A Poison Root | Senior Pastor Kenneth Carpenter

if you have your Bibles turn with me to the book of Hebrews 12 verse number 14 it's so good to see everybody here tonight in the house of the Lord um we're very thankful uh let me just say this I know it's probably not going to come out the way that I want it to come out but you know I love having company don't you love love H having company at your house but then there's just times when you love when it's just the home Folk right boy last Wednesday night at this time we had a house full of company didn't we how many enjoyed the movement oh I enjoy the movement I'm glad tonight to have the Glad night to have the home folk here and now this is going to sound really bad but I have a special guest with me tonight brother rowy I don't believe I don't believe you've ever been have you ever been here I don't believe he's ever been in here he pastors truth Church in apia Florida and uh apia Florida Orlando area is almost as beautiful as East Tennessee but not quite all right almost almost and um matter of fact when me men sister Carpenter's favorite getaway favorite getaway for a few days give praise to Alle legent Airline for those $39 flights is Orlando as a matter of fact we started going there so much until I made brother R my pastor I made him my Orlando Pastor he got on to me I was at his church he said hey you don't pay tith I said well I'm brother Riley it's so good to have you he's uh he wanted to come and be with us tonight and and uh be in service with us and there's an Apostolic conference going on right now in Pigeon Forge uh the U the WPF a wonderful group of apostolic men are having conference there at the lant center it's the same place that we had uh GMC at they're having church tonight of course you can't be there tonight and then they're having church tomorrow and Thursday night and if you want to add some to your schedule go ahead and go up there and have some good church with those good people there Hebrews 12 and 14 Paul said follow peace with all men and Holiness without which no man shall see the Lord looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you and thereby many many be defiled now the the title tonight's going to be negative but sometimes in order to get a positive you have to give a negative all right you don't have drawing power unless you've got a positive and a negative and so it's going to be a little when I give you the title you're going to think oh boy here we go again Pastor going to be and and and if you choose to live on the side of negative you know some people are positively negative you know um but I think if you'll really look at it tonight if you really look at it tonight I believe this Bible Lesson will produce a positive response to your soul and I'm going to preach tonight or teach on the poison root the poison root would you put your Bible down and would you pray that you receive the word tonight father I love you Lord Jesus I thank you for your love and I thank you for your mercy I thank you God for the ability to feed your sheep tonight Lord I Thank you tonight God that if you know what I'm going through then I know I'm going to make it through Lord I pray tonight that you would Minister to us your word and help us God to draw ever so close to you and Lord we'll give you the praise and the honor during this Bible lesson tonight in Jesus name we all pray amen and amen you may be seated you may be seated tonight and uh please at the end of the service and unless it's already been announced but we've got section A Youth rally coming up this coming Friday night and uh I would like to have all the details Pastor would you make sure that when I'm done tonight we give all of the announcements uh for the section A Youth rally that's going to be and I believe it's an author Tennessee if I'm not mistaken Apostle Paul as he writes here is writing about Rel relationships if matter of fact if you would in your private time if you would study the 12th chapter you would find that Paul spends the majority of the chapter talking about the greatest relationship that you and I will ever have and that is our relationship with God I know that may sound just really basic Elementary first grade K5 K2 if you want to even you know see you know uh the nightcrawlers class I don't I don't know you whatever you want to call it but yet the greatest relationship that you'll ever have is your relationship with God with god um as a matter of fact that relationship flavors all other relationships it's uh there's a lot of people that think they have marital issues they don't have marital issues they've got God issues and if they'll get the god issues corrected the marital issues will take care of itself a lot of people think they've got they've got kids they got family issues when if they would just learn how to uh expose their children to the things of God it would be amazing how you just see things kind of just straighten up and begin to do uh the way that they they should do and and uh now I'm not saying that there's not times that we don't do marriage counseling and there's not times that that other counseling takes place but I just find find that the majority of time it's it's a god issue it's a it's a spiritual it's a spiritual issue but Paul spent the majority of the chapter of 12 talking about uh our relationship our relationship with God and when you really when you really begin to dive into it our lives are a combination of of relationships our relationship with God uh our relationship with our spouse uh our relationship with our our children uh our relationship with our co-workers on the job our our our relationship is it's just filled with just different different relationships and I'm I'm going to tell you something about relationships you get out of it what you put in it if you don't put much into God you don't get much out of God if you don't put much into your marriage relationship you you uh you you you don't get much out of it a a young lady opened the door for me tonight uh as I was coming into church a young lady stood and opened the door and I said well that's not how this works that's not how this really works uh the the the man opens the door for the lady and I told her she's a young young lady dating age and I told her I said as a matter of fact uh drop a a boy uh like Co if he won't open the door for you all right uh drop him drop him drop him like drop him like Co I uh there was a father that told me that he had a talk with a young man several years ago uh he had gave permission for the young man to date his daughter and the man the the young the young man came to the house and and um um sit out in the driveway and blew the horn for the girl to come out well the girl didn't come out the dad did let us say they did not go out on a date that night all right but you get you you you you you you get out of relationships what you're what you're willing to put in you you don't put anything into God you don't you don't get anything out of God you don't put anything into your marriage you don't get anything out of it you don't put anything into your children you don't get anything back out of it and you life is just a life is a series of of relationships we have and there's different relationships like U um the relationship we have with our Postman uh we we have a great a great uh uh male delivery man here here at the church he he he's a he's just a super guy he he's if if if we've got a box too big if he comes by my house brother Purdue and there's a package for me that won't fit in the mailbox guess what he does he gets out of his truck brings it to the front porch puts it up there where it's where it's where it's dry but but you know something we cultivated a relationship there's a lot of thank you hey I appreciate that hey I noticed you did that I I want you to know I really appreciate I really appreciate what you did I I really appreciate how that that you take packages around to the church and drop them off I I really I really appreciate that now I'm going to tell you something being thankful in a relationship when somebody does something begins to go back and forth because you want to do more for somebody that's done for you that's human nature come on don't don't don't look at me like a mule eating briers through a picket fence you you you know that's true as a matter of fact when Christmas rolls around we get a little gift card and we wait for the postman to come by why do you do that relationship relationship well you don't have to do that no and he don't have to take that box to the front porch either and and not only that I have a relationship with the man that picks up our garbage he's a good one you know how he is s s plainly on the side of the container do not feel the container more than the lid you can't you can't have trash and there's sometimes that when we take the trash to the road it looks like the eiffle tower coming out of the M you know and he is so good he is so good to go ahead and dump it and and and work with it and you know what come Christmas I'm out there waiting for the garbage man to come by because I got a little something for him because it's called a relationship right it it's called it's called a relationship now God in his word told us that when we go to have relationship with each other he said follow peace follow peace that word follow there in the Greek means pursue it run after it chase after it Let It Be Your Chief objective let it be your goal that you want to follow peace with all men but not just following peace then he adds the word Holiness to it in other words you really can't have true peace with someone if there's not a mixture of the Prince of Peace he said follow peace with all men now we have to balance that out we have to balance that out because another passage of scripture the Apostle Paul said as much as lith within you be at peace with all men in other words he said as much as you can be at peace but you do realize there are some people that want peace at a cost that we're not willing to pay that's right they want you to compromise your convictions well I'm sorry that's too high a price for that kind of peace they want you to violate the word of God well I just you know that's a that's just peace if if that's what it costs to have peace with you then I'm sorry we're never going to have peace because he said as much as lith within you live peaceably with all men he goes on in verse 15 he told us to follow peace it's relationship and Holiness then he he he added how important Holiness is he said without which no man would see the Lord now that's that's pretty important he says without Holiness you you you won't understand the Lord you you won't be able to perceive the ways of God if you're not looking at it through the lens of Holiness and then he turns the corner in verse 15 looking that word means searching searching or that word means examining examining diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God now please you understand don't you tonight we're not going to make it without God you're not going to make it without him you got to have God in your life if you don't have God in your life you're just existing you are not living He says search examine lest any man would fail fall fall short of the grace that's the strength Grace means strength the strength of God read on with me lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you seems like this searching falling short of the strength of God has to do with a root of bitterness that would spring up and would trouble you but it would not only it would not only it would not only trouble you if you bring my monitors down just a bit my friend it would not only trouble you but then he says look at verse 15 closely he says and thereby many be def filed the root of bitterness would spring up and it would trouble you and many would be defiled he said you need to do a self-examination you need to examine yourselves and then he says what you're looking for is a root of B bitterness you're you're you're you're searching for a root of bitterness because if you don't find it and pluck it up and deal with it it will eventually spring up and then it'll trouble you and then after it troubles you there's too many people that have learned how to live with trouble the problem with trouble is eventually trouble will defile you now let me give you the Greek meanings of these words Paul said lest any root of bitterness springing up this Greek word bitterness means poison it means there's a poisonous root here it's poison other words were added like acid or poison um contamination I believe was one one of the words contamination and poison and and uh acid and it goes on at least any root of poison spring up and trouble you and many be defiled this word defiled means to stain it means to defile it means to another word contaminate it means to soil to smear he says if you allow this root of poison to spring up and then if it's not dealt with when it Springs up it will eventually contaminate you it will it will soil you well I begin to do a little searching and study on the function of roots of a plant what are the functions of a of of the roots of a plant and I found several purposes for the roots number one not necessarily the priority but it's it begin with number one anchoring anchoring Roots anchor plants to the ground keeping them stable and upright this helps plant this helps the plants withstand wind snow and other atmospheric conditions in other words The Roots keep them stationary The Roots keep them stable and The Roots keep them upright another purpose for roots is absorbing water and nutrients Roots absorb water and nutrients from the soil and Transplant them to other parts of the plant another purpose of roots is storing food Roots can store extra food in the form of starch another purpose of the roots is sensing the environments environment Roots help plants sense their environment and last Roots help plants to survive Roots help plants survive periods of which they've either got too much or too little water and nutrients now the positive is you want to be rooted and grounded in love all right that's where you need to be rooted and grounded that's the soil that you need to be bringing up the nutrients into your plant that's the soil the soil of love and God is love and everything that's attached to that that's where you need to be planted that's where you need to stay because when you're planted the Bible says that he shall be as a tree planted by the rivers of water whose Leaf doesn't fade all right and so when we're planted in the right atmosphere when we're planted in the right environment we're planted in love we're accepting the Forgiveness of God and we're giving back thanks to God that's why that's why we're we're we're we uh continually want to express to God our thanks for saving a sin such as ourselves and that's why we continually want to give him praise and thanks because it's a relationship he reached down further than I could reach up he was the one that initiated salvation mankind didn't build a big bombfire on Earth and said please come down God and save us a holy God came down to man that wasn't looking for him but a holy God said I've come to establish a relationship with you and to that tonight A few hundred people are gathered on a Wednesday night in the house of God to Simply Express that relationship back to him thank you thank you thank you praise you bless you glory I love you I magnify your name but now if the atmosphere I'm planted in is unforgiveness soil either holding a grudge not forgiving and I got news for you people have often said oh there's one sin that you cannot get forgiveness of I beg to differ with you I do know the Bible said you would not be forgiven in this world or the world to come if you blasphemed the Holy Ghost all right but there's actually two sins he said if you will not forgive your brother who has TR just passed against you neither will I forgive you so the only way we're going in is for him to forgive us so if I dwell regardless if I cause the hurt because we we really deal with a lot of people that that have either been hurt or they've hurt and they I'm not going to use the word brother rowy I'm not going to use the word can't forgive them themselves they won't forgive themselves and the reason they won't forgive themselves they're trying to draw water out of the wrong Source we have to accept the Forgiveness that God gives us so we have people that are rooted in a fence they've either not forgiven they're holding a grudge or they've not really got their Roots down in God's forgiveness and allowed God to do the washing and allowed God to do the cleansing and so they're planted in soil that all they can bring up from the ground is acid all they can bring up from the ground is that is that contamination and nothing above surface ever goes right because the problem is not above surface the problem is beneath surface let me let me go on and read a little bit more again Paul in the book of Ephesians the book of Ephesians chapter 4 in verse 31 somebody say praise the Lord prise the Lord Ephesians 4 and 31 listen to what Paul writes to the church let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice you don't want that kind of soil you don't want the soil of anger you don't want the soil of frustration you don't want the soil of clamor what does clamor mean always noisy never happy noisy clamor and evil speaking put away from you with all malice and be ye kind one to another tenderhearted forgiving one another even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you you tell me which pot do you want to be planted in you tell me where you think you can get the most joy out of your life verse 31 or verse 32 do you want to be planted where there's bitterness that's all you can soak up whatever you met meditate on whatever you're not letting go of is what is your nutrient whatever you can't get past whatever you keep holding on to whatever you keep talking to people about whatever you keep rehearsing that's what you keep pulling up into your and and nothing above ground is changing the leaves are still wilting there's no fruit on your on your limbs you're not being fruitful in any area of your life why it's simple you're not pulling the right things up you've got bitter Bess poison wrath anger clamor evil speaking and look at those next few words but be be put away from you with all malice so that right there those few words be put away from you takes away your excuse well I am just who I am no you're not you are who you allow yourself to be oh that sound sharp don't it well that's just me yeah that's just you because that's you deciding that's going to be you right man won't you just get tired of sucking that old poison in don't you just get tired of waking up you know and it's another day don't you just get tired of life's a bummer and and and and I just think I'll eat a big can of worms I you know life's just terrible it's just it just terrible around nothing going right I ain't happy with myself I ain't happy with you ain't happy with my kids I come to church I sure to God not a not happy with you folks around here I'm not happy with music I'm not happy with the programs I'm not happy I'm not happy not happy let me tell you something you can change everything around you that makes you not that you think makes you unhappy and you'll still be unhappy because the problem is not above ground the problem is there's a root down there that you need get you need to get down there oh I wish somebody Worship the Lord with me for a moment I I I wish I'd have every sex with hands lifted right now I wish I'd have voices I I wish I just people just lift up their voice cu the problem is below the surface oh yes the problem is below the surface be put away from you it is your choice underline that in verse 31 be put away the choice is mine to put it away it's called Rip repentance that's what it's called it's called repentance it's called changing your mind about something or someone I I I just I just happen to believe that the Bible works I just happen to believe that God is the solution for all things I just happen to believe there's not a problem greater than our God I just happen to believe that for the last 40 years that I've stood behind a pull pit and told you and myself with all kind of problems church if we can just get to God if we can just Touch the Hem of His Garment if we can just get in one of those Services where God is moving if I can just because I'm going to tell you he can go way down deep into the heart boy he can pull the ugly stuff out he can pull the icky stuff out he can reach way down in my heart do you know if you serve God long enough and you serve God long enough with people around you that you really know that you're walking in forgiveness when somebody brings something up and you say well I forgot about that now two things I'd like to mention here don't bring it up the second thing don't bring it up if it's not if it ain't good pardon the grammar if it ain't good don't bring it up so whatever to talk about whatever things are lovely watchever things are pure whatever things are good report whatever things are powerful if there be any virtue think on these things I'm I'm going to tell you something if you're if you're Fellowship is always sucking up from the sewer of where God has forgiven you you're going to have a stinky plan that's all you that's all you're ever going to have but you you you need to have Fellowship that's talking about Revival move of God isn't the Lord good I think my cousin's coming to church next Sunday I I think my uncle will be back at church I I I I I really think I I really think I really think this is going to happen that because hey folks I know we just had the movement and you've heard some of the greatest preacher in the world but I'm doing the the best I got tonight all right I'm doing I'm I'm doing the best I got right now but you see I I I believe I I just personally believe that God is the answer to any problem we got that if we can let God do open heart surgery on us he can reach way down in there but he listen he ain't going to deliver the mail where the address is not at he he he's not going to barge you in he he he's not coming stealth he's not coming to steal something out of your Heart Like thieves in a museum you got to open it up and say God I really need some help with this I can't keep this off my mind God lord it just keeps coming back up and coming back up I need your help Lord I I I really I really need your help God I promise you if you'll lay it on the altar of God somewhere somehow someway you're going to turn it around and all of a sudden you got green leaves on your tree and all of a sudden you got fruit of love joy and peace gent you got all that hanging on your tree somebody say it's called repentance turn with me to the book of Acts chapter 8 the book of Acts chapter 8 I think I'm going to show you something root of bitterness root of poison remember that that root of bitterness means a root of poison Acts chapter 8 and uh verse number four acts chapter 8 I was reading this and stumbled on this um verse 4 acts 8 and 4 therefore they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ unto them and the people with one Accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake hearing and seeing the Miracles which he did for unclean spirits crying with loud voice draw a line under that unclean spirits crying with loud voice came out of many that were possessed with them and many that were taken with pusies and that were lame were healed and there was great joy in that City but there was a certain man called Simon let's hang on to him for a minute which Before Time in the same City used sorcery and bewitch the people of Samaria giving out that himself was some great one many he many commentaries say that Simon was the first drug dealer that Simon learned how to mix plants and powders together and create a high in people and not only did he sell this to them but he gave it to them that he was some great God he was some great one verse 10 to whom they all gave heed from the least to the greatest saying this man Simon is the great power of God I mean he would mix up that concoction and sell it to him he didn't give it to him for free he would sell it to them and they would go get high and they would just say that he is the Great power of God and to him they had regard that's respect because that of a long time he had Bewitched them with sorceries but when they believe Phillip I told you God is greater than any problem you have but when they believe Phillip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God in the name of Jesus Christ they were baptized both men and women then Simon look out now then Simon himself believed also and when he was baptized he continued with Phillip and wondered beholding the Miracles and signs which were done now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God they sent unto them Peter and John who when they were come down prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Ghost they had believed they had been baptized but they hadn't yet received the Holy Ghost for as yet he was Fallen upon none of them only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus then laid they their hands on them Peter and John laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Ghost now we've seen that happen around here haven't we we've seen people lay hands on other people and they receive the Holy Ghost Verse 18 hang on to it now and when Simon saw that through the laying on of the Apostles hands the Holy Ghost was given he offered them money right here is an indicator that although Simon has believed and although Simon has been baptized Simon is still holding on to an old rote called greed he sees Peter and John lay hands on these people they go to talking in tongues they go to they go to praising God and being filled with the spirit Simon's old heart that old root now I know some of you think I'm reading too much IND this let me read the rest of it you want to say wow that is right that old root that needs to be plucked and plucked and plucked sprang up and he thought wow I've been mixing powder together and making people high and they've been giving me money you wait if I could lay my hands and this is the first place that we find the temptation to commercialize the gospel he offered them what's verse at the end of Verse 18 says he offered them what money saying give me also this power then on whomsoever I lay hands he may receive the holy ghost look at that pretty bandage oh I'd like to have this power so I can go lay my hands no no no no that's not right you want this power so you can get rich verse 20 let's see how plain Peter is but Peter said unto him thy money perish with you one translation of it says Simon your money's going to hell and so are you he said your money is going to perish with you aren't you thankful aren't you thankful tonight aren't you thankful if you're not I I won't tell you ought to be you ought to be thankful to be in a church that uses money the right way we use money to reach a lost and a Dying World with the gospel that's why we re use money but Peter said unto him thy money perish with thee because thou H has thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money thou H has neither part nor lot in this you are not with us for thine heart is not right in the sight of God repent it's the word repent therefore of this thy wickedness and pray God if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven you need to repent over what you've been thinking you need to change your mind Simon about money you need to CH I know for years you you you've got filthy rich off making people high but you have believed the gospel now you have been baptized in jesus' name and you need to CH you you got to keep going back to that old Wicked root and you got to keep changing your mind and changing your mind and changing your mind until you pluck that root out I think you'll see it in the next verse look at verse 23 for I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness and the bond of iniquity he said you are in the Cesspool of of poison you are in the cess pool of poison and this is what I want to leave you with in Simon's conversion it only said he believed it never said he repented you see the devil believes but he doesn't repent it's going to take more if we're going to pluck out the root of bitterness we can't just stand around with our arms folded say I believe God's going to help me out one day I just believe there is a God in heaven well you and the devil believe the same thing you're in the same grade with the devil because the Bible said the devil believeth in one God and trembles matter of fact he does more than a lot of people at least he has some outward motion about what he believes about God there's some folks that believe there's a God they they make a good Mount Rushmore interpret impersonation you know but but but I want to do more than just but just believing won't pull up that root just believing won't get rigged deep down in my heart I have to keep repenting and changing my mind mind and changing my mind and say Lord I got away from that person and I always feel like I need to have a shower I feel like I need to have a bath Lord I go out to have fellowship and it's run this one down and talk about that one and backstab this one I don't like this and I don't like that and I don't like anybody else and the only way you're ever going to get that out of your heart is to keep repenting about it and repenting about it and repenting about it hey y'all want to go out tonight no I I don't think we want to go out tonight I I I I I I dound me somebody wants to talk about God Revival Harvest family what God's doing I done found somebody wants to talk about the right things he said he said you need to repent he said you need to you you you need to you need to repent matter of fact um talking about money been root Let's cross reference what Simon had a problem with Let's cross reference what Simon had a problem with with First Peter chapter no excuse me 1 Timothy chapter 6 and verse 10 what's it say in 1 Timothy 6 and 10 for the love of money is the root of all evil which while some covet after they have aired from the faith and have pierced themselves through with many Sorrows it does not say church for money is the root of all evil it says the love of money is the root of all evil the only way you can get a root out is you got to examine yourself be honest with yourself and keep repenting about it until you begin to change your mind can Pastor be transparent with you tonight there was a day that I didn't see tithing there was a day I didn't see tithing motherf I didn't see it I could I didn't see it and I I wasn't I wasn't blessed like my wife was blessed even though she was not of the apostolic faith her mother and father taught her to tithe they taught her to tithe and and and they did a great blessing to her so when she got she got in the truth she had no trouble with tithing I did I had trouble my thoughts were I didn't I didn't say it was in the Bible I simply said this I can't afford to tith I don't have enough money as it is now one day when I get bills paid off and one day when I did this this T taking care of I'm going to start tithing but thank God for my pastor that was willing to tell me the truth and make the statement son you can't afford not to tithe you're going to be cursed with a curse you can't make enough money Kenneth Ray you can't make enough money on your job you can't make enough money CUA Kenneth you're you're and I remember my pastor thank God for a good pastor and he wasn't telling me that because of his personal gain he was telling me that because he wanted a young boy in his church to have the blessings of almighty God almighty God upon his life Kenneth Ray you can't make enough money you're putting your money the Bible said you're putting it in bags with holes in it you get home and you don't even know where you spend it you don't even know where you what you've done you just know you're broke busted and disgusted you you you just know that you're all of that but thank God I kept changing my mind about it and changing my mind about it and and then and then I I started I started tiing and and then I went through a little season to where I said well I'll double up and I'll pay two weeks next week yeah that's what I'll do I'll go out and eat tonight but I'll pay two weeks next week and then two weeks we roll around and say I'll pay three weeks next week I I I'll pay I pay three weeks and then the car would break down and and and I wouldn't get enough hours on my job until I vacillated between God saying hey like this hey like this hey like this pot hey like that pot and I sh kept on tithing until I got o over in a land flowing with milk and honey and I'm going to tell you God loves a cheerful Giver I want you I want you to know that that that I I believe in tith and wholeheartedly I want you to know as a pastor I tithe to this church I tithe and I don't tith but I give offerings to the church I'm glad M matter of fact when God blesses me with something extra I'm glad to be able to say I want to tithe and I want to give offerings but if you love money it's the root of all evil and then you think money is going to make you happy you air from the faith it's faith in Jesus Christ that's designed to make you happy you hear me it's faith and I mean this from bottom I mean this from bottom my heart I I I'm I'm I'm going to tell you I told sister car the other night I I I said I said I just I said I'd be happy with you just if we we lived in a cardboard box praise God I'd just be happy being right here with you and that's the truth that that that's the God's truth thank God for my new home not my new home my home over there not a new home she strick that that not a new home I thank God for my home and and I thank God for all I thank God for all the material things I got but ain't going to make you happy you look up here at me tonight he ain't going to make you happy it not listen if if money could make you happy them people out in Hollywood ought to be the happiest people in all the world you you won't hear of them dying in a hot tub of a drug overdose you won't hear of them dying and shooting themselves and hang we we we preached out in California some time ago and we decided to go to we decided to go to uh not not Las Vegas the Los Angeles and and we decided to go to Hollywood and and the first thing I said I want to see that big old sign I've always seen on TV that big old sign that I've always seen on TV or or for folks don't believe in TV monitor that big old sign I've always I've always seen it big old sign says Hollywood if you ever see it you going to sit there in your rental car and say that's that sign you're really kidding me that's not the sign sir is that the real Hollywood Sign yeah wow then we went down paid some money brother Riley went on a tour of the movie stars and I better quit right there because sister Caron wasn't satisfied with the tour we got back to the hotel room she got me the phone book she said I found Bill Cosby's address right here bny I'm I'm not going to do it and we did we did drive right by Michael Jackson's big estate and all all of that I kept tell you going to get us put in jail oh just drive a little further and that that little that little uh red the stick sticking down it don't mean we can't go around it we can go we're going to get in trouble right out here you all that know first lady know I'm telling the truth tonight don't you matter of fact the security guard pulled us over he did I'm just telling you but he pulled us over and sister Frank I said serve my wife is making me do all of this right here I promise you he said well you and your wife need to get off this road here I said yes sir if you'll let me get off here I'll we was on that tour and that man had that microphone and we ran around one corner and he he talked about so and so hung himself right here we drove up around another corner and he said that window there the third window down there that's where so and so took a sleeping pills and this is where this one did that and I drove through there and with him and I thought this got to be an unhappy neighborhood they said over here is Michael Douglas's house there's $3 million worth a car set in cover up in his driveway and it can't make you happy the love of money will never make you happy people that live that way are driven just one more million just one more million they tell me that Rockefeller uh is either Rockefeller for the fact Checkers it was either Rockefeller or Vanderbilt one of the wealthy men of years ago was standing in his office that overlooked the factory floor of workers newspaper reporter came and start talk about all this vast wealth the newspaper Rec reporter asked him said is there anybody in your world that you covet their life is there anybody is there anybody Mr Rockefeller vanderbel is there anybody that you look at and you wish you had what they have he said oh yeah he says you see that man right there at that machine the third aisle to the left you see that man right there at that machine him you kidding me him an hourly worker he said but just wait a minute he said about noon the whistle will sound and lunch will come and said through the gate will come his bride and said she'll bring his lunch and said I'll watch him as they put out a blanket out there in the yard and there they'll eat their lunch they do it every day and they will hug and exchange a kiss and he'll come back in he said I am and he told how many multiple marriages and relationships he had been in he told how miserable he was with himself he said I really covet what that man has Church please don't fall prey change your mind repent the love of money is the root of all evil it's a root you need to change your mind about and he says some who have they've AED from the faith and then the end of that verse gives a real if you would go back to that verse it gives a real graphic picture it says For the Love of Money is the root of all evil which while some covet after they have aired from the faith and here's the part and pierced themselves through with many Sorrows this piercing yourself through with many Sorrows has the imagery of a trap that used to be set for your enemy they would set a trap they would take a a large piece of board and they would drive several sharp knives through the board they would load it up on a spring brother alter and they would they would they would it would it was springloaded and they would push it up against a tree hidden they would put the Rope across and they would make sure there was another solid tree there the board may have 15 to 20 knives in it and when the enemy came walking by by and tripped the rope that springloaded board with those daggers would come and would pin them against the other tree they would be instantly in some cases killed and Paul will use the imagery when he's dealing with the Love of Money Paul will say that's exactly how it happens you're just walking down life in one day you set the trigger off and hear all the daggers come into your life can I tell you tonight that the Blessed John the Baptist told us exactly how to deal with roots he said in Matthew 3 And1 in those days Came John the Baptist preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand if you will please notice with me repentance always goes before believing he said repent repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand go all the way down to verse number 10 all the way down to verse number 10 Matthew 3 listen to John preach and now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees therefore every tree that bringeth forth not good fruit is hewed down and is cast into the fire the poison root the poison root the poison root if you've been in our prayer room any length of time you will hear somebody pray this prayer search my heart oh God created me a new heart renew within me God the right spirit let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable unto thee oh God you know what men and women are doing in that prayer room when they're praying that prayer they're saying God I need you to come down and take the poison root out of my life God God I need you to come down tonight and I need you to take the poison out God of my heart I I I need you God to search my heart and know my ways and see if there be any wicked way found in me oh God I I need you to search me out God because without the searching out there's no joy and there there is no peace would you stand with me right now without the searching without the searching there is no joy and there is no peace could we tonight take just a minute or two lift up our voices ask God to search our hearts tonight could we do that right now oh God I don't want to have a poison root Lord in me Lord I I I ask you God to help me Lord God to help me pray for those that despitefully use me oh God help me Lord to pray for those God Lord help me to forgive God I cannot afford to have a root of bitterness Lord I cannot have a poison root in my life God lord I need your joy I need your peace I need to know what it's like to feel free God I need to know what it's like to have joy and peace oh God search my heart and know my ways Lord see if there be any wicked way God come on church just for a moment come on just for a moment please give God please just just for a moment just just for a moment oh just for a moment oh God make a better man out of me God God oh God let me have the nutrients to suck up God into my life God the joy the peace the gentleness oh God the the faith that you have me in the hollow of your hands Lord Lord I give you praise right now God I give you honor right now oh God I give you that peace right now God I give you my heart right now God oh don't you love him right now Church oh don't you love him right now don't don't you love him right now oh I love you Lord Lord help us God Lord help us to love one another and to be tenderhearted one to another God help us pray for one another tonight God in the name in the name of Jesus one more time hands lifted give God praise right now give God praise right now I love you Lord I love you Lord I love you Lord