just pour into our students. My wife and I and our two kids had the privilege of uh preaching this past weekend. And I'm trying to make sure that my uh days are right because they're a little bit mixed up because we've been all through the night a few nights. Uh but this past weekend and through the midweek on the island of St. Martin in the Caribbean. I I know you can get called to a lot of different places, but uh to get called to St. Martin Caribbean. You know what? Extreme sacrifice. You know, it's just uh but in all seriousness, u we have a tremendous church there. The the congregation came up to us nonstop and said, "Thank you for putting your choir online and your praise team and they keep up with uh all of you all and the and the preaching." And um it's very humbling because it I I failed personally to realize sometimes the the reach that our online ministry has and the many people that tune into it uh at all hours at all hours of the day. And uh we were just so extremely blessed to be there. And I've got a little highlight clip video that I would like to to show you if you could start that. We kicked off service at three services on Sunday and this is our church down in St. Martin and we just had a uh an amazing time and we had revival service every single night. audio on that one's a little uh a little bit quieter, but I think the next song will get uh pretty pretty loud. And this uh revival was made up. It was a youth conference and there were about six churches from St. Martin uh represented and then also uh a few churches from Dominica and then one church from Jamaica that was also uh in attendance uh in attendance as well. And this is the the crazy guy holding a broomstick preaching. Um but we had just an awesome time. And then my kids enjoy my preaching so very much here. Uh but we the Holy Ghost just moved every single night. And this to the far right there is Pastor Leblanc. Uh he's our pastor there. And there's us with their pastoral family. And this was worth the whole trip right here. I know it's fast. That's a carrot cake. That was worth every mile, every minute of the flight. Of course the the Caribbean is beautiful and and of course the island be but it was all worth it. Of course God moving was special as well. But that carrot cake was absolutely amazing. The pastor there taught Sunday school on that Sunday morning and he was talking about the ingredients of a carrot cake and how we present the gospel. And I'm like Roy you're going to have to stop this. We've still got another service after this. You can't be talking about a carrot cake at 10:30 and uh he had my mouth watering. So I mentioned it on the the first night and then by that next night there was a freshly baked carrot cake. I'm trying to get a point across to maybe somebody else here in the States as well because I couldn't take it on the plane and it was absolutely absolutely amazing. But um uh be in prayer for that church. I think Pastor Leblanc and his wife are uh going to be back in the States uh toward the end of next year that he travels a lot uh back and forth to the Miami and Orlando area for the work that he has as well. So, it'd be pretty awesome to get him in this area. He's a tremendous preacher and Bible teacher. And we just have a a tremendous tremendous work there in St. Martin. And it's um so awesome to see how uh to be a church just all around the globe and to know that while we're having service that there's service going on there as well. And uh we're so excited about what God is doing there. If you have your Bibles, turn with me to the book of 1st Samuel, chapter 30. Uh this entire passage is worth to take the time and just go through every single verse and look at the commentaries, but I'll I'm going to uh summarize the verses just a little bit for time's sake. 1st Samuel chapter 30, and we'll begin reading at verse number one. And it came to pass when David and his men were coming to Ziglag on the third day that the Amalachites had invaded the south. And Ziglag and smitten Ziglag and burned it with fire and had taken the women captives that were therein. They slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away and went on their way. So David and his men came to the city, and behold, the city, it burned with fire, and their wives and their sons and their daughters were taken as captives. Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept. The man after God's own heart. His immediate reaction wasn't one to to go fight or his immediate action wasn't that I'm going to be victorious in this moment. But it says they lift up their voice and wept until they had no more power to weep. Skip down to verse six. And David was greatly distressed. For now the people spoke of stoning him because of because of all the pe the soul of all the people was grieved and every man for his sons and for his daughters. But there was just immense chaos. But David encouraged himself in the Lord his God. And David said to Abiar the priest, a himc son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiard brought thither the epha to David. Verse 8. And David inquired at the Lord, saying, "Shall I pursue after this troop? Should I go down and pursue the enemy? Shall I be able to overtake them?" He's asking God. And he answered them, "Pursue, for thou shalt overtake them, and without fail recover all." Somebody say, "Recover all." Verse 18, "And David recovered all that the Amalachites had carried away, and David rescued his two wives." I want to speak to you for a few moments tonight on the topic reclaim and retake. reclaim and retake. We'll get right into it tonight. The quote, "I'll close the shop only when I croak." This quote made by Maria Alman indicating that she'll stop working. She'll stop the mission. She'll stop the fight only when she's dead. Maria was an elderly Jewish woman who had fled Austria during World War II. And decades later, living in Los Angeles, she embarked on a remarkable quest to reclaimed something that had been stolen from her family by the Nazis. And it was a priceless painting by Gustav Climpmp known as the portrait of Adele Blockbower. This painting uh behind me is it depicted and this is actually Maria's aunt and there was a movie uh based on this as well uh called the woman in gold and there's a cool documentary for anybody interested in those kind of things. Uh later Raiders of the Lost Art. It's episode two so watch that later. It's pretty fascinating. But during the Nazi era, this painting was seized from Maria's family and it ended up ultimately in the possession of the Austrian government. For years, Austria resisted efforts to return the painting, claiming it was a national treasure. And remember, as Maria Altman uh discovered the rights that she had potentially to this painting, she was on up in age. Maria, an elderly woman facing off against a powerful government, determined to reclaim what was rightfully hers. The Nazis had stolen her family's property, their security, and their very heritage. Maria along with a young law lawyer named Randy Sonberg embarked on a legal battle to reclaim the painting. They faced numerous obstacles including legal complexities. to uh working in the legal complexities in another language. Bureaucratic hurdles, geographical distance, trauma triggering memories by having to go back to that place where she was driven out as a young child and resistance from this powerful government. But Maria refused to give up. She was driven by a sense of justice, a a desire to honor her family's memory, and a determination to reclaim what had wrongfully been taken from her. And after a long and arduous legal battle that went all the way to the United States Supreme Court, Maria finally prevailed. The painting was returned to her and her fellow heirs. She then sold it for a recordbreaking price, and it sold for one of the most expensive paintings ever in the Sabby's auction in the amounts of millions and millions and millions of dollars and this would ensure that her family would be financially secure for generations to come. She went actively after what was stolen. And this quote that she made, I'll close the shop only when I croak was put into the context. And she often uses the passage when you hear her interviewed about the life of David and particularly this story in 1st Samuel 30 claiming that this story gave her the confidence and the faith and the fight to go get what was rightfully hers. No matter the obstacle, no matter the circumstances, no matter how much the statistical probability was against her, she believed that if she would continue to fight, if she would not give up, that she would be able to reclaim what was hers. And I'm not going to close shop. I'm not going to stop until I breathe my last breath. But this chapter in 1st Samuel 30 is not just a historical account. It's a profound story for our own lives. It's a testament to the power of God to restore what has been lost and lead us to victory in the face of devastating circumstances. The scene as we read opens and the imagery the Bible lays out is so vivid. The men return to their home in Ziglag after a campaign. But what awaits them is not a warm welcome from their family, not a warm welcome from their wives, not a celebration taking place or a parade to usher them in, but the scene of utter devastation. They could see the smoke billowing as they almost made it back home. And imagine the urgency that would have been within the men as they saw this devastating scene. The Amalachites, a a nomadic and ruthless people, had raided Ziglag and burned it to the ground and they took captive the most precious thing to these men. The smoke still rising from the ruins, the silence broken only by the lament of grief. these these big soldiers who had been on a on a campaign, a successful campaign. And you got David the giant killer, David the warrior, and all these men and they see this scene and it says it drops them to their knees and it says they cry and they weep and they lament until there's no more tears to cry. till there's no more tissues to rest their eyes on. There's no more water to come out of their eyelids. The weight of despair pressing down on every heart. David and his men were not only robbed of their possessions, but of their families, their sense of security, their very hope. Another generation stolen from them. weeping till they had no more strength to weep. The grief was overwhelming. Their loss not even to able to be quantified and immeasurable. But amidst the sorrows, something even more dangerous began to stir. Resentment and confusion and anger. And David, why did you take us on this campaign? Had had we been here, we could have defended them. David, you're supposed to be our leader. David, you told us we were going to have victory. David, this is supposed to be the land promised to us. Then why why why could this have happened? Resentment, anger, David's own men, burdened by their grief and confusion and loss, turned against them to the extent that they talked about stoning him. David was greatly distressed. Already distressed from the immense loss, but now the threat of mutiny from his own men. But instead of succumbing to the despair or retaliating against those men that he loved so dearly, those men that he fought shouldertosh shoulder with. It says David strengthened himself in the Lord. And this act of turning to God in times of crisis is the key to eventual victory. How did David strengthen himself in the Lord? The Bible doesn't give us a detailed account, but we can infer that he did so through prayer, through remembering God's promises and through meditating to God in the faithful be in his past. He likely recalled the many times God had delivered him from danger, the many battles he had won with God's help and the many promises that God had made to him. And I want you to know tonight if you find yourself in a situation where you've cried and cried where you don't have any more tears to cry in and you've lamented till you don't have any more strength. I'm not telling you just to get over it tonight. Don't think that for a moment. I I'm not preaching to you about you need to paint a smile on your face and pretend everything's okay. That's not my message tonight. And I it's not that I don't want to exude empathy and sympathy, but I want to preach to someone where you've cried until you can't cry anymore over a situation. And I want to ask you and invite you tonight to follow the example of David, the act of strengthening yourself in the Lord. For this is not a passive exercise. It's a active choice to focus on God's power. It's a a purposeful praise to begin to recall what God has done from you for the past to build your faith in the presence in when overwhelming circumstances surround. It's a decision to trust God in his ability to bring good out of evil, to restore what has been lost, and to lead to essential victory. So, as I preach tonight, as God's word goes forth tonight, I I want to ask you that you've been lamenting and you've been down in the dumps and you've been down in the valley like Pastor Mcool talked about this morning. You've cried. You've cried till you don't have any strength to cry anymore. I want to encourage you tonight and ask you and invite you and for you to acknowledge that you came here tonight for a reason. You came here tonight for a purpose. And I wouldn't wait another moment to say, "God, I don't understand everything that's going on. I don't really feel like giving you a praise right now, but I'm going to strengthen myself in you. All my friends are against me. All my family's gone, and I'm right here by myself. I've cried till I can't cry anymore. But I've got to make a purposeful decision. to take a next step out of this. One of my favorite verses of scripture in Matthew chapter 16 is the dialogue between Jesus and his disciples. Jesus asks his disciples a crucial question. Who do people say the son of man is? And the disciples begin to, I imagine, kind of nudge one another. It's like, man, we've been following you a long time. Why would you ask us something so complex as this? Who I've never thought of it that way. Who who who do people say the son of man is? And they begin to offer an array of different responses. Oh, some, you know, some say John the Baptist or uh others, oh, like the prophet Elijah. Still others like Jeremiah or one of the prophets, Jesus. But Jesus cuts through all the words and the minutia of their responses and asks them directly, "But what about you? Who do you say that I am? Peter speaking on behalf of the disciples answers, you're the Messiah, the son of the living God. I think each and every one of us would serve us well tonight to answer that question for ourselves. Who do you say that I am? Maybe there's a a student here tonight. Not not who grandmama says he is. Not who your youth pastor says he is. Not through who your pastor says he is. Not through who your mom or your dad says is or not through your older brother or sister who's living for God. Not not for who they say that he is. Who is he to you? What's he able to do in your life? What do you believe that he's able to do in your life? This question is not a matter of historical curiosity. It's a question that each one of us must answer for ourselves. Who do you say that Jesus is? Well, my church teaches XYZ or oh my this Bible teacher. No, no, no, no, no. Who do you who is he to you? I'm not talking about some extrapolation of theological wonders. I I'm talking about how is God able? What has God done in your life? What's your relationship like with him? And how do you believe that he can show up for you? Who do you say that Jesus is? Uh is he just a good teacher? Is he a good moral example? Or is he just a historical figure? Or is he the Messiah, the son of the living God, the one who has power to save you from your sins, the one who has the ability to restore what the devourer has taken? Who Who is he to you? Too often we allow the opinions of others, the criticism of skeptics, the doubts of our own hearts to cloud our perception of Jesus. We may be tempted to downplay his divinity, to question the authenticity of his miracles, or to doubt his power, has the ability to truly transform lives. But Jesus calls us to a deeper level of faith. A faith that is not swayed by the opinions of others, but it's grounded in the truth of his word. And as a witness to the Holy Ghost, he calls us to believe who he says he is. And he can do what he says he can do. What kind of idolatry are we guilty of if we care more about what others think or what critics say than what Jesus said about himself? Do I place more value? Do I elevate somebody's opinion above what Jesus says about me? He says, "My sins have been forgiven." He says, "I'm redeemed." It says his blood was the propitiation for my sins. It says, "I've got mercy and grace every single morning." Yeah, but you know what they did last time. I don't see how they can uh really work in that capacity. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. You put somebody else's opinion, someone else's analysis over your life above the word of God. What do you call that? It's tempting to conform to the world's view. But true faith requires us to prioritize Jesus words above all else. And he's asking you tonight through his word, just like you're one of his disciples as you are. Just like you're one of his apostles out you are who Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Great response. I get what your church teaches. I know your pastor preached about that at Bible study. I read brother Nate's book. That's all great. But who is Jesus to you? What do you believe he can do for you? It says that David went to seek God's guidance after he strengthened himself. And he did so by going to grab the ephod, this sacred priestly garment. He wanted to align himself in every capacity in God's presence to receive a response and direction of God's word on whether or not he should go pursue. And it says that David and his men attacked the Amalachite camp while they were celebrating their victory. The battle was fierce. David and his men were victorious. They recovered all the Bible says that the Amalachites had taken, including their wives, including their children. They also seized a great amount of spoil from the Amalocites. David recovered all. David recovered all, emphasizing the completeness of the restoration. This was not a partial victory. This was not just trying to acquire part of my assets that were once liquidated. It says he recovered all. It was a total and complete recovery of everything that had been lost. And this man David who was after God's own heart from which the bloodline the lineage of the Messiah, the Davidic bloodline. This also serves as a foreshadow of things to come because it's a powerful illustration of God's power to restore what has been lost. And it points forward to the ultimate restoration brought by Jesus Christ. And just as David went down to the enemy's camp to reclaim what had been stolen from him, so Jesus Christ came into this world to defeat the forces of darkness and to claim what had been lost by sin and rebellion. Through his death and resurrection, Jesus Christ has conquered sin. That statement on its own ought to get us a little bit excited. Jesus Christ has conquered death, the power of the devil. He has broken the chains of bondage and set us free from the curse of the law. He has reconciled us unto God and restored us to our rightful place as children of God. the complete recovery achieved by David. And this completeness is even more profound in the restoration brought by Jesus Christ. He not only restores what has been lost, but he gives us something far greater. He gives us eternal life. He gives us forgiveness of sins. And he gives us the indwelling presence of the Holy Ghost. So that yes, we praise God for salvation. Yes, we praise God for eternal life. But he also gives us his spirit in this life to empower us to encourage ourselves to go in this life and step down to the enemy's camp and take back the things that has been stolen from us. And his covenantal promise is not that you're just going to get part of it. You're going to get a portion of it. Oh, I hope you gain 70% back of it. It No, no, no. It says restore all through the power of Jesus Christ. I want you to know today, know tonight that somebody needs to reclaim and retake some things that the enemy has stole from you. We all face losses. We all face setbacks. We all face challenges. We all experience times when it feels like the enemy has stolen something precious from us. But the good news is that you serve a God who is able to restore what has been lost to heal. Who is he to you? Can he do it? Well, yeah. Yeah, he can do it. Can he? What's that look like to you? To bring good out of evil. We can reclaim our losses by strengthening ourselves in the Lord. By seeking God's guidance, following God's instruction, believing in the power of Jesus, affirming our faith in his ability to heal, restore, and transform our lives. But there's got to be a point in time where we have to stand up and get up and go with the authority and the empowerment of the Holy Ghost to reclaim what has been taken from us. I've cried my last tear. I can't weep any longer. I don't have any more strength for any tears to come out of my eyes. But I'm making a determination in my heart that I'm going to go down in this moment and begin to reconcile and begin to fix. I might have failed the first time, but I'm going to go try it again. I might have made a mistake, but I'm going to go make things right. I might have done this or that, and I've screwed things up, but I'm going to go in the Holy Ghost and get back what the enemy stole from me. He might have taken my name. He might have taken my finances. He might have taken an opportunity, but God said he's going to restore. God said he's going to bring it to pass. He said he's going to restore. All musicians, come. Whatever you have lost, whatever challenges you are facing, do not give up hope. Somebody needs to answer that question tonight. Thank you for the response. Thank you for the essay. That's not what I asked you, though. Who is Jesus to you? Who do you say that he is? Don't succumb to despair. Don't let the enemy steal your joy and your peace and your faith. Instead, you need to strengthen yourself. And you need to seek his guidance and get instruction and believe that Jesus is able to restore everything that the enemy's taken from you. It's not just a tale from the past. It's a battle cry for the present. We've seen how David in the face of utter devastation turned to the Lord. And you need to sow right now the enemy of our souls, the adversary. That very interpretation and definition, adversary means to steal, to kill, destroy. But the devil himself, the enemy, has no right to the blessings of God that God's called over you, that God's ordained you with. He doesn't have authority over your future. We may have wrecked havoc. You might have seen smoke billowing up over the blessings that you have. But let me tell you right now, we serve a God who's able to restore. You might have been going through pain, but and you might have sewn seeds of doubt. But I just believe his reign of terror can end tonight, but you have to make a determination in your heart. You have to make a purposeful praise. It's going to take more than a golf clap. Oh, that was a beautiful birdie putt. It's going to it's going to take you to have a mind of determination to say, "God, I trust you." Earlier in 2 Samuel 23:10 talking about the battle general Eleazar, it says he arose and smoked the Philistines. Man, I could get you to the altar tonight with this. I should have had this out earlier. It says until his hand was weary. And it says his hand clave to the sword and the Lord brought a great victory that day and the people returned after him only to spoil. If you look up that interpretation of his handclave, some theologians believe that he had a type of hand cramp that he had such a determination that only an external force would be able to pry that handle out of his hands. Another interpretation says still that blood and sweat may have accumulated together to the extent that his hand froze to the sword. In any case, that sword, even though he was tired, even though he was down to his last breath, nothing could keep him from holding the sword, nothing could keep him after fighting in the battle. And I think we have to have that determination tonight. No matter what things look like, no matter how large the giant, no matter how much smoke is billing up, you got to say, "Enemy, you're not going to be able to pull this out of my hands. My family's too important. My marriage is too important. The future generation is too important. My calling is too important. My salvation is too important. Oh yeah, but you done thus and so. I'm not listening to the enemy. I'm not listening to anyone else. I put what God has said about me at the highest point of my life. an enemy. No matter how tired my arm gets, if I got to take some duct tape, I don't think that was in one of the interpretations, but if I got to take some duct tape and wrap it around here, I'm going to keep fighting until my very last breath. You're going to have to get a wrench and a crowbar to try to get this out of my hands. I've cried my last tear. I've wept as long as I can, but now I'm going to stand up and fight. Stand with me. It's time for somebody to rise up. It's time for somebody to strengthen themselves. It's time for somebody to follow what God's word [Music] says. Now, this is a crazy crazy thing. You would be wise to follow what God's word says. Oh, when God when you get godly counsel, do what? Do what it says. I know that's revelatory. I know that's wild. I know certain precautions that you put up in uh for your finances and for your relationships and and every crazy ideas, right? It'll protect your marriage. It'll protect your peace of mind. It'll protect your home life. It'll protect your family. It'll protect your finances. It'll protect every capacity of your life. in Revelation. And the angel of the church in Philadelphia write these things. These things he saith that is holy and that is true. He that hath the key of David. You got the key tonight. The key of David. He that openeth no man can shut. And shutth no man openeth. He said, I know the works, thy works. Behold, I set before you an open door. You've got an open door tonight. You have an open door tonight, but you have to make the choice whether to walk through it or not. God's got everything set up for you. The praise team sang. The choir sang. We heard a great sermon this morning. You heard a mediocre one tonight. Everything is set up for you, but you have to walk through the door. You've got the key of David. You got that that Davidic bloodline, the Messiah, Jesus. You've got the Holy Ghost within you. You You came here tonight. Why not walk through the door? Why not? He said, "For thou hast a little strength." Somebody got a little just a just a little strength tonight. And has kept my word and not denied my name. My strength is made perfect in weakness. No more standing idle by. No more succumbing to despair. No more accepting defeat. Tonight, I wonder if somebody would draw a line in the sand. There's one now. Say, "Enough is enough. I don't care what anybody else says. I don't care what anybody else thinks. My blessings are too important to me." I wonder if somebody tonight would step forward and say, "I'm going to get my joy back. I'm going to get my peace back. I'm going to get my health back. I'm going to get my marriage back. I'm going to get my family back. I'm going to get my stuff back. I'm going to get my peace of mind, my sleep back. We used to sing that old song. It says, "I went down to the enemy's camp and take back what he stole from me." Sing that. [Music] I'm going to get my purpose back. I'm going to get my name back. I'm getting it back tonight. I'm not going to sit idle by and just let things come at me. I wonder if somebody would give a purposeful praise right now and say, "God, I'm encouraging myself. I might feel like I'm by myself, but I believe you're going to give me the strength. I believe you're going to give me the courage, and I'm going to go back and get what the enemy stole from me." Somebody speak the name of Jesus over your life right now. Oh, there's somebody still holding back right now. Somebody's in turmoil right now, but you won't give him a purposeful praise. You won't call out on his name. I want somebody to say, "I'm declaring war tonight. I'm declaring war on behalf of my family. Yes, I'm going down to the ene. [Music] Somebody needs to get their relationship back. Somebody might be in a cold season with their relationship with God. I'd get it back right now. I'd get it back right now. You got an open door. You got an open door. I wouldn't wait another moment. what he stole. Blessings, miracles, restoration are in this house. Oh my take what he stole from me. I'm going down to the ene. Somebody sing those words right now. He's under my feet. He's under my feet. He's under my feet. And I'm Would you right now if you have just enough strength to lift up your hands? Do you have just a little strength just to lift up your hands and say, "I'm getting it back." Oh, he sees you right now. He sees your faithfulness. He sees every tear that's been cried. Oh, but baby, you're to a point. I've cried my last tear. I've stayed awake through my last sleepless night. I'm getting up out of this. I'm getting up out of this. And I'm going to get back what he took from me. I'm going to get back what the enemy took from me. I've got a calling on my life. I got a ministry over my life. I've been redeemed. I got his blood that's been shed for my sins. I'm getting my name back. I'm getting my stuff back. I'm getting my peace back. I'm getting my health back. I'm getting it back to what he stole from me. I'm going down to the enemy's camp. I'm going to take back what he stole from me. He's under my feet. He's under my feet. He's under my feet. He's under my feet. And I'm praising my victory. [Music] Oh, I'm going down to the enemy's camp. I'm going to take back what he stole from me. Going down to the enemy's camp. I'm going to take back what he stole from me. Down to the ene. I'm going to take back what he stole from me. He's under my feet. He's under my feet. He's under my feet. Jesus and I praise my vtory. As we begin to close tonight, I want each and every one of us to get whatever that need is on our mind. And I want you to pray it out loud with the determination of that sword in your hand that until I make my last breath, I'm going to keep praying. until I take my last breath, I'm going to keep interceding on the behalf of my family. Would you lift your hands right now and speak out that prayer right now? Pray it out loud. Mighty God, you see the needs of your people right now. Lord, as you see the intercession going forth, I ask for your hands of strength to be on each and every one of them. Lord, you see their faithfulness. Lord, you see their faith. Lord, you see the hope that they believe that you can show up. Mighty God, right now, I ask for your divine intervention to come down in the lives of every one of your saints. Lord, as we have the determination right now that I'm going to keep fighting. I'm going to keep praying. I'm going to keep fasting. I'm going to keep praising. I'm going to keep calling out in your name. And I'm determined to get back what the enemy has taken from me. Lord, touch lost family members right now. Touch those that are sick right now. Touch those struggling in their financial situation right now. Lord, heal a broken marriage or relationship right now. Whatever the complexities of the situation, God, I ask you to show up right now and give us the strength to fight on another day. And Lord, we shout right now and we rejoice because we know you're going to restore. We know that you're going to restore all. Somebody say that right now in Jesus name. Restore all. Restore all. Restore all. Restore all. Restore all. Restore all. Oh, would you say it out? Restore all. I'm praising you in advance. Oh, I'm encouraging myself. I'm going down to the enemy's camp and I'm getting it back. Take back what he sold for me. I'm going down to the enemy's camp. Oh, I'm going to take back what he stole from me. I'm going down to the enemy's camp. I'm going to take back what he stole from me. He's under my feet. He's under my feet. He's under my feet. He's under my feet. And I'm craving my victory. Oh, I'm going down to the enemy's hand. I'm going to take back what he stole from me. I'm going down to the enemy's camp. I'm going to take back what he stole from me. I'm going down to the enemy's camp. I'm going to take back what he stole from me. He's under my feet. He's under my feet. He's under my feet. He's under my feet. And I'm craving my victory. Say it now. I'm going down to the enemy's camp. I want to hear your voice. You bring back what he stole from me. I'm going down to the ene. I'm going to take back what he stole from me. I'm going down to the enemy's camp. I'm going to take back what he stole from me. He's under my feet. He's under my feet. He's under my feet. He's under my feet. And I'm singing it one more time. I'm going down to the [Music] enemy stole from me. Going down to the enemy. going down to the enemy's hand. I'm going to take back what he stole from me. He's under my feet. He's under my feet. He's under my feet. He's under my feet. I'm claiming my victory. Would you give high praise to Jesus? Hallelujah. [Music] Hallelujah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I'm claiming my victory. I'm claiming my victory. I've got victory. He tried to take it, but I got my victory back.

Scripture references as spoken: 1 Samuel 30:1-4; 1 Samuel 30:6-8; 1 Samuel 30:18; Matthew 16:16; 2 Samuel 23:10; Revelation 3:7-8.