Wednesday Night Worship & Bible Study

praise the lord everyone praise the lord everyone the good old days ecclesiastes 7 10 say not thou what is in the cause that the former days were better than these for thou dost not inquire wisely concerning this over in the platform lands of southeast missouri where i was raised it was a status symbol to plant the straightest row of cotton in the country of course i always believed the man who could plant the straightest row of cotton was my father he had a method that always worked he would have one of us boys to stand at the far end of the field holding a long pole with a white flag on it he would set his eyes on that white flag and never stopped until he reached the other end leaving behind a perfectly straight row i also watched other farmers who in the middle of the field would get worried or curious and would stop and look back you could always see exactly where they stopped they would leave a crooked roll so it is in our life each time we stop and look back it leaves a bubble the biggest waste of time is time spent talking about how much better the good old days were philippians 3 13 and 14 paul said brethren i count not myself to have apprehended but this one thing i do forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth to those things which are before i press toward the mark no matter how good you did in the past you could do better in the future and no matter how bad you did in the past you could do worse in the future let us forget the glories and the gifts faults and failures of the past and set our eyes on the mark and never look back i've seen married couples get looking back on the good old single days and let their marriage disintegrate to ashes only to see though sometimes too late that their happy home was their most valuable asset sometimes a husband or wife cannot forgive or forget the past mistakes of their marriage partner and their lives become a living hell friend trying to live in the graveyard of yesterday you can live in green pastures of the present and look forward to a golden future the church has its share of backward lookers those who continually reminisce over the brush arbor days and the days long ago when god's spirit moved in our midst the bible declares jesus christ the same yesterday today and forever if anyone has changed it has been us not god a runner cannot win a race looking back over his shoulder and we cannot win for christ if we keep looking back on the good old days of sodom genesis 19 17 says escape for thy life look not behind thee escape to the mountains lest thou be consumed life is too short to spend it in the valley of memories today i shall escape the shackles of yesterday and climb the mountain of expectations firmly plant my flag on its summit and proclaim to all the world today is the day of my salvation that is in 1968. well here are some news in 1968. november the 20th 1968 i wrote an article about permissiveness and then over in it it says jimmy debusk baptized brother jimmy the bus who's been seeking the baptism of the holy ghost for some months was baptized in jesus name sunday night november the 10th we're all praying for brother jim to soon receive that heavenly gift his brother jim here now let's pray for him to keep it how about that did you remember that date brother jim november the 10th that happens to be on my son our pastor's birthday he was 10 years old on november the 10th 19 and and 68. we're kind of hopscotching just a little bit that uh some some interesting information that i think that that you might be be interested in and uh i'll i'll read uh one or two for you and let me see here what i wanted to show you uh the very thing that i'm telling us not to do is is of course what i am doing and and that is that is looking looking back and uh let's see here just a minute because i wanted you to read i wanted to read this to you housewarming this coming saturday night november the 16th at 7 p.m a housewarming will be given to brother and sister charles richmond at their new home sycamore view court all the church is invited and then the very then the the very next week there was another article in there that uh that uh it tells that they were our appreciation to all the kind people who made our housewarming truly a big success thank god for friends like you our first apostolic church the richmonds so that's some of the tidbits that i've been looking at as i look back over the uh past of the voice of pentecost now then we want to get back into our lesson we've had several things to come up and the last few weeks and we had to uh hold up and discontinue our study we're getting back into our study tonight on the apostolic doctrine do you like to study the apostolic doctrine is it interesting to you to study the apostolic doctrine well here's where we stopped uh at our last lesson and again that's been about three weeks or so ago uh we were studying about uh uh water baptism and about uh is jesus is jesus the holy ghost and if you were with us you have been keeping up with this and i'll review just a little bit because i have in my notes this is where we will begin on june 1st if no other changes are made and but uh this is just quickly review with no comments uh it's jesus the holy ghost ephesians 4 4-6 there is one body and one spirit even as you're called in one hope of your calling verse 5 oh lord one lord one faith one baptism one god and father of all who is above all through all and in you all paul explicitly proclaims the oneness of god one body one spirit one lord one faith one baptism one god and father of all considering the fact that there is but one spirit let us examine the words of jesus and saint john 14 15-18 quote if you love me keep my commandments and i will pray the father and he shall give you another comforter that he may abide with you forever even the spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because it seeth him not neither knoweth him but ye know him now look at that again but ye know him for he dwelleth with you and shall be in you i will not leave you comfortless i will come to you does that leave any doubt in your mind who jesus was talking about when he said the world can't receive this comforter because they don't know him they haven't said but you know him because you see him he's with you but he said he shall be in you jesus was preparing his faithful followers for his soon death and subsequent depart back to heaven he was assuring them that though he was uh going to go that he's going back to heaven he was assuring them that he was going to be gone as far as his bodily presence were concerned he was going to be with them as the holy spirit note he shall give you another comforter that he may abide with you forever even the spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because it seeth him not neither knoweth him carefully note the next statement but ye know him for he dwelleth with you and shall be in you at this point in time jesus was with them but he was soon to be in them as the holy ghost the comforter i will not leave you comfortless i will come to you but the comforter which is the holy ghost whom the father will send in my name in john 14 26 jesus said the father would send the comforter in john 15 26 jesus said but when the comforters come home i will send unto you from the father even the spirit of truth who proceedeth from the father he shall testify me and ye shall bear witness because ye have been with me from the beginning how and why how and why could they bear witness because they had been with the physical jesus and now they were going to experience the supernatural indwelling of that same jesus as spirit by the magnificent miracle of the indwelling of the same jesus as spirit by the magnificent miracle of the baptism of the holy ghost it is a it is beautifully stated in colossians 1 26 and 27 even the mystery which have been hid from ages and from generation but now is made manifest to his saints to whom god would make known what is the riches of the glory of his mystery among the gentiles which is christ in you the hope of glory how could christ be in us he could not be in us in a physical form so there had to be a transformation from physical to spiritual so let us explore the words of jesus concerning his bodily departure john 16 and 6 but because i've said these things unto you sorrow hath filled your heart nevertheless i tell you the truth it is expedient for you that i go away for if i go not away the comforter will not come to you but if i depart i will send him unto you now we see the mystery made manifest christ in you the hope of glory does that not begin to uh crystallize and and become uh understandable what he's talking about i'll never leave you i'll never forsake you be it i'm gonna he was going away in a bodily form but he was going to remain with them as the spirit the expediency of christ leaving in order for the holy ghost to come should give us a clue as to the identity of the holy ghost let us remember the faithful words of jesus in the great commission lo i am with you alway and now he prepares his followers for his leaving has he failed to keep his word a thousand times no he's opening their understanding to the glorious truth that man christ jesus was going away to be replaced by the comforter the holy ghost who is christ in you the hope of glory let me stop now i was teasing about brother jim praying for him to keep the holy ghost he he's god he just picks at me all the time and i just have to get back at him every now and then brother jim but that that that was made in jest about praying for him to keep it because he he's had it a long long time and the holy ghost has had him too thank you brother jim the term spirit of god and spirit of christ are used synonymously in romans 8 and 9 but ye are not in the flesh but in the spirit if so be that the spirit of god dwell in you now if any man if not the spirit of christ he is none of his we find similarity of interchangeable terms used in reference to god and the holy ghost in acts 5 3 through 4. but peter said ananias don't notice this peter said to ananias why hath satan filled thine heart to lie to the holy ghost and to keep back part of the price of the land while it remained was it not thine own and after it was so wasn't nothing and not on power thus not lied unto men but unto god now he just said us ananias why have you lied to the holy ghost and now he says you haven't lied to men you've lied to god so god and the holy ghost must be one and the same in verse 9 of the same chapter the wife of ananias repeated the same lie to peter and was rebuked thusly now now notice the wording then peter said unto her how is it that you have agreed together to tempt the spirit of the lord here we have the term spirit of the lord if we keep in mind ephesians 4 4 there is one body and how many spirits one spirit it is imperative for the sake of scriptural con consistency that we reconcile these references to the spirit the prophecy concerning the coming era in which the holy ghost would be poured out from all flesh as stated in joel 2 28 has god using the the possessive term i will pour out my spirit however john the baptist in his forerunner message of jesus and matthew 3 11 said i indeed baptize you with water unto repentance but he that cometh after me is mightier than i whose shoes i'm not worthy to bear he shall he the one that's coming after me he shall baptize you with the holy ghost and with fire so what i am trying to point out in this is that the the holy ghost is used interchangeably as being the spirit of the lord the spirit of god the spirit of christ and yet the bible said there is but one spirit so we see that that jesus and the father and the holy ghost are one of the same the synonymity of persons and terms as related to the godhead is further exemplified by the following scriptures luke 24 49 and behold i jesus send the promise of my father upon you john 15 26 but when the comforter is come ah jesus will send unto you from the father even the spirit of truth now you see is it jesus sending it or is it the father seeing it and as you see the interchangeable use of the words it is one and the same even the spirit of truth which proceedeth from the father he shall testify of me john 14 17-18 even the spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because it seeth him not neither and knoweth him but ye know him for he jesus dwelleth with you and shall be in you i will not leave you comfortless i will come to you ii corinthians 3 17 now the lord is that spirit now now then are you following me now the lord is that spirit there's just one lord one faith and one baptism one lord now the lord is thy spirit now uh paul asked the question in acts 9 and 5 who art thou lord and the lord said i am jesus whom thou persecute us it is hard for thee to kick against the preacher now isn't that beautifully clear paul asks a simple question if if paul was in heaven and was looking at jesus and and said lord who are you would he still tell him i'm jesus or would he say i'm the second person in the godhead he would say the same thing in heaven as he said on earth question if jesus is god who raised jesus from the dead i was discussing with a a preacher in rockwood uh a sister had come to the lord and this preacher was visiting her was trying to convince her that she was getting into false doctrine and he was trying to help her and she said well uh would it be all right if i asked my preacher to come and talk with you yeah so i drove down and i was discussing with him he made a flat statement he said if if jesus was god the world was without a god for three days jesus was dead and and that we didn't have a god for three days well let's deal with that is jesus if jesus is god who raised jesus from the dead answer romans 8 11 but if the spirit of him that raised up christ from the dead dwell in you he that raised up christ from the dead shall dwell in you he that raised christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by the spirit that dwell dwelt in you it is evident that jesus was raised from the dead by the spirit the same holy ghost which shall one day raise us from the ranks of the dead in the same power which brought christ forth from the grave but as we look further into the scripture we see where god was said to have raised jesus from the dead colossians 2 and 12 says buried with him in baptism also ye are risen with him through the faith and the operation of god who hath raised him from the the dead now uh please keep this this in mind buried with him in baptism which also you arisen with him through the faith of the operation of god who hath raised him from the dead so far we have scriptural evidence of jesus being raised from the dead by the spirit and by god but if we go even further we see jesus himself plainly proclaiming he would raise himself from the dead and the preacher said if jesus was god who raised jesus from the dead and he just kind of was was a felt like he was really making a great point and to him it was and when he said who raised jesus from the dead this is what i read to him saint john 2 19 jesus answered and said unto them destroy this temple and in three days i will raise it up then said the jews 46 years was this temple and building and will thou rear it up in three days but he spake of the temple of his body also john 10 17-18 therefore doth my father love me because i laid down my life that i may take it up again oh praise god hallelujah no man taking that from me but i lay it down on myself i have power to lay it down and i have power to take it up again are we seeing tonight who raised jesus from the dead are we seeing who the holy ghost is the preceding verses which have jesus and the father and the holy ghost all primitively raising jesus from the dead harmonizing beautifully in the glowing fact that there is but one god the eternal spirit who in the fullness of time was manifest in the flesh justified in the spirit scene of angels preached unto the gentiles believed on in the world received up into glory this jesus whom the world knew only as bethlehem's baby and the carpenter's son was actually he who was in the world and the world was made by him and the world knew him not jesus god and man fused but not confused deity and humanity miraculously mingled for in him dwelleth all the fullness of the godhead bodily as man he hungered as god he multiplied loaves and fishes as man he slept in a boat on a tempetuous sea as god he arose and calmed the storm as man he as god he answered prayer as man he died as god he arose from the dead to borrow the words of dr cresswell the son is not just another man sent here to teach us a new ethic and some super socrates nor was his death that of it of a distinguished martyr in the providence of god in the fullness of time the lord god descended from heaven wrapped himself now notice wrapped himself in human flesh in the womb of a virgin girl offered himself as a sacrifice for our sins in the body god prepared for him and whose blood and atonement our iniquities and transgressions are washed away now that was the words of dr uh w creswell who was the uh the late creswell was the former past president of the southern baptist convention now i deal with the the question of the lion and the lamb because uh now i'm i'm talking about common questions concerning apostolic doctrine now a pastor stirred us up sunday morning with that great message of of stirring us up and the word always stirs me up of course pastor anthony stirred us up sunday night with that great message of it it is it is written and this word i don't know what it does to you but after all these years and i have been preaching 73 years as of march the 6th of 19 and 48 is when i received the holy ghost and started preaching within a few days after that and ever since then it's been something that as i read it it stirs my soul it blesses me and after 73 years it still thrills my soul and and blesses me now this next segment uh is dealing with the lion and the lamb this bothers some people and you'll understand as i read it revelation 5 1-9 and i saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside sealed with seven seals verse 2 and i saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice who is worthy to open the book and to loose the seals thereof and no man in heaven nor in earth neither under the earth was able to open the book neither to look their own and i wept much because no man was found worthy to open and read the book neither to look their own and one of the elders said unto me weep not behold the lion of the tribe of judah the root of david hath prevailed to open the book and to loose the seals thereof now if you're following me now we've got a discussion of of a book been written and nobody was able to to no man no man in heaven or earth or under the earth was able to open the book and loose the seals thereof now you get that no man in heaven and and john said i went up because nobody was able to and and the the elders said what and it's and we've not behold the lion of the tribe of judah the root of david hath prevailed to open the book and to loose the seven seals thereof verse six and i beheld at low in the midst of the throne and of the peace and in the midst of the elders to the lamb as it had been slain and he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne lamb now who is the lamb slain i think we all know who that is as the bail beauty of a bride slightly obscured by the immaculate immaculateness of the wedding garment her facial features neither clearly seen or fully hidden but the mystery of her loveliness makes her more lovely so are the preceding verses concerning the nature of our dear lord the apostle john wept because no man in heaven nor to earth nor under the earth was able to take the book and loose the seal but one of the elders said weep not for the lion for the lion of the tribe of judah hath prevailed to open the book notice no man in heaven nor earth was worthy but the lion was worthy and able why look at the next verse and i beheld and lo in the midst stood a lamb hmm it's getting more mysterious all the time is it and he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne but wait verse 5 said the lion would take the book verse 6 and 7 said a lamb took the book what no man could do the lion of the tribe of judah who is called a lamb was to accomplish the symbolic lion and the emblematic lamb represents the dual nature of christ the task required the quality found in no man hence it took the dual natured christ possessing divinity and humanity the fury of a lion and the meekness of a lamb very god and very man as much man as if he was not god and as much god as if he was not man dissolving the diametric differences of judgment and mercy resolving the question of grace and law reconciling the sinner to a sin-hating god he was the central figure of time and eternity jesus emmanuel god with us the word made flesh he was judah's line of judgment yet he was john's lamb of meekness and mercy give him a hand clap would you please [Applause] let us consider the phraseology of verse 5. here now notice this are you following me tonight are you father all right let us consider the phraseology of verse 5 here he is called the root of david now get that the root of david the root of the stalk is before the stalk the offspring of the stalk comes afterward but jesus has called the root and offspring of david can i say that again he's called the root of david the root of the stalk is before the stalk the offspring of the stalk comes afterward but jesus is called the root and offspring of david in matthew 1 1 he is called the son of david only jesus could be both he was truly god's man and man's god the jews blared in disbelief when jesus said before abraham was i am hmm jesus said before abraham was i am the woman at the well could not comprehend the mysterious words of the master when he said in john 4 10 if thou knewest the gift of god and who it is that saith that they give me to drink thou would us have asked of him and he would have given thee living waters who but jesus could fit isaiah's prophecy a son is given his name shall be called the mighty god the everlasting father was a son or was he father only jesus could be both the wording of revelation 1 10-13 is noteworthy john said i was in the spirit of the lord's day and heard behind me a great voice as of a trumpet saying i'm alpha and omega the first and the last verse 12 and i turned to see the voice that spake with me verse 13 one like unto the son of man the unique claim being the first and the last does not end the intrigue john goes on to say and i turn to see [Music] the voice one does not see a voice but john did and he called him the son of man the alpha and omega the reason john could see the voice is explained in john 1 14 and the word was made flesh and dwelt among us in the beginning was the word the word was with god and the word was god and the word was made flesh and dwelt among us no wonder john could say i turn to see the voice the original greek word says and the word flesh became and tabernacled among us the term tabernacle denotes a temporary dwelling the amplified bible renders verse 14 thusly and the word christ became flesh human incarnate and tabernacled fixed his tent of flesh lived a while among us and we actually saw his glory his honor his majesty such glory as the only begotten son received from his father full of grace favor loving kindness and truth the great god who spoke all things into existence spoke him a tent of flesh into existence through the body of the virgin mary this tabernacle was far from the beginning of the word because in the beginning was the word and the word was with god and the word was god but in the intervening period of time in timeless eternity the unseeable almighty chose to live among his creatures that he had created thus god manifest himself as man through the person of jesus christ he who is called the word of god is none other than the one saw when he turned and saw the voice who but jesus could claim to be on earth and in heaven at the same time think about that for a minute john 3 13 jesus said and no man hath ascended up to heaven but he that came down from heaven even the son of man which is in heaven now where was the son of man no man had to send it up to heaven save he which came down from heaven even the son of man which is in heaven and that was the son of man standing there talking to them nobody but jesus would pit that give the lord praise give the lord praise hallelujah hallelujah who but jesus could speak so convincingly while under the scrutiny of the jews john 8 51-58 verily verily i say unto you if a man keep my sayings he shall never see death then said the jews unto him now we know that there has the devil abraham is dead and the prophets and thou saith if a man keep my sayings he shall never taste death verse 53 art thou greater than our father abraham which is dead and the prophets are dead who maketh thou thyself jesus answered if i honor myself my honor is nothing it is my father that honoreth me of whom you say that he's your god yet ye have not known him but i know him and if i should say i know him not i should be a liar like unto you but i know him and keep you saying your father abraham rejoiced to see my day and saw it and was glad your father abraham rejoiced to see my day and saw it and was glad then said the jews unto him thou art not 50 years old and hast thou seen abraham jesus verily verily i say unto you before abraham was i am matthew 10 17 18 and when he was going forth into the way there came one running and kneeled to him and asked him good master what shall i do that i may inherit eternal life and jesus said unto him why call us thou me good there's none good but one that's god now if jesus is not god he's not good there's none good but one and that is god if jesus is not god he's not good if jesus is not lord over all he's not lord at all if the term trinity actually means not one not two but three separate and distinct persons each having his own personality thoughts and cognition then trinitarianism is inconsistent with the word of god it's inconsistency as evidenced in the first verse of the bible when the scripture compares with scriptures compared with scripture john genesis 1 1 in the beginning god created the heavens and the earth colossians 1 14-17 and whom we have redemption through his blood even the forgiveness of sin who is the image of the invisible god the firstborn of every creature for by him were all things all things were created that are in heaven and that are in earth visible and invisible whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers all things were created by him and for him john 1 3 all things were made by him jesus and without him was not anything made that was made god jealously defends his sovereignty in isaiah 44 24 thus saith the lord thy redeemer and he that formed thee from the womb i am the lord that maketh all things that stretcheth forth the heavens alone that's true that spread forth the earth by myself isaiah 45 18 for thus saith the lord that creed of the heavens god himself that formed the earth and made it he hath established it he created it not in vain he formed it to be inhabited i am the lord and there is none else to suggest there's more than one god is an affront to the holy writ as it exemplifies by the following verses deuteronomy 4 35 unto thee it was showed that thou made us know that the lord he is god there is none else beside him deuteronomy six and four hear o eliza the lord our god is one lord deuteronomy 32 32 39 see now that i even i am he and there is no god with me second samuel 7 22 therefore thou art great o lord god for there is none like thee neither is there any god beside thee according to all that we have heard with our ears would you stand your feet with us praise the lord i do pray that this precious word of god uh i have studied this for many many years many decades and uh of course i can conclude nothing else after sincere prayerful study and and and seeking there is but one god sure he was manifest as the father in creation as the son in redemption and as the holy spirit in the church but in him jesus dwelts all the fullness of the godhead bodily god chose to wrap himself in human flesh and to become a man as the son of god that he might die on the cross of calvary to pay the sin debt for every one of us and we owe such a great debt of gratitude to live for him and serve him father we thank you tonight for the blessed word of god god i love you with all of my heart and i love this precious word i pray o god that it will sink deep into our hearts may we become closer more in love more dedicated to the truth than ever before in our lives dismiss us from this place but not from your presence and the precious name of jesus we do pray amen god bless you shake hands and be friendly you're dismissed in jesus name