Dreams & Plans of 2022 | Senior Pastor Kenneth Carpenter

well let me begin let me begin by before i have you stand in honor of the reading of god's word let me begin my message with a little a little story we were building our first house and as we were building our first house we were coming down to the close of it the kitchen cabinets had been put in um the painting was was was almost completed um the yard was about ready to be put in and we had one more hurdle to pass with the bank that we were getting our loan and that that hurdle was that they would come out and kind of do an assessment on the house and make sure that things were done and and uh so there i am standing with cardboard all around and dirt all around a yard just put in and the banker called and he said i'm coming out today to inspect the house for the final loan and i said oh oh no oh no not today not not not now not today and and he said why and i said i'm not i'm not finished yet i'm not finished and he said well has the driveway been poured and i said yes sir the driveway's been poured he said has the yard been put in i said yes sir the yard has been put in he said it's the flooring in is the electric on and i i went down the long list yes yes yes yes yes he said then why can't i come and i said because there's cardboard everywhere there's dirt everywhere the entire house needs to be cleaned i need to sweep the driveways off and he said this this to me he said mr carpenter the cleanup is no problem as long as the value is there and when he said that to me i had if you know what a carpenter pencil is i'm not referring to myself but a carpenter pencil i just reached and got my carpenter pencil out of my pouch he tore off brother pool part of the cardboard on one of the cabinets and i wrote down the cleanup is no problem as long as the value's there and i want to minister to you today just kind of down those lines that the cleanup of our lives is no problem with him as long as the value is there would you stand with me right now the cleanup is no problem as long as the value is there the book of nehemiah chapter number one verse number two the book of nehemiah chapter one verse number two that heine one of my brethren came he and certain of the men of judah and i asked them concerning the jews that had escaped which were left of the captivity and concerning jerusalem and they said unto me the remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach the wall of jerusalem also is broken down and the gates thereof are burned with fire and it came to pass when i heard these words that i sat down and wept and mourned certain days and fasted and prayed before the god of heaven and said i beseech thee o lord god of heaven the great and terrible god now please when i say terrible god in that day that was a way of seeing an awesome god an unbelievable god the great and terrible god that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments i want to minister this morning on this subject dreams and plans of 20 22. dreams and plans of 20 22. put your bibles down with me this morning put your bibles down father i love you this morning father i do thank you as a man of god i do thank you for the people that are in this building today i thank you for our church family that's watching online this morning i thank you for a congregation family that feel a part of fac here i asked this morning lord that you would anoint my mind anoint my heart anoint my lips may i feed your sheep lord this morning lord may i give them something to chart 20 22. lord i'll give you the praise and i'll give you the honor in jesus name we pray amen and amen before you seated give him another hand of praise if you would boy that sounds good this morning man that sounds good in the house of the lord a dream is a vision or an image of a desired thing a plan starts in the heart but must work itself outward in order to become a reality dreams and plans a dream is not a plan and a plan is not necessarily the dream there are two parts of a whole in order for it to be a plan there's got to be a dream and in order for the dream to come true there's got to be a plan a dream is an image of something a dream is the end of where you want to be you have a dream you have an image you have something in your mind that you want you have a desire whether it is and for example much after much after your dream ought to be to be a child of god the highest of highest that can be said about you it would be that you are a child of god all the things that you could accomplish here on earth i was reading the other day about a book that highlighted millionaires and billionaires of course it's a it's a book that's really talking to you about keeping money in its proper place and talked about all of these millionaires and uh billionaires and all of their lifestyle and one of them made a quote they said this they said anyone that believes that money will make you happy doesn't have money if you believe money makes you happy we'll make you happy then you you don't have money but they were they were going down and they were telling about all their accomplishments and all the things that they had done and one of them simply wrote and said you know when you think about spending your life serving money outside of jesus christ he said and just think the size of your funeral will be measured and determined by the weather outside how many people are going to show up at your funeral mainly will have to do is it raining is it cold and of course they're just talking about they're talking about people that make make money their plan they make money they're god and outside the ultimate goal and the reason i'm here today is your ultimate dream should be that you serve god the ultimate i didn't say attend church because you can attend church and not serve god and i'll get into it in just a few moments but it's an interesting fact that i want to tell you about nehemiah had a burden to rebuild the destroyed walls and burnt gates of the city of jerusalem he had a burden for that the city the walls were destroyed the gates were burned with fire but do you know that ezra preceded him and that ezra built rebuilt the temple there was a house of god to go to as a matter of fact you read the book of nehemiah you find where they tried to counsel him to hide out in the house of god so it's not good enough today to simply have a church to attend i need some walls around my life i need some gates around my life because we live in a world that's endlessly trying to distract us from living for god i need some gates in my life i need some walls in my life i want it to be said that i live for god and again to repeat myself that's why i'm here today i'm here to minister to you to get you to see that the most important thing in your life is to live for god the most important thing that can be said about you is that you live that you live for god that your dream would be your dream would be you would see yourself as a victorious child of god you would envision because that's what a dream is all about you know if you if your goal uh if your goal if you're one of your goals after wanting to be a successful child of god if one of your goals is to lose 25 pounds then you begin to see yourself you begin to look at that suit that you once were and you can't wear it and you begin to say i can either take it to goodwill or i can get back in that suit that's a dream somebody said no that's a nightmare no it's a dream it's a dream it's a dream but you know as well as i do whether it's losing weight or getting out of debt that it's just a dream until you couple it with a plan you got to couple it with a plan because a dream without a plan is just a wish you might as well be searching for a four-leaf clover you might as well be trying to to buy a bottle at a rummage sale and hope that a genie pops out of it and gives you your wishes but i think today i believe today i know today that i'm preaching to a group of people that have a dream to live for god that have a dream to serve god oh they've got dreams you have dreams like i do that's after that but our first and foremost dream is i want to be a successful child of god i want to i want to be i want to get things out of my life that i have allowed to be weights in my life that i've allowed to hold me back and hold me hold me down so a dream is a vision it's an image but a plan is actually where the work clothes go on the bible tells us that nehemiah had become a captive and nehemiah had become a servant in the king's palace serving the king his uh his wine taking care of the clint king's clothing our opening text today records that nehemiah had a friend and some other men that came from jerusalem and that nehemiah asked them concerning the jews and concerning them that had escaped of the captivity they came and nehemiah said hey tell me how's the city of jerusalem because after all that's where nehemiah grew up how's that city and he knew all the city streets and he knew the walls he said how i know that there's a temple there i know that brother ezra has rebuilt the temple but how are the walls doing how the people doing and the report came back that they were in great poverty and great affliction they could be taken captive at any day or any night because there was no walls there was no gates burned with fire and all of a sudden nehemiah he has a dream it is a dream of rebuilding those walls it is a dream of rebuilding those gates it is a dream of years gone by when the city of jerusalem was a centerpiece for civilization a city that you could cup your ear just right miles away and hear the songs of zion but now it's a city that has been devastated much like the state of kentucky let's go through the steps with nehemiah step number one he had a desire and a burden for what really mattered in life he had a desire and a burden for what really mattered can i tell you that nehemiah when they came to nehemiah he asked them hey how's jerusalem doing hey how's my brethren doing i know that i'm living fine i'm living a life of luxury such as i've never lived before i'm in the king's palace i get to eat the same food the king eats i get to go to the places the king goes life has been good for me but can i tell you that nehemiah had his mind on what really mattered and that's others that's others oh god help our dreams today of 2022 to include others because god has been better than good to all of us in this room right now all of us god has been better to than good we we got closets full come on we got closets full we got garages full we got storage places full but our dream has to be because it's a mighty miserable life being a hoarder it's a mighty miserable life trying to keep everything that comes through your hands nehemiah he had his mind on what really mattered and that was others do you want god to use you you have to get your mind on others do you want god to prosper you then get your mind on others he asked them concerning others in his life nehemiah wasn't self-centered number two nehemiah nehemiah had friends that could help him with his dreams i want that i want that to soak in for a moment nehemiah associated himself with those that could help him fulfill his dream just let it let it be there who you associate with in life is either going to help you with your dream or they're going to hinder you with your dream they're either going to help you become that successful child of god or they're going to hinder you with counsel and advice telling you why you don't have to do this and that and this and you don't have to really do all of that you don't want that kind of friend nehemiah thought of others nehemiah thought of others he thought of jerusalem not having walls and gates and when he got in touch with those that could help him he reached out to them please today in 2022 there are some people you need to walk away from there are some people that you just really need to push back you really need to push back from why oh they need save when they have more of an uh of an influence on you than you have on them it's time to push back that is if you have a dream that matters that means if you want to come out of the muck in the mire that you've been stuck in for years you're going to have to hang up on some folks you're going to have to go through and i don't like to say unfriend i like to say unfollow right because you got a dream right and your dream includes god doing something with your life and i've got to make sure that i'm attaching myself to men that have the ability to help me to fulfill that dream the bible talks about the bible talks about he had a friend he had someone there he had a friend that could help him he had a friend that could help him his desire was all the house of god and please remember this if there's ever a place you need to protect it's the house of god again ezra had built rebuilt the temple but a temple rebuilt that's not protected will be a temple that will again be destroyed aren't you tired of going through a cycle in your life of having momentary victories and then all of a sudden long long spans of defeat momentary victory and long long plans i much my younger days i had a message that i preached about being a washing machine christian you soak you spin you soak and you spin you get in the presence of god and let god take the dirt out of you and you spin and the cycle starts all over again hey what about 2022 being the year that you decide not your friends you you put peer pressure to the side and you decide i'm going to stand on my own i'm going to see god do something in my life i'm going to see god break some chains in my life i'm going to have some generational curses broke off of my life 2022 is going to be my year for that but i've got to say goodbye to some now you notice this nehemiah has nothing in common with his friends that have come they're living as paupers nehemiah is living the lifestyle of a prince can i go ahead and tell you something sometimes to get where you're going you have to meet up with people that you have nothing externally of this world in common with but one thing they can help you get your dream fulfilled they can help you now let me travel on for a moment nehemiah wanted the city protected he valued the house of god that's something we we have to really work on value the house of god turn with me to psalms 27 psalms 27 verse number 3 this morning psalms 27 verse number 3. listen to the psalmist though a host should encamp against me my heart shall not fear the war should rise against me in this will i be confident in this would you say that with me in this will i be confident one thing have i desired of the lord that will i seek after that i may dwell in the house of the lord all the days of my life to behold the beauty of the lord and inquire in the temple can i tell you living for god is as easy as one thing love god's house it's as easy as one thing get listen anytime your love for this place begins to suffer sickness anytime you begin to lose your desire to be here put the brakes on your life and begin to say if i lose my desire to be in the house of the lord i'm a goner folks this is a good place to be in this morning i commend you the sunday after christmas i commend you for being in the house of the lord today it's a good thing he said i'll be confident in this i'll dwell in the house of the lord all the days of my life now that's his first thing that he had nehemiah had a goal and a desire for the house of god and number two nehemiah had the right friend he had the right friend in his life get the right friends please get the right influences in your life use the rest of 2021 to really inventory and search out does this friend help me does this friend help me am i really helped by this person does the fellowship of this person really cause me to want to live for god or does the fellowship of this person really cause me to lean the wrong to lean the wrong way you know there's a man in the bible by the name of amnon and it simply says about him in second samuel 13 and 3 but amnon had a friend just look at that for a moment but amnon had a friend but i want to go ahead and tell you he is no friend at all he is no friend he is no friend at all you know why he aids he helps amnon to break god's law and to rape his half-sister he he plots it he plans he tells amnon exactly what to do act like you're sick your daddy will send tamar down to your house and then in your house you can you you can rape her you can have her and that that friend counseled him and he did but do you know that ii samuel 13 and 38 second samuel 13 and 39 excuse me second samuel 13 and 39 simply says and the soul of king david longed to go forth unto absalom for he was comforted concerning amnon seeing he was dead two times the first time amnon is mentioned and the last time he's mentioned the first time he's mentioned he's got a friend and the last time he's mentioned it tells you what that friend wrought in his life amnon's days were cut early was cut off early because he had the wrong friend had amnon had the right friend that could have stood up and said no that's not right that's that that's breaking god's law you don't need to do that you need to pray and be down to the temple more often and get your mind on what matters and god will take those evil desires out of your heart if you'd have had that kind of a friend although he may not have wanted that kind of a friend if he had had that kind of a friend amnon could have lived to be an old man he could he could have lived to see the joy of the lord can i tell you some people's lives are cut so short because they have the wrong type of friends we wouldn't have even heard of nehemiah if it hadn't been that nehemiah had the right kind of friends but because nehemiah had the right kind of friends that led him in the right direction an entire book in our old testament is named after nehemiah he had the right friends he had the right friends please spend the rest of your week spend the rest of the days in 2021 really evaluating are you a help to me or are you a hindrance now it may be that you have to have a hard conversation with a friend and say you know what when you and i get together we listen to things we shouldn't and when you and i get together we talk about things that we shouldn't and when you and i get together we do things that we know is wrong we do things we know is wrong can i tell you if you want to serve god and have your dreams come true have that hard conversation and just simply say hey from now on we're not going to do that from now on we're going to from from now on we're not going to let the world influence us we're going to let the church influence us from now on our love is going to be inside of the house of god not not outside in the world you just got to have that hard conversation you know it's really easy it's really easy to get people out of your lives that want to downgrade and and and pick and have negative it's really easy just don't agree with them just don't agree with them sometimes you know sometimes you can you can you can say things without saying things sometimes you can just say things well or when they want to nitpick at somebody they want a nitpick and i i you know i got a lot that you can nitpick on i promise you i do and you do too but uh we'd all we do if we just nitpicked with each other is just have the first church of the nit pickers that's all we'd that's all we'd ever that's all we'd ever get done brother elijah we'd be the first church of the nitpickers and see under the old testament it was an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth you not my i out i knock your eye out you knock my tooth out i knock your tooth out and all that ever developed with a congregation of one eye snaggletooth people that's all you ever that's all you ever had because i had to i had to get revenge on you but you know a way to turn somebody around when they come to you let me find somebody like brother thompson they come to you and man they want to really lay into brother thompson they really want to lay into him and put your feet i don't step on this morning and if they really want to lay into him and tell you you know the best way to say yeah but you know that that fellow man he raises money from missionaries and and i'll tell you something he's a good father and and i'm going to he loves that sister linda i mean to tell you he loves his wife and he loves his kids he he love and you ought to see him when d do you know that that he had got addicted to drugs he had got addicted to drugs about lost everything he had and you know that god filled him with the holy ghost and have you ever seen the holy ghost get on i mean he does the what i mean he just i mean he just does that he just i promise you somebody that wants to nitpick on brother thompson will say man i've talked to the wrong person right here i i've talked to because i'm not i'm i need some friends to help me lift somebody up because i've got some dreams and i've got some visions in 2022 i've got some come on give him some praise this morning well he had the right friends he had the right friend and now he goes to a time of soul searching and repentance can i tell you all of us must have seasons in our lives of soul-searching and repentance there's no one above that today not even your pastor there's no one above that you've got to have seasons in your life that you do some soul searching you you begin to question your motives god why am i doing this god god why am i doing this lord no god searched me well psalms 139 verse 23 are y'all still here with me this morning i know y'all got a lot of leftovers to go home to psalms 139 verse 23 listen to this search me oh god and know my heart try me and know my thoughts and see if there be any wicked way in me and leave me in life everlasting oh that's a prayer you ought to have memorized that's a verse that ought to be on your lips when you go to prayer oh search me o god well i i know what's in my heart let me eminently disagree with you today you do not know what's in your heart only god knows what's in your heart search me o god why why don't we say it together as a church search me o god and know my heart and try me and know my thoughts and see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way god sir you know what nehemiah did when nehemiah got the right friend nehemiah chapter one he ends with confessing his sins oh god look down on israel oh god look down on our hearts god we've taken your protection for for granted god we've taken your presence for granted god we are spoiled we're spoiled brats god god we've taken you for granted lord now we find ourselves without a without protection we find ourselves without gates we find ourselves without walls god forgive us of our sins we allowed idols to come into our lives god we never denied that you were god we just brought other things in our life and we served other things more than you god we allowed the world listen to me today you know it's an idol when it has more effect on your life than the pulpit has on your life you know something is wrong when the world can affect you more than the church house can when a worldly song when a worldly s when a worldly song i've got to i've got to re-educate myself about what i tell people i like country music and what i mean is this is dependent i like country gospel music i we we had a big get together here with sister carpenter's family and our families came for a dinner and uh brother uh marcus wade had some of the people we had some folks with him and and and a little girl and she had she brought her brought her martin guitar in and and and she she's a songwriter and sweet little girl and i sat down i said well honey i want you to sing to me and she said well what'd you like to hear i said i'd like to hear some she said you like country and i said i do like country i said uh let her rip tater chip let's go let's i'd like she said well do you want me do you know dixie chicks i know what a cornish hen is i don't know if i know what i don't know about any dixie chair and i said no i i'm talking about when i said country i talk about i'm talking about gospel but it's a shame when worldly music can move us emotionally more than god music if you want to know it's wrong don't even go to the words go to your emotion because some of our emotions doesn't have any gates or any walls around you ought to be concerned about what moves you well brother carpenter you just don't understand i'm a man's man i got a problem with lust and i i know i look at things and watch things that i shouldn't and i'm just i i'm just and they try to tell me you know they got all this uh uh pinned up in them and all that you know what i got the same in me you know the difference between me and you you don't have a wall or a gate i put me some walls and some gates up and not just any going thing going to enter my eyes there's not just any old image going to enter my because i've got a dream i've got an image i've got an image of my hair turning completely gray and my back getting a little humped over and being an old man holding a penny carpenter by the hand and maybe going in the rapture that's my image of living for god whoa i looked over and saw my grandson beckham today on the front pew that's my image of living for god you can have it too well i'm just not happy i'm just you may be seen i'm just not happy with my marriage brother carpenter my husband this my you see the reason is you've allowed some novels to come in your house you've allowed the unrealistic images of facebook see i got the same i got the same issue you ain't no more man that i'm a man difference is i just want to get a fence around my heart i got a church to come to but what good's a church to come to if you got the world full of you in your heart when you come to church but if you can put a gate up around your heart a fence up around no that's not coming in and hey uh hey we got we got such and such it wants to come in no that channel's not coming in and no that music's not coming in and no that friend's not coming in no no no they're they're not coming in because they they don't love the highway of holiness they don't love the dedication of living for god they don't love no i don't want that in my life just go ahead and shut the door just shut the door on all that come on i'm talking about some dreams i'm talking about some visions do you want that what do you see for first apostolic church i don't see 40 years to retire and let the enemy just come in and run roughshod over this church i say let's build some walls i say let's build some gates i say let's be the church that jesus desires it to be search me o god and know my ways search me o god and know my heart try me know my thoughts see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting here's another one psalms 51 verse 10 this is actually the chapter david prayed through over after he had committed adultery with bathsheba this is the chapter where david lays in the presence of god psalms 51 verse 10 simply says this create in me a clean heart o god and renew a right spirit within me cast me not away from thy presence take not thy holy spirit from me restore unto me the joy of my salvation uphold me with thy free spirit then will i teach transgressors thy ways and sinners shall be converted unto thee now i want you to look at two things here in this verse here's a man that has fallen here's a man that has committed adultery and murder here is a man that got in his wrong mind here is a man that got to thinking he didn't have to fight anymore you got to fight church if you're going to have a dream you got to fight for it it's not going to come listen amazon's not going to deliver your dream in 2022 you've got to fight for it david let down his guard david should have been fighting in battle but instead he was laying in luxury he lusted he committed adultery he committed murder and now the prophet comes to him he finds himself in repentance creating me a clean heart oh god renew the right spirit within me cast me not away from thy presence take not away the holy spirit from me restore unto me the joy of thy salvation uphold me with thy free spirit look at verse 13 then will i who is the i that's the man that has fallen that's the man that has fallen can i tell you we need people who have fallen to recover we need people who have fallen to recover may first apostolic church be a recovery center for those male and female that have fallen may they come here and may they get recovered may this church be a place for recovery why why then will i teach transgressors thy ways hey there's not a more there's not a better convincing minister than one that has been through a trial then will i teach others then will i teach transgressors thy ways transgressors are people in the church people in the church that are on the fence in the church may need someone who has recovered to teach you a thing or two maybe a woman who has recovered of losing uh losing her innocence maybe that woman can look around and know the telltale signs of a young lady that's going the same way and say honey you don't need to go down that path honey you don't need to go down you you you don't need to go down that path maybe we need some men who have recovered that could look around at other men and say hey i'm not nosing in your business bub but i think you're heading down the wrong road god raise up those in this church that can teach that can teach transgressors thy ways and sinners shall be converted unto thee could we just lift our voices right now and give god some praise in this place oh god let me let's let's pray let's don't pray let's don't praise let's pray right now god i want my dream to be right in 2022. oh god i want my dream lord of seeing a church alive full of revival oh lord i want to see a hundred more i want to see james and ashley bring a hundred more men and women through the doors of this church to be baptized in jesus name lord i want to see art schnitzer get a hold of many more in other countries and teach them bible studies by zoom lord i want to see this church god grow like it's never grown before get a plan get a plan get a plan the next thing we know is in chapter two nehemiah is four months later it's four months later our musicians would come it's four months later nehemiah since he's talked to his friends nehemiah in nehemiah chapter 2 verse 2. four months later nehemiah goes to offer the king his wine and the king notices something about him the king notices something can i tell you that in 2022 i want the king of kings to notice something about me god i might have played around in 20 20 and 20 21. god i played around god there's some things i didn't get serious i didn't get serious with you god but i think that four months the king looked at nehemiah and said there's something different about you can i tell you all it would take is about four months to radically change your life all it would take four months of the right behavior can erase four years of the wrong behavior it's been four months nehemiah goes in to offer the king his wine verse number two says wherefore the king said unto me why is thy countenance sad and seeing thou art not sick this is nothing else but sorrow of heart then i was very sore afraid why was he afraid because that one man had the ability if you displease him that one man could order your execution that one man could say you've run my day and that one man that king could end your life that one man could save your life or that one man could end your life you know we've gathered here on this sunday morning in the presence of the king and there the bible says there's power of death and life with the king he was afraid and said unto the king let the king live forever why should not my countenance be sad when the city the place of my father's sepulchers lieth waste and the gates thereof are burned or consumed with fire follow me now why shouldn't i be sad my dad's grave is neglected why should i be sad all of my childhood memories are erased pray to god this morning that every memory that you have of dedicating your life to god at a camp meeting a revival service i pray to god it flashes through your minds today why shouldn't i be sad today preacher i don't have my dream the gates are burned then the king said unto me for what dost thou make requests so i prayed to the god of heaven and i said to the king if it pleased the king and if thy servant has found favor in thy sight that thou would ascend me unto judah unto the city of my father sepulchers that i may build it and the king said unto me the queen also setting by him for how long shall thy journey be and when will thou return so it pleased the king to send me and i set him a time we'll stop there for a moment just tell you this four months nehemiah had a plan if only the king would send me now the king sends me i'll need this and i'll need that so when it came time and the king said what do you need he had a plan stop living let's let's let 2022 be a year that we stopped living and letting life just meet us why don't we make a plan this morning so you know what i see myself doing this i see myself as a i tell young people i've got a burden i've got a burden to be a missionary do you know where what i think it's this part of the country that i want to go to you know the first thing i tell them the first thing i tell them is don't find out how cheap airplane a ticket first thing i tell them is learn their language learn their language you know the biggest biggest regret i i have got right now is when i was in school and they were trying to teach us spanish and i was thinking why in the world would we would we need to teach spent why in the world and i mean we're talking about years ago why in the world would we need spanish oh how i regret i wish i had learned that language i wish you know what you're here today you're 13 15 16 years old you think god's going to send you to a part of the world you've already seen it in a dream you already know it's there learn their language have a plan he said i've got a plan king i wonder if we could bring some plans to him this morning god i've got a plan i i really want to be useful to you god i've got a plan i want you to follow this we're going to gather in the altar king said unto me in verse number six i've set him a time and then verse 7 listen to nehemiah moreover i said unto the king if it please the king let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river that they may convey me over till i come to judah and a letter sounded like this man had a plan and a letter under asap the keeper of the king's forest he can't build gates without lumber that he may give me timber to make beans for the gates of the palace which appertained to the house and for the wall of the city and for the house that i shall enter into and the king granted me according to the good hand of my god which was upon me he said king i need a letter i need a letter validating me i need something on my way to get my dream fulfilled i'm going to run into people that are going to question my identity they're going to tell me i'm a runaway servant they're going to tell me i'm a runaway slave and and all that and king i need some letters when i meet up with people that tell me you're just a runaway servant i need some letters that i could validate my my my identity you know we've got those letters today it's called the word of the living god it matters not what people think about us it matters not what people say about you sir as long as i can hold the word of god up and say this is my identity this is my identity oh sweetheart sister erickson daughter i hate to do this to you i hate to do this to you but one of my favorite songs one of my favorite songs i am who i am because the i am tells me who i am i am who i am because the i am tells me who i am been cussed at been falsely accused had people question your motives feel like you're a piece of trash you are i am who i am because the i am tells me who i am i am i am who i am not because of what you say about me i am who i am because of what he says i need some letters i need some letters i need some letters i need letters validating who i am the bible says in ii corinthians 5 17 therefore if any man be in christ he is a new creature all things have passed away and behold all things are new you don't know what i've done i want to hand you a letter young lady you don't know what i've done i want to hold you i want to hear you a letter young man i am who i am abram abram abram your name means exalted father what a joke what a joke to name somebody exalted father that's a joke to name you that can't you imagine can't you imagine brother poole abram exalted father never had any children never had any children became an old man abram snickering at him so you don't understand brother carpenter my name's a joke i'm a joke in this church no you're not a joke in this church i'm a joke in pentecost no you're not a joke in pentecost i'm a joke i've got a name but can i tell you abram's not gonna stay abram very long until god says i change your name to abraham i'm going to give you a new name i'm going hey i think 2022 is the year of a new name i believe 2022. i tell young people well not just young people i tell anybody that have fallen my office has heard the confession of fallen men and women my office has seen the tears of fallen men and women i lead them in a prayer of repentance a prayer of confession and then i tell them this i get a i get i get ahead of the devil i get ahead of the devil i tell them this i say now sweetheart son in the days to come we're going to pass here in the hallway i'm going to pass you at church and i may have something on my mind and i may not speak to you but the enemy will begin to tell you huh a pastor still hasn't forgotten that pastor still remembers that i said i want and i make a spiritual deal out of it i say the moment you walk under the door and leave this office i'm gonna erase it from my mind it has been cleansed you're the abram and now you become the abraham you'll be just one more verse and i'm done revelation 2 17. he that have an ear he have an ear this morning he that have an ear can he say amen he that happened here let him hear what the spirit saith unto the churches to him that overcometh i've got a dream of overcoming will i give to eat of the hidden manna i've got a letter i've got a hidden manna and i will give him a white stone and in the stone a new name written which no man knoweth save it saving he that receiveth it he says a new name i will give him a white stone in the ancient world the use of a white stone had many associations a white stone could be a ticket to a banquet it could be a sign of friendship or an evidence of being counted or it also served as a judicial sign of acquittal when you were acquitted in a case of law the judge would hand you a white stone and when anybody wanted to bring up your past you just throwed up that white stone and said look at that new name that god has given me look at that new name oh i feel the holy ghost this morning i have come to tell somebody your soul is filled with shame your soul is filled with guilt your soul is filled with fear but i'm gonna build a wall around the city i'm gonna get my joy back i'm gonna get my praise back oh could we lift up our hands right now is there anybody in this house that wants to come to this altar and get a new name this morning is there anybody that this is the last sunday in 2021 you want to leave some things in 2021 i want a new name i want a white stone i want a new name this morning it's possible through jesus it's possible through jesus it's possible through the holy ghost this morning come on come on come on there's a new name i am who i am because the i am tells me who i am come on watch stones come on those of you that are watching from home those of you that are watching from home the pews have emptied out the church is in the altar this morning why don't you make your couch an altar why don't you pull the car over on the side of the road give your life back to god 2021 2021 is your past we gotta have a 20-22 come on receive his church come on receive it right now receive it right now the blood is cleansing the blood is flowing oh hallelujah the blood is flowing the blood is flowing the blood is flowing yes the blood is flowing the new name oh yes the joy of the lord is here the joy of the lord is here this morning i am glory in my mind i am who i am because i am who i am i am who i am me is yes come on one more time brother erickson church let's sing it one more time before we go home i am who i am singing from your heart is i am who i am go ahead and rejoice right now i am who i am because he i am thank god thank god thank god thank you all so very very much please apply this message please apply this message to your heart just a few days away from 2022 please get some dreams please get some visions about your life come share them with me come share them with pastor hey i want to be this in 2022 i want to do this come share come share them with me and let's let's see 2022 let's just see 2022 be the year of turn around just be the be the be the year of be the year of turn around just just let it be the be the year in spite of everything that god can use you would you would you agree with me today would you would you could i hear a witness in the house come on well head on to leftovers be back tonight at 5 30. we're gonna close out christmas we're gonna close out this beautiful season that god has given us tonight invite a friend to be out with us tonight god's gonna do some great things this evening god bless you you