Wednesday Night Bible Study

we greet you tonight in that wonderful name of the Lord Jesus Christ what a joy it is together in the house of the Lord and uh we welcome everybody back home that's been traveling we several have been on the road and we're always glad to have them back and if you're one of them we want you to know that we are so delighted that you are with us tonight we've had some great Services well every service is a great service when we gather together with the family of God the Bible said behold how good and how pleasant it is for Brethren to dwell together in unity and that's a great and lovely thing for us to gather together in the name of the Lord um I hope you're ready for a Bible study tonight and that's what we're here here for on Wednesday night to study the word of the Lord and um tonight will be the concluding night of uh studying The Parables of Jesus that certainly don't mean that we have covered every Parable that Jesus uh taught but those that were prescribed in our curriculum we are taking care of those and tonight the uh the lesson is on the parable of the banquet and when you begin to study these things um there there's always great and wonderful truths that Jesus is teaching and and many people do not understand them in fact in some Parables he taught them in such a way that the unbelievers would not understand because it it didn't mean for them to but I don't think that was uh true of all of his parables and U we are studying tonight the parable of the banquet before we uh get into this let's go to the Lord in prayer we uh I pray daily for every request of prayer and God knows the need you saw the list on the screen tonight and there are many folks that need our prayers and we want to pray for all of them Father we thank you tonight for the privilege of being in the house of God I pray oh Lord that you will bless the service anoint the lips of clay with the spirit of God give what you would have spoken in this service tonight in Jesus name we pray amen and amen and before we get into this lesson Matthew 28 is uh is tonight's lesson but uh I'd like to go back a little further and and I said Matthew 20 Matthew 22 and we started uh at verse one actually but uh in in Matthew 21 I want to quickly scan over some things uh was a kind of a Prelude or a foundation to the parable that we're going to be studying tonight and when uh Matthew 21:23 and when he was coming to the temple the chief priest and Elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching and said by what Authority Dost thou these things and who gave thee this Authority uh that was a pretty uh sharp indictment as to say uh you know who do you think you are what degree do you have what school did you go to who gave you the authority to say the things that you're saying and Jesus answered and said unto them I will also ask you one thing which if you tell me I and likewise will tell you by what Authority I do these things the baptism of John which was it from heaven or of men and they reasoned within themselves saying if we say from Heaven he will say unto us why did you not then believe believe him but if we say of Men We Fear the people for all hold John as a prophet and they answered Jesus and said we cannot tell and he said unto them neither tell I you by what Authority I do these things and and getting the foundation and understanding the Bible say he was in the world the world was made by him and without him there was not anything made that was made now just think they're talking to the Creator because the Bible said U uh in the beginning was the word the word was with God the Word was God the same with in the beginning with God all things were made by him and without him there was not anything made that was made and now they're talking to the Creator who was God in spirit but God manifest in flesh as the Son of God and now they're questioning him and Jesus said you ask me a question I'll ask you one and then you answer me then I'll answer you well first of all he said was the the baptism of John was it from men or was it from heaven or was well the people considered John a great prophet and a great man of God and they were afraid to answer them well he said but if you shall say Men We Fear the people now they answered Jesus and said we cannot tell and he said neither tell I you by what Authority I do these things but what think ye I certain now he goes he goes into a parable now but what think you a certain man had two sons and he came to the first and said Son go work today in my Vineyard he answered and said I will not but afterwards he repented and went and he went to the second and said likewise and he answered and said I go sir and went not whether of them Twain did the will of his father they say unto him the first Jesus said un them verily I say unto you that the publicans and the harlots shall go into the kingdom of God before you for John came unto you in the way of righteousness and ye believed him not but the publicans and harlots believed him and ye when ye had seen it repented not after that you might believe in him uh hear another Parable there was a certain householder which planted a Vineyard and hedged it around about and digged a wine press in it and built a tower and laid it out to husbandman and went into a far country and when the time of the fruit Dre Drew near he sent his servants to the husbandman they that they might receive the fruit of it and the husbandman took his servants and beat one and killed another and stoned another again he sent another servant more than the first and they did unto him likewise but last of all he sent unto them his son saying they will reverence my son but when the husbandman saw the son they said among themselves this is air come let us kill him and let us seize on his inheritance and they caught him and cast him out of the vineyard and slew him and when the Lord therefore the vineyard cometh what will he do unto those husbandmen they say unto him he will miserably destroy those wicked men and will let out his Vineyard to other husbandmen which shall render him the fruits of their Seasons Jesus said to them did you never read in the scripture the stone which the builders rejected the same as become the head of the corner this is the Lord's doing and it's a mar is it is marvelous in our eyes therefore say I unto you the kingdom of God shall be taken from you and given to a nation bring bringing forth fruits thereof and whosoever shall fall on this Stone shall be broken but on whomsoever it shall fall it will grind him to powder and when the chief priests and Pharisees heard this Parable they perceiv that he spoke of them but when they sought to lay hands on him they feared the multitude because they took him as a prophet now these two Parables Jesus just told a little story that was so outlandish and yet it was true to life to what was taking place with them and what Jesus is pointing out to them and they interpreted the the parable exactly right that it was a miserable thing they had done to uh the the the owner of the vineyard's uh servants and to his sons but yet that's exactly what they were doing to the Servants of God to John the Baptist they beheaded him Sten they stoned him to death and I think there's only one of the Apostles that died a natural death and Jesus is painting the picture this is what you are and they would have laid hands on him but they feared the people so what what Jesus is telling them then is falling through even to this day we're seeing a world that's getting more corrupt and they are calling good evil and evil good that's right Romans said professing themselves to be wise they became fools and if there ever was a time when you see how foolish the the the the well it's making the news big time right now the most prestigious uh universities in the United in the world are coming out with some of the most outlandish stands on conditions of the world upholding terrorism terrorists and and causing people to Riot in the streets now you talk about the word of God being right online in the last days perilous time shall come men shall be lovers of their own selves more than lovers of God and if all you've got to do is just look at these Parables and read them and then you see it may sound very outlandish it may sound like it's it's been embellished but it's telling the story of what's happening to the Human family in their relationship to God now let's come to tonight's lesson uh the parable of the banquet and this is for you and me to study and see where we fit in Matthew 21 I'm going to start at verse one and Jesus answered and said unto them again by Parables now this is right after what I just read to you again he's going to tell them another Parable we close out chapter 21 and go right into chapter 22 and it starts out with uh an N you don't start a sentence with an N so it it it belongs together with chapter one and Jesus answered and spake unto them again in Parable saying the Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a certain King which made a marriage for his son now hold on just a minute if we go no further could we decipher and discern who these these two characters are the there was a certain King and his son what king are we talking about who is the King of Kings and the Lord of lords who is the son of the King Jesus all right he's talking about God Almighty and Jesus his son and how can that be because God is a spirit and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth but God wrapped himself in human flesh and and in uh 1 Timothy 3:16 great is the Myster of godliness God was manifest In the Flesh Justified of the spirit seen of angels believed on the world and received back up in the glory well how could Jesus be in glory in the earth well it was Jesus himself said no man hath ascended up to heaven save he which came down from heaven even the son of man which is in heaven now would you unravel that please who could say that but God Jesus could say that because he was God so when he tells this story and this parable of a certain King who had a son and the kingdom of heaven is like un to a certain King which made a marriage for a son and it sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding and they would not come now then he is he has he's prepared a great supper for we've got so many wonderful things that we're trying to offer uh to to bring people into the church right now what we're doing we're we're we're preparing so many things this Friday night you'll see more things more money spent you'll see everything from uh teddy bears balloons and and Candy of All Sorts you look at the building we've got uh you look at the uh different age groups we've got you look at the places we go and the things we do the Christian School the elderly the middleaged and you you look at the sound system and you look at the the the technicians we got doing all kinds of we've done all of this preparing for the supper we're trying to entice those that's bid to whosoever will come and we're doing everything we can to get them in now do you are you getting a little picture now yes these folks are going around here doing all these these great things and keeping this uh this uh building in this operation going it's not just the four pastors we've got here but the technicians and the janitor staff and and and the the the ushering staff uh they're all working and what we're doing we're doing everything we can to bid get all those that's been bidden to come come come come come you probably most of you don't even know it did you know that on Monday night at 7 o'clock every Monday night now listen to me on Channel 14 if you're on cable channel 14 you can hear the voice of Pentecost it's a broadcast service right from this church right here and the the the In Living Color it's on live it's In Living Color on TV and you can see that every Monday night on Channel 14 and then every Sunday morning at 7:30 on Fox 43 you can see right now I'm talking to people around the world and I want to tell all of you folks that's listening by way of the internet we welcome you we are so glad to have you in our service by way of the internet and what I'm doing what I'm telling you out there in that great land of the internet come the Lord's B you come he want you to get repent of your sins get baptized in Jesus name and get the Holy Ghost and partake of this great supper that we're enjoying right now give the Lord a hand and he sent for this service to call them that were bidden to the wedding and they would not is it isn't it sad all we do we've given away everything years ago we had a a white elephant sale we called it folks donated cars and and vehicles and washing machines and uh everything you can imagine that they just just so for pennies just just pennies just doing everything we could to entice we have candy range every every Sunday morning almost every Sunday I'll have little ones that come to me with a a little picture they made in their class and they'll give me a a a a souvenir it's so precious and they're they're bringing out different things it's a treasure to them what are we doing we're begging folks down we're begging them and they should be begging the church let us come let us must get in I want to get in that I want to get in that now it was not until the door was closed on the ark and the rain started to fall and the people started knocking on the door wanting to get in but they waited too late well and it sent forth a servant to bid them to the wedding it would and they would not come and it sent forth other servants saying tell them which are bidden behold I have prepared my dinner now he begins to entice them with their appetite uh I prepared my dinner my oxen my fatlings are killed and all things are ready come on to the marriage now can can you imagine if you are invited to a wedding of the king don't you think you'd be in enthused and uh excited uh to be in invited to a wedding of the King's son well everybody is the King's son now the good part about this you're not only invited to the wedding of the King's son you're the bride that's the great part there you're not only invited to the wedding he's got a bride and that bride is his church but what did they do did they uh thank the Lord for oh I was so glad this is great no they made light of it and went their ways one to his farm and another to his merchandise can you imagine when we do all we can there's a uh probably a quarter of a million dollar or more bus out there that's takes these children here and there yonder and we've got two small buses out here and we we've got volleyball uh teams and we've got uh basketball teams and we've got soccer teams and we've got all this as part of our excitement to entice and encourage those that are bidden come on you've already got your invitation what else can well we've done kill the FedEd C we've done we prepared everything now come on we're waiting for you Hallelujah well and the remnant took his servants and entreated them spitefully and slew them well we haven't had anyone slain not literally lately but we've had character assassination and we've had a lot of things said uh that sometimes hurts worse than than death but when the king heard thereof he was wrong he didn't like it he was wrw and sent forth his armies that destroyed those murderers and burned up their cities the sad thing is there is going to be a reckoning day I wish that all I had to preach was grace and mercy I wish that's all I had to preach grace and mercy but the Bible said he is appointed under a man once to die and after death the Judgment there is going going to be a judgment day and we cannot Overlook that and we cannot skip by the fact that there is going to be a day that we're going to face God and there's going to be some folks that's going to be lost then said he to his service the wedding is ready but they which were bidden were not worthy go ye therefore into the highways and as many as you shall find bid to the marriage so those servants went out to the highways and together and gathered together all as many as they found both bad and good and the wedding was furnished with guests uh think about this now he said those who were W now he had a chosen people the Jewish people but he came to his own the Bible said and his own received him not but to as many as received him to them gave him power to become the sons of God now when they turned their back on H he turned to the Gentiles and open the door to whosoever will because he wants everybody to be saved not just Jew Gentile white black brown don't matter big little old or young everybody is invited to join this supper and to be ready to meet the Lord when he comes and the sad thing is regardless of how much we indu regardless of how much we entice and whatever we dangle Before Their Eyes there are those that's going to refuse that that call so those servants went out on the highways together together all as many as they found the Bad and the good and the wedding was furnished with guests now when those who were bidden wouldn't come he called his servants to go out the highways the byways and anybody you can catch said you tell them to come they're welcome to come now we're living in today right now the Lord says whosoever will let him come and drink of the Water of Life freely whosoever will that is such a such a great statement it's it's it is scriptural but when they all got there now let me read you this the king sent forth his servants to honor a guest to let them know the food was prepared and the festivities would soon begin the servant reported back that all the guests had declined the invitation the king tried and sent his servants to plead with others to come he told them to tell the guest he had cooked his best meat his most beautiful table was set and everything was perfect most of the invited guests ignored the servants and walked away but some sees the servants beat them and killed them the King was devastated how could they refuse the invitation of a king he was not only Dishonored by their refusal to come to the wedding Feast but he was furious with those who had killed his servants he sent out his army to kill the murderers who tortured his servants and set their property on fire we are blessed to be living under the umbrella of God's grace we have witnessed people decline God's invitation time and again however one day there will be a judgment for those who have rejected God's call everyone will be held responsible for every rebellious act now it was it was customary that for a king to prepare a great feast for his son's wedding many friends and family were on the guest list presuming everyone would be delighted to attend the the the king began preparing a large Feast to accommodate all those who he had invited the king sent his service now it was also customary the king would furnish wedding garments for everybody that attended it they didn't have to buy the wedding garment the king furnished the the guest with robes beautiful expensive dazzling they I don't care how how poor they were how ragged they were if they were unable to afford it he furnished them with beautiful clothes to wear a special wedding garment but now notice what happened Happ as as we go back in this lesson and uh so those servants went out in the highways and found both good and bad and when the king came in to see the guest he saw there a man only one that's a man which had not own a wedding garment and he saith unto him friend how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment and he was speaking now I wish to make a point here that that's that I I consider it important the last thing we ever want to do in this church is to make anybody feel bad because they can't wear expensive clothes that's that's not that's not our aim whatsoever everyone is welcome in the house of God now but he's furnished us with a wedding garment we we've got the you can wear overalls and over those overalls you could be wearing the robe of righteousness you can be clothed in in his righteousness but there's also something to be said here even though this man was furnished a wedding garment had he availed himself for that opportunity but he didn't have enough respect for the occasion to even put it on and so there he said and and I don't know what he was dressed in but it wasn't dressed in the clothes that the king had prepared for him and the King said friend he he entreated him cordially and kindly called him a friend friend wh why don't you have on the wedding garment the man could have said sir I didn't have the money to buy it but he couldn't say that because the king had provided it and the man was speechless and I think this speaks of something about all of us and let me handle this quite delicately sister M and I you've heard me tell this if you if you were here uh I told it once before we were listening to this preacher that was really he was a brag he was was a braggot about the way he was dressed and the way he was not dressed he had his shirt tail hanging out and looked kind of like he was wearing pajamas and and and and he was bragging about he he said my people don't expect to see me in a suit of clothes he said they don't he said I I never wear a suit of unless I'm going to something special and I said to Sister M we looked at each other something special what do you dress for what do you dress up for if it's not special go and I'm not saying this to make you feel uncomfortable if you're not got on a suit and a tie every I don't see a person here tonight that's not decently and and adequately dressed I'm not talking about having to wear a a coat and a tie and all that I'm not I'm not saying that but this man could have been dressed in the wedding garment now you will notice when we do have a wedding around here you'll see folks dress up for that because that's a pretty important thing and usually a funerals you'll see folks dress up but this man didn't have on the wedding garment and he could have had because it was furnished now the reason I I think this is important uh I want you to notice when Paul was uh brought before the court in Matthew or rather acts 23 verse 1-6 Paul earnestly beholding the counsel said men and Brethren I have lived in all good conscience before God unto this day and the high priest anaus commanded them that stood by him to Smite him on the mouth then said Paul unto him God shall Smite the thee thou whed wall for sidest thou to judge me after the law and commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law and they that stood by said revest thou God's high priest then said Paul I wish not I wish not Brethren that he was the high priest for it is written Thou shalt not speak evil of the rulers of thy people Paul said I I'm I didn't know I didn't know he was a high priest let's go back just a little bit and uh I want to tell you what a high priest supposed to be addressed Aaron was the first who was solemnly set apart to this office in Exodus 29 and 7 1-23 Leviticus 8 and 12 he wore a peculiar dress which on his death passed to his successors in office number one the robe of ethod all of blue of woven work worn immediately under the epod it was without seam or sleeves the Hem or skirt was ornamented with pomegranates and golden Bells 72 of each in alternate order the sounding of the Bells intimated to the people in the outer Court the time when the high priest entered into the holy place to burn incense Exodus 28 number two the epod consisted of two parts one of which covered the back and the other the breast which were United by the Curious gird it was made of fine twine linen and ornamented with gold and purple each of the shoulder straps was adorned with a precious stone on which the names of the 12 tribes were engraved this was the High priest's distinctive vestment the breastplate of Judgment of cunning work was number three it was a piece of cloth doubl a one span Square it bore 12 precious stones set in four rows of three in a row Which con constituted the uran Thum these Stones had the names of the 12 tribes engraved on them when the high priest clothed with EOD and the breastplate and cried of the Lord answers were given in some mysterious way by the urine and Thurman the miter of upper an upper turban a twisted band of eight yards of Vine linen called into a cap with a gold plate in front engra with Holiness unto the Lord fastened to it by a ribbon of blue now that's from Easter's Bible dictionary Paul you mean you couldn't recognize the high priest dressed like that I'm afraid the high priest wasn't dressed like that I think Paul had no reason to think he was anybody else he didn't have any idea he was the high priest I want to tell you there's a lot of preachers you can't tell a a preacher from a comedian that's right you can't tell some preachers from from uh just a businessman listen and I'm not I'm not talking about we want to be put on a pedestal that's not what I'm talking about but I'm pointing out something right here Paul said I didn't recognize him as a high priest I don't think there's anything wrong with folks recognize us as a child of God as a preacher I well remember when when Pastor Mark was a little boy he was in the uh the Boy Scouts and we went to a a scout Scout Gathering out here at the Fountain City Park and they had a stage and somehow we were up there and uh sister mul had on a a dress and it was a it was a summertime it was a flowy and and very very pretty and fit the weather it was nice and cool and and she and there was a lady standing there beside her and you'd almost think that that I I'm not making this up and I'm not embellishing the story she had smack her leg here and she she was wearing shorts and she' smack her leg there every now and then she' smack her leg again and and directly she turned to Sister M she said aren't you awfully uncomfortable in that dress sister M was standing there she hadn't she hadn't swatted a fly or or a mosquito and that lady was like she had some kind of disease smacking and sister makushi we're asking more and more time why are you dressed the way you are when I and again please please don't Mis understand what I'm saying right now I do not believe that you got to go around dressed up all the time I don't believe that at all or even to the house of God you don't have to come in a in a suit and time not I'm not saying that but what I am saying I the Bible does speak of dressing in modest apparel and modest apparel I preached my first sermon in a pair of overalls and a red plantel shirts have you ever heard of that before only 10,000 times with a yellow thread I embroided around the collar maybe I was filled with pride I'm not I'm not sure but that night when I started a church I I I I didn't know I was going to preach but I wanted to look like one and I wore that red flannel shirt I had my shirt tail hanging out that night because I didn't want folks to see my overalls I wanted to think I had on blue jeans and and I put on one of my daddy's neck ties and and I got up to testify and the Holy Ghost fell on me and and I took over the service and and I don't Advocate that either but the Holy Ghost had a hold of me and I preached and the altar was filled and and the necktie I was wearing at the long end of the necktie that I couldn't get it to fit me right I put the long end of the necktie in the bosom of that flannel shirt and back behind the galluses of the overalls but in that preaching they that along into the tie had worked out and they was swinging down like a plow line to my knees and my twin brother Bobby he came Bill your tie your tie and I was really proud of that tie you know your tie I he I thought he was bragging on my tith he was want me to see how it was uh worked out of my shirt okay so much for that but my point is this my point is this Paul said I wish not that you were the high priest I think you can recognize the men of God by the way they behave the way they act the way they talk you're not going to hear vulgar talk come out of their mouth you're not going to hear them say nasty things you're not going to hear gossip come out of their mouth they don't and and when you when you counsel with one of them they don't go out the next person come by they don't tell them what this one said they they keep it to themselves and they take it to God in prayer and ask God to help you straighten out your problem you can be assured of that we do not gossip uh one person's problem with another and let somebody say Amen all right let's go on then it was customary to prepare great feast for the son's wedding now the son is preparing a wedding of the uh King the Father the king is preparing a a supper for his son right here now remember we're talking about a parable and he was letting them know some things they were doing right then that they didn't recognize and and and uh when they begin to decipher and examine they begin to feel condemnation because it fit them to a tea the servants reported back that all the guests had declined the invitation the king excuse me try it again and sent his servants to plead with them to come he told them to tell the guest he had cooked he not only sent them out once he sent them out again to PL plead with them what do we do right now we we we actually plead every we can do every way we can entice folks to come to the house of God and the the things that we have right here in this building that is for the enjoyment of all what a great thing it is uh I used to have my own uh video of my own visual aids and of you've heard me tell about creating a get me a a 4 by8 sheet of hardboard and painted it you you can buy a Blackboard paint and I painted it and had me I couldn't afford to buy a Blackboard so I made me one set it up on chairs and and had my Bible Lesson all scratched out on that and with with chalk and and then they came out with this little Gadget had a light bulb in it and a excuse me a bulb a a a lens that went out this way and you set that down on something and it would reflected faintly on something and I use that anyway well Jesus did his teaching he drew pictures by word he could tell a story so interesting that they would have to listen excuse me so they were doing everything in their power to entice people then he told him said tell the guest tell them I cook the best meal most beautiful table everything is perfect uh most of the invited guests just ignored the servants and walked away but some seiz the servants that that beat them and kill them I was um we had some men from um some company working years ago down and I I had unlocked the door for them to get in there and I was wearing a pair of shoes i' I'd bought for I think it was $29 if you look you got a foot as small as mine if you find a shoe that size are wanting to get rid of it so it had I think it's $29 $39 on the bottom of it and the fellow that was working there he uh he he was doing the I said there's a preacher I bet you that's a $500 pair of shoes you got I said sir those boots you got on with about 10 pair of shoes that I've got had on a fine pair of work boots I didn't didn't I wasn't jealous of his boots but he he'd misjudged me the King was devastated how could could they refuse the invitation of a king how could anybody refuse such an invitation as the Lord gives to us today he was not only Dishonored by their refusal to come to the wedding Feast but he was furious with those who had killed his servants we are blessed to be living under the umbrella of God's grace we have witnessed people decline God's invitations time and time again however one day there will be a judgment for those who rejected God's call everyone will be held responsible for rebellious acts and slanderous words uttered against God one day God will pull back the uh pull out the book of life and the names of those who refuse to come to him will sadly be missed whosoever Revelation 2015 and whosoever was not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of of fire the king found those that no matter what he said or did they still refus his invitation now Grace is the unmar favor of God grace is getting something that you don't deserve but yet he extends it to you the Bible said for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life life now that's God God sent not his son of the world to condemn the world but that through him the world might be saved so he wants everybody to be saved but there are those who who who do not take advantage of the grace of God we were in a Tent Revival many years ago when our family was traveling together and Bobby and I were just young boys and uh there was a man coming to the altar in that tent meeting and we started praying for him and that man prayed this way God you won't save me God I know you won't save me you can't save me Lord you want and my dad knelt down beside him said sir don't pray like that God will save you just ask God to forgive you whatever and and he would go right back to praying again God you won't save me and he came to the service several times and went to the altar several times and my dad would stop him and tried to tell him that God extends forgiveness to you said sir is there something in your life that you're not confessing to God I don't want to hear it but whatever you've got in your life you you you tell it to God and God will forgive you and and we left Princeton Kentucky from that Revival and a few weeks we got a letter from that uh man's niece and she said her uncle borrowed a shotgun said he was going hunting and went out in the woods and shot himself in the head killed himself and left a note that he had hired some boys to drown his wife's first husband so he could get her and he couldn't live with what he had done and couldn't and wouldn't confess it and he died a suicide let me tell you if you and I will just be willing to obey God accept his forgiveness whatever you God is a god of forgiveness whosoever will let him come and drink of the Water of Life freely and if we can only get our loved ones to just take advantage of that how wonderful it would be would you stand at your feet with us please God's grace enables us to live right if we're just put put it in the hands of the Lord I don't want to be put out because once I get in uh whatever the Lord request me to do that I want to do the man in the rags was flouting his uh privilege of being there didn't respect it didn't feel wasn't grateful for it let you and me be thankful for what God has done for us father we thank you tonight for the Blessed word of God your word says that whosoever will let him come and drink of the Water of Life freely father I thank you that you could reach down the cotton patches of Southeast Missouri and pick a up a little 7year old boy that knew very little about any educational situations but I just knew in my heart I needed a savior and you accepted me Lord I Thank you for the walk I've had with you for all these years I pray Lord you'll bless this congregation I pray that the word of God will sink deep into our hearts that we'll grow in the grace and the love of God dismiss us from this place but not from your presence in Jesus name we pray amen and amen shake hands and be friendly thank God you're in his house you're one of those that's accepted the invitation