Sunday Morning Worship Service

thank you praise team and musicians for just ushering us into the presence of almighty god and what an awesome awesome time we are having here at first apostolic church on sunday morning there's nothing like sunday morning here at fac i want to say a special welcome this morning to barb and jack these are friends of the georges and let's give them a great big hand it's an honor to have you all worshiping with us today and also want to say welcome to deborah outlaw erica stransbury and nariah lauderdale let's give them a great big hand we hope that all of you feel the love of jesus christ through first apostolic church and watching online i want to give a huge happy birthday to our senior elder elder charles richmond let's give him a great big handclap [Applause] it's only through the faithfulness and the vision of these faithful saints of god that we are able to worship in the capacity that we are able to today and have all of the resources that we have and with that being said i give special honor to bishop and sister mccool today and all of our pastoral team pastor mark and pastor nate and what an awesome word we heard this past wednesday and past sunday we're just so blessed here and i love you all and i love all the senior saints in this great congregation it is time change sunday and it feels good for today and then by about 4 30 you're like well it's dark outside but at least i got to sleep in an extra hour some of you all are like hurry up uh my body clock is not yet right not that i don't feel good but i'm getting hungry so i understand so uh i'll go as quickly quickly as i can through these 15 16 pages i'm just kidding but i want if you have your bibles if you would turn to the book of ecclesiastes chapter three uh verse we'll begin reading at verse one and i hope you'll find my sermon topic applicable today uh with all things considered ecclesiastes chapter 3 verse 1 very familiar passage of scripture sometimes we've heard it read word for word it's been the inspiration for book titles movies artistic renditions we hear different portions of it quoted at different times and even outside of our our belief in the in almighty god we hear this even in our secular society often alluded to to this passage ecclesiastes chapter 3 verse 1 it says to everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heaven a time to be born and a time to die a time to plant and a time to pluck up that which is planted a time to kill and a time to heal a time to break down and a time to build up a time to weep and a time to laugh a time to mourn and a time to dance a time to cast away stones and a time to gather stones together a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing that's very applicable over this past year and a half a time to get in a time to lose a time to keep and a time to cast away a time to rend in a time to sow a time to keep silence and a time to speak a time to love a time to hate a time of war time of peace what prophet hath he that worketh in that were in he laboreth i have seen the travail which god hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it he hath made everything beautiful in his time also he hath set the world in their heart so that no man can find the work that god maketh from the beginning to the end i want to speak to us for a few moments this morning on the simple title seasons right where you're at if you would just bow your head and you can remain seated but if we could pray over god's word mighty god in this season of giving thanks we give you the highest thanks and the highest praise lord as your word goes forth this morning let it go and overlook the preacher this morning but lord let your word reverberate in the hearts of minds of your people as the praise team sung let our minds be transformed and our hearts given to you to understand and acknowledge whatever circumstances that we face in life whatever season whatever hardships and whatever valleys whatever mountains lord let us understand that you are always with us and you have a divine plan and you are the author and the finisher of our faith in jesus name we pray amen and amen seasons we must trust that god has a divine purpose for every season of our lives as i mentioned it's time change sunday or has been said benihin sunday when we fall back and we are in season of fall transitioning into winter somewhat and existing among us as feuds and infighting of how early is too early to start decorating for christmas i will remain neutral as to aspire to choose the acceptable words so i'm not just tuned out by those polarized by this very intense cultural war but throughout time music literature and art has used the symbolism of seasons as metaphors to represent the emotions of the human experiences the times every person will face and displayed in the title screen here is four different images one artist who found poignancy in the cycle of seasons was nicholas pausan and his rendition of four different individual masterpieces that now to this day that were painted in the 1600s hang in paris france at the louvre museum he chose to symbolize each season by a specific episode in the old testament going from left to right we have the creation story of adam and eve birth in in the springtime as you see the lush growth all around them the summer in the next image boaz discovering ruth cleaning corn in the fields in the book of ruth and you can see how the sun is at its highest point and it's very bright and then the third image here is the israelite spies returning with grapes from the promised land of canaan from the book of numbers and you can see that it's beginning to be evening time integrating the four seasons also with the time of day from morning to night as we get to what is illustrated in the flood as wintertime with moonlight being the backdrop some commentators and critics also beyond the immediate biblical reference they point to man's man's represent man's path to redemption his state of innocence at the first sin and falling away and all the way to communion and then the final judgment a lot of symbolism and just is a depiction of how symbolism is used throughout our day and throughout time to represent the different seasons i would like to turn to our modern sophisticated society today and take a look at some of the contributions that we are providing to future generations and if let's look at the springtime here yes finally spring and allergies this is how we communicate our seasons nowadays let's go to the next one please you see beauty i see death by allergies some of you don't seem too shocked these are the things that you post on your social media let's go to the next one please me during the summer next i went outside in the summer once it was awful angry cat next oh this is my favorite that shows up bonfires football hoodies leaves pumpkin spice boots crisp air fall emoji with the hearts surrounding it next my favorite thing about winter when it's over and lastly oh wow i walk outside and be like yes this is how this is what we are leaving to future uh generations but there is a variety in complexity in life and it seasons because god is unfathomably complex therefore the complexities of life reflect albeit dimly the complexities of our creator consider the words jesus spoke to his mother while attending the wedding at cana in john 2 the first documented and recorded miracle in the bible jesus indicated here that it was not yet time it was not yet his season for his ministry to commence however we know the rest of his story and because of his mother's request he began his work right then and there in that moment perhaps the humanity of christ began wrestling with the will of god maybe the wind of the spirit blew before jesus was ready and not many days after this event jesus told about the wind of the spirit during his nighttime meeting with nicodemus jesus said the wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it but you cannot tell from which direction it comes or goes so everyone is like this who was born in the spirit the ministry of jesus had a definite beginning as he anticipated it would it and it will but he also prayed at the end if it be your will lord let this cup pass or let this season pass sometimes seasons surprise us sometimes moments will catch us off guard however when we are surprised we must recognize that god has a purpose in every season of our life that life has seasons is not merely just an observable fact but it is a scriptural truth solomon the wisest man who ever lived rightly noted that seasons exist and a life and they're not always defined by age within the same year you can experience a season of laughter and a season of mourning a time of losing followed by a time of getting in a period of war preceded by a time of peace in fact these can all occur in even a much shorter window than a year and they can recur again and again and we ask these questions in our communion with our creator with god but to what end why did you design life in this way what is the purpose of the current season that i am having to live in how is this going to benefit me how should i respond to this seasons are a part and parcel of the creative order they exist in stages of growth of many living things they exist in the geological record of our planet they exist in the development of our human relationships they exist in man's spiritual existence and this is how god created and designed his creation the seasons through which our planet progresses in the course of the year are the result of the fact of the axis around which the earth rotates lies at an approximately 23.45 degree angle to the sun this planetary tilt causes the northern and southern hemispheres of the earth to alternately lean and then away from the sun during our yearly revolution through space this changing angle to the sun's rays causes summer for that portion of the earth but on the other side of the earth it is experiencing a different seasons and if everything was experiencing the same season at the same time then the timing would certainly be off but this is how god created our earth and in the beginning god created the earth and he said it was good good in hebrew t.o.v means tov it does certainly mean as we understand it good absent of evil but that word also means functional it means a process it means systematic god created our world to exist in a specific season of time and our earth lies in a planetary system and if it did not tilt on the axis of the 23.45 degree angle then we would not be able to live and inhabit the way in which we do currently perhaps the most notable element of the change of seasons is the temperature difference between winter to summer while some locations experience less of a swing or is sting than others virtually every location on earth will witness increased heat in the summer followed by cooler temperatures in the winter according to the guinness book of world records virgo yans a city in eastern russia boasts the widest temperature range in one year one year they threw up a negative 90 degrees fahrenheit in the winter but then that following summer they boasted a 98 degrees fahrenheit in the summer these temperature variations whether mild or severe greatly influenced the weather patterns and due to these meteorological seasons there are corresponding behavior to each seasons god's word explains that there is a season to plant and a season to harvest these two simply cannot be exchanged no one plants a vegetable garden in the fall as the hours of daylight are shortening and the temperatures are declining there would be no hope of the tender plant sprouting maturing and bearing fruit through the harsh winter months the same principles observed in creation are true in the lives of god's highest creation humanity every life passes through seasons and those seasons can be as diverse from this city in russia from negative 98 degrees fahrenheit all the way to 98 degrees fahrenheit in the summer seasons come and seasons go and we have very little to no control over them they impact us greatly and will be ignored or disregarded to our own hurt but seasons are a part of life the most self-evident demonstration of seasons can be seen in the aging process and we divide life into periods and there even name them childhood adolescence young adulthood starting a family starting a career emptiness midlife crisis retirement these are some of the labels that society places on the aging season process and academics the graduated system of elementary middle school high school freshman sophomore junior senior in athletics you'll hear the term rookie or veteran i had the opportunity to minister at the turn this is our university of tennessee campus ministry this past thursday evening and it's always such a blessing to be with them they do just a fantastic job down there and they were telling me what time and and what building to go to and in my arrogance just a little bit uh alex started telling me where we were meeting at and i was like okay buddy i i went there i know where i'm going i don't need you to tell me uh i don't need you to tell me where to go well i mean the university of tennessee is a very special place to myself and even in this church many of you uh attended there cheer for the team and we're so close to the university it plays a great impact just on our daily lives and my first memories there are when my mom was finishing up her degree i would go sit out in the hallway while she was in a class i was probably seven or eight years older i would go to sleep or run around the library while she was studying and then i had the opportunity to go there and as i went down there to the campus ministry knowing where i was going without a doubt i started to make a turn and that road was now closed there had been renovations done and the building that i once remembered that i knew every square inch of was now renovated and i'm having to text and call and like please i'm late i have no idea where to go i was quickly humbled and i began to reminisce over the different sites that i remember from being in college and all the sights that i remember growing up and some of them were still there but many of them were gone and i had that good old days mentality and if you really compared the good old days to what was there what was there was absolutely amazing but it looked different it was a different place it was it was more modern still the same tradition and everything was there but it was it was different and it was fantastic but it was different than when i was younger and really there was an explanation point on my whole experience on this evening as i began to leave i got in my family compact vehicle and i pulled out of the parking lot and the students were coming out from the turn there said crank up the music and i did and as soon as i pulled away i turned it back down because it was hurting my head and i began to i remember going down this road in my jeep and i would have the top down and it was just cool you know and i sped up a little bit and there was a new speed bump that had been implemented one of those that you feel like you just get elevation on and when i did the stroller in my back seat almost cracked the back windshield so that really told me you know i'm in a different season of life but each of these periods brings its own challenges and as humans often discontent the young wish to be older the old often long for their youth one is this in proverbs it says if i could turn back time if i could find a way that's somewhere in there when when it's when it's hot we long for the cold and as soon as it's cold oh we're posting man i miss my flip-flops and sunglasses and the windows down and emoji with the hearts around it oh no time change whatever season it is we are in it is our human nature to wish for a different one but these seasons are of god's design and they help us have perspective in life and the psalm of man's days will encompass a wide variety of emotional climate there will be days in an individual's life when circumstances all seem positive good health material prosperity and harmonious relationships are in abundance and in such seasons laughter is a good and proper response we are expected to rejoice in such times and if you're here with your family today or if you're here today you need to hold them tight and embrace this day that we're living in and if there is any point of division in your life in any capacity i encourage you and implore you don't make a monument out of a moment and you need to make things right today don't allow anything silly to keep you from what god has blessed you with and these are not the only paths that we will try just as surely as good days are a part of life so too are the days of adversity and these differing seasons are not automatically a result of god's disapproval or god's judgment but the bible clearly says the righteous will endure many afflictions ecclesiastes even notes that there will be days of spiritual conflict but that's not going to be every day though we will face times of battle in our walk with god the lord's wisdom dictates that he will lead us in seasons of peace as well if every moment of every day we're consumed with intense spiritual warfare we could not live nor work for god in the capacity that has called us to neither physically nor emotionally could we endure it and we couldn't be our most effective for him accordingly though we will most assuredly engage in war in prayer against principalities and powers but god will also lead us beside the still waters and restore our soul both war [Music] and peace are seasons seasons have value even if we struggle to see it in the one that we are currently living in god's purpose for our lives is much higher than what we even are able to understand and he is accomplishing things in us for us and through us that we do not always understand and we don't understand the timing and we ask why and wish and aspire to see the final chapter but we are unable to unfortunately because of that challenge of limited perspective there are those who resent and resist the changing of seasons they become bitter and they lose out on their walk with god in the changing of seasons it's common to see someone who utilizes surgery or cosmetics or injections and other methods to try to fight the changing of seasons in our vanity but oftentimes we do this in our spirituality as well it should be noted that seasons though are under god's control and in the natural world they come and go at his command but he made this promise to noah after the great flood was over while the earth remaineth sin time and harvest and cold and heat and summer and winter and day and night shall not cease there is going to be a process that you have to live by and in each and every season you're going to have to take advantage of it there's going to be a season where you need to plant there's going to be a season where you will reap a harvest there's going to be a season where you need to get to work and there's going to be a season where you get to rest there's going to be a season of peace but there's also going to be a season where you need to go to war and kill but you need to understand and acknowledge that whatever season you are in you can't just sit idle by and rebuke it because you have no control over it and you need to embrace and adapt and do what god has called for you in that season and like fashion we experience has taught us that truth by god's counsel time and seasons come and go in our lives to sew together this great tapestry to write this great book that's consisting of many different chapters as god works to develop us spiritually he introduces circumstances into our lives that will lead us through seasons that we cannot anticipate he gave joseph two dreams at the time joseph enjoyed having such a divine encounter this direct communion with god giving him this vision for the future he gave joseph two dreams in fact his pride may have caused him to enjoy those dreams too much he could never have imagined that those two dreams would lead him to being sold into slavery he could have never imagined that those two dreams would lead him to being accused of rape he could have never imagined that those two dreams would have got him thrown into an egyptian prison but also had he just seen the results without the process without the seasons he would have saw that he would be seated one day at the metaphorical right hand of power the right hand of pharaoh but those two dreams set something in motion they produced seasons of prosperity and also seasons of brokenness they propelled joseph through seasons of servitude and seasons of leadership they drove him through seasons of loneliness but also seasons of restoration each season was the result of what god had set in motion the story of joseph is a prime example of the psalmist's wisdom the steps of a good man are ordered by the lord and he delighteth in his way regardless of the circumstances though he fall he shall not be utterly cast down for the lord upholds him with his hand i have been young and now i am old yet i have never seen the righteous forsaking never his seed bearing bread i came to tell first apostolic church of knoxville this morning and every individual this morning that's listening to the television broadcast and online if you're on the top of the mountain right now experiencing prosperity and blessings you want to give god praise and let that praise just reverberate down the mountain and sweet send a sweet mist down to nourish those who are struggling but also let me tell you today if you limped in here this morning and you feel like you're just surviving instead of thriving be assured that the sun is coming up on the horizon and god hasn't left you and god is going to use what you are going through to be used for his glory and there's going to be a day if you'll embrace that season and know that no weapon formed against you is going to prosper if you'll put your muscles up and realize that you're getting stronger each and every day it's going to lead you to something greater give the lord a handclap of praise yes jesus god's faithfulness did not eliminate difficulties from joseph's life but rather he overcame them he withstood them he weathered the changing seasons when he hath tried me i shall for come forth as gold i came through that season and i looked back at it i made it i look back at it and that was the monument and that was the point where there was a great the pivotal point in my life that i now have a strength that i now have a knowledge that i now have an experience that has just propelled me to something even greater joseph's final confession beautifully summarized the lived reality of sovereign grace grace did not keep joseph out of the pit grace did not keep him from the experience of difficult seasons but it did get him through those traumatic times and looking back from the high point of joseph's story it's easy for us to identify only with the defining moments the seasons in his life that were prosperity but if you look over the tapestry of his life there was a season of betrayal by his family his faith stayed strong although being lied upon by potiphar's wife he had a difficult decision to continue to serve with excellence even while he was a prisoner but every single experience every decision he made every morning he woke up and said god i'm going to remain faithful to you and i'm going to give you my best i'm going to honor you i'm going to worship you even though i'm being betrayed by my family even though i've been lied upon i'm going to exceed every expectation that's been given to me because i know there is going to be a time i know there is going to be a day when you lead me through it and you're going to fulfill the dreams and the promise that you have [Applause] upon my life the same is true in our lives every season made him a better leader every season mattered more than joseph could have possibly known in that particular moment what kind of leader would joseph have been if he would have just been given the authority at the right hand of pharaoh from our earth-bound perspective and in our limited vision as it is by the pain of present circumstances our present season we cannot truly see the beautiful story god is writing we cannot always tell or plan for the trajectory defining seasons seasons at times seem forced upon us not at a time of convenience and they can produce storms of stress and storms of strain storms of testing us and pushing us to the very brink and at times we enter his house with vision and energy and and we're revived and we're like let's go everybody let's get up there why the praise team singing uh why isn't everyone feeling as as good as i am tonight let's go let's go but then there's others here today that if you knew truly knew what they were going through it's a much greater miracle that they're even in this house today oh just their very presence here this morning because of the season that they were in they woke up this morning and said god i don't feel like i'm thriving i feel like i'm just surviving but i'm going to remain faithful to your your house yes there's doubt in my mind yes i'm a bit weary yes i'm questioning some things but lord i'm trusting in you knowing that i don't fully comprehend and understand everything that you're doing but i'm going to make my way to your house and be in your presence and just maybe maybe that might be the day the rain breaks a little bit oh and then when the rain breaks the sun comes up and then something begins to grow right there in the midst of my life that wouldn't have been there any other way if i wouldn't have experienced that season and then i start to see things put together and i see god i see what you did there i'm going to have trust and faith and then i'm going to go out to somebody else and say hey look what he did in my life look what i lived through and you're going to be able to make it as well we like joseph sometimes sit in pits and prisons not of our choosing but hoping and dreaming and knowing there's going to be a better tomorrow and in the midst of your season of sorrow in the midst of your season of frustration in the midst of your season of despair we have the precious promise that one day one day we are going to finally see as joseph did the grand and glorious whole of our lives as part of the divine plan what would it be like in the season of isolation bishop when you didn't even want to drive through the city of knoxville person after person told you don't start a church in that city it's a preacher's graveyard canceled all of your means and all of your financial income for revivals just to pour everything in to first apostolic church and it didn't just go off the ground like you'd have been anticipated not like you thought it would and you got to a point of frustration in your life where you wanted to quit but you stayed strong and said god i'm going to remain faithful even though i don't understand it and now you look back at that time and you're able to minister through the years in a completely unprecedented way because of the trials and because of the struggle and because of weathering the storm and god the whole time had my hand on you and god the whole time said i'm just building you and i'm making you even stronger because you're going to be a leader that pours into many vessels i'm increasing your trough because you're going to pour into future pastors and missionaries and teachers and workers out in this world that's going to be an inestimable count of people that are going to be impacted by this gospel and only heaven alone is going to be able to number and quantify the amount of people impacted by this church body but had you said i'm done in this season i no longer have trust and faith in you god we would not be able to experience what we have here today jesus promised us first corinthians 13 10 when that which is perfect is come then that which is in part shall be done away for now for now we see through a glass darkly but then face to face with our creator now i know in part but then shall i know even also as i've known and let me tell you today i believe in getting through and experiencing blessings in this life but this life is only a vapor it's only a temporary everything in our life should point us to something that is greater something that's going to take place that is greater than living in this life and that is heaven and when we hear heaven preached we ought to get a little bit excited saying that's where i'm going to spend my eternal home i'm going to make sure my family's safe i'm going to make sure my friends are safe oh somebody's talking about heaven let me rejoice a little bit oh i'm getting out of this world one day i'm getting out of this season one day every tear is going to be wiped away jesus promised us in john 16 33 that these things that i have spoken unto you that you still might have peace i know you're going to go through some unbelievable circumstances in this life i know you're going to go through some crazy things in this life but you can find peace in me he said in this world you shall have tribulation but be of good cheer i have overcome the world god is with us in every season of our life and this is the promise that he has promised us eternal life and it is precisely this hope in this dream if you will that grants us the grace to just continue forward in faithfulness even in the most trying of seasons i don't have some deep new revelation for you today i don't have some type of quick fix or steps one through ten to get your life back on track all i can tell you is that joseph's greatest wisdom his greatest attribute in his life was his unfailing faithfulness even when he questioned even when he had doubts even when he didn't understand he remained faithful to god for this reason the writer of hebrews in the grand tour of the bible's hall of faith chose to showcase at the end the heroes who were tortured mocked scourged in prison stoned martyred ostracized persecuted and tormented but who despite all of this and if you'll listen to pastor whitley's sermon from three weeks ago because this is not modern contemporary christianity that goes forth health wealth prosperity name it claim it br blab it and grab it these were put at the showcase of the hall of faith though they experienced all of these things they remained faithful and they obtained a good report and they now have eternal life with him and i want you to know today that not one thing in this world can separate you from his love and no matter what you've done in this house it can't separate you from his repentance and his mercy and grace on your life no matter what you've done no matter what season you're in if you're listening to me on the television or on the internet no matter what you've done it can't separate you from his love and his grace musicians if you would come generally when god sets seasons in motion we obviously cannot grasp or understand the purpose at that time all we can do and what we should do is just trust that there is indeed a purpose and god is working it out according to his plan and whatever is being made available to me in that time i need to take it embrace it use it adapt with it knowing that it's going to be used in the future for his glory we love this verse a lot and probably overuse it if you can but the truth remains and we know that all things work together for good to them that love god and to them who are called according to his purpose now don't come to me after service trying to get me to interpret some circumstance that's taking place in your life i can't tell you i can only direct you to the supreme creator of this world who is putting order in this world and writing and is the author and finisher of your faith and just as surely as the changing of the natural change seasons allows us the ground to recharge and the fruit trees to rest during winter dormancy to be fruitful during the upcoming harvest so god uses seasons in our lives to increase our effectiveness for him if we accept seasons and grow with them and embrace whatever comes at us they will work for our good and in time their value will be demonstrated through our faithfulness psalms 1 3 tells us and he shall be like a tree that is planted by the rivers of water that bringeth forth his fruit in his season his leaf shall not wither and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper each and every one of us are experiencing different seasons in our life don't take someone else's season as some type of divine judgment god might be preparing and using them for something even greater and if you're in a season of prosperity you need to thank god for it and do everything you can to bless someone else stand with me [Music] seasons are going to come and they're going to go in every single one of our lives we can't stop them we can't forestall their arrival we can't stop the bitter cold that's going to come with winter nor can we try to hide out from the rays that so harshly hit us from the sun in the summer they will come nonetheless what we can do is purpose to accept and grow and remain faithful some become frustrated or impatient when they're in a season they dislike they murmur and complain while looking at those in a different season but the wise child of god will decide that god's timing is perfect and his will is paramount he will submit or she will submit to god's purpose even when that purpose seems veiled at the time even when i would use the example of being in a vehicle in the dark and the headlights on your vehicle only shine just a certain amount but you know the god you serve is directing your steps our responsibility as saints of god as christians living in this world is the invisible god made visible through us through our love towards others our responsibility is to keep that perspective as we enter into a new season as we live in it as we come out of it we must remind ourselves that in the blink of an eye he could come and the snap of a finger tragedy could strike my life i could receive a text before this day is over in this time of joy this time of an extra hour sleep this time of sunshine while i'm with my family at the house of god and then we go have a great dinner you can receive a text message before this day is over that forever alters the course of your life so you better embrace the day and embrace the blessings that god has given you as we all bow our heads across this house as i mentioned earlier if you're high on a mountain today there's nothing wrong with that there's a time to rejoice there's there's a time to enjoy the blessings of god there's not a thing wrong with that but remember in that time don't let your blessings be the vehicle that drive you out of the house of god so many times we hear the stories of how people pray and fast and then when god certainly blesses them then they take those resources outside of the house of god now they no longer need him instead let that blessing just pour down the mountain that you're on and let it nourish and reach others if you're here this morning and you're in a season of regret a season of what could have been the bible says in the season that kings went to war that david stayed back in jerusalem when he should have been out fighting but this improper timing in his life and not embracing the season that he was in led him to sin and this sin in turn caused him to a death in his family and he he fasted and he he prayed that god might save the child and god didn't and we see this very confusing and very complex and very raw story in the bible seeing the judgment of the season that david had created upon himself but we see the man after god's own heart after that season had taken place we see that he threw off his clothes of mourning and he washed his face and anointed himself and the people asked him dave david what are you doing why are you still mourning hey he said that season's over i'm going to step toward and make something new in my life if you're here this morning and there's regret that keeps knocking at your door please be assured this morning that you need there's a time to kill and there's some things that you need to let go and know that god wants you to step further and reach higher for him and there is a new season that is going to enter your life the bible says rejoice not against me all mine enemy i've heard bishop say this as we pray not if i fall but when i fall not if i go through a season but when i go through a season i shall arise not if i sit in darkness but when i sit in darkness the lord shall be a light unto me as we've prayed this morning i want to open this altar up to anyone who is in an uncertain season in their life i want to open this altar up to you at this moment for you to receive an answer from him today for you to receive confirmation from him today that i am with you no matter how dry the season may be no matter how much indecision is in that season if i believe if you'll step forward to this altar today and come through his throne with boldly that he is going to pour out something on you he's going to give you strength he's going to give you encouragement and he's going to let you know today that you can make it and you're not going to understand the why at this moment you're not going to know all of the details but just be assured that he is weaving something together that's going to be used for his glory weaving something together that's going to be the conclusion of a masterful story or your life was a testimony that saved many that saved your family that saved your community that saved your their souls and their children [Music] [Applause] [Music] all around he is with you is [Applause] oh [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] generation [Applause] is he is is [Applause] oh [Applause] [Music] why don't you lift up your hands all over the sanctuary we have heard the word of the lord today come on lift up your hands right now just lift up your hands [Music] it doesn't matter what season you're in but it's important to be prepared for the coming season [Music] you know you don't dress for winter in the summer but you dress for winter in the winter [Music] and some of us sometimes we just refuse i'm just gonna i'm just gonna i just refuse to do it i'm just gonna keep wearing my flip-flops i'm just gonna keep wearing my short sleeve shirts if i don't care if it's 15 below i'm just gonna but listen that doesn't change the season it doesn't change the season you have to adapt the season that you're in sometimes there are seasons that you just don't feel like doing something but you do it anyway there are times when you feel inspired there are times when you feel passionate but listen to me listen to me there are some elders in this room there are some elders in this room who have taught us that you worship that you give that you remain faithful no matter the season that you're in we're ready whether it's hot whether it's cold come on whether it's a good day or a bad day we're gonna be ready for it right but listen listen listen you have to adapt your life to the season that you're in and sometimes that's difficult sometimes that's hard and maybe you just don't have you ever just felt like i just don't know what's happening to me i don't know what's wrong with i just feel a certain way it might be a season but don't let your season dictate your life there's another season coming there's another week coming there's another warm day another cold day coming why don't you give the lord a great praise right now