Destination: Eternity | Senior Pastor Kenneth Carpenter

Just remain standing with me tonight. Am I the only one? Or has somebody give God praise for a little bit of cool weather? She glad for a little bit of cool weather. Thank God this a little bit of humidity is gone. And I thank God that you know you you you take a shower and go outside five minutes and feel like I got to go back in the house and take another shower kind of Lord I thank you for just keep it right between that right there Lord just right right there. How about somebody give God thanks this week for the dynamic seasoned anointed ministry of Bishop Joel Holmes. Oh my my my my my Lord have mercy on our soul. I'm going to tell you something. I think we need to put his name down for one of the night speakers at Strong Tower camp. Said, "Wait a minute. He's 75 years." I'm gonna tell you something. That man related whether you're seven years old or 97 years old. I did you did you really enjoy Bishop Holmes? Wasn't that iron sharpen iron iron sharpenth iron? Iron sharpenth iron. he got telling me about and and there's all kinds of programs that that that we're right now putting in place to introduce to the church about prayer and reaching more people that we just just took brother Bishop Holmes and we picked his brain all weekend long. And one of the things he sold me on uh was a a soft ice cream soft serve machine. Uh he said, "Man," he said, "I've got several in my church." He said, "Man, it'll get a crowd." He said, "You you you talk about free uh ice cream soft serve." He said, "Here they here they come." And that so touched me. We ordered one Monday morning. We got a soft serve ice cream machine coming. See, but iron sharpen of iron. We got to telling him about our kids Quest train that we got. He wanted to see pictures of it. He wanted to see uh now, brother Dean Bolent time, he doesn't go with the train now, but he he's so like that that he text me early today. He said, "Where'd you get that train at? I want to buy one." So, uh, North Little Rock's getting a train and we're getting an ice cream machine. So, God God is good. God is good. Thank y'all for coming out tonight. I truly sincerely mean it when I say thank you for valuing the house of God. Thank you for valuing the house of God. Thank you for coming out and um supporting the house of God with your presence and supporting the house of God with your finances. You know, uh how many I don't Well, I shouldn't do that. There'll be somebody raise their hand. I know that there's no way possible that I personally could afford a $15,000 utility bill for one month. All right. I don't I don't really don't know if there's anybody else in here, but last month because we hosted two camps and uh it's been so hot, our utility bill that at St. Tur told me, he said, "Our our utility bill went over $15,000 this past month." But you know something, it's all because of growth. It's all because of growth. I hope one day we have enough buildings on this property that the secretary comes and says the utility bill was $100,000 this month. I you know because as God keeps blessing the church and we keep coming and we're tithing and we're giving and we're working together there's no telling what God's going to do in Marble, Tennessee through all you wonderful people. Please forgive me tonight. I don't have my precious wife on the front row giving me the signal that you're having them stand too long. Please forgive me tonight. I I'll read my text and I I'll let you be seated. Acts chapter 27 verse number nine. Acts chapter 27 verse number N. If you found the scripture, say I got it. If you've not, say, I'm looking. All right. honest people here tonight. If those that have got it want me to go on, say, "Go on." Now when much time was spent, when sailing was now dangerous, because the fast was now already passed, Paul admonished them, and said unto them, "Sers, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the ladding, that's cargo, not only of the ladding and ship, but also of our lives." Nevertheless, the centurion believed the master and the owner of the ship more than those things which were spoken by Paul. Because the haven or the harbor was not commodious comfortable to winter in the more part advised to depart then also if by any means they might attain to there to winter which is a haven or harbor of cree lith toward the southwest and northwest. And when the south wind blew softly, when the south wind blew softly, supposing they had obtained their purpose, loosing fence, they sailed close by creep. But not long after, but not long after, there arose against it a tempetuous wind called Uradan. When the ship was caught and could not bear up into the wind, we let her drive. Tonight, there's messages that you preach that you want people to rejoice. There's messages that you preach that you want them to receive a revelation. But then there's some messages God gives you that's just designed to cause you to think. To think to think. Tonight I want to minister to you on this subject. Destination eternity. Destination. Destination. Eternity. Father I thank you tonight God for your word. I thank you tonight, Lord, for these precious people, God, that have gathered so faithfully. God, so faithfully do they gather in your house on a midweek service. And God, I thank you for that. But Lord, would you enable your servant tonight that I may feed them with your word, God? Would you enable me tonight that I may speak a word into their heart, God, that we may give them hope, God, that may give them, Lord, instructions tonight? God, I pray that you would anoint me tonight and I will give you the praise and the glory and the honor. Anoint your servant in Jesus wonderful name we all pray. Everybody said amen. >> You may be seated. Destination destination eternity. We are all all of us tonight. All of us tonight we are all on a journey. We are we're all on a journey and we're all in one way we all of us all of us tonight are on a journey and we are headed to eternity. We are headed to eternity. It is not in our control. The destination of eternity is not in any of your control. I don't have control. I am headed to eternity along with you that you're headed to eternity. We have we have no control. We have no control. They have they have put a man on the moon. They have done many marvelous feats. But no one has ever escaped death. They have never escaped death. I believe it was the magician Houdini that planned to escape death. But Houdini's corpse is still in the grave today because there has never been a man other than the God man that has escaped death. This is not in your control tonight. And remember, I'm not trying, and I never do try, but I I am not preaching a message to where you're going to be standing and clapping a lot. I am preaching a message that I want you to think tonight. I want you I want you simply to think tonight about headed to eternity. And it's not your it's not in your control tonight. You have nothing. You're you're on a ship tonight called life. and you're headed to eternity. It's beyond your control. But I got good news to tell you. It is in your control where you will spend eternity. Now, the fact you're going to eternity is outside of your control, but you do have the ability to control where you spend eternity. It's very simple. Eternity will be spent in one of two places. eternity will either be spent in heaven where God dwells where it's unimaginable the the pleasure and the scenery and uh on and on. I could try and be feeble at best to describe heaven, but it's a place where God dwells. It's a place that every person tonight should be aiming. I want to go to heaven. I want to make heaven my home. The second place that you need to do everything within your power to stay out of is that terrible place of torment, that terrible place called hell. That place called hell, where the torment is unimaginable. Just as it's unimaginable the glories of heaven, it's unimaginable the torments of hell. But brothers and sisters, ladies and gentlemen, tonight we're all on a ship and the destination is eternity. And I want you to think with me tonight. I want you to think with me tonight. Where am I going to spend eternity? I went yesterday and visited Sister Lee's son, Mike Call, in the hospital. He has had the last several years. He has last 12 years he's had two heart attacks and he had one the other day and they had to place stints in his heart and he lay there yesterday evening on the bed having two stints in his heart and I prayed with him and before I left he said, "Brother Carbon, I got something to ask you." And big old tears filled his eyes and he said, "I get out of here. I want to get baptized in Jesus name. >> I want to get baptized in Jesus name. His wife Tammy was standing there and I said, "Well, absolutely. We'll do that." And I said, "Tammy, while we're at it, you get down the water with him." She said, "Yes, sir. I'll do it. I'll get baptized. I'll get baptized, too." Person could say, "Yeah, sure. He had a heart attack." No, he thought about eternity. >> You see, sometimes we've got so much pleasure in our lives that we really get to thinking we're going to live forever because we live like we'll never face a judgment. Thank God. Destination, eternity. You all have an appointment. You have an appointment. And you will not break that appointment. You will not break that appointment. It's a God appointment. You're on a ship called life and there's no way out. You will arrive at that appointment. Hebrews 9:22 says it this way. Excuse me. Hebrews 9:27 says it this way. And it is appointed unto man once to die, but after this the judgment. You have that appointment of death. You have that appointment of death. You can you can say, "Oh, I don't want to die. I don't want to die." I understand that life that that that's that's because you have life in you that you don't want to die. But you have to face it. We're all going to face death either by old age or by or by a disease or by somebody not staying in their lane on a highway. we could go out and meet what we refer to as an untimely death. You see, tonight I'm once again, once again, I just want to cause you to think. I want you to think. Job said it this way in Job 14 verse number five. Listen to how Job says it. He says, "Seeing his days are determined." Your days are determined. The number of his months are with thee, God. The days are determined. The number of months are with God. Thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass. In other words, God has the length of your days. He has the length of your days, and you're not going to exceed the length of the days that God has. It's an it's an appointment. It's an appointment. Job also in Job 30 verse number 22, Job says again, Job 30 verse 23, and I'm saying these wrong tonight. Job 30. I'm so glad they know where to go here in the back of the scripture. Job 30 and verse number 23. Listen to him. For I know that thou will bring me to death and to the house appointed for all living. Job says, "I I know you're going to bring me to death. I know that I'm on this ship called life and I have an appointment and I know that you you have the length of my days laid out and and and I know that I I have this appointment that I'm going to that I'm going to keep. Death is a sure thing. Death is a sure thing. Why would you repeat that with me tonight? Death is a sure thing. Death is a sure it's a sure thing. Now what happens to you? Just like there are two places called heaven, a place called hell. When you die, you will end up at one of two judgments. If you are the church, how many want to be the church? The redeemed, the righteous, the bride of Christ. It's what happened when you took his name in water baptism. You became the bride of Christ. You became you became engaged to him. When he filled you with the baptism of the Holy Ghost, he gave you what the Bible talks about the earnest. The earnest of your inheritance is the the word earnest there means down payment. He just gave you a he just gave you a little taste of what heaven's going to be like. And so when he filled you with the Holy Ghost and you were baptized in his name and you begin to hear the word of God preached and you fell in love with the heavenly bridegroom, you become the church. >> You become the redeemed. You become the righteous. You become the bride of Christ. So, at your death, at your death or the rapture of the church, at your death. Here's where you go. Romans 14:10. Look at this with me, please. Romans 14 and 10. Paul says, "But why dust thou judge thy brother?" He's he's getting on to them for judging Jew, judging Gentile over what they were eating. He says to the Jew, "Why do you judge thy brother? Or why dust thou set it not? Belittle thy brother, for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Why are you judging your brother? You should be concerned with standing before the judgment seat of Christ. Now, let me explain something to you right now. Standing before the judgment seat of Christ is not to determine whether you go to heaven or go to hell. But standing before the judgment seat of Christ is where we will receive our rewards for the work that we have done to further the kingdom of God here on this earth. How many want to further the kingdom of God? How many believe that we that we are here tonight as a church to further the kingdom of God to increase the kingdom of God? Every function the church should be involved in should be a function of growing the kingdom of God. It may be an usher. I it may be a security team member. It may be a janitor here at church. It may be a Sunday school teacher, a choir member. It may be several things. But whatever brings glory and honor to Jesus Christ that is furthering the gospel and the kingdom of God. So as we stand there at the judgment seat, if you will please notice this, Paul is getting on to them for judging one another and he says, "Don't you understand? We we shall all stand. Look at the position. Look at the position. Stand before the judgment seat of Christ." You've ever been in a courtroom. man or woman goes through a trial and the the jury comes in and the jury's got its verdict, the judge will ask the man or the woman to do one thing. Stand. Would you stand? That's what he would say. He would say, "Would you stand?" Why is he standing? He has been sitting the whole time during the trial because now the judge is about to pass sentence on him. And I want you to know something right now. The Bible says that we are seated together with Christ in heavenly places. But there's coming a day that we will stand before the judgment seat of Christ. And there he's going to give out. He is going to judge every man's work. He's going to judge every man's work whether you built on gold or or or silver, precious stone. And then there'll be a group of people there that built on wood, hay, or stubble. You see, I think the gold, precious uh the gold, silver, and precious stone, I think that's people that value the things of God. They value the things of God. You see, you want to value the things of God. You you you want to value the things of God. You you you need to create in you a taste for the things of God. I I think the reason this house is comfortably filled tonight is because you are a people that value the house of God. You could be in a lot of different places tonight, but not you. You have said, "I value the house of God. I I value what we're going to do. I I know we basically do the same thing when we get there. We basically sing and pray and preach and come up around the altar and feel the presence of God." But you see, you value that. That is something that you value. Oh, thank God. How many value a good youth department here at FAC? How many value a good Christian school here? Come on. How many have you have a value? You you you you have a you have a val you have a you have a value to the Christian school. You have a value to Strong Tower Camp. You have a value to National Youth Convention and you value. But then there's people they're born again, but they don't value the things of God. They they they they don't value the things of God. They they're here, but but they really don't value they really don't they really don't value the things. I'm not saying you're not saved. I'm just saying that you don't know how to value what you should be valuing. And you could be advancing the kingdom of God far far more than what you're doing right now if you just learn how to value the things. And that's where the wood, hay, or stubble comes in and the fire comes out. The fire consumes. You know, you know what fire does to wood, hay, or stubble? It burns it up. But what does fire do to precious stone, silver, and gold? It just makes it purifies it even better. He said, 'We shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Verse 11, for it is written, as I live, sayeth the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So now, so then every one of us, verse 12, let me read that. So then every one of us shall give an account, everybody say account. Shall give an account of himself to God. So one day we're going to answer to God. We're going to answer to God. that judgment seat of Christ, we're going to answer to God. Paul, he he goes into it even deeper in 2 Corinthians chapter 5:10. He goes into it even deeper. He says, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ." Now, he's not talking about the sinner man. Because the sinner man is not going to the judgment seat of Christ. He's talking about you and I, the church, the redeemed, the born again, the bride of Jesus Christ. He says, "For we all must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that everyone may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad." Notice, notice the wording there, Brother Hammond. He doesn't say good or evil. He says good or bad. If you kind of run a reference on that word, it just simply means not living up to what you could. That's what it means. Not living up to what you could. Oh, I hope this message tonight causes you to think. We ought to all desire to live up to the people that we can be. Do you know what a prayer I I'll give you a little I give you a little phrase that I use in prayer? I use in prayer. I say these words, brother or I say these words to God. God, make me the man that you know I can be. Make me the man you know. God, you know what kind of man I can be. God, you know my frame. God, you know everything about me. God, you know more about me than I know about myself. So God, would you make me the man that you know that I can be? Thy will be done. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. the blueprints that God has of you and I, Sister Paula, in heaven. What God knows you can be, Sister Paula. What God knows you can be. That ought to be a prayer of ours. God, make me the man that you know that I can be. God, I want you to make me the man because I I I'm going to stand before God one day and I'm going to be judged according to what he hath done, whether it be good or bad. I don't want to hear him on that day say, "Well, you didn't live up to what you should have. I had so much planned for your life, but you didn't you didn't live up to it." Oh, I want to live up to that. I know you do, too. Second Timothy chapter 4, verse number six. I promise you, we're going to get to the shipwreck in a moment. Second Timothy chapter 4, verse number six. Look at this. Paul, here's the background. Paul is in prison. Paul is waiting to be executed. He's waiting to be beheaded. And here's how he says it. For I am now ready to be offered. The time of my departure is at hand. Notice what he didn't say. He didn't say the time of my beheading is at hand. He said the time of my departure is at hand. Because when you have done what Paul has done with his life, when they take your head, to live as Christ, but to die is gain. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. So Paul didn't say the time of my beheading is at hand. He said the time of my departure is at hand. Let's see verse seven. See if we all can live up to this. I have fought a good fight. I have finished my course. I have kept the faith. What was the fight over? The fight was over faith. That's the fight. Don't ever lose your faith. That's the fight. He said, I have fought a good fight. It's over faith. I have finished my course. I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day, and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearance, destination, eternity. I want to go to the judgment seat of Christ. And there I want to hear him say to me, "Here is a crown of righteousness. He's not a god. He's not unrighteous." To forget this. This will blow your mind. Do you realize that God has kept track of everything that you have ever done to promote his kingdom? Now, the devil wants to tell you that God remembers the wrong that you did. But the devil doesn't want to also tell you that God remembers the good that you have done. The wrong that we have done, we're able to put it under the blood. But the right that we have done. Listen to me, folks. God is able. He's got an attendance record on you. He's got a worship record on you. He's got a praising record. Some of you don't know how many time being Lee, you don't know how many times you've run the aisle, but your heavenly father knows. exactly how many times you've run the aisles. He keeps a mighty good track of all of this. I don't know why everybody wouldn't want to serve him. What a great God. I want to keep the faith. I want to fight for the faith. Can't quit now. Too late in the game to quit. Can't turn around now. The end is too soon. I got to keep on going. He's got everything that I've done. Can somebody just say, "Praise the Lord." >> Praise the Lord. Ah, yes. But it doesn't go so well with the sinner. It doesn't go so well with the person that doesn't know God. Doesn't go so well with the sinner. Doesn't go so well with them. We find where they go on Revelation chapter 20 and verse number 11. We find where they find We find where they end up. Revelation 20 and verse number 11, John said, "And I saw a great white throne." These three words alone are attributed to God. It's great because there is a great God seated on the throne. It's white because he's a God of purity. He's a God He's a God of purity. And he is a god of holiness. It's a throne because he is a god of all authorities. He is a god of all authorities. He is the authority. We call him king of kings and lord of lords, but we could call him authorities of all authorities. He is a He is the god of all authorities. You know, here on this earth, you can go, brother Snitzer, to the court of law, and a court can hand down a judgment on you, and you can say, "I don't like that judgment." And you can go to a court of appeals. It can be appealed to a higher court. The higher court would hear it. And if you don't like that that court, you can keep appealing until it finally reaches what is referred to in our nation as the Supreme Court, the Supreme Court justices. Now, brothers and sisters, when your trial goes to them and you don't like their verdict, there is no court of appeals over the Supreme Court of our land. There's there's no there's no more appealing this. It is what it is. And can I tell you the great white throne is where the judgment is given to the sinner. He said, I saw a great white throne and him, not them, but him that sat on it from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. In other words, man did not want to face not judgment, but they didn't want to face the one seated on the throne. They didn't want to face him. It was the one seated on the throne. They tried to turn their face around. It was the one seated on the throne. Who is seated on the throne? Please hold your place in Revelation 20 and verse number 11 and flip over with me to the Gospel of John 5:2. I'm going to show you who is seated on the throne. John 5 and verse 25. Verily, verily, I say unto you, the hour is coming, and now is when the dead shall hear the voice of the son of God, and they that hear shall live. For as the father hath life in himself, so hath he given to the son to have life in himself. Look at verse 27. And hath given him, Jesus speaks of himself. and hath given him authority to execute what? Judgment also, because he is the son of man. Marvel not at this, for the hour is coming in which all that are in the grave shall hear his voice, and shall come forth that they and shall come forth they that have done good until the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation. And can I tell you it is the glorified Jesus Christ that's on the throne. And the reason the earth turns its head and tries to run is because they have rejected him on this earth. They have tried to put him beside and and make other religions equal to him. He is equal to no one. He is the king of kings, the lord of lords. He is equal to no one. Hear me tonight, church. He is not a way. He is not a truth. He is not a lie. He is the way. He is the truth. And he is the life. You hear me tonight? He is not equal to any other religion. There's a bumper sticker. You may see it. It's got all kinds of different religious emblems on it. It's got all kinds of things and and the slogan on and it's got the cross on it. And the slogan on it says, "Let's all come together." That is impossible. There is one that will never come beside another. He knows no equal. They can write him off. The commentators, the the uh comics, the the world, the educators, the the the the people of higher education that shun him can can write it off as a myth and all of this. But one day, I wish somebody shout one day. One day every person is going to stand before the great white throne judgment. And there on the throne is not Mohammad. And there on the throne is not Krishna. And there on the throne is not Buddha. But there on the throne is the resurrected glorified Jesus Christ. That's the one on the throne. That's the one on the throne and the world will turn its face away. Did you notice he uses the term son of God which is deity and son of man? He says the son of man have get been given authority to exe execute judgment because there he will be years ago and I I want you to know that I don't know this as a fact. I know this is hearsay, but I wouldn't put it past them. I don't know it as a fact. I only know it by hearsay. And I I know it because in a religious magazine, uh it was printed on a page in a religious magazine. But an addition an addition of Playboy magazine. Playboy magazine is a magazine where women nude women the pictures of nude women are there. there in Playboy magazine advertising Playboy magazine. They had a cross with Jesus on a cross and above his head, you know, they wrote the accusation, "King of the Jews." But in Playboy magazine advertising Playboy magazine, above Jesus' head was a Playboy magazine. And the caption simply read, "See, even Jesus Christ subscribed to Playboy magazine." Can I tell you something, my friend? You can laugh at him. You can ridicule him. You can explain him away. You can do a whole lot of things with him, but you're going to face him in judgment. You can turn him away when he puts a knot in your belly and a clump in your throat. You can put him away when he wakes you up at 2 or 3:00 in the morning and tells you to turn from your ways. You can put him away when he's telling you, "You need to come unto me all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." You can you can reject him. You don't have you don't have to accept him. But you're on a boat going to eternity. And when that boat gets to eternity, you're going to meet him there. I'd rather meet him at a cross as the bleeding lamb of God. I would rather meet him down here as the friend that sticker closer than a brother. I'd rather meet him down here as a savior than to meet him on that day. How we doing tonight? Don't you love him right now? >> John said saw a great white throne. Revelation 20. Now back to Revelation 20 verse number 12. I saw the dead small and great stand before God. The books were open. That's the Bible. And another book was open which is the book of life. The dead were judged out of those things which are written in the books according to their works. Boy, Satan is a sly devil because he's trying to tell people they can be saved without doing anything. They're telling the devil's telling people all you got to do is claim a profession of faith and it's all right. But on that day, you're going to be judged according to their works. The sea gave up the dead which were in it. And death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them. They were judged. Every man according to there, there it is again. According to their works, death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. Look at verse 15. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire at this judgment, the final resurrection. Now, this is not the rapture of the church because at the rapture of the church, only the dead in Christ are resurrected. You hear me? At the rapture, all men are not resurrected. Only the dead in Christ. Only the dead in Christ are resurrected. But there'll come a day where there will be a resurrection of all people that have lived. Even Adam and Eve will be resurrected to stand before God. Every dispensation from innocence to conscience to human government to promise to the law. Even the grace dispensation. this dispensation. You couldn't live it under you couldn't live it under innocence. You couldn't live it under conscience. You couldn't live it under promise. You couldn't live it under the law. But praise be to God, we are living in the greatest dispensation that God has ever created. We are living in the grace dispensation. What does grace mean? Grace means strength. You're not strong enough to live it. That's why he puts his spirit in you. Because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. We couldn't bring ourselves out of sin. We couldn't revive ourselves. We couldn't renew ourselves. We couldn't change our mind. But thank God for his grace. Thank God for the gospel, the death, burial, resurrection. Thank God for an opportunity to repent. Thank God for an opportunity to be baptized. Thank God for an opportunity to get the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Thank God for an opportunity to hear the eternal living word of God. I just think somebody ought to give him praise right now. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Lord. Thank you for your word. Thank you for your spirit. Thank you for your mercy. Thank you for all that you do. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Before I go on, I want to bring your attention back to verse number 15. Because the Bible said, "Whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." I want you to know hell is so terrible. That after God says, "Depart from me. I never knew you." You will not walk into hell. You will not jump into the flames yourself. There will not be something you He'll say, "Depart from me. I never knew you. This place is where you're going. Hell, you won't willingly walk into that place. No, no, you wouldn't willingly do it. That's why the Bible uses the word and they were cast. An angel po possibly a demon will come and swoop you up, cast you into that place, place of eternal torment. I don't have time and I want to get to these people on this ship before We get finished tonight. Bible said that the rich man died and was buried. Look at that. The rich man died and was buried and in hell he lift up his eyes. But notice the Bible said, "And Lazarus died and the angels carried him into Abraham's bosom." I wondered tonight if it would be a demon that will cast them into the lake of fire. But an angel will carry us into the presence of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Again, tonight, I just want you to think because listen to me. You're headed to eternity. You have no say so. You're on a ship called life. You have no say so. But you can decide on a Wednesday night in August whether or not you spend that eternity in a place called heaven or a place called hell. Let me just quickly was late in the season. It was late in the month of September. we would know it. It's common knowledge. Common knowledge to sailors that you didn't sail much past what they refer to as the fast. The hurricanes and the winds of the changing season were there. The washed up pieces of broken ships and cargo and even bodies were a testimony that there was a certain time of the year that you'd never set sail, that you would never leave a harbor. Selling was out wherever you were at. In early September was where you anchored down. You found a harbor. Paul is now a prisoner on a ship. Paul along with Luke and another brother are headed to Rome to stand before Caesar. There's a centurion that is taking S Paul to Rome. The centurion has um has him. It's really a prisonership in a lot of ways. And as they're in a certain harbor, it wasn't the most comfortable harbor, but it would do. Paul overhears a conversation from the centurion to the owner and to the captain. He overhears the conversation. The conversation was about taking a chance, taking a risk, leaving the harbor, trying to make it to a more comfortable harbor, trying to go further. They discussed how late the season was. The captain and the owner hears the voices. The captain, the owner, the centurion. The Bible says that Paul got involved in the conversation. Paul walked up and the conversation could have went something like this. I Hey, I know that you all here are discussing whether or not to leave the harbor. But I want you to know that I perceive that if we leave this harbor that there will be much damage not only of the cargo the cargo, the wealth and the ship but also of our lives. Paul put his spiritual and it would be proven true. He was more than just a voice of the owner of the ship. The owner of the ship, his motive was to make money on the cargo. The owner was uh in the cargo business of taking wheat from one place to the next. So, the owner has a profit on his mind. The um captain maybe has another ship that he can get. The centurion has I got to deliver Paul and some prisoners. But all Paul has on his mind is he perceives that there's danger. But the Bible says that they nevertheless they didn't heed Paul's word and even the majority of people the majority of people on board even chied in. It went from a captain, an owner, a centurion and Paul until everybody got involved and everybody was saying sell on. Let's leave. It's not comfortable here. It's not it's not one of the best harbors we could spend some time in. And I think one of the toughest things that we as Christian and especially apostolics that we need to understand tonight is God is not democratic. It is not majority rule because we have a hard time figuring out how can we be so right when everybody is wrong. How can in the world with the billions of people and here we are on a Wednesday night just a minute number when you even think about the population of this city and you think about the population of the state and you think of the population of the world and you say how can we be so right and all of these others but can I tell you never make a judgment based on numbers >> because it doesn't matter about the number if you don't believe that ask Noah Noah heard from God. As far as we know in the Bible, Noah was the only one building an ark. Eight people in the population of the world. Don't you know that the enemy would want to say to them, "Dad, his sons, dad, are you sure we're being laughed at? Dad, are you sure we're doing right? Can I preach to you tonight? And can I tell you, don't look at the direction that the crowd is going. You and this word and Jesus get together and you can follow the walking that God wants you to have. As a matter of fact, I believe I hear my Bible say, "Let God be true and every man a liar." But they set sail anyway. They set sail anyway. Paul could just give his voice just like the preaching of the gospel can just give its voice. The Bible says not after that. South wind blew softly. Can I preach to you tonight? Preach to anybody that's listening tonight. There is a south wind that blows when you start going the wrong direction. There is it is a false wind. It is a deceptive wind. When you let go of the things of God, turn turn your back on God and turn your back on God's word and you you you you you you you can rationalize anything. I'm going to tell you something. You can rationalize anything in your mind if you want to think about it long enough. And you want to you you want to you want to think about you can rationalize. You can justify about anything in your mind. And when you begin to walk away from God, hear me tonight. You will have a south wind. It's a false wind. It's going to be a wind telling you you made the right decision, man. Man, living back there in that old little old that old that little old harbor we were in while there wasn't this and there wasn't that there. Living back there, man. We're out on the open sea. Look at us now. and the south south wind was blowing. I was sitting on a plane in Oklahoma waiting to fly out and uh notice the time kept going and I was sitting close enough to the front to see them working on something in the cockpit and finally they came on and they said, "We have closed the door on this plane several times." times I could hear them closing the door and looking closing the door and they said we have closed the door several times and we can't get a light that's an indicator that the door is sealed to come on and said we just think it's in the best interest that we find out why this light is not on two hours we sat there two hours people on the plane got restless people be to curse and people begin to get off the plane and they cursed as they walked down down the aisle and and and they they were upset and they were mad. But you look here. Not this 7 foot not this 5 foot not this 5 foot 7 in greeneyed preacher that weighs none of your business. Not me. I sat there and I said to the stewardist, "Thank you for the cold drink. Thank you. It's no trouble because I'd rather work on that plane on the ground than to work on that plane 30,000 foot in the air. I'd rather I'd rather listen. I'd rather be in a situation where I'm having to go through a few trials and tribulation to let go of the most wonderful thing that's ever happened to my life and get out on the open sea. And sure, you're going to feel some wind blowing on you. Oh, baby, it's freedom. Oh baby, I'm free now. I'm out from under all this kind of bondage. But I got to tell you something tonight. It's a false wind. It's a false wind because the Bible said that not not long after there came a tempetuous wind called Eurocladen, a cyclone, a hurricane. You see friend, the soft wind is the mask of the tempetuous wind. The soft wind is getting you further away from the harbor. The soft wind is getting you out far enough that you you can't turn back in your mind. And there was a tempetuous wind. And the Bible says this wind came with so much force that we had just simply to let her drive. In other words, we lost control of the ship. We lost control of our lives. Can I tell you, isn't it wonderful tonight to be in the house of God? You're in tr total control of your life right now. The only thing that you have that is addicting is the presence of a living God. There's no hangover. There's no there's no damage to your liver. There's no damage to your lungs. There's no damage to your marriage. There's no damage to your children. You're in total control of the right things. But get out there in the world and you lose control of your life. You want control back, but your marriage is out of control. You want your children back, but your children are out of control. Can I tell you tonight, don't leave the harbor. You're on a ship called eternity. And that place called heaven is where you need to be. The Bible says in Acts 27 verse number 18, being and we being exceedingly tossed with the tempest, the next day they lightened the ship. And the third day, we cast out with our own hands the tackling or the cargo of the ship. Can I tell you something right now? What you were trying to save in the harbor, let the storm get a hold of you. What you're trying to save, you'll find yourself giving up anything. Oh God, I'd give up anything. I I I'd turn around. If I could go back right now, if I could go back, that they begin to throw away. And then verse number 20, Paul said, "And when neither sun nor stars and many days appeared, no small tempest laid hold on us." Look at this last phrase, please. Look, look at it with me. All hope that we should be saved was then taken away. All hope. Can I tell you, it's hard to cook for people with a full belly. It's hard to cook for people with a full stomach, but get some hungry people in the kitchen. They'll eat because they're hungry. It's hard to preach to people that think they got it all together. It's hard to preach to people that are leaning on their checkbook and their finances and their entertainment and their vacations and their their happy little lucky goaround life. It's hard to preach to people like that. But I want you to know, allow yourself to hear the south wind or feel the south wind and allow yourself to untie yourself from the church of the living God. If there's ever been a day you need to get more in church, it's right now. If there's ever been a day, this is not a day of loosing the standards of the church. This is not a day of doing less than we've ever done. This is a day of doing more than we've ever done in all of This is not a day of doing less. This is a day of doing more. But you see, and it happens all the time. Take a man with a full belly. Take a man that's full of his shotguns and full of his four-wheelers and full of his hunting trips and full of his buddies and full of his car shows and full of this. Take a woman that's full of all of that. It's hard to preach to them about their kids, but let the wind get a hold of their kids. You'll have people showing up, and I'm not I'm not throwing off on you. I promise you, I'm glad to have you anytime, but they'll be showing up on Wednesday night when they wouldn't normally show up on Wednesday night. They'll show up in the prayer room when they wouldn't normally show up in the prayer room. And I'm glad to have you in the prayer room anytime. But I'm going to tell you something. You ought to be in the prayer room not because life is falling apart. But you ought to be in the prayer room to keep life from falling apart. You You shouldn't be in the prayer room because I'm here. I want my wife to come back. I want my husband to come back. I want my I want my boy to get off drugs. I want my girl to get off drugs. You ought to be in the prayer room. It'll help you to stay together. It'll help you. Listen, I can't preach to you when you got a full belly of life. You got a full belly of this world. Give me Jesus. Let this world go by, but give me Jesus. I'm not preaching against things tonight. I'm not preaching against four-wheelers tonight. I'm not preaching against shotguns or golf clubs, but it can't be your satisfaction. Jesus has got to be your satisfaction. Oh, south wind. South wind. I hear my Bible. They will enjoy the pleasures of sin. Season season. 14 days without seeing sun, moon, stars. nothing but clouds, nothing but wind, nothing but darkness, nothing but thunder, nothing but lightning. And all of a sudden, all hope that we should be saved was taken away. I don't hear the captain. I don't hear the I don't hear the owner. I don't hear the centurion. You see, there's a lot of voices that'll get you out in sin. But when you get in your bondage, where's that voice at? And listen, listen to verse 21. But after long abstinence, Acts 27 21. But after long abstinence, Paul stood forth in the midst of them and said, "Sirers, you should have hearkened unto me and not have loosed from creep and to ga to have gained this harm and loss." Can I tell you, you do need to be told you should listen. >> Oh, well, they got it hard enough with that. He said, "No, they need to hear that. >> We need to hear. You should have listened." But thank God that the voice of the word of God is more than just, "You should have." He says, "You should have hearkened unto me and not have loosed from cre and to have gained this harm and loss. And now I exhort you to be of good cheer." Listen to this. For there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship. For there stood, please excuse me, there stood by me this night, the angel of God, whose I am and whom I serve, saying, "Fear not, Paul. Thou must be brought before Caesar. And lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee." When you wouldn't listen to me, you should have listened to the word. You should have paid attention to it. But I've not come tonight to tell you you're locked in your sin. I've come to tell you, be of good cheer, for there has stood by me this day in the prayer room the God whose I am and whose I serve. And he has said, if you'll hearken to the voice of the Lord, if you'll hearken to his voice, I'll come back in you. I'll feel you again. I'll restore to you the years. Come on, praise him with me right now. Praise him with me right now. Praise him with me right now. Oh, stand with me. Stand with me tonight. Stand with me right now. Oh, don't Aren't you Aren't you concerned about your soul tonight? You should be. Aren't you concerned about where you're going to spend eternity? You should be. You should be. >> Be of good cheer. There stood by me, the angel of God, whose I am, who I serve. We're all going to be all right. We're all going to be all right. He said, "Eat. Everybody eat up. Everybody eat. Be of good cheer." And then just to make the end of the story, get it here, Paul said, "Everybody on board this ship's going going to make it. We're going to make it." But evidently, there was some hard-headed soldiers. It wasn't enough. Paul said, "We shouldn't leave here. We shouldn't leave here." Paul said, "Everybody on board this boat's going to make it." But he noticed some centurion soldiers. There was mom and law. There was little lifeboats hanging on the side of the ship. Little boats that you would what we call lifeboats on the side tied with ropes. Paul kept noticing some of the centurions kind of going over there and whispering what they were whispering. Hey, let's get in this little boat here and get on out of here. Let's get it. Paul cried out and he said, "Except you abide in the ship, you'll not make it. You'll not make it." You get right. Can Can I tell you? Some of us have got little lifeboats hanging on the side. The church has no little lifeboats on the side. The church is the lifeboat. >> I said the church is the lifeboat. Well, I think I can stay home and make it. You cannot stay home and make it. You cannot stay home and obey your Bible. You need to be a part of the church. you need to be a part of a congregation. Well, I said, "No, no, no. You need to do what them men did. They took their knives out and they cut off them light bulbs and they said, "We're going to stay right here in the boat. You need to get a madeup mind. I'm not going anywhere. I don't care if I get my feelings hurt. I don't care who backstabs me. I don't care who gets my parking spot. I don't care who gets my pew. I don't care how loud it is. I don't care how silent it is. I want you to know I'm going to stay right here. Dear Lord, I'm going to stay right. This ought to stir you up tonight. It's a I I I I I'm sorry, but I I cannot understand some of you tonight standing there like this right here. >> And the only form of worship that you have that involves your hands is this. >> That's not a form of worship. >> That's a form that you got a full belly. But hey, them kids that you're beside doing that, just wait till they get messed up in this world and you're going to w I wish on that Wednesday night I'd have stirred myself up. Come on, everybody. Stir yourself up right now. I got to cut that little old boat. I got pride. I got to cut that boat off. I got to get my hands up. I got to get my voice lifted. Listen to me now. I'm closing. I'm closing. I'm closing. I'm closing. Whatever you have to do to be saved, be saved. >> Whatever you have to do to take it off your phone. If you can't live for God with an iPhone, get a flip phone. >> If you can't live for God with a flip phone, find a pager. Whatever it takes you, whatever whatever you got to do, you got to cut them boats off. You you got to cut them off. You got to you got you got to cut you got to cut them voices off that's telling you you go down there at that apostolic church. You don't have to do all that stuff. You got to cut that voice off. I'm I'm going to cut that voice off. I'm going to cut that voice off. You know, I used to go where you went and I never got the joy of the Lord. I never got any and you never bothered me then. I'm going to go right now. I'm going to cut I'm going to cut that off. They rammed that ship into the land and that ship busted all to pieces. All the cargo was gone. That ship splintered in pieces as 200 according to the book of Acts has 276 people on board and they all got to land. Some on broken pieces of the boat. They all got to land. Boy, but the story's not over. Said, "Bro, carp, I've made some bad decisions." Wait a minute. Hold on. Because the only reason you made it to land was one phrase Paul said, and we all missed it. There stood by me this night, the angel of God, whose I am and whose I serve, saying, "You are going to stand and witness to Caesar." That's the furtherance of the kingdom of God. That's the kingdom of God being fathered. Featherance. They got on that island. Even heathens had compassion on these 276 sea soaked shivering people. And even heathens come out, Brother Kenny, and build them a fire. Heathens did. You know, it's a sad day when heathens have more convict compassion than we do. They came out and build a fire. But you know how Paul does, brother Mayo. You know how Paul Paul is. Paul got warm. He was shivering and he got his coat dried off. I can see him drying his coat off in the fire. Then he said, "Hey, I feel good now. I'm going to go help build a fire." And Paul went and started gathering sticks. Paul reached into get a stick out and a viper hung on his hand. And when the heathen saw the viper, they said, "Oh, this man was a murderer." Even though the sea didn't get him, a poisonous viper has got him. Paul just walked right over to the fire just like you need to do it. You see, it didn't say this snake wouldn't bite you. It just didn't get in your blood. He just shook it off in the fire. He just made a crispy critter out of He just shook it off. And they begin to look. It ought to be any minute his face will start swelling. It ought to be any minute he'll start turning wet, red, his mouth will start frothing. Ought to be any minute his blood's going to clot because the venom's got in him. And they watched him for a few hours. And they watched him and they watched him and none of the above happened. And they said, "He's a god. He's a god." Paul said, "No, I'm not a god. I'm a preacher of the gospel." They said, 'We got our chief is down here in his tent. He's sick. Would you come down and pray for him? And Paul went down to the tent where the chief was sick. Paul laid his hands on him and the chief got got healed and a revival come to the island of Mitus. Can I tell you tonight that even though we've made some wrong decisions, if we'll stay on the board, God is able to turn our shipwreck into a revival. >> into a revival. Would you just lift up your hands with me right now? Would you just lift up your hand all over it? Please just lift up your hands and praise him right now. >> Oh mighty God. Mighty God. Mighty God. Mighty God. Mighty God. >> Oh God. >> Oh yes Lord. Yes Lord. Yes Lord. Yes Lord. Yes Lord. >> Oh yes. Could we all just gather up around the altar tonight? Spend a few moments in the altar. God, whatever you got to do to me, God, I don't want to be lost. God, whatever you got to take out of me tonight, God, I I don't want to be lost, Lord. Oh, God, whatever you got to do to me, God, I don't want to be lost, God. Come on. God's pulling for somebody right now. God's pulling for somebody right now. You don't want to regret this hour right now. The Holy Ghost is pulling on you right now. The Holy Ghost is pulling on your life right now. You You know you got things in your life that are not right. You you know you got things in your life that you're hiding. You you you know you got things in your life you you're trying to justify it. But the Holy Ghost tonight is pulling at you right now. Come on. The Holy Ghost is pulling at you right now. Oh, don't listen to the voice of the world. Listen to the voice of the word of God right now. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Come on, church. Come on, church. Let's Let's really pour our heart out to God tonight. Let's pour our heart out to God. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Lift your hands as high as you can and ask God to search your heart. God, I repent of my sin. God, I repent of my sin right now. God loves you too much to let you go on your way lost. God loves you too much. You're standing in his presence. You're standing in his presence tonight. You're standing in his presence tonight. Now's the time to lift up your voice. Now's the time. Help me. Deliver me. Touch me. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hal Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. >> Oh yes, God. >> Oh, I must be saved. more above must be saved. Oh yes. Oh for above all else. That that little song right there. Come on congregation if you could help me sing it tonight. For above all else, I right. That right. You have to do >> Oh, God. >> Oh, come on. I'm not going to hold you much longer. I'm not going to hold you much longer. But could we make every moment count? >> God, I'm going to cut them boats off, God. God, I'm I'm going to cut them boats off, God. God, I got to be saved, God. God, I got to be saved, God, I got to be saved, God. >> Oh, God. Whatever you have to do to me, God. Whatever you have to do, God, I I I can't spend eternity in hell. I know too much to be lost. I know too much. I know too much. >> Oh, whatever you have. >> Oh yes. Don't let >> Don't let me >> Oh yes, God. for above. I love >> I want us to sing it one more time from the bottom of our hearts and as loud as we can. Just one more time to the bottom of your heart. >> You hear that Jesus? >> You hear that Jesus? >> That's the sound of a miracle church. That's the sound of the miracle church. I must beside my God for whatever to do to me. Oh, let me be lost for eternity. For above all else, I must be. >> Thank you tonight. Thank you so much tonight. Thank you so much for not only hearing the word tonight, but thank you for receiving the word of God tonight. Thank you so so very very much. Uh Bishop Holmes gave you the compliment of all compliments. He said them folks are easy to preach to. He said they love the word but Carpenter. They're easy to preach to. And I say amen to that. Thank you so much. I do want to give you just a little bit of heads up. We are having our parking lot resealed and uh they're they're working feverishly. You'll know that one side of the parking was uh was off limits tonight. They're they're going to receal the entire parking lot. Going to restripe the entire parking lot. Uh we have a lot of traffic here and should should only have to really reseal it every four or five years, but looks like we got so much going on it's going to be every two years that we got to restripe and park. That's a good problem. That's That's right up there with that $15,000 utility deal. Amen. That's that's right up there with that. But, uh, Sunday morning, there'll be special directions on how to park. As of right now, we will have a parking lot on Sunday morning. It's going really going to test you, Holy Ghost. We'll have a parking lot on Sunday morning, but we won't have any lions. So, I'm I'm trying to get them to put us some lines out here, but there won't be any parking lot. So, we're going to try to park you and all that. So, uh, hey, I love everybody and God bless you tonight. Shake hands and love one another. God bless you. See you Sunday.