My Sanctuary | Associate Pastor Chad Erickson

remain standing with me and I I believe I got an update uh after Pastor Carpenter got an update um and what I didn't even realize what was happening is they're going to three prisons today the ladies uh first prison I believe as Pastor said over 70 got baptized in Jesus name the second prison they had I believe somewhere around 28 I believe it was right around 98 in the first two prisons and they were headed they were in the car headed to another correctional facility and they were going to have yet another Revival baptism service and so God only knows I believe they're still in we've not got any text since then they can't bring their phones in and so I'm sure our phones will begin to blow up whenever they get out of that third that third Correctional uh facility but let just believe God is doing Revival doing amazing things all over this world and I'm thankful he's doing it right here in the United States of America to those in church houses and those in the jail houses amen thank God for it turn with me in your Bible to 2 Samuel chapter 3 and verse 33 uh just just been a a roller coaster of emotion all well I say all day today but it's been kind of going on for the past week and my brother my brother Dave thank God we got to just give your wife just a going home celebration last night what a wonderful woman of God who was loved by so many and we're praying just for you we're praying for your family for your mother for your sister for your nieces and just we're just believing that God is going to continue to be a strength in your life brother Davey and we're thankful Lord that you are giving us Lord the strength to get through we got to visit with the Holland Family the Dempsey family today and we're just believing that God's going going to be that strength as Pastor Carpenter said that strength that surpasses all understanding the word of God clearly states that is Holy Ghost is for the church today it's for us it's for it's for us uh it's not just uh to be a witness and we are a witness because we have it and we have the power to be a witness but it's also something that's with us that lets us know this world is not our home we got etern we got we got eternity to look forward to and the power of the Holy Ghost the Bible says the same spirit that raised Christ from the dead it dwells inside of us and that's eternal life and we know amen the moment you received the gift of the Holy Ghost the moment you went down in the water in Jesus name you repented of your sins I believe that right there began eternity in your life because that's what you need for eternity right there is that newness of life amen 2 Samuel chapter 3 and: 33 and we're going to go there and then I'm going to read a couple more passages in your hearing you're not going to have to turn there they'll be on on our screens but the Bible says and the King lamented over Abner this is King David and said died Abner as a fool dieth thy hands were not bound nor thy feet put into feathers as a man falleth before wicked men so fth thou and all the people wept again over him and then I want to read a scripture out of Luke chap 17:32 that just so happens to be the second shortest verse in the Bible which simply says remember Lot's wife just just three simple words that contain so much power in them remember Lot's wife and then one more scripture Psalm 27 and4 King David said once again he said one thing have I desired of the Lord and that will I seek after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life my my title's simple but I believe by the end of my message is going to make sense and I believe we're going to be able to kind of bring it in and make it personal in our lives my title is simply this My Sanctuary My Sanctuary why don't you put your Bibles down I just feel the presence of the Lord in this place I I'm thankful for the worship team uh that just ushered his presence in come on just lift up your hands to heaven right here and come on can we just love him just for a few more moments we've been worshiping we've been praising him now for for exactly one hour come on we've been lifting up his name we've been singing how good he is and what he's done in our Liv lives for for an hour now but come on tonight I believe something is in store for us in return we've been giving him praise and where the glory Rises I believe that's when the presence of God begins to fall in that same place where the glory Rises and Lord God you're going to minister to someone here today in your Sanctuary you're going to minister to somebody in this place today that is in need Lord I don't know if it's healing I don't know if it's salvation I don't know if it's Deliverance of some kind or some type but God won't you do it right now in the sanctuary Lord God Lord this is a place Lord where you're going to touch and speak your people in Jesus name we pray and everyone shout amen amen why don't you re re reach over and grab somebody's hand next to you come on just tell them say it's good to see you in the sanctuary come on tell them it's good to see you in the sanctuary you may be seated there there's been there's been some uh um warnings go out for for us tourists and uh if you read or watch any of the news outlets you've seen the warnings that are going out uh telling us not to visit certain Caribbean islands and not to visit some Mexican destinations because of Cel and because of gang violence you've seen those amen uh and of course it's messing up our tourists because uh obviously that's going to affect our cruise ships and that's going to affect a lot of Tourism leaving America going in these other countries but um there's just there's a lot of there's a lot of of lawlessness in Nations that don't have a lot of laws kind of makes sense and um I was traveling my wife and I were celebrating uh 20 20 years of marriage this this coming July the 30th thank you 20 years I know I don't look much older than 20 but 20 years 20 years of marriage and and and I thought as as and let me talk to you new newlyweds for a moment but I thought as a newlywed I thought you know what every five years we're going to go on a great just just a just an extravagant uh anniversary trip and brother Namy that's when I thought that you know the older you got that that you would just start you know your bank account would just fill up and you'd have some vacation money that's before I realized how much kids cost but on our fifth our fifth year anniversary we went to the country of Jamaica um and Jamaica is is an amazing place if you're on the coastal region of Jamaica matter of fact when you fly in if you've ever been to Jamaica kind of like many of these these Island uh these these Island destinations when you fly into them you're immediately shocked because you are not it's let's just put it this way it's not like the leisure travel magazines make it to look when you when you're watching when you're watching the the the destination channel on on television and you see all these beautiful all all the water and all these beautiful uh uh Resorts that's not what it looks like when you fly into the nation matter of fact we took a bus ride we took a hot sweaty long uncomfortable bus ride from the airport to uh uh to the to the coastal area that we were trying to get to and we saw some things brother snitzer I I've never seen before in a lot of countries I've been to uh things that I couldn't even tell you from the microphone in in in in a in a in a public uh uh Forum here um things that that were just you could tell there was a lawlessness and and I remember feeling Wonder to myself what what have I got myself into because this is not what I signed up for and but when we got to the resort and they let us out and we got checked in my worries were quickly over because just like the pictures and just like the video I'd seen it was the most beautiful water you could look down you could be 20 30 50 feet deep water and look down and it felt like this the bottom of the ocean was right there in in in reach of your hand it was so clear in in the o what beautiful color of the water um but as we are as as Apostolic Pentecostals I wasn't going to hang out with my wife on the the beach of this Resort and so I was looking for a secluded Place anybody ever look for a secluded place before oh I wish I had some help I hope you're looking for secluded places and so I was kind of we're walking down and we came to a a a like a guard Hut if you will and it was kind of up on up on stilts and it was kind of up high and there was a guard in that in in that guard Hut and I remember telling Fallon I said Fallon baby I said if we can act like we're going to get in the water right here and I said just we're going to wait until he's not looking and we're going to kind of slip past him into the more secluded because there's no we could look and we could see some be beautiful white sand and and there was woo there was nobody for miles and I thought if we could just get far enough and we could kind of come around come around the bend a little bit if you will um it'll it it will it'll keep the guard from seeing that we have escaped but soon and very soon I realized that the guard was not there to keep me in the guard was there to keep others out because I I went to Public School my whole life and never got offered drugs one time I just didn't hang out with those people I never got offered alcohol I I I never got offered but but wouldn't you know it my testimony was ruined because out of the tropical beautiful tree line came walking people and they said do you want a joint Manon and I said I don't know what a joint Manon is and they looked they said see the blue smoke coming out of the trees I said I see blue smoke coming out of the trees I said' what is the blue smoke coming and I realized right away that the guardhouse was there again not to keep us in it was there to keep others out it was there to keep danger out it was a protection it was a deterrent for those that would want a harm and I kind of understand when I when I begin to read all these warnings to the to the tourists I I kind of understand what they're talking about because everywhere you go is not America and I I know America is not always safe and believe me I read the news I know that America our cities some of our cities are not safe at all but I think we can all agree that we feel in protection where we are tonight but if I could I want to just go back and just talk about Sanctuary cities and that's a term we've heard a lot of right uh places of Refuge cities of of Refuge because um history I love history now listen I didn't do good in school social studies history was I didn't make good grades in history but for some reason since I've been out of school all of the sudden I've now taken a ly in Brother Bruce I've taken a lik into history and I began to read of the history of these cities and matter of fact numbers 35 and n and and and I apologize I didn't even turn in scriptures to you you're you're going to be you're Superman back there with the scriptures HEB numbers 3 5 and9 says and the Lord spake unto Moses saying Speak unto the children of Israel and say unto them when you when you come over Jordan into the land of Canaan he said then shall appoint you cities to be Cities of Refuge for you that the Slayer May flee thither which kth any person unawares and they shall be unto you cities for Refuge from the Avenger that the man Slayer die not until he stand before the congregation in judgment and these these cities which you shall give six cities shall you have for Refuge ye shall give three cities on the side of Jordan and three cities shall you give on the land of Canaan which shall be Cities of Refuge these six cities shall be a refuge both for the children of Israel and for the stranger for the Sojourner among them that everyone that kth any person unawares may flee fither so let me kind of just again explain what's Happening Here There were six Cities of Refuge in some 48 available cities that the people lived in in the promised land God said I want three cities on this side of Jordan and I want three cities in Canaan land I want it in the promised land I want there to be cities that are easy to get through I want I want the way made clear I want it to be easy to get it can't be somewhere where it's hard where it's treacherous terrain it's got to be easy these are going to be Sanctuary cities if you will woo Sanctuary cities where people can find Refuge cadesh sheam bezer ramoth Golan and then the city I want to preach about tonight called Hebron Hebron means Alliance and it's it's also known and many people have never seen this before but it's known as the city of the Patriarchs because this was the a this was the area where Abraham dwelt it's where it's where Abraham dwelt after lot his nephew you know you remember the story of lot is as Abraham and lot stood side by side looking out over the the whole Countryside and and their servants their their their their their servants have been striving with one another and fighting with one another and Abraham Uncle Abraham had said to nephew lot had said why don't you look out in wherever you choose to take you take your cattle take your herds take all your servants where you choose to go Abraham said I'll go thither okay he's saying simply this you choose and lot looked over the well water Plains where Sodom and gomorra and a and a whole lot of other cities were we we know the story we understand the story of Sodom and gomor they he went towards the valley towards the well-watered Plains and Abraham went to this place this area where Hebron where the city of Hebron was and so I want to kind of all all of this is going to kind of come together because we're going to see where David also made Hebron his Capital City it was his very first capital city when he came into his kingship it was also the place the place where it was a City of Refuge and it was also the place where these great Patriarchs Abraham Isaac and Jacob are all buried right there in the region where Hebron is very interesting but I first want to begin with a story that takes place in Hebron and and it takes place in 2 Samuel uh chapter 2 and and chapter 3 and I don't have time to read it to you but let me just kind of tell this story because it's an interesting story of joab who was the captain of David's Army and you had Abner who is the captain of of Saul's Army and and it was this was just very interesting and um some of you are into this I'm not so much but but there are people that are into this this mixed martial arts MMA they they're into this uh type of of fighting where you you can mix different martial arts together and you fight one another and there there's a lot of blood it's it's very gruesome and and and that's not something new that's not something that just started with cage fighting that's something that's been around for a long time because if you read in these chapters you'll see where where there were it it was 12 against 12 each each side picked out 12 young men and they began to fight with their hands and they began to fight one another until it got out of as you can imagine got out of control and they began to pull daggers out of their belts and began to stab one another and and there was a lot of Bloodshed and Abner and those that were still alive with him began to retreat and defeat and there was a young man named azahel and asahel was the little brother of joab just just he was he was a young man he was just beginning to be trained in martial arts and in fighting if you will and and he was he was very fast but he was not very smart matter of fact he was so fast that that that that as Abner began to run this asahel said I'm quick enough to catch him and so here we go you got to imagine this in your in your imagination you got to see as they're running through the woods and Abner and his guys they're they're running as fast as they can they're running because joab and and his 12 have defeated Abner and his 12 and as they're running all of the sudden he looks behind him and he sees this young man named azahel and he's running as fast as he can and the Bible says he ran as a gazelle fast like a cheetah he was fast and as he's running Ahab he realizes right away I'm not going to be able to outrun this guy but I definitely can take this guy but at the same time brother the Roger he also understood whose brother whose brother he was and he thought to himself if I take the life of this guy things are going to be bad in my future and so the Bible says that he took his Spear and all he did just in a warning he for number one first he said asah hell listen son you ain't ready for this you ain't mad enough for this I know you're fast but you're not strong enough for this and as a hell he wouldn't let up and so Abner finally just just just a warning below the Bible says he took the spear and thrust it behind him not with the point not with the sharpet he took the blunt edge of the spear and just just enough he was trying to knock him off his feet but the story goes that when he when he thrust back backwards that that stick the the rod that held that spear Point went through the belly of azahel and asahel lay dead on the ground and everybody that come running by look down and they said oh that's joab's brother that's joab's baby brother oh whoever did this they are a dead man and so I've got to fast forward my story but thank God for this city of Hebron thank God for this Sanctuary city thank God for this city oh that that here we go Abner begins to he begins to make his way to the city because he understands I did not mean to kill this young boy I was just trying to warn him and back then it was eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth if you kill killed the Bible talked about there had to be an Avenger of blood which simply meant the next to Kin of the person who got killed would have to go after whoever did The Killing and they would have to kill them and Avenge the blood of their relative and so Abner understood this so he thought to himself I didn't mean to do it it was an accident but joab's never going to believe that so I'm going to get to Hebron as fast as I can so sure enough he shows up to Hebron he gets into the bo orders into the gates of Hebron and thank God he is safe because in numbers 35 and 24 it promises him a fair trial it says this it says then the congregation shall judge between the Slayer and the Revenger of blood according to these judgments and the congregation shall deliver the Slayer out of the hand of the Revenger of blood and the congregation shall restore him to the City of Refuge whether he was fled and he shall abide in it until the death of the high PRI priest which was anointed with the H holy oil but watch this right here verse 26 says but if the Slayer shall at any time come without the border of the city of his Refuge wither he's fled and the Revenger of blood find him without the borders of the city of his refuge and the Revenger of blood kill the Slayer he shall not be guilty of blood blood because he shall have remained he should have remained in the city of his Refuge so here's the story so you see Abner now he's kind of full of himself he's a captain of an army he's he's full of his might and his power joab shows up at the gate and joab knows I can't go in and kill and avenge my brother's blood I can't go in the city because he's safe in the city until he goes on tral he said but I going to avenge the blood of my brother and so he began to entice joab to come out of the city now again joab understood if I can just stay in the city if I can stay within the borders of the city I'm protected all I got to do is stay in but all every day every day joab would come to the gate every day joab would say come on just just come out and talk with me I I just want to talk to you I I just want to tell you and I can just in my mind I can hear joab whispering and saying hey abar I'm not mad at you I just want to talk to you I I'm not upset with you I know you didn't do it on purpose I I just want to speak to you Captain to Captain I I just want to I want to talk to you I want to just I just want to make amends and and let you know that everything is all right and so the Bible tells us uh that Abner stepped outside the Gate of the city he stepped out of the border of the city and joab reached like he was going to take his hand and and and he brought him into an Embrace as if he was going to let him know you're forgiven and the Bible says he stuck a dagger between his ribs and Ahab sunk to the floor to the ground and died right outside the gate it's a more of a story but just hold on with me because I want to parallel that story with another story that took place in the same region where the sanctuary city of Hebron was located I I've got a rewinding time just a little bit but I want to go back to that story of lot I want to go back to the story of Abraham's nephew because Abraham he went into this this area of Hebron and he went and lived and he soed there but lot went to the well-watered Plains oh woo he went to the valley he went to the green areas and and let me tell you something problems come when there's a life of ease people who have a life of ease a lot of times become idle and when people become Idol they do things that people maybe normally would not have done and so these cities in the well-watered plains in this land of ease these cities began to be cities of debauchery matter of fact the very name Sodom that's where we get the word sodomy from yeah where we get the word sodomy from came from this city of Sodom where men were attracted to men and I would imagine women were attracted to women and did all kinds of of horrible sexual acts and I don't know why but lot felt like you know what I'm going to live here and somehow because this is an easy life I can live here and and I can fight against oh the world that I'm living in and I've got news for you he did fight against he was a righteous man matter of fact God saw a lot and wanted to save a lots of life out of this horrible City but he saved himself but he could not save his family and listen closely right here and let me let me passor just for a moment because there's some things that we as fathers we might be able to get away with but the next generation is not going to be able to live for God the same way we live for God doing the same things we're doing it might get a little it might get a little edgy just for a moment but that's okay because we as fathers we got to realize who we are and if we don't raise our children in an atmosphere oh help me somebody if we don't raise our children in an atmosphere where they can develop a spiritual relationship with God that wasn't his two daughters fault all right come on now that wasn't the future son-in-law's fault when when lot went to them the Angels came in to rescue lot and his family out of this horrible City because God said I'm going to rain down fire in Brimstone I'm going to annihilate the sin that's in these cities and God had enough mercy upon lot in his family that God sent in two angels to go and pull them out of the city and I'm sad to say that those angels had to take lot and his wife by the hand and drag them out of the city their love for that City and their love for that lifestyle again lot made it out but you know the story his wife didn't make it out or she made it out but she didn't make it out very far his daughter seemingly made it out but here they are not too much longer in a cave trying to well no they didn't try they slept with their own father and had children from their own father and the the the moabit nations were some of the most wicked Nations to ever be against the children of God but here we have here we have a father God help us as Fathers as mothers As Leaders of our homes to recognize God it matters what lifestyle we live before our children it matters what we say and what we do uh it matters what we watch and what we listen to Because here we have here we have a man who is a righteous God called him a righteous man you see how in the world was he a righteous man because he resisted the evil of the city but not his wife and not his daughters because here here's what I want you to see right here and you're going to see where my message is beginning to come in parallel and come together because they were sent to a city called zor and zor means a little Sanctuary you see God provided lot in his family with a plan of Escape into a City of Refuge oh yes he did God provided them with a plan oh I'm giving you a plan of Escape just like I gave Abner there's going to be a plan for you to get out of the trouble that you're in and I know that you don't want to live like them and you didn't intend to live like them and so I'm going to pull you out and give you a city that's going to be a City of Refuge and a city of protection so that when the fire and the brimstone Begin to Fall you can be there with your family you can be huddled together saying thank God he saved us from a life of sin thank God he Dei he delivered us out of a life of the poy and all the evilness that we were living among but the sad thing of this story is that oh his wife did not turn to Salt when she was stepping out of Sodom when they were leaving the outskirts of gamor that's not when she turned to Salt she did not turn to Salt until they got into the sanctuary City and when they got into Zoar the Bible says she turned and looked back at Sodom and when she turned and looked back she became a pillar of salt and I want to read this for you in Genesis 19 and 26 because it's not exactly how we perceive it it's not exactly how the children's books Illustrated it because it says this it says but his wife looked back from behind him and she became a pillar of salt and Abraham watch this right here Abraham got up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the Lord and he looked towards Sodom and gomorra look at this right here you have two people looking at Sodom One turns the salt the other one just sees smoke and sees Embers and I want you to see with the with the Hebrew in in Genesis 1926 I want you to see how these Hebrew words how this shows us what truly happened to Lot's wife it says that Lot's wife lingered far behind the word AAR indicates case that she hesitated and did not follow lot holy the Hebrew term for behind means to Tar to hinder to delay or to remain and stay look back this word here is nabat it's not just a glance it wasn't that she just glance back oh no this word means to longingly look to lust after to respect here the Angels got her out of Sodom oh but they didn't get Sodom out of her I'm going to preach in just a moment just just give me just a moment Author George TB Davis he wrote this he said Lot's wife not only looked back to where her heart's interests were but she lingered behind and probably was overtaken by the fire in the brimstone her dead body became encrusted with salt which in that salt packed area now the Dead Sea grew larger and more incrustations a vertical pillar of salt you got to see this as lot and his two daughters as they crossed over the border into the sanctuary City the wife never got to where they were because she lingered back just far enough that when the fire in the brimstone took out the PLS took out all the cities and the plains except for Zar there she was she lingered long enough to where she could not Escape God gave her a plan of Escape but she refused to take she refused to obey she refused to follow the plan of Escape both Lot's wife and Abner died as fools died they were both given a plan of escape and they refused to take it they were both given a sanctuary city of safety but they wouldn't get in and save their own life the Bible talks about there's three types of fools number one those that don't believe in God right the fool says in his heart there is no God the second is those that don't heed the warning of Eternity and then in this case the third type is a person who's given an opportunity of protection but refuses to take it listen Satan will keep trying to entice you to step out of the gate until he finds your weakness don't you know we don't all have the same weaknesses he doesn't tempt everyone in the same way just because he tempts you in one way don't think that he tempts somebody else in that same way oh no he's looking let's face it and listen Satan doesn't care if you go to hell addicted to crack cocaine or you go to hell believe in false Doctrine he can take you any way he can get you he just intends to get you outside of the Gate of the city and he intends to finish you off he just wants to get you out of the borders of protection and finish you off he wants to get you outside of the sanctuary oh he do listen he doesn't care he listen you can believe in the Oneness of God you can believe the Plan of Salvation as found in Acts chapter 2 you you can believe you can believe in Holiness and separation from this world but if he can get you to be offended at somebody if he can get you on the bar stool believe in the Oneness of God right where's Kenny Johnson at Kenny Kenny Johnson I love the story he tells he used to get in fist fights in the bars because he would get in arguments over the Oneness of God ask him about it he'll tell you all about it because he still believed the doctrine but something happened to him he got offended in some way he backed in some way found himself on a bar store the devil doesn't care how he gets you as long as he gets you as long as he keeps you from going to the place that you're trying to get oh come on brother Hammond you preached about it this morning he preached about the place that we're all trying to get to and if the devil can keep you from getting to the pl if he can get you from the Eternal destination that we're all after if he can keep us from Heaven he's going to do it any way he can but my question is right here what was Abner doing hanging around the Gate of the city why was he so close to the border of the city that he allowed joab to start whispering in his ear somewhere along the way we got to figure out where the border is and we got to get in the city as far as we can the farther you get in the church listen oh if you live for God hard it'll be easy but if you live for God easy your way is always going to be hard you just got to get in with everything you are you got to get in with both feet you got to get in as far is you can get in and say God I'll do what I have to do to be right in the middle of your kingdom and do what you want me to do joab why are you hanging around the gate Lots wife why are you even thinking about what's going on in a city that's about to be desolated we got to figure out in our own lives we got to figure out where are the borders oh where are the B borders because I want to be safe I I want my family to be safe borders are good things I was I was driving home Pastor ham and myself we were driving driving back home from vacation yesterday and we hit those rumble strips a couple times and I thought to myself how many times have those run how many hundreds of thousands of lives have been saved because of those little rumble strips going down the side of the road people people reach down to get something out of their purse or or open the cell phone because the cell phone gave him an alert and pull right back up I thank God for borders I thank God that there's a there's a place of warning I'm not talking about getting in the presence of the enemy I'm talking about on this side I'm I'm talking about there's a guard rail if you will it's a place of protection that we know if I could just keep my family listen I don't want my family hanging out at the border I got three daughters I don't want my three daughters hanging out at the border I say Pastor listen you you got just give me one moment you got three types of Separation three types of Standards you you got a you got a Bible standard thank God if it's written it's black and white it ain't up to you it ain't up to me it ain't up to nobody to decide if it's right and wrong it's out of the it's God's holy word but then we have a pastoral standard and what the Pastoral standard is is he's the Watchman on the wall he he's the one that gets to put up the border and say you know what God Said don't go here but as pastor I don't ever want you to get close enough to here to find out what happens if you get here so as Pastor I'm going to create a wall of a city a border of a city it's about right here it's good safe distance have you ever seen listen one of the most beautiful things that you can see is a guard rail that's been destroyed because that means it did its job guard rails without scratches are really there for no purpose I I'll prove it to you go go to go to L north city and cross over that bridge and I don't know I don't know who designed I don't know who engineered but yall know what I'm talking about if you're going a little bit too fast and you hit that one corner it's a little scary y'all nod your head cuz y'all know what I'm talking about act like y'all go the speed limit but if you'll take no notice of that place there's all kinds of marks and scrapes and scratches on that wall why is that because it's doing its job the pastor puts that there it's doing it you you you might bump up to it a couple times but you know what it doesn't mean death you're not going to lose your family over it you might get S of the choir for for a few Sundays but your wife's not going to turn into a pillar of salt your daughters aren't going to become some weird inet I wish I could just preach this for a moment but then there's what are called personal standards personal convictions you you you you have What God Says to do and not to do you have what the pastor and a lot of people say well you know what I'm just going to get I'm just going to change church is get another Pastor I'll show him he ain't going to tell me what to do well Sherlock you go ahead and get you a pastor that's going to put you a guard rail right here and see where your family is in about five years that was free I'm sorry that was free God word of God pastor but then brother Thompson we have personal convictions and we say Pastor I know I know you said we shouldn't do this but I'll tell you what Pastor I'm G to take it a step further because I don't even ever want to challenge what you say and I want to I don't want to challenge those standards of protection yall like that standards of protection that you put there and I wanted to myself what do I have to do what price is too high to pay to make sure that my daughters and my wife make it to heaven with me I want you to ask yourself that what price above all else I must be saved Above All Else my daughter's must be saved my wife must be saved you know what as Abner died in the arms of his enemy I I believe he looked back over his shoulder at the walls of Hebron and I believe he saw the freedom and he saw the Refuge he saw the gate he saw the walls he saw oh he saw the Watchmen standing up on the walls that were helpless to save him as he began to to bleed out as he began to die as he saw the church he saw the doctrine uh he saw standards of Separation he saw the pastor preaching he saw all this stuff but it was too late because he stepped outside of the walls of protection he died outside of the border of his City listen we have been given an Exit Plan y'all hear me we've been given a plan John 15 and18 Jesus said if the world hate you if it hates you you know that it hated me before it hated you y'all if you were of the world the world would love his own but because you're not of the world but I have chosen you out of the world therefore the world hateth you and this is the passion this is the passage where we get we coin the phrase we are in this world but we are not of this world we've been given an exit plan out of this world we've been given a zoor we've been given a sanctuary City we've been given a Hebron we've been given a City of Refuge uh we've been given a plan there's a Plan of Salvation to get us out of this world that we do not belong to We call we call this room that we're in right here we call it we call it the sanctuary right we call it the sanctuary and and a lot of times we think of it it's it's the largest room it's it's the room with pews it's the room with the choir loft it's the it's the room we come and we worship and and we praise God and we lift up our voices and we shout and and we come into the sanctuary if you see a map of the building of the campus you'll see where this building this this room right here says the main sanctuary we have a student sanctuary we have a children's Sanctuary these places are are we call sanctuaries but that's not really why we call this place the sanctuary it's not just another name for a room in a building but it's a sanctuary from the world that on every Sunday at 10:00 a.m. and at 6: p.m. and every Wednesday night at 7:30 we come into this sanctuary and we get out of a world a world that's so dark we we we get out of the presence of an enemy cuz I got news for you the enemy is not welcome in the sanctuary he's got to he's got to stay on the outside I don't know too many people who are getting demon possessed within now they might try to bring demons in but you're not getting demon possessed in the sanctuary because the devil ain't welcome in this Sanctuary he's not W depression is not welcome in this Sanctuary H this is a place where we are free from those anxiety and depression hurt and pain and suffering we come into the sanctuary to get away from all that stuff sir this is not just a room of worship this is our Sanctuary this is a place where we know it's a safe placeo it's a safe place uh this world is not my home I'm just a passing through I'm walking through it but it does not define me but here it is right here we ought to be facing the same judgment that the world is facing but like Abner like like like like w Lot's wife we've been given an excent plan out of this world and we've been given a place of Refuge oh it's a Plan of Salvation that gets us out of a world of sin and debauchery and brings us into a place where there is freedom don't you love this Sanctuary Hallelujah it was King David that said in Psalm 122 he said I was glad when they said unto me let us go into the house of the Lord Psalm 27 and4 David said one thing have I desired and that will I seek after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life uh Psalm 84 And1 says how aable are thy Tabernacles oh lord of hosts my soul longth yeah even fadeth for the courts of the Lord my heart in flesh crith out for the Living God verse four says blessed are they that dwell in thy house they will still be praised in the saah verse S says they go from strength to strength every one of them in Zion appeared before God for a Day verse 10 says for a day in thy courts is better than a thousand do you see David's love for the house of God do you see David's love for the sanctuary to be in the Pres pres of God now listen let me just I'm going to share I'm going to share a Jewish tradition with you here is a Jewish tradition there is a Jew there's a lot of rabbis that have passed this down from generation to generation for thousands of years that David was an illegitimate son of Jesse I'm just GNA if you've not heard this before it tells about Jesse's wife nisbeth committed adultery late in life and bore her youngest son David and the rabbis claim that this is why David wrote the 69th Psalm a Psalm that details the way that David was treated by his own family it also explained why David made the statement in Psalm 51 and5 in sin my mother conceive me all right it's a Jewish tradition it explains and and this is what it says and it's not in the Bible it's just a Jewish tradition this is why they believe this it's why David was so much younger than his other brothers it's why David was not invited with his other brothers into the house of Jesse when Samuel the prophet came to anoint the next king it's why David was not invited to war with the other sons of Jesse it's why David was always the one you found out watching Daddy's sheep it's the one David was not allowed to enter the this these this tradition says he wasn't even allowed to enter into the house of God it tells us that that David built his own Tabernacle because he was not allowed to go in the Tabernacle because he was an illegitimate son of Jesse and an IL illegitimate child was not allowed to be in the house of God and so the Bible talks about that David that David built oh he built his own Tabernacle and this is interesting to me because in in the Old Testament we know that Abraham is known as the father of faith and we know that Noah was the father of Grace and quite possibly if this tradition is true it's the reason why David is known as the father of Mercy because think about this every time in the New Testament that somebody pleaded for Mercy what did they say they said Jesus thou son of have mercy on me they always brought David into the topic and the subject of Mercy because somehow people just understood that it took a whole lot of Mercy it took a whole lot of Mercy in David's life uh but oh David understood I want to be in the presence of God so bad if I'm not allowed to go into that sanctuary I'm going to build a tabernacle where God's presence can dwell in the city of David in Zion I'm going to construct my very own Tabernacle now listen Moses he was commanded to construct his Tabernacle but David willingly he built and constructed this Tabernacle for the Lord it was David's Tabernacle matter of fact you go into the New Testament and the Bible talks about the disciples as they begin to talk uh and they said we oh it's important we thank God for Moses's Tabernacle but we really want David's Tabernacle that's a tabernacle we want to return to is David's Tabernacle and I'm not saying I even believe this tradition I'm just simply saying if God didn't put it in the Bible he obviously didn't want David for all time to be known as a child who was born out of wedlock but he looked at David and said David is a man after my own heart David is going to fulfill all of my will and to do so I'm going to give him a new name I'm going to give him a new identity I'm going to give him a sanctuary where I can dwell in and I could be among his people and oh they can worship me openly I conclude with this and musicians you can come but I did not title this message a sanctuary or the sanctuary but I titled it My Sanctuary because I believe we got to begin to personalize this place of protection I believe we got to personalize this place of healing uh this is my place of Joy uh this is my place of Deliverance this is my place of restoration this is my place of worship my place of Praise this is my place of Revelation this is my place of Salvation This Is My Sanctuary come on somebody we can't look at it well I hope sister so and so gets her blessing I I hope brother so and so gets his healing we got to sometimes come in this place and just say God not my brother not my sister but it's me oh Lord and I'm standing in the need of prayer I'm standing here in the need of Deliverance uh I'm standing here in the need of restoration come on somebody we can't let the devil try to draw us out of the sanctuary we can't allow the devil to try to convince us that pleasure is out there oh no there's only pleasure of sin for a season but in the house of the Lord there's joy there's peace there's righteousness there's Holiness I'm so thankful to be in the house of the Lord there's going to be those that are lot and you may stand stand to your feet there's going to be those that act like Lot's wife and desires are elsewhere oh their desires are elsewhere but then I believe there's going to be a whole host of people in this place tonight that say God I come here with a need somebody might be here and I believe you are here that you need healing in your heart you could have been done wrong as a child you could have been mistreated abused but oh there's a God where there's a restoration of healing that can take place in your heart heart and in your life uh I know there's people in this place that have cancer in their bodies this is your Sanctuary Ronda Carpenter this is your sanctuary of healing stay in the borders get in this place every time your body will allow you to get in here thank god sister Thompson is here tonight and I know you're here every chance you get but there's no place like the sanctuary and there's no place like a place where you can say it's mine because cuz God does things for me in his house one thing have I desired of the Lord that will I seek after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life come on we've been given just like in the Old Testament six Cities of Refuge six sanctuaries oh listen in the new test man we've been given a plan come on somebody you might have already followed the plan but there might be somebody sitting next to you that's never even heard the plan before I believe it was Pastor Carpenter this morning or might been Pastor Hamond I can't remember who it was and when it was I just remember it said today sometime it said it helps a whole lot when if if you can bring somebody up with you that's been healed of whatever you're sick of I feel the same way about the Holy Ghost if you want the Holy Ghost you ought to be standing next to somebody that has the holy ghost that has been filled with the Holy Ghost that knows what they can do for their life let me tell you something Jesus gave the plan Nicodemus said how I I just want to enter the kingdom how can I have eternal life Jesus tell me what do I have to do what's the plan of escaping escaped from this world to the next and Jesus told him said you got to be born again said Nicodemus you got to be born of the water and the spirit if you're going to enter my kingdom if you're going to have eternity with me Nicodemus what did he say he said what so I've got to be B I gota be my mother's womb I got to be I got to be reborn Jesus said oh no there's coming a day we call the day of Pentecost there's coming a day when the spirit of God is going to be poured out on All Flesh every color every Kindred Every Nation every tongue every age your sons and your daughter it's going to be poured out upon all even all those that are a far off and Peter got to preach the plan right CU Jesus Jesus told him the plan and Peter got to preach the plan what' he say he said repent here it is right here repent come on I'm talking about this I'm talking about a pathway I'm talking a pathway to Refuge yes he said repent of your sins repent of the things that you've done wrong you got to turn from your wicked ways you got to get in the city he said but not only repent you got to find water you got to find water and you got to find like those ladies in that prison those prisons today you got to find somebody to baptize you to bury you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission the removal of your sins and then he said you're going to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost The Same Spirit the very same SP the the spirit of God is going to get inside of you you're going to speak in a Heavenly language it's going to cause you to speak in a tongue you've never heard before it's going to be the evidence of the Holy Ghost sits inside of you Peter said save yourself from this untour generation you got to make decisions for yourself come on baby you're you're grown up now ain't nobody telling you what to do you got to save yourself ma young person mama and daddy there's going to be a day when Mommy and Daddy don't make you come to church mommy and daddy can't make you go to a Christian School mommy and daddy can't make you get dressed on Fridays for chaper mommy and daddy can't make you go to NYC or Youth Camp or anything there's going to come a day when you're going to have to make a decision for yourself and say ask for me in my house we're going to get in this city I don't want to see the Border I don't want to see the wall I don't want to see What Separates Me from the world I want to get in so far that I can't even hear the devil trying to pull me out and trying to call me out of the gate but come on somebody we got to have the spirit of David that just simply says uh I long for the sanctuary I long for the presence of the Lord I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord I would rather the lowest of the job in the house of the Lord I don't need a microphone I don't need a Pulpit I don't need a teach a Sunday school class I don't need a choir solo if I could just get in and hold the door for somebody so somebody else can make their way into the sanctuary David was a door holder he wanted to see people get into the sanctuary I wish you could just come to this Altar and lift up your hands and say this is My Sanctuary God up come here here by choice I'm safe in the house I'm safe in the house I'm restored in the house I'm delivered in the house come on what do you need what is your marriage need uh what do your children need what do you need at the job what do you need in the schoolhouse come on somebody I wish you just begin to say it's my seary I'm here I'm here for restoration I'm here for healing uh I'm here for salvation uh come on if you would just give your heart to God tonight if you would just make a decision I will I will I will save myself from this untour generation It's My Sanctuary for It's My Sanctuary yes come on David come on David come on David there's no place like the house of God my cars will be saved your sons will be saved oh for my family come on begin to praise Him begin Praise Him in the house come on let his glory fall on you let healing fall on you come on right here you're safe you're in a place of Refuge you're in a place of protection his thoughts are towards you he's for you Jes your name is power come on the healers in the house tonight your name is life your name is life break every strong woo it's power it's healing it's life call Jesus call the name of Jesus call the name of Jesus bring every stronghold set free in Jesus name Jesus Jesus in the I Jesus Jesus in the dark every Jesus for my family Jesus for my I speak the name I speak come on I want you to I want you to link up with somebody next to you especially our young people link up with other young people we got a husband and a wife why don't you link up with your wife your husband if there's somebody that's appropriate just link up with them come on I've never felt so safe and I feel right now I don't know about you but I thank God for First Apostolic church I I thank you I thank God for what this church stands for what the Pastoral team of this church stands for what our senior pastor and his wife standing for are you thankful for that come on do you feel safe in the house do you feel like you're in a place of Refuge there's no better feeling than this if if you've ever been somewhere else and you've been in a place where where you didn't have a pastor that cared for you now it might have felt good because he let you do what you wanted to do but if you didn't have a pastor that really cared about you and wanted to make sure that you were saved and your family was saved come on then you know what it feels like right now to be free there's no Freedom like the freedom in the sanctuary there's no Freedom there's no joy like the joy in a place of Refuge oh oh the world can't get to you right here because you're in a City of Refuge uh you're in a sanctuary of Refuge uh you're in a place uh where the devil would love to get to you but he can't get you because youve made a way for your family to be in a City of Refuge just pray over your family pray over your friends come on young person right now begin to pray for your brother begin to pray for your sister begin to pray for your classmate come on somebody oh come on call their name out right now and just say God uh Lord keep them in your Sanctuary uh God I pray that they're not they're not deceived uh into walking outside of the gate God I pray Lord God that they don't try to get past the guardhouse but I pray they'll stay woo they'll stay in a place of safety in a place of healing uh oh come on pray for your brother pray for your sister pray for your husband pray for your wife I pray for my daughters oh God uh I want them to be strong in Holiness uh I want them to be holy unto you from the inside to the outside uh God I want their thoughts to be wholesome and holy uh I want their speech to be wholesome and holy uh God I want their actions what they watch and what they listen to God lord I want you to save them God I want you to protect them in your city of a refuge oh thank you thank you for my S