Blessed are the Blind Worshippers | Associate Pastor Chad Erickson

stand with me if you're not already standing and I want to thank our School of Music this is one of the groups that blessed us on Tuesday we had a recital with our school of music I don't know uh how many students I know when they took their final picture we had this whole uh front stairway here filled with students who had gone through our School of Music this year amen and this was our High School one of our high school groups and aren't they talented and anointed aren't we thankful for talent that meets together with anointing amen and I told him on Tuesday I said we can't say the future's bright because we're right here the present is is very bright and God has blessed us thank you students turn with me in your Bibles to John chapter 20 in verse 24 uh through 29 going to read a familiar passage and we're to come back and maybe touch on it just a little bit later on in the message but it's going to kind of set a foundation that I need Amen to preach what God has given me to preach today and again Pastor Carpenter already said it but didn't we have just a wonderful Easter Resurrection Sunday this morning amen we enjoy coming together and celebrating a risen savior amen and I just want to uh I just want to piggy back off of that off the message this morning and then off of the celebration we're having today today and we're going to kind of step into what happened directly after the resurrection and we're going to preach about that just for a few minutes in your hearing John chap 20: 24 says but Thomas one of the 12 called dius was not with them when Jesus came the other disciples therefore said unto him we have seen the Lord but he said unto them except I shall see his hands the prints of the nails and put my finger into the print of the nails thrust my hand into his side I will not believe and after 8 days again his disciples were within and Thomas was with them this time and Jesus came and the door being shut and stood in the midst of them and said Peace be unto you then saith he to Thomas reach hither thy finger and behold my hands and reach hither thy hand and thrust it into my side and be not faithless but believing verse 28 and Thomas answered and said unto him right here my Lord and my God Thomas began to worship Jesus for who he was Jesus saith unto him Thomas and this is what I've come to preach about Jesus said Thomas because thou Hast seen me thou Hast believed here we go but blessed are they that have not seen and yet believed my title this evening this Easter Sunday evening is simply this blessed are the blind worshippers blessed are the blind worshippers blessed are those that cannot see yet have enough Faith to worship anyways come on somebody if you're in the house today and you're glad to be here and you're glad to feel the presence of the Lord come on help me pray right now for the message Father Lord I feel your Holy Ghost in This Place Lord I feel Lord woo Lord there's a there's a Spirit that's here today a spirit of Joy God there's a spirit Lord of gratitude that you didn't stay in the grave but God the spirit rose up and put life into your body you raised yourself from the grave and Lord you're still alive today in the church the holy ghost that same Spirit fills us and that same spirit moves through us and gives us Authority and power Lord in this world today Lord I pray in Jesus name you anoint me God you anoint me to preach the word that you've given me to this great congregation I pray all of that in Jesus name and somebody shout amen oh come on somebody shout amen amen you may be seated in the house of the Lord give honor as as always to our senior pastor our first lady who we love so much who we're thankful for their leadership their Vision thankful for the vision of this training center aren't you thankful for the vision of the training center do we even realize what's about to happen in the next decade how many of hundred hundreds of Ministries that are going to be birthed right here in our city of marville I'm excited about that I'm excited to play a role in that aren't you excited about any anybody looking forward to seeing churches planted across the United States and missions begun across this world Amen I thank God for their Vision amen give our pastoral team honor today give my wife I love her dearly give her honor give all the ministry all and when I say the ministry this church has hundreds in our ministry teams thank you thank you for doing all that you do in this house amen well Jesus had a very special place in his heart for the blind matter of fact every time every account in the word of God every story that we read about the blind whether it was barus when he heard Jesus passing by in Mark chapter 10 he cried out he said Jesus have mercy right and and Jes Jesus healed his blinded eyes whether it was a BL the blind man in bethia in Mark chapter 8 and Jesus and I I know this seems a little gruesome but Jesus spits into his face and spits and into his eyes and and heals him and gives him sight in his eyes the man that was born blind right Jesus had a way of of of he's a Creator so he just naturally creates spit in the ground got some mud some clay and rolled in some eyeballs put him in that that blind that young man's face he said he said what do you see he says I he said I I see I see men as as trees walking he said I it just like he said I just see something moving I see something walking and Jesus touched him again and he was healed his sight was healed right and Jesus had something in there was something inside of Jesus that that he he felt you know what if you have enough faith in me and you can't even see me follow me with this if you've got enough Faith to cry out for mercy and cry out for healing if you've got Blind Faith I'm willing to step into your life and create a miracle that you might see again and and please let me let me set a foundation very quickly because I I believe there's people here today that are going to be blessed because you are a worshiper and you can't even see the god that you worship today but immediately after the resurrection Jesus Jesus Christ the second greatest lie the deil devil ever told began to spread like wildfire and and let me let me pause right here because not only is the devil an idiot we found that out last Sunday and I won't say it because he already said that so I won't say it but the devil is not only that but the devil is a liar y'all hear me the devil is a liar matter of fact I heard it preached when I was young when I was I was in Upstate New York going to Family Camp I remember Ron liby Pastor Ron Libby from gaitherburg Maryland yeah from Gaithersburg Maryland came to our camp and and he preached he preached on the devil he said listen whatever the devil tells you all you got to do is turn it around and you've got truth because he couldn't tell the truth if his life depended on it he's the father of all lies he's not just a liar he I'll prove it to you John 8:44 says ye are of your father the devil Jesus is talking to the scribes and the Pharisees he said you're of your your father the devil and the lust of your father ye will do he said he was a murderer from the beginning and Abode not in truth because there is no truth in him when he speaketh a lie he speaketh of his own for he is a liar and he is the father of it Jesus said from the very beginning that liar was a murderer from the very beginning he told lies he could not tell the truth there's no truth in him he said the very first the very first lie the probably the greatest lie ever told he said ye shall not surely die he told Eve he said sin it won't hurt you he said there's no consequences to disobedient but let me tell you something she did die matter of fact her husband died they both partook of the forbidden fruit and died the very day they partook of the fruit and it was far worse than physical death they died a spiritual death it it was far worth worse than them just fallen over dead for they died spiritually because the relationship they had with God was no more but the second greatest line this is what I've come to preach about tonight was told by the children of the devil in Matthew 28:11 look at this right here it says now when they were going behold some of the watch came into the City and showed unto the chief priests all the things that were done now these were the Watchmen these were were the guys that were supposed to be keeping the body of Jesus secure inside the grave and when they were assembled with the elders and had taken counsel they gave large money unto these soldiers saying this is what you're going to say his disciples came by night and stole him away while we slept lie lie lie and if it come to the governor's ears we will persuade him and secure you we're going to protect you if the governor hears that you are sleeping on the job they said we're going to protect you ver verse 15 right here so they took the money and did as they were taught and this saying this lie is commonly reported among the Jews even until this day keep the lie listen keep that lie in the back of your mind because we're coming back to it but you got to imagine the word was being spread throughout all Jerusalem throughout all the land that the Jesus that the disciples were talking about Rising again he did not rise again the disciples simply came and stole the body while the soldiers were sleeping but I like this because in Hebrews chapter 11 we're going to kind of move and talk about we're going to talk about people who had faith that could not see because it says blessed are those who worship God and believe in God and have faith in God who never see God for and this is the cliff notes version and you youngsters don't know what that means but but if if you to school about the time I did thank God for Cliff Notes it says in verse four by faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice in Cain verse verse five says by faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death and was not found because God had translated him verse S by faith Noah being warned of God of things not seen as of yet moved with fear prepared an arc to the saving of his house verse 8 says by faith Abraham when he was called to go to go out of a a place which he had after receiv receiving inheritance obeyed and he went out not knowing whether he went verse 24 says by faith Moses when he was come to years refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter choosing rather to suffer Affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season y'all remember these in Hebrews chapter 11 it's it's Faith's Hall of Fame they Overcomer after Overcomer after Overcomer Faithful Men and faithful women oh I wish I could read about every single one of them but verse 32 just barely mentions the one I really want to preach about tonight and and the T the topic of blind worship 32 says and what shall I more say for the time would not fall me to tell of Gideon and barck and Samson and jeepa and of David also and here's my guy right here I listen I love preaching about David something there's something about David I don't know it's because he was a worship Le and I I try to lead worship I I don't know if that's why I love David the way I love David but there's something about David whose character and and David the the reason why David was so important in the word of God was not because he could kill lion bears and Giants but the Bible says in Acts 13:32 God said this he said I have found David the son of Jesse a man after mine own heart which shall fulfill all my will do you see this right here now listen all the time I love preaching about David being the man after God's Own Heart and I too want to be a man after God's Own Heart I want God to see me I want God to recognize me I want God to be able to pull me Point me out in the crowd and be able to say hey that's my guy right there I want God to be able to do that to me but this is so much more than just being a man after God's Own Heart because it said he fulfilled all the will of God I just believe that means and I'm just going to give you a condensed version of what I feel and what I feel I've seen in the word of God but David figured out how to worship a God he could not see come on I want you to think about this before David before there was a David before there was a worshipper a young a young Hebrew man before there was a young Shepherd named David you don't see you don't read in the word of God where there was worship now I know and please understand I know that worship went up to God I know there was a there there was a tabernacle I understand that Moses and gibian had a tabernacle I know they sent up offerings and and there was incense and I realized all of that but I'm talking about there was not another man who took instruments and wrote songs and Psalms and spiritual songs unto God and worshiped God through the songs read I listen I studied I researched Through the Bible now it talks about the they made musical instruments I know please don't come up to me after and say David wasn't the first musician I know that I realize that I'm talking about though a young man who figured out his purpose on the earth he soon even at a young age he began to feel what it felt like to be anointed and it was more than just being anointed to be king because the anointing would come upon David in just some of the greatest instances the the greatest circumstances not only to fight battles and and I Know It Came Upon him to fight and I understand it it came upon him to give him wisdom but it also came upon him when he would begin to worship God I don't believe it's written anywhere else in the Old Testament that that kind of anointing would fall upon a musician a singer a songwriter and not only that but a worship leader let me tell you something there's nothing like feeling the anointing when you begin to preach matter of fact I there there there two things that I do because I love the people I do them for but they scare me more than anything else and that's to preach or a sing at a funeral or at a wedding because those two instances are the hardest places to capture the anointing of God now please Don't Judge Me too quickly but but there's sometimes listen when I get up to sing and I'm in front of the choir here I rely on whole lot on the anointing I'm not I'm not up here singing Love Songs right nothing wrong with that I'm not up here singing songs about the future and about glory and and again I agree and 100% but when we start singing about songs like the choir sang tonight talking about getting up out of the Grave when you start singing stuff like this in choir you can you can testify with me tonight you start feeling something that you don't feel just anywhere else it's it's this power of anointing when you sing and and preachers that are in the house listen I don't ever want to preach without the anointing it's hard to preach without the anointing I I've done some I've done some things before I I I've had some some some great honors bestowed upon me I I remember going to Nashville and I I remember opening up the state senate with prayer uh about 10 or so years ago uh I got the privilege of going and and and saying the prayer before the Senate let me tell you something there was no anointing there that was one of the hardest things I've ever done was to try to conjure up anointing in this house of Senate the Senate house but but I thank God for an opportunity to be able to sing and praise and worship and preach under under the anointing of God because there's nothing there is nothing like it but but I got convicted I got convicted a few years ago because I began to think to myself you know what I enjoy the anointing in the house of God but what would be wrong with having the anointing back in my prayer closet at home in my office and I began to think to myself you know what would be wrong with dancing like David did in my office like I do on a church platform and it it convicted my heart and I I thought God and I was in my prayer room and it was me all by myself and I thought you know what I'm just going to start dancing before the Lord like I would on a Sunday night red hot fiery Revival service when the choir's up there saying I'm just going to start dancing unto the Lord and wouldn't you know when I begin to dance unto the Lord I felt the same anointing come upon me in my prayer closet all by myself that I felt in the church house let me tell you something if it wasn't for someone like David if it wasn't for a Shepherd boy that all by himself on the dark side of the Wilderness uh began to write songs and to praise God with instruments uh and give God praise before anybody else did it he invented our Moder day worship and David did and here here's what I believe and this is just I believe there's a revelation that God gave me as a worship leader here's what David did he did what Lucifer failed to do a third of the Angels a third of the Angelic beings in heaven were created to be worshippers I I preached this before but I can't help to preach it again right here because it works it fits right here what God wants me to tell somebody tonight but a third of those angels were created by God to do nothing but sing and worship and praise the great Creator and there was one there was one who stood a Above the Rest uh there was one that was more beautiful than the rest uh I believe there was one that was a better singer and a better musician than the rest and his name was Lucifer he was an archangel he was the most powerful Angelic being ever created and he was created and appointed by God to be the Supreme worship leader but look with me in Ezekiel because Ezekiel describes them in chapter 28:3 it says Thou Hast been in ed in the garden of God every precious stone was I covering the sardius the topaz the diamond the barrel the onx The Jasper the sapphire the emerald the carbuncle the gold the workmanship watch this right here the workmanship of thy tamb brance and of thy pipes these are musical terms was prepared in thee in the day that thou was created Lucifer he had two defining attributes he was naturally beautiful pastor Pastor Carpenter he preached I don't know a couple months ago and he started talking about the radiant beautiful stones in the gems uh Lucifer was almost he he was he was like he was like a disco ball if you will that wherever he moved the lights would just dance around he was in the presence of God he was in the presence of light can you imagine what that must have looked like I'm not talking about a stage light hitting a disco ball I'm not talking about the Sun hitting a disco ball I'm talking about God I'm talking about the light woo he was he was shining and reflecting off of this this Angelic being of worship he was beautiful in every way but he got confused of his identity because somewhere along the way he got in his mind that he was the one that was created to be light and we read the word of God that he began to say to himself I will Ascend up into the Mount of God I will be as God and he got confused and here's where his confusion was he was brilliant and he was beautiful but if he was not in God's presence there was no light in him it kind of it kind of makes me think it kind of makes me think of the moon in the sky and if you're not educated or or if a person is too young and hasn't studied if they've not study the solar system they might think that the moon gives light but all the Moon is a is a reflection of the Sun and that's all Lucifer was and so he lost his identity and he started looking upon himself and thinking he was some great thing uh but he was uh this beautiful oh every Jewel and every Gem and every beautiful stone defined him but then the second thing was he was a living instrument he did not play an instrument he was an instrument he did not play music he was instrument the very his very insides the Bible talks about the pipes and the tambrin uh the these are musical think of a uh think of a bag pipe if you will the pipes that you see coming out of a bag pipe and and everything and every movement that he made it created this beautiful music this beautiful worship uh it created on the tambers it created a rhythm it created a sound of beautiful sound of Rhythm and harmonies and Melodies that's who Lucifer was he was beautiful and he was music he was beautiful and he was a worshipper and oh but we read and I don't have time to read the scripture oh but we find this same Lucifer he got too big of a head he got too enamored with himself and he was cast out of Heaven he was cast down to earth and into the sides of hell and here we have uh a God who was once worshiped by a third of the Angels who have now been cast down with Lucifer their leader and now mankind is created Adam and Eve is created to take the place of Lucifer they're created to take the place but you know the story of Adam and Eve they could not do they failed to do what God created them to do they were built just like Lucifer they had inside of them a wind pipe they had inside of them articulators a mouth a nose a tongue teeth lips that when when when sound would come up out would come up from the diaphragm and and the lungs would push it up through the trachea and out of the articulators it would create this beautiful sound this beautiful music but they did not use their voices and use their bodies the way that God designed them and created them to do uh but instead they listened to the wrong voice uh and instead they died spiritually right there in the garden but I want to fast forward all the way to the shepherd boy named David because although there was generation after generation who couldn't figure out what they were there to do it was David who came up he came up with a plan and said uh we're going to worship God we're going to worship him together we're going to bring the Ark of the Covenant up and this was the spirit of God was within this Ark of God it was the presence of God that the children of Israel would transport and would bring into battle and David when he became king he said the very first thing I want to do is bring it to the city of Zion I want to bring it to the city of David I want to bring it to Jerusalem so here he is with 30,000 and Entourage who comes and places that presence of God smack dab in the middle of a tabernacle that David built for God so follow this cuz I've got to move quickly with this but it was in this Tabernacle it was in this place uh it was in the city of David uh it was right here where Psalms like Psalm 47 And1 where it says oh clap your hands all ye people and shout unto God with a voice of Triumph it was David that wrote that it was David that wrote that in his own Tabernacle because he began to teach the people how to worship come on follow me with this because up until this time they were really good at rituals they were really good now they were obedient and I understand that Moses's Tabernacle it played a very important role because there had to be death uh there had to be blood shed there had to be sacrifice uh there had to be incense going up uh there had to be a Laver of water where there had to be washing there had to be a table of showbread I understand a Candlestick to give Li but all oh I'm so thankful that David took that Ark that at one time could only be seen by one man once a year I'm so thankful he took it out of that Tabernacle and God allowed him to place it into his own Tabernacle where all the people could be in the presence of God because it was at this time when David became king that all of the sudden we see psalms 27 and6 it says and now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me uh and I will offer in his tent uh sacrifices with shouts of Joy uh I will sing uh yes I will sing praises to the Lord now listen if you're here tonight and maybe you got one of our invitation cards and and you couldn't come to church this morning but you you decided I'm going to go to that Apostolic church on Sunday night because they said they're having an Easter Service on Sunday morning and Sunday night and I hope you've realized that we are and maybe this is the first time you've ever been around some crazy Apostolic Pentecostal people but I got news for you the worship that you saw tonight when the choir began to sing about coming up out of the Grave that was not Pentecostal worship because long before the day of Pentecost uh and long oh far before isua Street far before Topeka Kansas far before the revivals in Russia and Indianapolis and in Texas far before any of the those Pentecostal revivals there was already worship going up there was already shouts of Joy there was already people singing at the top of their lungs there was already people clapping their hands and worshiping godo in Psalm 134 And1 it says behold bless ye the Lord all the Servants of the Lord which by night stand in the house of the Lord it says lift up your hands in the sanctuary come on this is not just a Pentecostal thing this is a word of God thing uh this is something we got all the way back in the Old Testament this is the way that we worship Our God David said lift up your hands in the sanctuary and bless the Lord the Lord that made Heaven and Earth bless thee out of Zion that's Jerusalem Psalm 149 and3 says let them praise His name in the dance I hope you saw somebody dancing around here it says let him praise His name in The Dance Let Them sing praises unto him with the timberl and the harp now listen again if this is your first time here I promise you we're not crazy we didn't just come up with this idea of worship this worship is so biblical matter of fact it's not biblical unless you worship this way because God said David is not only a man after my own heart but he's going to fulfill all my will he's going to figure out why it is that I created Mankind in the first place I don't know I listen I don't know I all I can do is speculate all I can do is speculate I don't know if Lucifer would have never fallen if a third of the Angels would have never fallen and God would have been worshiped day and night night and day and sang praises to day and night night and day through all the eternity I I don't know if there would have even been a purpose for a man but because there was a need in a vacancy I'm thankful to be one of the worshippers that took the place of the VAC I'm so glad I walked into this place tonight and I know why I'm here tonight I know what my role and my responsibility are I love this right here 1 Chronicles 9:33 th this right here is absolutely woo if you're into music at all this is going to bless you Bible says and these are the singers the chief of the fathers of the Levites who remaineth in the chambers were free that that means they had no other job they they worked in no other place they were free for they were employed the Bible says in that work day and nighten down there were never choirs until David came along thank aren't you thankful for the sanctuary Choir in here come on are you thankful what the sanctuary choir are you thankful what the sanctuary choir means to this church we can thank David for that because there there were no choirs before David came along but he employed Ministers of music that mirrored watch this right here David mirrored on Earth the worship that was taking place in heaven as the angels in heaven continually worship the Bible says the Bible never says that the Angels Sing it only says that the Angels Cry you you will never sing from Lucifer falling from Heaven you will never see where the Bible says that the angels are singing in heaven I I know the Christmas songs they talk about the Heavenly choirs it's not biblical they cry holy holy holy he the Lord God Almighty which was and is and is to come so what David did watch this right here David employed singers and musicians to worship day and night before the ark before the presence of God so what David was doing and I know he was out of due season and I know it wasn't until the New Testament that we find out about the angels as they cry holy holy holy I understand that but somehow David got Revelation way before his time and David looked out among his own Tabernacle and I just believe he began he began to see worshippers and he began to pull them out and said hey I need you I want to hire you I need worshippers like you that'll worship here not just for an hour a day or for two hours a week I want to employ you to worship right here in the Tabernacle I'm going to implore you because I always want there to be a first shift of worship I want there to be a second shift I want there to be a graveyard shift I thought my God from the rising of the sun until the setting of the same David had worshippers but it didn't stop there because all night long we had worship going on in David's Tabernacle David thought I don't ever want there to be a time when my God is not being worshiped and I believe it was sister nam I believe it was when I was in the Philippines at our general conference this past year when I was preaching and the thought hit me I thought I wonder what time it is at home and I got to thinking to myself I believe it was on a Sunday that I was up there preaching and I got to think to myself well all marille they're about to wake up here in a few minutes uh and they're about to go and have practice and then they're going to start their Sunday morning service and as I'm preaching I'm thinking and I'm thinking about David I'm thinking to myself wait a minute hold on here I I got the feeling bad that we couldn't do what David did but then I realized brother Holland we do do what David did because from the rising of the sun listen I don't know what time zone you're in whether you're in the Philippines you might be in Australia or in Japan you might step over into India or South Korea or the underground churches in North Korea you might come up into the underground churches in China you might step into Russia into the time zones of Europe in Africa step in the time zones of East woo the Eastern Time Zone and Central Time Zone and mountain time in United State and I got to thinking we're always praising God because as soon as the Filipino church is going to bed the next church is waking up and as soon as they're getting done with a Sunday service somebody's coming into a Monday prayer meeting and as soon as they get done with that somebody's coming into a Tuesday service and a Tuesday night service from one times on to the next and from the rising of the sun until the going down in the same I believe the Apostolic Pentecostal the Church of God is giving God praise every hour of every moment I don't believe there's a second that goes by where somebody is not praising God and worshiping God like they did at David's Tabernacle somebody just give him praise in the house right here come on somebody give him praise uh I'm preaching about worship uh I'm going to get back to Easter but I'm preaching about worship today uh if we could ever understand what David did for the church what David did for our modern day worship thank God for a Shepherd boy who worshiped when he was by himself Hallelujah and a Shepherd boy who became a king and led 30,000 people in an Entourage to worship God before the Ark of God oh you may be seated when Lucifer failed where he failed David stepped into that role and God said wooo now that is a man after mine own heart you're fulfilling the very will you're fulfilling the very will of mankind but I want to go back to Galilee because Jesus told his disciples now he told him this long before he died long before he went to the Grave long before he died on a cross he told he told his disciples listen in three days I'm coming back to life and he said meet me in Galilee he said meet me in Galilee so look with me in Matthew 28:16 the Bible says then the 11 disciples went away into Galilee into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them right this is this is following the resurrection this is fouowing Easter Sunday and the Bible says when they saw him they worshiped him but some doubted y'all see that I that's hard for me to contemplate some worshiped and some didn't worship now let me stop right here I never want to be a part of the people that don't worship because here's here's the sad thing we we can we could poke at doubting Thomas a little bit here and we can kind of talk down these disciples that saw Jesus and doubted but we come in the house every Sunday and every Wednesday and the matter of the fact is some people worship and some people doubt we're experiencing the same God in the same location God's been so good to all of us come on somebody look around God has been so good to us he's been good to our families listen I know we're going through a lot I know I know we've had a lot of loss and we've had a lot of pain I I understand that and I know that but when you look around and see what God has done for us my God we we grew up singing a song Look What the Lord Has Done Look What the Lord Has Done he healed my body he touched my mind he save me just in time I'm going to praise His name each day he's just the same come help me Praise Him Look What the Lord has done I know Paris is laughing at me because she said every time I preach I got to sing something look what L's we are so my God but here we are got Thomas and then the bad rap that Thomas gets he obviously was not where he should have been when the other disciples saw Jesus the first time right I don't know where he was he he was probably heartbroken but I would just tend to believe right here that the reason why he did not show up the first time and the reason why he said except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails and put my finger into the print of the nails and thrust my hand to the sides I will not believe the reason why he said that was because he believed the lie that was going around that Jesus had not risen from the grave because some people believe everything they read some people believe everything they hear well if it was in the newspaper if it was on Fox News it must be true if it was on CNN must be true and Thomas the problem with Thomas was he believe this lie this this devil father of all lies he believe this a lie because come on come on now listen we could take our little spiritual Halos off and because Thomas knew how passionate his friends were Thomas knew Peter well James and John he he knew all those guys bartholomy he knew all those guys real well and he probably thought you know Peter old charismatic Peter I bet him and John got together and somehow got that tomb opened up and Lord knows that Peter he telling everybody that Jesus was going to rise again and I I bet you Peter I bet Thomas felt like why didn't they invite me to go steal the body of Jesus I would have liked to taken his body too come on come on think with me come on get you've read the story act like you haven't read the story pretend like all you've heard is person after person coming up to you and say hey hey did you all hear about that Peter guy him and his friends done stole the body of Jesus we we were told to the guards that I I one of the guards is my uncle and my uncle told me that he fell asleep and when he woke up the body was gone come on so here poor Thomas is Thomas is going man Peter I love you James I love you Mary I love you but listen I I saw him on the cross I I saw the blood running down the cross I saw the crown of thorns stuck into his head all right I saw them take a spear and Jab it up into his side to confirm that he was dead I saw he was dead dead dead I was there when I saw them carry his lifeless body and put his lifeless body into a cave I saw them cover him up and and put the wrap upon him and I saw them move the stone in front he was dead dead dead and I know Peter John I know James I know you are passionate I know you want him to be alive but there's too many people saying he's dead but here is where Jesus this is where Jesus gets him right here oh this is where Jesus gets him right here because Jesus said Oh Thomas I'm thank thankful that you can worship me now that you feel the nail prints in my hands I'm thankful that you can say my Lord and my God now that you feel the nail scars in my feet and you've run your hand up into my side and you feel the wound in my side but oh Thomas what about all those who have faith and all those who can worship when they've never seen me before and I got to thinking oh God I I want to be in the number God that has enough faith that even though I can't see it I can do as Jesus told the woman at the well what did she say or what did he say to her he said oh I know you think that that the father all he's looking for is worship either on the mountain or in Jerusalem but there cometh an hour and that hour now is that time now is when the father is seeking such to worship Him in Spirit uh and in truth uh the father is not looking for a bunch of people going through ritual or ceremony or some kind of routine or some kind of habit of worship but he's looking for people that are willing to worship him a god they cannot see a God that they may never lay their eyes upon you might be like a David who never sees your God but at the same time you can understand but he deserves all the glory he deserves all the Praises uh he deserves woo everything inside of me I lift up my voice I lift up my hands I lift up my heart to the King of Kings and the Lord of lords David wrote Psalm after Psalm after Psalm that just gave glory to a god he could not see but he said I'm not just going to go through some ritual I'm going to create a relationship of worship with my God I want you to stand your feet tonight because I believe at the end of this Resurrection Sunday I believe there are people here tonight and oh you've read the back of the book you know that Jesus is Alive you know the lies that were told about him but oh somebody in this place maybe you're going through something tonight and it doesn't feel like he's as close as you want him to feel I don't know if it's a sickness in your body I don't know if it's a disease inside of your body I don't know if it's a loss of love when that you've been praying for for decades that they would come back to the house of God and be restored into the house of God I don't know what it is it might be Pastor said it today you might be going through legal situations you might be in divorce court but my God knows everything and if you can see him for who he is I'm not talking about physically being able to see him but if you you can just begin to worship him uh if the spirit of David would just fall upon you come on somebody the world is trying to tell us that our God is dead that our God is not alive that all we're doing in this place tonight is a ritual of a religion called Christianity but I'm here to tell you our God is alive Our God loves us our God cares about us come on we live in a country oh listen just like they did back then the father of Lies is still spreading his evil Lies We Live in a country who has a president that proclaimed that March the 31st today Easter Sunday Resurrection Sunday is to be celebrated as a transgender day of visibility and I don't have to even preach about that all I got to say is listen we're living in the same world that the disciples were living in this world hates our God this world curses Our God in the face of our God the most powerful man in the world declares a day that absolutely disrespects every Christian in America spit in the face of every believer and said on the day that you celebrate your little God raising from the dead we're going to step forward and make this a day where sin death abound and we're going to recognize the visibility I'm not I'm not saying anything more about the subject because you're an educated people but oh my God if we've ever worshiped before we better worship now if you've ever made it if you've ever made a decision that every time you come to the house of God you're going to worship God like you've never worshiped God before you want to be able to say uh as many times as the lord's name is damned uh and is taken in vain h as many times as his resurrection is called a lie as many oh as many times as our government will pass things in our judicial law system will pass things that totally oh disrespect the name of Jesus as for me in my house we're going to serve the Lord as for me in my house we're going to praise him like we've never praised him before I'm going to train up my daughters to be worshippers I'm going to train up my daughters to sing in the choir I'm going to train them my daughters to play musical instruments I'm going to train them my children to give God praise thank God for our children's choir we're training up our families to be worshippers uh it's not about standing on a stage uh it's not about holding a microphone but it's like David when he was young he figured out this is why God created me this is why I'm here this is what I was designed to do uh I take the place of Lucifer I take the place of that old liar that old Thief that old Destroyer if you would begin to praise him like you've never praised him before if you begin to praise him like he was alive and well if you began to praise him like you are celebrating his resurrection I believe his power would begin to fall in the house I believe when the Praises would go up the glory would fall down I believe there would be healings uh and signs uh and wonders I believe there would be Deliverance uh and restoration I Believe In This Place uh there will be reconciliation I believe people would come together that have been at H for a long time if praise would rise if true worship would rise Worship the Lord It's spirit and in truth uh in spirit and in truth uh every emotion in your being was made to worship God you cry because we feel emotions to worship God we have joy we smile because we have emotions to worship God come on worship him come on worship him like you believe he's here tonight worship him like you can see him come on Thomas woo if you got down in your heart you ought to just begin to praise him and worship him like you can see him put your fingers in his nail scarred hands uh put your fingers up into his side he's here uh you may not be able to physically see him but I promise you he's here come on come on come on this is why we're in the house of the Lord this is why we're here tonight it was David that said I was glad when they said unto me let us go into the house of the Lord I was glad when they said let's go up in worship let's go up into the Tabernacle and worship let's get there and lift up our hands and lift up our voices come on the Holy Ghost is moving I believe lives are being changed you can receive the gift of the Holy Ghost uh just by lifting up your hands and beginning to worship him uh oh come on somebody whatever you have need of uh this is for everybody everybody was created to be worshippers and everybody was created uh in order for God to lead you and to guide you into all truth and all knowledge and all wisdom and all Revelation let it take place right now woo I feel them I feel them I feel them come on this world is getting darker and the church is getting brighter this world is getting darker and the church is getting brighter come on I feel such a powerful move of worship in this place uh I feel such a powerful move of worship come on let it just Flo let it come out of your lungs let the air let the oxygen return let it come out of your trach let it come out of your voice box uh let it come through your mouth uh give God praise uh give God praise that's what you were created for come on give God praise I refuse to be a doubter I'm going to be a worshipper I refuse to be a doubter I'm going to be now I think that's pretty good I think that's good for an average Sunday that come on somebody this is Resurrection Sunday if there's ever been a day that you wanted to give God High Praise this would be that day if you've ever celebrated a living God and a living king and a living Lord in a living Savior and a living Redeemer this would be the night to give him loud praise to give him High Praise uh oh clap your hands uh oh shouting to God uh oh raise your hand oh dance jump leap run give God the praise let's do his name he's alive he's alive he's alive he's alive he's alive now come on for the next five minutes without me cheerleading you can you worship God for five minutes can you worship god without me here telling you to praise without David up here telling you to play the sulter in the heart can you praise God all by yourself come on give him praise come on give him praise God the very same spirit of God blessed are the blind worshippers blessed are the blind worshippers for the worship a God that cannot see but they have enough Faith to believe he is he is he is the I am he is the I am he was and is and is to come the almighty God now we're going to end this service we're going to end this service with song because that's why we were created come on singers I want you to sing I want you to sing like you've never sang before come on Sing It Out Loud come on come on tell them about it no one is like you sing about Jesus Jesus no one beside you no one beside of this I am convinced No Greater Love exist no one come on call this name no one Beside You Jesus no one beside you this I am No Greater Love Is there forever All My Hope Is No King all the praise all the praise all the glory to your name all the praise all the praise all the glory to your name all the praise all the praise all the glory to your name all the praise all the praise all the glory to your name is come on every hand lifted to Heaven come on and tell them no one beside you no one beside you of this I AMC Greater Love exist forever All My Hope Is no oh yes God oh yes God we are giving him tonight we are giving him tonight praise and worship with no strings attached praise and worship with no strings attached what do you mean by that Pastor what I mean by this whether he heals me or not he's worthy what do you mean by that Pastor whether he makes a way from me he's still worthy tonight he's still worthy tonight oh we're giving him praise without strings attached