The Answer to Every Question

Could we give the Lord a hand clap of praise in Texas? For He is good; His mercy is everlasting; His truth endures to all generations. If anybody loves the Lord, I wonder if you could just give Him a shout of praise all across this tabernacle. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

It is a joy to be in Texas tonight, and it is a joy to be in Lufkin, Texas tonight. Amen. All across our fellowship, Lufkin, Texas means camp meeting, and I'm glad to be in camp meeting in Texas — a place where miracles happen, where revival fires burn, where people are called of God to preach His word through many years. And it's just a joy and a great, great pleasure to be here with you.

And I give honor tonight to Bishop and Sister Story, Brother and Sister Grindle — God bless them — and this great Texas District board. Could we give our leadership a great big hand of appreciation? What a week of camp meeting has been happening here at the old campgrounds. I wish I could have been here for all of it, but I've been following along, and what a powerful move of God has been taking place throughout this week. It's such a joy to be here, and an honor to be lined up with some of the great preachers of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm so humbled to be able to be with them and to be a part of this camp meeting with them. And I give honor to Brother Graham — God bless you, sir, our General Secretary — so good to be preaching alongside you this week, one of our great preachers of many years. And we're so thankful to be able to be with all of the people of God. So many things can be said, and I'll just say: to God be the glory for the things He has done. Amen. Amen.

So many wonderful people to give honor to. Brother Gurley, God bless you — so good to be with you tonight. God bless you in the name of the Lord. To all our friends — I have countless friends here tonight — God bless you in Jesus' name.

I will look to the Word of the Lord and invite your attention to the Gospel according to Matthew, chapter 22. The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter 22. We're going to read a few verses of Scripture in your hearing, beginning with the 41st verse. Bishop Story, thank you again for the kind invitation to be here. We honor you, sir, and are grateful to be a part of this camp meeting.

Matthew chapter 22, and I'm going to begin reading at the 41st verse. The Word of the Lord says this: "While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, What think ye of Christ? Whose son is he? They say unto him, The son of David. He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? If David then call him Lord, how is he his son? And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions."

I'd like to speak to you tonight on this subject: The Answer to Every Question. The Answer to Every Question. Now, I'm going to preach you a message, but I'll ask your indulgence: I'd like to just exalt Jesus tonight, if that's okay. Could I just praise the Lord in front of you and with you tonight? He's worthy to be praised. Could we lift up our voice unto Him right now and ask His blessing upon the preaching of His Word?

Lord, I thank You for Your Word. I thank You for the gathering of Your people, and I thank You for the anointing of Your Spirit. I pray in the name of Jesus that You would bring forth a mighty work, manifest Your glory in this house. Lord, let healings happen; let people be filled with the gift of the Holy Ghost. Lord God, I pray You'll answer questions tonight. Hallelujah. Let the Word of God have free course, we pray, in Jesus' name. And everybody said amen and amen. You may be seated in the name of the Lord.

Questions are not something that we are unfamiliar with. Each and every one of us here tonight have questions. Some of these questions we have have perhaps lingered in our minds longer than others. Maybe there are unresolved thoughts, questions that have been a part of the fabric of your thinking and your mind, and you're not quite sure what to do with them. Sometimes they keep you awake at night, and sometimes you just avoid them altogether so that you don't ever have to deal with them. Everybody in this house knows the seriousness of certain questions. Not every question is as serious, perhaps, as another.

I just did turn, two days ago, 45 years old, and I have grandchildren. I have two sweet, wonderful little grandbabies, and I am that grandpa who just wants to tell you all about them. But they're reminding me of my girls when my girls were little. My little three-year-old granddaughter is doing like her mother did when she was a little girl — asking questions. And it seems to be boundless, and it seems to be arbitrary; it's about anything and everything.

And I remember one particular day: my little girls were in the back seat asking question after question after question, and I answered each question with thorough detail, and I really did my very best. And then I just started making things up. And finally it reached a point where I just ran out of answers, and I said, "You know, sweetheart, I don't know. I just don't know." That was not a suitable answer for them. They said, "But Daddy, you know everything." And I thought, well, I kind of want to keep that as the impression that they have of me — but sooner or later they're going to find out that's not the case.

Because we all have questions, and questions are seeking answers. The word "question" is just that: it's a quest. That's the root of the word. It's a quest; it's a journey; it is a directive that the mind is taking, trying to unearth and learn and know and understand, to garner wisdom and develop understanding of what things are and how things work.

And oh, how we relish the innocence of questions from children. But questions have a way of matching the challenges we face in life, and as we grow, and as life becomes very serious, the questions become just as serious as the circumstances are. And I am preaching to people tonight who came to this camp meeting with serious questions — questions that you want answers to. Some questions you're afraid to ask; some questions you feel bad for having — but they are questions nonetheless, and we want to deal with it.

I will tell you that the enemy would love to fill the vacuum created by your questions. He would love to answer those questions for you. In fact, the enemy knows and understands the poignant nature of question, to the point that that's what we first learn about him when he enters into the scriptural backdrop: he enters with a question. "Hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?" Hath God said — not just a question, but a question about God's word, and a questioning of God's word, a questioning about the legitimacy of God's word, and if Eve really believed it. Of course, that question led to one thing, and that led to another, and the fall of man became a reality, and we have been suffering the consequences of it ever since. But it all started with a question. And the enemy would love to fill your mind with questions.

I will tell you the reason that we don't know who that serpent is in the very beginning of the Bible. It's interesting, because if I were to go around this room right now and take a quiz — who was that serpent in Genesis chapter 3? — it'd be hands down, it'd be unanimous, the vote: that was the devil in the Garden of Eden; that was the devil; that was the most subtle beast of the field. But we don't learn that until Revelation 12: "that old serpent," the Bible says, "which is called the devil." So we encounter him three chapters into the Bible, but we don't learn his identity until ten chapters before the Bible concludes.

I will posit to you: I think it's because it wasn't important what he looked like. It wasn't important what he presented himself as. It was important what it was he was doing and saying. And he can do and say those things in a lot of different presentations. He might come to you in the form of your favorite style of music. He might come to you in the guise of your favorite speaker or preacher. He might come to you wearing religious robes, or the bow tie of a professor. He may come to you — the Bible said he can transform himself as an angel of light. It doesn't matter what he looks like; it matters what he's doing. He might come as a lion, or a bear, or a giant, or a Bathsheba. It doesn't matter how he presents himself; it matters: what's he saying? What's he doing? When he begins to question the word of God.

It's important that we deal with questions, because there is nobody who is better at answering questions than the Lord God Himself. And if you've come into this house — and I know you have — with questions, and they may range from "What is truth?" to "What am I going to do about the circumstances I'm facing on the home front?" It might have to do with the symptoms that you're experiencing in your body; unresolved feelings about how you were treated here and there. Questions, questions.

I will tell you: you can bring your questions to the Lord. Not only can you — you must bring your questions to the Lord. There is no question that you can't ask God. You can open up your heart, open up your mind, open up your Bible, open up your spirit, fall down on your face, call upon the name of the Lord, and ask Him whatever question is on your mind. Don't ask the skeptics of this world. Don't ask religions of this world. Don't ask the mysticism of this world. Don't ask Google — ask God.

I'm going to tell somebody something today: it's time we get back to the prayer room, and we get real and raw and honest with God. Don't you let that question fester in your mind and drive a wedge between you and the faith that was once delivered to the saints. You go to God in prayer. Ask away. Ask Him anything. Ask Him everything. Are you struggling in your faith? Ask the Lord. Are you struggling in your walk with God? Ask the Lord. Are you struggling to overcome temptation? Ask the Lord. Ask the Lord.

Oh, what peace we often forfeit; oh, what needless pain we bear — oh, because we do not take everything, everything, everything, everything — remember when the elders told us to take everything, everything, everything, everything, everything to God in prayer?

I need to stay on this just a moment. We try to do too much. We try to do too much. I don't know why we do it; I don't know if it's so we can brag about it later, or what — but we try to do what God wants to do. I decided a long time ago: I'm going to let God do everything. Well, now, that's kind of a cop-out — you can call it whatever you want to call it. I just found out that He can do anything better than me. He can do anything better than me. "No, He can't." Yes, He can. He can do it all. Hallelujah. If I need faith, I say, "God, I need faith." If I need healing: "God, I need healing." If I need to preach a message: "Lord, let me preach this message." If I need to understand doctrine: "Lord, show me doctrine." If I need to understand strategy: "Lord, give me a strategy." If I need a fresh vision: "Lord, give me a vision." I'll just go ahead and tell you right now: if anything good comes from me, it's not me — it's God. Anything and everything is God. Hallelujah. Ask Him.

The most terrifying question of all questions found in the Word of the Lord was asked by none other than Jesus Christ — the question that He asked while hanging upon the cross: "My God, my God, why — oh, I feel some 'whys' in the house tonight — why hast Thou forsaken me?" There is no more brutal a question than that one. There is no more real or raw human emotion than that emotion. Why did this have to happen? Why did that have to happen? "Why hast Thou forsaken me?" I want to tell you that you can ask God those kinds of questions — but when you do it, make sure you do it like Jesus did it: when you're nailed to the cross, when your flesh is crucified. Curl up as close to the cross of Christ as you can; stand at the foot of His cross; and whatever question has been lodged in your mind from the days of your childhood, perhaps, until now — you can ask the Lord anything. Hallelujah. Ask Him anything.

Even if you don't walk away with a complete resolution to the question, you will have a peace that passes understanding. You'll have a joy that is unspeakable and full of glory. You'll have a perfect love that casts out fear.

We're living in a world, and dealing with a culture, that is plagued with questions, and they're developing answers that are not right. They are seeking, everyone, their own way. We are becoming the book of Judges, where people just do that which is right in their own eyes, and our world is decaying as a result. But it's time for the church to stand up in an era of questions and not be intimidated by the questions of our culture, but stand up — living proof of what the answer really is. Hallelujah.

This chapter, Matthew 22, is a chapter chock-full of questions. There are questions that are being hurled at Jesus the Christ. Jesus is in the process of trying to answer these questions, and this was really the beginning stages of the persecution that was coming. They were trying to ensnare Him. Matthew 22 says that the Pharisees took counsel how they might entangle Him in His talk — just exactly what the serpent did in the Garden of Eden: "Hath God said?" And the Pharisees took counsel as to how they might entangle Him in His talk, and they sent out unto Him their disciples with the Herodians. Now, they had just taken counsel how they might entangle Him in His talk. That was the goal. They had a committee meeting and said, "All right — we've got to entangle Him in His words. That's where the power is; the power is in His words. Never man spake like this man spake. This man isn't like the scribes: when He speaks, He speaks as one having authority." Oh, that's a word — the root of that word is "author." There's a reason He has authority: because He is the Author, and He is the Finisher. I told you, I'm going to have to praise Jesus for just a little while. I'll make it sound like preaching, but I've just come to lift up that name that's above every name. I've just come to magnify the Lord, and I'd love it if you'd magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together. He speaks as one having authority.

"We've got to entangle Him in His talk," they said. And here they sent their disciples; they took counsel, they sent their disciples. And I want you to notice what they said in Matthew 22, verse 16. They say, "Master" — that's what they called Him. They just left a meeting where they had determined they would entangle Him in His talk, and they approach Him with this word: Master. Not everybody who claims Him as their Master means it. "We know that thou art true; we know that you teach the way of God in truth; neither do you care for any man; thou regardest not the person of men. We know that you are a spiritual man — you're not all about this natural stuff, all of this civic stuff; you're a spiritual man. So tell us therefore: what thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?" They thought they had ensnared Him, because they were striking at the core of His message, which was Kingdom. "You're all about a spiritual kingdom — so if you're part of a spiritual kingdom, does it really matter if you're a good citizen or not in Caesar's government?"

Jesus perceived their wickedness and said, "Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?" Don't you just love Jesus? There's so many reasons to love Jesus, and this is one of them — He just called them out. "Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?" He said, "Show me the tribute money." He literally said, "Show me the money" — that's what Jesus said: "Show me the money." And when they brought Him the money — they brought Him a penny — He saith unto them, "Whose is this image? Whose superscription is this?" They said, "It is Caesar's." He said, "Then render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and render unto God the things that are God's."

I'm going to tell you: you can't outwit Jesus. I'm going to tell you, you can't outwit Jesus. I'm going to let you know that the devil will never entangle Him in His [talk].

Brother Graham, it's gotten to the point where if I see something in the Scriptures that doesn't make a lot of sense to me, it excites me — because I know we're on the precipice of some kind of a profound understanding about God. Dig a little deeper. Go a little deeper. Pray a little more. Fast another meal. Seek the face of God. Learn His word. Seek His face. "One thing have I desired of the Lord, and that will I seek after: to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple, all the days of my life."

Yeah — see, you can't outwit Jesus. The Bible says, when they heard these words, they marveled, and left Him, and went their way.

The same day came to Jesus the Sadducees — and now, you've got to know that the Sadducees do not believe in the resurrection. And they came challenging Him on the resurrection, and they said to Him — now listen: "You talk about the resurrection," and they said, "Let's talk about a guy who's married but doesn't have any children; he dies, so his brother's going to raise up seed; he dies, and then a third brother, and a fourth, and a fifth, and a sixth, and a seventh brother, and none of them have raised up seed. And here they all meet up in the resurrection: whose wife was the woman?" And that's what the enemy would like to do: he would like to take the most outrageous of scenarios and try to box Jesus in and entangle Him in His words.

But this is what Jesus told the Sadducees. He said, "Ye do err — ye do err — not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God." I'm going to tell you something, ladies and gentlemen. I'm going to tell you where our error is. This is always our error: our error is when we don't know the Scriptures. Questions fester when we don't know the Scriptures. Questions start internalizing and laying down roots of bitterness and doubt and unbelief when we don't know the Scriptures. I'm going to tell you where the power of God is: the power of God is in the Scripture. Oh, God, give us a revival of knowing the Word. Give us a revival of knowing the Scripture. Know the Scriptures. Don't let popular culture deceive you from knowing the Scriptures. Get a hold of the word of God and never let it go. I'm going to tell you that "the grass withereth and the flower fadeth, but the word of our God shall stand forever." "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my word shall not pass away." Hallelujah. "The word of God is quick and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." "Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against thee." "Thy word, O Lord, is forever settled in the heavens."

Paul said: "Hey, Timothy — you're living in perilous times. Hey, Timothy — you're living in a time where people will be lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. But I'm going to tell you what to do: preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine."

When we don't know the Scriptures — get into the Major Prophets. Dig into the Minor Prophets. Dig into the Pauline epistles and general epistles, and the Gospel according to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Dig into the book of Revelation. Get into the books of the Law. Get into the books of history. Get into the books of poetry. Dig it out. Search it out. Let God put His word on your heart. Listen to preaching. Hallelujah. Listen to teaching of men and women who preach and teach the word of the Lord — sound doctrine, the faith that was once delivered to the saints. Read the word. Study the word. Memorize the word. Obey the word. Teach the word.

Sir, our problem is: we don't like to get into the Scriptures. We let other things influence our thinking. "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." I will say — I will say — I don't care who else says it or won't say it — I will say of the Lord: He is my refuge. If you walk into this house next year and all of us backslid, you better still say: I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him will I trust. "Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler." These are the Scriptures! This is not something we hope will happen; this isn't something we wish for — these are the Scriptures.

Are you ready for some more promises of God? Are you ready? Listen: you do err because you don't know the Scriptures. Let's get into some more promises of God. "Thou shalt not be afraid of the terror by night, nor for the arrow that flieth by day. Thou shalt not be afraid for the pestilence that walketh in darkness, nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday." Well, why not? I've seen a lot of people fall to the destruction that wasteth at noonday. I've seen a lot of people fall to the pestilence that walketh in darkness. You do err, not knowing the Scriptures. "A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand." I'm just going to explain to you how the Lord has helped me to understand that verse of Scripture: I don't have to answer for the thousand that fall at my side, and I do not have to answer for the ten thousand that fall at my right hand. But here's what I do: I stand. I put my feet upon the Scriptures that say a thousand shall fall at my side and ten thousand at my right hand — but, Lord, Your word says — Your word says — the Scriptures say — and it is the power of God — "it shall not come nigh thee." See, I don't know if you believe that — fine, then — but I believe it, and I'm standing on it, and it's going to answer some of my questions. "A thousand shall fall at my side, and ten thousand shall fall at my right hand" — but, Lord, Your word says — and I don't know how to explain everything, but Your word says — "it shall not come nigh thee." Hallelujah. "Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked." Hallelujah. "Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation, there shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling." Here's a promise: "For he shall give his angels charge [over thee]."

I would to God that somebody would reach up and grab a hold of the Scriptures right now. You're looking at statistics and weighing the Scriptures against statistics, and he said the statistics are a thousand and ten thousand to one. We've got to stop putting more faith in statistics than we do the Scriptures. That's our error: we don't put our faith in the Scriptures. "Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God."

If you've got questions about the Oneness of God, dig into the word of God. Pray over the word of God. Don't look at it as a skeptic; don't look at it as a cynic; look at it as a seeker of God, a hungry heart for the truth, for the things of Him and His goodness. Hallelujah.

You can always tell who's truly humble, hungry, and pure in heart: they're not arrogant, they're not cynical, they're not skeptical. When they arrive at truth, they're like a thirsty man finding water after a long drought. Hallelujah. Eat it up, drink it up, soak it up. Hallelujah. Take your Bible into your prayer room; open up the word of God. If you've got questions about holiness, if you've got questions about faith, if you've got questions about miracles, signs, and wonders — open up your Bible, open up your heart, and talk to God. Know the Scriptures, and you'll know the power of God. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Know the Scriptures, and you'll know the power of God.

In that very same day, the Bible said, there were more questions that were coming — the questions just kept on coming. First it was trying to entangle Him in His talk; then it was trying to question the resurrection itself. That's the whole point of the devil's questions: he wants to make you question the resurrection. The resurrection is the core of our faith. Paul said, if the resurrection is not true, then nothing's true. The resurrection is everything. That's what the Sadducees were trying to get at — they were trying to get to the resurrection. But if they could know the Scriptures — they could quote the Scriptures, but they didn't know the Scriptures. They didn't know what Job was saying when Job said that the skin worms will destroy this body — yet in my flesh, after the skin worms have destroyed this body, after my body has decomposed, after I have died and gone into the grave — in my flesh I shall see God. That's the resurrection. That's why Job said, "I know my Redeemer lives, and He's going to stand on the latter day." Yes, He is. I know I'm going to see Him. You don't know the Scriptures? Know the power of God.

Jesus said to the Sadducees: what do you think Ezekiel was talking about when the Lord said, "Can these bones live? Prophesy to these bones"? Hallelujah — the resurrection. "Behold, I show you a mystery: we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump. The trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible. Hallelujah. And this mortal shall put on immortality, and this corruptible shall put on incorruption. Then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who hath given us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord." "For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."

I believe the Scriptures. And believing the Scriptures has never disappointed me. Every time I put my faith in the Scriptures, it's blessed my family; it's blessed my children; it's blessed my sweet grandbabies. It blessed my wife and I when we were a young couple, and now grandparents. It blessed our ministry. It blessed our church. It blesses the people we administer to. Every time we trust the Scriptures — Hallelujah.

He's after the core of your faith with his questions — the enemy is. The Bible says that the Pharisees had heard that He put the Sadducees to silence. Oh, I love when Jesus talks — He'll put the enemy to silence. Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked Him a question, and said — he's going to go legalese on Him a little bit, try to trap Him in His words — he said, "What — tell me — is the greatest commandment?" And I think he honestly thought Jesus would say something like: "Oh, wow — well, that's a great question. My goodness, I never thought of it that way before. The greatest commandment? I mean, they're all pretty good. I mean, we probably shouldn't kill anybody; stealing's bad. Well, just really — that's a great qu—" That's not what Jesus said. Jesus said: "The greatest commandment is this: Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord — and Him only shalt thou serve. Thou shalt love Him, the Lord thy God, with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And you didn't ask about the second, but I'll tell you about the second, because the second is like unto it — you can't have one without the other: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."

And that's what the enemy likes to do. He likes to nitpick. He likes to single out commandments and say, "Is this one important? Is that one important? Is this serious enough that you should really obey that?" And Jesus said, that's not the way this works. If you love God and you love your neighbor, you'll keep all of it. But the enemy would like to get you gauging which ones are necessary and which ones are not; which ones are important, which ones are not; which ones are something that really matter, and which ones don't. But it's not about that. It's about loving God, and Him loving you, and you loving your neighbor, and fulfilling the law of Christ. That's what it's all about.

And then Jesus said, "All right — are y'all done?" They were all put to silence. They were all hanging their heads. They were all embarrassed, because none of their gymnastics of questioning worked. And Jesus said, "Are you done? Because I have a question for you." And I'm going to tell you: when God starts asking us questions, He's up to something. I'm just going to tell you something right now: when God asks you a question, He's not looking for information — He's looking to give revelation. "Moses, what is that in thine hand?" He knew what was in Moses' hand; He wanted Moses to know what was in his hand. "Throw it down, Moses." He looked at Jacob and said, "What is your name?" He knew what his name was. He wasn't trying to figure out Jacob's name — He was trying to reveal to Jacob his new name: "Your name is Israel." No, no, no — when God asks you a question, He's not fishing for information. "Who do men say that I, the Son of man, am?" He knew who men say He, the Son of man, is; He was trying to let them know who He really is. "Who do you say that I am?" "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." So He said: "Here's my question for you: What think ye of Christ? Whose son is he?"

Man, it sent a shock wave through that group. I can just see them in my mind's eye: "The son of David. Son of David. Son of — son of David. Hey — son of David. Son — you good with that? The son of David. Final answer." Jesus said, "Yeah, I thought that's what you'd say: son of David." So He says: "So help me understand, then. If he was merely a son of David — if that's all he was, was just a son of David, just one in a long succession of sons of David — then why did David say, 'The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool'? Hallelujah. If he is just a son of David, why did David call him Lord?"

Jesus was letting them know: David said, "The Lord said unto my Lord." This is something that happens frequently in the Old Testament: "The Lord said unto my Lord." That is not two separate persons; that is one God who is in heaven, but manifests Himself on earth. That's why the Bible, all through the Scriptures, God refers to Himself two times. He says: "Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord." He said, "I, even I, am the Lord." He said, "I am that I am." There's a why — because He who is in heaven is coming down to earth. You have to remember: there is none beside Him. There's not a second person. There's not a separate person. There's not somebody else in the Godhead. There's one Lord, one Lord. "The Lord said unto my Lord" — that's God being manifest in human flesh.

The reference to the right hand is a reference to all those Old Testament prophecies — that the right hand is coming, the right hand is coming, the right hand. That's not a separate person; that's the power of God being manifest in the earth. That's why Stephen saw Him on the right hand — not because He was a separate person on the right hand, but because the time had come for all of those right-hand prophecies to be fulfilled by the almighty God manifest in human flesh.

So He said: "Here's my question: why did David call Christ Lord?" In essence, Jesus was telling them this: Jesus Christ is Lord. And the Bible said no man answered Him a word, and no man had any more questions after that. You want to know why? Because that's the answer to every question. It's the answer to every question. Brother Gurley, it's the answer to every question. I don't know what question you came in here tonight with, but I've got the answer for it. I don't know. I don't know what your question is. Maybe you're questioning what the results of the tests are going to be next week, that you got done this week. I'm going to give you the answer: Jesus Christ is Lord. Maybe your question is: will your children ever really serve God? I've got the answer for you: Jesus Christ is Lord. Maybe your question is: will this pain ever really go away? Will I ever be able to get over the grief? Here's the answer: Jesus Christ is Lord. Maybe you've got a question tonight about the end time. Let me tell you something: the answer to the mark of the beast, and the Antichrist, and World War II, and nuclear bombs — here it is; I've got the answer for all of it: Jesus. Jesus — the name that's above every name. Jesus. Jesus. Jesus Christ — He is Lord. He is Lord. He has risen from the dead, and He is Lord. Every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess. You've got fear — Jesus Christ is Lord. You've got sickness — Jesus Christ is Lord. You want to see revival — Jesus Christ is Lord. You want to be healed — Jesus Christ is Lord. You want your family to be saved — Jesus Christ is Lord. You want peace in your home — Jesus Christ is Lord.

Thomas said, "I'll only believe if I see it. I got to see the scars; I got to see the nail prints; I've got to see that wound in His side." When he saw it — and Jesus said, "Reach hither thy finger" — he fell on his face and said, "My Lord" — "my Lord, my God." I want to tell you that it answers every question. It turns doubting Thomas into a believer. If you can settle that in your spirit tonight, it's going to change everything about tomorrow, and the day after that, and the day after that. Bishop — Hallelujah. Brother Grindle: I legitimately don't know what tomorrow holds, but I know Who holds tomorrow. Jesus is Lord. Jesus is Lord. Jesus is Lord. Jesus is Lord. I need a believer to shout it from side to side, from front to back. I need somebody who knows it to be true — shout it from the rooftops! Go tell it on the mountain! Tell it in the valley low: Jesus. Jesus. Come on — somebody shout about that; dance over that; worship Him for that: He is Lord.

I want somebody to run to the front of this house who needs a miracle, who has a question, who needs God to intervene, who needs God to move in upon your circumstances. I want you to come with this declaration of faith: Jesus is Lord. Jesus is Lord. Jesus is Lord. Jesus is Lord. Jesus is Lord. Come on, say it with me: Jesus is Lord. Jesus is Lord. Come on, young people: Jesus is Lord. Jesus is Lord. There's only one Lord, and Jesus is Lord. Jesus is Lord. Come on — that's it — in the name of Jesus. I don't want you talking about your problems right now — just shout it out: Jesus is Lord. Jesus is Lord. He's Lord over my finances. He's Lord over my physical health. He's Lord over my life. He's Lord over my family. Jesus. Come on, pastors — you're not in that pulpit alone: Jesus is Lord. You're not pastoring that church by yourself: Jesus is Lord. Come on, saints of God — you're not facing that crisis on your own: Jesus Christ is the Lord.

Come on, bring the needs. Bring the needs. Bring the needs. Bring the needs. Bring the needs. Jesus is just as much here as He was when He walked among the multitudes of sick. Jesus is just as much present today in this house as He was when He walked on the water. Oh, Hallelujah. God is getting ready to make a way where there seems to be no way. There's a reason we call Him the way maker. I need somebody who knows from experience that He's a way maker to praise Him like He's the way maker. I need somebody who knows from experience that it is the Lord that healeth thee to praise Him like He's the God that heals.

Come on — I want you to praise Him like He's Lord. I want you to declare faith like He's Lord. I want you to pray like He's Lord. All across this house, if you believe He's Lord, I want you to lift up your voice in a holy, high praise unto God.

There's some things happening up in the front. God's moving right now. There are miracles happening in the name of Jesus. But I believe there are some questions on the perimeter that God's getting ready to answer. Every one of your questions — He's getting ready to put so deep in your soul: that holy faith, that holy faith — Hallelujah — that holy faith. It's going to give you peace in the midst of the storm. It's going to give you joy in the midst of your sorrow. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Come on — somebody declare His lordship. Don't fight this battle on your own. Declare the lordship of Jesus Christ. Reach out to somebody near you right now, in the name of Jesus. If you see somebody seeking for something, I want you to reach out to them right now. Lay hands on them. And in Jesus' name, God's getting ready to do something.

Bishop Story already pronounced: this is Miracle Night. This is Miracle Night. Now, I'm going to tell you something: I preached Jesus tonight. And when we preach Jesus, addictions can be healed. When we preach Jesus, the addict can be delivered. When we preach Jesus, the prisoner can be set free. When we preach Jesus, the sick can be healed, the lost can be found, the sinner can be saved — when we preach Jesus.

Let me tell you who Jesus is: He's the Rock of All Ages. He's the Alpha and the Omega. He's the Heavenly Father. He's the Beginning and the End. Much more than this, my friend: He's the Son of Man — He's coming back again. I know Jesus is the Father. I know Jesus is the Son. I know Jesus is the Holy Ghost. And all these three are one.

Many people today — they say they love Jesus, but they don't know who He is. They put Him second place in the Godhead. But if Jesus Christ created everything and has all power — I'm asking you: if Jesus Christ is the Lord of lords, how can He be number two?

Let me tell you who Jesus is: He's the Rock of All Ages. He's the Alpha and the Omega. He's the Heavenly Father. He's the Beginning and the End. Much more than this, my friend: He's the Son of Man — He's coming back again. I know Jesus is the Father. I know Jesus is the Son. I know Jesus is the Holy Ghost. And all these three are one.

Come on — let your faith go. People are receiving the Holy Ghost all over the house. God's giving miracles. "Nevertheless, at Thy word" — oh God, the word of God has gone forth tonight. Let the miracle happen. Let God touch. Let the Holy Ghost fall. Let your faith go, in Jesus' name.