Don't Give Up Your Seat

If you have your Bibles, if you'll turn with me, we're going to turn to the Book of Revelation, chapter 19, and we'll be looking at verse 6. And the word of God says: "And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters, and as the sound of mighty thundering, saying: Alleluia, for the Lord God omnipotent reigns." I don't know about you, but that's the way our worship should sound in this place. Amen. Murfreesboro should know that there's some thunderings, that something's happening at Center Point Apostolic Church. "Let us be glad and rejoice and give him glory, for the marriage supper of the Lamb has come, and his wife has made herself ready." We've got to make ourselves ready. Amen. "And to her it was granted be arrayed and find linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints." Verse 9 says: "Then he said to me, 'Right, blessed are those —'" now hear what the Lord is saying here: "— blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb.' And he said to me: 'These are the true sayings of God.'"

Oh yes, church, I'm here to tell you today that you do not want to miss this event. Amen. You do not want to miss Heaven's banquet table. If you'll set your Bibles down, if you'll lift your hands, we're going to pray right now. Father, right now, in the name of Jesus, Lord, we magnify you, and we praise you. God, I just pray right now, Lord, that the Spirit that's in this place continues to move, and that there will be great faith in the house. Lord, we worship you today. Open our hearts, our ears, our minds, to receive this word today. In the mighty name of Jesus we pray, and let the church say amen. Amen.

With the help of the Lord, I'm going to be ministering on this topic: "Don't Give Up Your Seat." Don't give up your seat. I, I don't know about you, but I don't like being left out. I don't find that to be something that I enjoy. And in fact, yesterday I went to a car wash that's just right down the road from my house, and, and I ran into Brother Perry while I was there, and, and I noticed it seemed like he got a real good car wash. But I was looking at the front of my car, and it still had bugs on it, and, and it did not look like I had paid to go through this car wash. And so anyways, I told him, I said: "You know, I think what I want to do — I like the car wash right down the road from the church. I want to go over there. And that's a new car wash they opened up, and I'm just going to make a plug for them. That's a great car wash. You should try it out." I liked it so much that I left one car wash to go to it. And so here I am. I'm sitting in line, and they pull me up, to, to get into this car wash, and I'm watching as the truck in front of me, it's getting all the, the suds, and the soap, and, and the, the, you know, cleaner things going around in circles, and it's blowing it dry, and all this stuff. And finally it connects to me, and here I go. And I'm thinking to myself: "I've already told Brother Perry, man, this is a great car wash." Because let me tell you something: I have paid for car washes many times, but I've never had anybody say: "Man, your car looks great. Where did you go to get your car done?" But last weekend, I drove all the way to Rockwood, two hours after I got a car wash, and it still looked good. My dad came out and said: "Son, how do I get my truck to look as good as your car?" So I thought, I'm going to make this car look good.

Well, as soon as that thing hooks me up, and it starts to pull me into this car wash, all of a sudden everything's shut down. Water quit going. The Spinners stopped going. And here I am, like I'm on some little kitty carnival ride, just sitting here, and riding through, and nothing's going on. They even turned all the lights off. There's no spinning lights, nothing to amuse me. And I'm sitting here thinking: what in the world is going on? By the time I get out of this, the only thing I had on my car was the water that hit the truck in front of me, hitting that truck, and coming off on top of me. And I thought, here I have talked about how great this car wash is, and they don't even want my service. So I'll pull around, and I tell the, the girl that's working, I said: "Hey, I just came to the car wash, and, uh, it didn't do anything." She said: "What do you mean, it didn't do anything?" I said: "Well, I don't know. I'm just sitting here behind the steering wheel, and you're pulling my car along, but I mean, I got a little bit of water on my windshield. That's all I've got." And she said: "We'll go through it again." Well, all of a sudden the lights come on, and it starts spinning. And I thought: this is what it feels like to not be left out. It broke my heart, knowing that for a few minutes, I even paid to be left out. But I'm here to tell you today: you do not want to miss the marriage supper of the Lamb. Amen. This is not something that you want to wait, and get there, and come to find out there's not a seat reserved for you. No. You need to understand that there is a seat at the marriage supper of the Lamb, and it has your name on it, and you don't want to miss it.

Last Sunday, our pastor delivered a powerful sermon, didn't he? And he poured his heart out, and he highlighted the significance of keeping Heaven at the forefront of our minds. And it's crucial that we remember that we have not reached our final destination yet. Amen. And I don't know about you, but I'm glad to say this is not heaven yet. But today, here at Center Point, we've got a small taste of what it's going to be like. Amen.

In our opening passage, the angel of the Lord revealed the extraordinary marriage supper of the Lamb to John, and the angel declared that those who were invited to these — fit — this Feast is truly blessed. And I want to tell you today, and, and I want to ask you: don't you want to ensure that you are a part of this heavenly celebration? Because you play a part in making sure that you're sitting at that table. And our pastor, he hit the nail on the head. And our ultimate aim is to make Heaven our home, but we're not there yet. And even the angels in heaven, they emphasize the unmiserable nature of the marriage supper of the Lamb. You do not want to miss it. And today I've come to hopefully uplift and encourage someone with this thought: there is a seat prepared specifically for you at this heavenly banquet, and it has your name on it. I want you to think about this. I think it's worth rejoicing over. I think it's something that we should get excited about. You should picture, in your name, your mind, your name elegantly displayed on this glorious banquet table in heaven, because Jesus has wrote your name on it, because you've been bought by the blood of the Lamb. Amen. Can you sense the anticipation? Because heaven awaits you, in your place is reserved.

I'm immensely grateful to be a part of the church. Amen. I'm grateful to be a part of the bride of Christ. And locally, I'm specifically grateful to be a part of Center Point Apostolic Church. If you'll allow me for a moment, I'll tell you that this church has poured into me abundantly, offering me more than, than I could ever ask for, and asking for nothing in return. And I've come here today not to criticize or tear down anyone, but instead, my name — my aim is to illustrate the overwhelming value of the church triumphant and its teachings. Amen. This church is trying to get us to a place called heaven, to a place with your name on it.

And as I reflect on my own journey, I can't help but to compare it to the many friends of mine that I grew up around. And I'm reminded of the way in which this world can pull us in, in different directions. And I'm reminded of how important it is for us to choose the way of God, and not to choose the way of the world. If you're not aware of this, I'm here to tell you: there are people in this house today with testimonies that will tell you that they went left when they should have went right, and it caused destruction in their life. And although I cannot comprehend why God chose me, I can assure you without any doubt that I made the right decision when I wholeheartedly dedicated myself to Apostolic Doctrine, into the church Triumph at. Amen. Is there anybody who's grateful to be in the church? Is there anybody that's thankful for Apostolic doctrine that saved you, for the finished work of Christ at Calvary? I think we need to clap our hands, and we need to shout with a voice of Triumph. Are you thankful for the church?

Unfortunately, some of my friends have chose a different path, and they have succumbed to destructive habits and circumstances, and, and it breaks my heart when I see these things, and, and I look, and I, and I notice that even some have passed away. But I'll say this: for those that are still alive, I firmly believe that in the church that Jesus established, it's the only place that offers true restoration like no other. Is there anyone in here with a testimony? Is there anyone that can say: "If you knew what he brought me from"? There's nothing like the church. Amen. This is the kind of place where the drug addict can be set free, where alcoholics can go from being drunk by what's in a can and what's in a bottle, to being drunk in the Holy Ghost. My friends, this is the place where broken homes can be restored, and the mind can be healed. This is the church triumphant. There's no place like the church. There's no place like the bride of Christ. He died for this church, and he died for you. The mission of this church is to go out into this city, to go out into our County, and to reach those that are lost, drawing them into a house of restoration. And my friends, you play a part in that. I play a part in that. Why? Because I have a testimony, and you have a testimony, and they need to hear what God has done for you.

I express my gratitude for having a pastor who lovingly preaches the word of God, whose teachings has warned me, personally, of, of destructive habits and behaviors in my own life, and has urged me to live a higher standard. And we can live a higher standard. Amen. Moreover, I'm grateful for elders in the church who watched over me, who cautioned me to be careful, and guided me to place my trust in God's work in my life. Because God has a plan for you, as we sang about just a few moments ago. And as I said, as I came up here: we need to trust that when we don't know which way to go, whether it's left or right, forward or backward, when we're trying to make life-changing decisions, we need to understand that God wants to lead us, and God wants to, to guide us. And when we are in the middle of a battle, he wants to fight those battles for us. And all he asks from you is to just stand still, and let him be God. Amen. But unfortunately, sometimes that's the most difficult thing for us to do — is to just stand still, and let God work. But that's what it's about, my friends. That's what it means to live by faith. Faith is saying: "I'm, I'm not holding on to the steering wheel anymore. I'm letting go, and letting Jesus lead me the way that he wants me to go. And if his desire is for me to stand still, then I'll just stand still."

Now, friends, there's no doubt that God has poured out his blessings upon me, because of the church, because of the doctrines that we believe. And as I gaze out on this congregation, I see my beautiful and godly wife, and I see my four beautiful children. And I know that these are gifts from God, that I would not have if it weren't for the church, and if it wasn't for the doctrines of this church. All of this, and every blessing that I have, in fact, is a result of attending a church that holds steadfast to the ways of God. Do you realize today that the church is a gift?

Let me tell you: many of you have heard the testimonies — Pastor came up here a few moments ago and talked about North American Youth Congress — but I want to tell you about this remarkable Fellowship that we're a part of, and that these incredible students and their chaperones have got to witness the absolute best of the Fellowship that we belong to. Because there were youth groups all across North America that drove and flew into St. Louis, Missouri, for North American Youth Congress. And there are testimonies coming out at this conference that are absolutely encouraging, because it testifies that our God is still at work within his people. Don't let anybody tell you that God doesn't still move. Amen. There are all inspiring testimonies that are pouring out, that multiple Miracles took place. There was even a young lady who was in a wheelchair — she was bound since November of 2022, and she's now walking, because youth got around her and began to pray for her, and God instantly healed her. Those that went in that didn't have the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues, left with it. And even event workers walked out with the baptism of the Holy Ghost. But it didn't stop there. No. They know that there's more to the story. Did you know that you have to be baptized in Jesus' name? Because there's students that knew that. In all around St. Louis, Missouri, there were swimming pools all over that City, with people being baptized for the first time in the name of Jesus. And for those who had been baptized the wrong way, they were re-baptized in the name of Jesus. You can't tell me that Miracles don't happen today. You can't tell me that the gifts of the Spirit have ceased. You can't tell me that people are hungry for a move of God, because there's 33,000 young people all across the United States that will tell you that that's a lie. God still moves. Doctrine still matters. And I'm not giving up my seed at the table. If you didn't realize it, this is the best life. Amen.

The writers of Hebrew says it this way, in Hebrews 10:24: "Let us consider one another." I'm going to pause there for a moment. It says: let us consider one another. It didn't say: let us think about ourselves, let us think about our own plans, let us think about what we want in life. No. The writer of Hebrews says: let us consider one another. I want you to look all around this place and say: "It's my job to consider you." "Let us consider one another, in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting" — encouraging, the Bible says — "one another, so much the more as you see the day approaching." What day is it that the author is talking about? He's talking about the coming of the Lord. And my friends, if you can't look out into this world, and turn on the news, and recognize that we are drawing nearer to the coming of the Lord, then I don't know what else to say to you. But we're getting closer and closer, as each hour Ticks by. Amen. But I'm here to say that if you've been born of the water and of the spirit, then you have an obligation to that brother, or that sister, to your left and right. And the writer is urging us, as a community, as the body of Christ, as Christ's Church, to uplift and to support one another, especially in those hard times. We are not just here to worship. We are not just here to give our all to God. But we are to consider one another.

I'm telling you right now that there's nothing like someone coming alongside you and praying for, for you, when you don't feel like you can take another step. Aren't you grateful for the gift of the church? Having that brother, or that sister, that will listen to you in your time of need, for those that will offer words of encouragement. There is nothing like the church. Do you love the church? Will you give the Lord a hand clap for the church? The truth is, is that when you lend a hand to others, not only will you find yourself inspired and motivated, but you'll also discover that there's a deep desire that extends your assistance to an even greater number of people. And those, that people is called — those outside of this wall, that is called the world, that we are called to love, and to witness to. Can you, can you believe it? Can you believe it, that God is calling you to a, to a higher standard? That God is, is calling you, and asking: "Can I use you? My desire is to use you." See, my friends, that's what it means to be the church. We are the hands and the feet of, of Christ. Amen.

But can you believe it, that even in the first-century Church, they had issues getting people to attend church? There were some who were neglecting this vital Duty of gathering together, and offering encouragement. And I began to think to myself — I know all the excuses that we have now — but I began to think to myself: man, what a, what a powerful time to be living in. As if we're not living in a powerful time now. Amen. What kind of excuses could the early Church use? "Paul, why are you saying that people are neglecting to meet together? What, what are we missing here? What, what could possibly be causing people in the first-century Church to, to miss?" And as I began to think more on this, it, it kind of dawned on me: perhaps, perhaps it's fear. So you gotta understand, church is different here in the Western culture. Could it be that they didn't attend church because they had a fear of losing their life, losing the life of a loved one? So you have to understand, that the heaviness of what took place when we saw these baptisms happen — you have to understand the, the magnitude of even those who got baptized last week at North American Youth. You have to understand that in the first-century church, when you were baptized in the name of Jesus, you were instantly Marked for Death. Oh, when we get baptized today, it's a family celebration. We call up the grandparents, and we call up the neighbors, and we say: "Come on out, we're going to get baptized." And, and sometimes — and I'm not knocking anyone for, for doing this — but sometimes we, we have specific dates that we wait on. You know, we "give me six months, and we'll make this happen." But the first-century church had Heaven on its mind, and it knew that it had a seat at the banquet table. But in order for their name to be on that seat, they had to be baptized in the name of Jesus. And so they didn't wait a minute. They knew: if I want to be at that banquet table in heaven, I need to be baptized in Jesus' name. But instantly, when they were baptized, they were Marked for Death. And so I asked today: if baptism wasn't necessary in the early church, why didn't they just skip it? But we know from reading the word of God, it is necessary. Even Jesus himself said, concerning baptism, that if you want to see the kingdom of God, you have to be born again of the water, and of the spirit. Amen. If you want your name marked in heaven, if you want a seat with your name at the banquet table, you need to be born again of the water and of the spirits. Don't you dare allow a preacher to tell you that baptism isn't necessary, because you won't find that in this Bible. Don't you dare allow them to tell you that the Holy Ghost doesn't infill people anymore, with the evidence of speaking in tongues, because that's not what my Bible says. And there are 33,000 young people that will tell you right now, that's not what their Bible says. That's not what their experience is. I'm here to tell you today that sound Doctrine still matters. Amen. Sound Doctrine still matters. The other day, I was talking to my son — Pastor, I didn't realize how being a parent is so difficult. I used to think I always had the right words to say, and then you're trying to explain something to a, to a six-year-old. Harrison asks really good questions. And so we were talking about different beliefs, and why people believe different things, and, and I said: "Harrison," I said, "you know, the truth is, buddy," I said, "not a lot of people are willing to dedicate themselves to reading this book right here. And they just wait. They wait for someone to tell them what it is they need to believe. And I said, I want to ask you a question. If I came home tomorrow — and you know that I'm a preacher — I said, if I came home tomorrow, and I said, 'For moving forward, this family is no longer to eat meat. The Bible tells me that we don't eat meat. We are only going to eat salad.' I said, what would your answer be?" And he quickly reared up, and he said: "Well, I would tell you, that's not what my Bible says." Doctrine still matters. The word of God still matters. Amen. Said it many times today: this is the good life.

Unfortunately, there are far too many who have witnessed what we have witnessed. They have experienced what we have experienced. And it saddens my heart to acknowledge that they have not only abandoned the church, but they have forsaken the very doctrine that we're talking about today. And my friends, I cannot stress this enough, that Doctrine still matters. And I've come here today to plead with you, to not give up your seat at the table, because Doctrine is that important. Amen. It's important to obey Acts 2:38, because that's where we see, when people were pricked in their heart, knowing what they had done to Jesus, and they wanted to know: what it is I need to do to be saved? The Apostle Peter was very direct, when he says: "If that's what you want, then you need to repent of your sins. You need to be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of those sins." "Do I have to be baptized?" Peter says: "You have got to be baptized. And you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." Amen. "For this Promise is for you. It's for your children. It's for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God shall call." Who is it for? It's for all. Amen. Doctrine steel matters. It's important that we cling to the word of God. It's important that we understand that separation from the world still matters. It's important that we understand that the best life is found in the church. The best life is found in the doctrines of the church. Amen. Parents, if you want to give your children a good gift, give them Acts 2:38. Give them the word of God. Tell him that separation still matters. Show them that the best life is lived in the church.

I've been in this long enough that I can tell you, that not everyone that I went to, to Youth Camp with, and not everyone that I said across in the Sunday school with, is still living for truth. It breaks my heart to stand here today and tell you that not everyone that taught me truth is still living for truth. But I can hear the heartbeat of the Apostle Paul, as he's writing to a young Pastor named Timothy, when he says, in Second Timothy 4 and 3: "For the time will come when they will not endure sound Doctrine. But according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will Heap up for themselves teachers. And they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables" — or, as another translation says, they'll be turned aside to myths. And the Apostle Paul is straightforward: these people have veered away from sound Doctrine, and they pursued their own desires. They even sought out a preacher who would cater to their preferences. And it's possible that this preacher that they found may have deluded the message of Salvation, or it decided that: "I'm going to avoid certain passages in this Bible." Or they may have said that there are certain passages in the Bible that is only relevant in the context of, of, of the culture of the time, but it's not relevant in 2023. But I'm here to tell you today that the Apostle Paul says a preacher like that is preaching fables, and is preaching a myth. Doctrine still matters.

I came across an article the other day, as I was preparing for this message, and it was called "The 10 Reasons That People Leave the Church." And I'm not going to go through all 10, but I do want to highlight some of the top — that, in fact, it was the top four. The first reason is, is that people got out of the habit. The number one reason people stop going to church is because they got out of the habit. The article said that there was no big crisis in their life. They just simply missed one or two Services here and there, and they eventually just stopped going all together. Now, I'm here to tell you today that, unfortunately, I've heard many say that: "I don't have to go to church in order to worship God." Anybody in here ever heard that? And all I can do is, I can shake my head in disbelief, because, unfortunately, they have missed the purpose of Jesus giving us the church in the first place. The local church, in its biblical Origins, is a place where people gather together on a regular basis. If I can say it this way: they had church more back in the first century than we have church today.

The second reason is what I would have guessed to at least have been the first reason, and that is that they were offended, or got hurt by someone in the church. And I don't want to make light of this subject, but the truth is, is that people get hurt. They get hurt at work. They get hurt at home. They get hurt at school. And they can even get hurt in the church. But we, as a church, have to remember that we do not come to church for the people. We come to church for Christ, and Christ alone. Amen. But don't miss the fact that when you come to church for Christ, you are reaping the benefit of the Fellowship of the church. It's that strengthening together. It's that encouragement that we find. It's that iron sharpening iron. Don't neglect the Fellowship of the church.

I've heard people say: "I won't go to that church, because it's filled with Hypocrites." Anyone heard that one before? "It's filled with hypocrites." Well, after doing extensive research — because I'd heard it so much, I was trying to figure out how exactly do I respond to this, where the church is filled with Hypocrites — and I came across the Oxford English Dictionary, that pointed me to one word that originated in 1943, by the great philosopher BB. And I'm not here to offend anybody by this, but when people ask, or when people say, that the church is filled with Hypocrites, that one word that I came across, that originated in 1943 by philosopher BB, is this: "No duh." Of course the church is filled with hypocrites. The philosopher Bugs Bunny gave me the word. The truth is, is that the church is filled with Hypocrites, because this is the only place where a group of broken people are trying to live a life that they are not worthy of living. So we're putting our trust in the only one who can get us to the seat at the table, and that is Jesus Christ. I may stumble. I may fall. I may offend you. I may make you mad. But we still belong to the family of God. Amen. It's not about you. It's about him. Let me say it this way: with Heaven on the line, we cannot afford to be offended. We cannot allow offense to cause us to give up our seat.

Another reason is, is that they couldn't find a church that meets their needs. In other words, they had a consumer mentality. And only here in the Western church do we find people that are looking for a church, as if they're shopping for clothes. And yet there are missionaries all around the world who are risking their lives, and dying for the very doctrine that we're talking about today. They're dying for the Church of the Living God. And yet we wake up in the morning, and we debate whether we're going to be here or not. But I'm here to tell you: with Heaven on the line, we have got to crush that consumer mentality, and say to our stinking flesh: "It's not my will, Jesus, but thine will be done." There are many others. I'm not going to go through them all. But the last one I'll leave you with is this: as I was reading through these, the only thing that I notice is what they had in common. What they had in common isn't "me" mentality. And what they left out is a "we/him" mentality. The last one is, is that they abandoned Doctrine. In other words, they had no love for the truth. And it pains me to say that too many have forfeited their place at the banquet table, by abandoning the Faith, by abandoning sound Doctrine. I was stunned one day when I heard a preacher say: "Can we just get past Doctrine? Because all Doctrine does is, it divides the body of Christ. How much more can we accomplish if we would just stop preaching Doctrine?" And I was even more horrified when I saw the reaction of the congregation, as they stood and endorsed that message. But Center Point, hear me out: we cannot afford to give up more and more, inch by inch, for a convenient gospel that'll send us straight to hell. But we need to understand that the apostles died for this message. They died for the doctrine. They died for the church. And the church is the greatest gift for you in this world.

The Apostle Paul warns the church in Galatia. He says: "But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you, other than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed." Paul is saying: if the preacher is preaching another gospel, I hope a curse falls on that person, because salvation is on the line when we're talking about Doctrine. Paul is saying: don't give up your seeds at the table. He's saying: "Galatia, you believe the gospel. You've repented of your sins. You've been baptized in the name of Jesus. You've been filled with the Holy Ghost. Don't throw it away. Don't abandon the faith. Don't give up your seat. Hang on, because there is a seed in heaven with your name on it." And I've come here to beg this church today: don't fall into the Trap that tells you that it doesn't matter what you believe, and it doesn't matter how you act, because there's a seat in heaven on the line. I've heard people say: "It doesn't matter. All that God cares about are your good intentions." And we have to be careful, because those excuses can arise within us, and it can cause us to abandon sound Doctrine for a watered-down myth. We've got to understand that we can't allow bad habits to cause us to miss heaven. We can't allow offense and hurt to cause us to miss heaven. We don't need to let a convenient gospel cause us to miss Heaven. Because there's a seat with our name on it.

And don't think for a moment that I'm just preaching to you, because if I can be transparent for a moment, I'm preaching to myself. I'm preaching to the husband. I'm preaching to the father. I'm preaching to the man that looked in the mirror this morning. And Pastor, I'll never forget, just a few years ago, you told us that before you, you accepted this pastorship, that you had to go back, and you had to spend time in the word of God and in prayer, because you had to work out certain questions that you had. And he told us that after that time of dedication, he came out stronger, and more dedicated to the doctrine than ever before. And I'm here to tell you that I have been on that Journey myself. And I know how the enemy works during those times, that causes you to question everything that you believe. But I'm here to tell you — and I'm here to tell the enemy — I want to own this truth. I'll say it again: I want to own this truth. And we need to own this truth, because there's a banquet table in heaven with your name on it. We cannot afford to give up our seats.

I'll ask that our worship team comes. We have to be careful, my friends, whose table we're willing to sit at and eat. We have to be careful, because not every church is patterned after the book of Acts. And not every Church carries the apostolic Doctrine. And not every so-called man of God has your best intentions in mind.

You've heard it said: it doesn't matter how you start, it's how you finish. King Jeroboam is an excellent reminder of this, because he began well. And because of how well he did, God raised him up to be the king of Israel. But his ending was not so well, because that King plunged an entire nation into sin. And because of this, there was an unnamed prophet of God that was sent to him, to confront him for being an idolater. And in First Kings 13, this unnamed Prophet threatens Jeroboam's altar, and gave him a sign. And that sign from God immediately came to pass. And instead of repenting of his sins, the king threatened the prophet. In fact, it says that he stretched forth his hand to cease him. And as soon as he did, God came to the defense of the prophet, and that King's hand immediately began to wither. Friends, I'm here to tell you: God will fight your battles for you. The king asked for prayer, and upon the prophet's intercession, his hand was immediately restored to normal. And in, in the attempt to buy the prophet's Loyalty, the King invites him to his home. But I want you to notice how the prophet replies, in First Kings 13 and 8. He says: "But the man of God said to the king: 'If, if you were to give me half of your house, I would not go in with you.'" Oh, when you read the Bible, and you see how the prophets dressed, and how they lived — I don't think they were living the American dream. And that King wants to reward him, to buy his loyalty. But the prophet says: "You can give me half of your home. You can reward me in the best way possible. But you have to understand, I'm not going to go with you. Nor will I eat bread, nor drink water, in this place. For so it was commanded of me, by the word of the Lord." King, you have to understand: there is one greater than you, and there is one greater than the kingdom that you rule. And he's commanded me — and I don't know why, but he told me: "You shall not eat bread, nor drink water, nor turn by the same way you came." Verse 10 says: "So the prophet went another way, and did not return by the way in which she came to Bethel."

You close your Bible right there, you'll realize what a great story that is. You'll realize that that Prophet did exactly what God commanded him to do. You'll realize that the word of God came to that prophet, and he held on to that word. And he was able to look a king — who had the ability, so the king thought, to destroy him, until God went to work — and he looked that King in the eyes, and he said: "You can give me whatever you think, but I'm not going to accept it, because God has told me that I need to walk this way right here. And I'm not to stop. I'm just to keep — I've got to hold on to the commands that he's given me, and I've got to keep walking this way right here. King, there is nothing you can give me that's going to cause me to turn back, and go with you." If you close your Bible right there, it's a great story. And we can preach all day on that: being faithful to the command of God. But Pastor, I didn't stop reading there. Remember: it's not how you start, it's how you finish.

Verse 11 says: "Now the old prophet dwelt in Bethel. And his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel. They also told their father —" listen to this — "The Words which he had spoken to the king." And their father said to them: "Well, which way did it go?" For his sons had seen the way that the man of God went, who came from Judah. My friends, I'm here to tell you today, that people out in this world see the way that you're going. They see the way that you're walking. Verse 13 said: "And he said to his son: 'Saddle the donkey for me.' So they saddled the donkey for him, and he wrote on it, and went after the man of God. And found him sitting under an oak. And he said to him: 'Are you the man of God who came from Judah?' And he said: 'I am.'" Verse 15 says: "Then he said to him: 'Come home with me. Eat bread.'" Oh, don't forget: the sons told the old Prophet everything that the unnamed Prophet had said. And I just imagine — and you can too, from reading the scripture — but that unnamed Prophet looked at him, and he said: "I cannot do that. The Lord has commanded me not to do it. I'm not to eat bread. I'm not to drink water. I'm not — I'm not even allowed to turn back, and go the way that I came, because I already passed your house on the way here. God told me to hold on to his command, and walk this way right here, and not turn back." And you would think that that word right there would have been enough for an old prophet, foreign. That should have been the be-all, end-all. How many times, even in the house of God, have we sung: "That settles it. I believe it. And that's good enough for me." You know, I wish that I could say that the story ends there. But we go to verse 18, and it's the old Prophet that says: "Hey, I'm a prophet too." Let me put it in modern-day terms: "Hey, I'm a Christian too. And an angel spoke to me, by the word of the Lord, saying: 'Bring him back with you to your house, that he may eat bread and drink water.'" And then the Bible gives us a little clue: that he was lying.

My friends, you have to understand today, that the unnamed Prophet heard the voice of God, in the very voice of God: "So don't eat bread. Don't drink water. Don't Turn back. Go this — go a new direction. And you just keep walking. Don't you stop until you get home. Go our opposite direction. Don't you dare turn around." And the old Prophet shows up, and he says: "Guess what? I've heard from an angel. Forget what God Said. I heard an Angel. And the angel told me: go get the prophet. And tell him to turn around, and come back, and relax at my house. And I'm going to fix you a meal, because, man, you've done what you were supposed to do. You put that King exactly where he needed to be. Now come back and relax, because I'm a prophet too. We're, we're the same." But I'm here to tell you today, that the God that we serve is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And we need to know this word. And we should never let go of this word, because it changes not.

And right in the middle of the mill, the power of God hit that old lying prophet. And God immediately speaks through him. In verse 21, says: "And he cried out to the man of God who came from Judah, saying: 'Thus says the Lord: Because you have disobeyed the word of the Lord, and you have not kept the command which the Lord your God commanded you, but you came back — you backslid, you went the wrong way. You were supposed to go this way. You were supposed to hold on to the Commandments. But you turned around, and you listened to a lie. And because you have done this, your corpse shall not come to the tomb of your fathers.'" And immediately, that Prophet, who originally obeyed the word of God, and then disobeyed the word of God, saddled up his donkey, and he was immediately killed by a lion. And you want to ask me: does doctrine matter? Does keeping the Commandments of God matter? And I'm here to tell you today: it's still matters. If you'll stand with me. You may wonder: why did the prophet die? And I'm here to tell you: it's because he didn't fall in love with truth. It's because he didn't fall in love with the doctrine. And when you don't fall in love with truth, when you don't fall in love with the doctor, and you're subject to believe any lie.

Earlier this week, as I was preparing this message, I couldn't help but to wonder: what would cause so many to question the faith, and abandon sound Doctrine? Didn't they have a personal experience, just like so many of us have experienced with the Holy Ghost? And haven't they witnessed Miracles? If you've been in a Pentecostal Church any amount of time, you've seen at least one miracle. And it's one thing to have questions, but it's another thing to abandon the truth. And as I began to ask these questions — Brother Freeman, I sent you a text on Wednesday. It's so funny. I hope everybody here was able to hear that message Wednesday. On Monday, I pulled out an old Bible that I used to carry when I was in the youth group, foreign. And it broke my heart, Pastor, as I looked in here. Because when I was graduating high school, this was given to me. When I was asked to preach my graduation — we have a service in Rockwood, and I was asked to preach that service for our class — the youth pastor at the time had our youth group signed their favorite scripture, and give me an encouraging word. And I began to look through here, and I began to read each name, and my heart began to break.

Young people, I'm here to tell you: Doctrine still matters. I'm not here to tear anybody down. But I'm here to tell you that as I read each one, I began to think to myself: "Abandoned." They abandoned the faith. Abandoned the doctrine. But I came across other names, and I said: "Abandoned. Came back." And I read another name, that I said: "Abandoned, but they came back." And I read another name, and I said: "They never abandoned. Had they never abandoned him." And I found another name, and I said: "They're still standing for truth. And they're still standing for Doctrine. They didn't abandoned it." And I began to ask myself — I said: "God, why are there some that abandoned, in others that don't?" And I'm not kidding you when I say that immediately, a note fell out of my Bible, with the date of January 9, 2011. Four years after people signed my Bible. "Pastor filled a priest: the five tools of spiritual growth — prayer, fasting, study of the word, separation, and worship." And immediately, I felt the Lord say to me: "This is how you overcome those fleshly excuses, and you hang into the doctrine. You have got to fall in love with —"

And as I close, and these altars are open, I realize what I have here is a list of people that I need to be praying for. Because one thing that I've learned about Jesus Christ is that he is in the business of restoration. And as long as you still have breath in your body, he'll make a way when there doesn't seem a way. So these altars are open. I'm here to tell you today: it's prayer time. And if you've never been born again of the water, into the spirit, today is your day. Amen. Today is the perfect day to make yourself right with God, because there is a seat in heaven that has your name on it. And there's the marriage supper of the Lamb, and Jesus can't wait to see you there. These altars are open. Let's lift our hands. Let's begin to pray. Let's begin to seek God. Is there anyone in here that has a hunger? "I wanna love truth. I've got it by truth. I've got to sell out to truth." Doctrine steal matters.