God First | Senior Pastor Kenneth Carpenter

you have your Bible IES and would turn with me to the Book of Matthew chapter number 6 Matthew chapter number 6 and verse number 25 we're going to just read one verse of scripture and then I'm going to read all the way down through verse number 33 but we'll read verse 25 and then we'll have prayer and allow you to be seated brother Perry asked me when we were giving offering tonight that he's got a niece that is at uh the door of death and uh Allen and uh he said I promised them we'd have prayer for her tonight and we're going to lift up the name of Jesus over brother Perry's niece tonight that the Lord that the Lord would touch how many knows I'm not saying how many believes he's a prayer answering God I said how many knows he's a prayer answering God you know you know that he is a prayer answering God Amen there one verse of scripture Matthew 6 and 25 Jes Jesus says therefore I say unto you take no fault take no fault for your life what you shall eat or what you shall drink nor yet for your body what you shall put on is not the life more than meat and the body than reignment just hold your place there in the Bible let's pray father we love you tonight we thank you Lord for your word we thank you Lord for God it's a compass and it's a light to us and we want to hear from your word tonight as we have laid Gifts of praise and worship upon your altar tonight we now wait God for you to speak to us Lord through your word Lord I pray for brother Perry's niece tonight I pray God that your Holy Hand of healing and your hand of comfort Lord would be there with that family God do what only you can do and Lord I just ask ask you to move through this audience tonight touch every heart with your word in Jesus name we all pray amen and amen you may be seated tonight in the name of the Lord last Wednesday night I read these uh scriptures and I used my text and I took the text God first God God first I had several of the members here at the church several of the members uh either immediately after the service or by way of text messaging and just by way of of here at the church several an an unusual amount of members came to me and said pastor God spoke to me tonight God spoke to me about my life and about corrections that I need to make about putting God first in my life and so I I want to read I want to read again these passages of scripture just as a refresher just as a refresher and then we will we will continue on with God first but what Jesus is addressing here is anxiety he is addressing frat anxiety he is addressing fear uh fear of fear of the unknown anxiety and uh he he he he tells us to take no thought for our lives now what what he's meaning there he's telling us not to put undo thought that leads to to uh stress or that leads to anxiety and that leads to fear uh he he spoke about uh take no thought for your life verse 25 uh what you shall eat what you shall drink uh nor yet for your body what you shall put on and then he simply says isn't the life more important than the meat and the body more important than the rment he goes into verse 26 behold the foul of the air for they sow not neither do they reap nor gather into barns yet your heavenly father Feth them everybody say praise the lord prise lord your heavenly father Feth them are ye not much better than they the answer to that qu the answer to that question is yes which of You by taking thought being stressed out which of You by taking thought anxiety can add one cubit unto his stature and why take you thought for rign consider the lies of the field how they grow they toil not neither do they spin and yet I say unto you that even Solomon in all his glory was not AR raid like one of these wherefore if God so clothed the grass of the field which today is and tomorrow is cast into the oven shall he not much more clothe you oh ye of little faith he he actually tells us there that if we're fretting and we're have anxiety over our basic needs in life he basically tells us that we have little faith oh give little faith verse 31 take no thought anxiety stress take no thought anxiety stress saying what shall we eat or what shall we drink or where with All Shall we be clothed for all these things do the Gentiles seek and I could interject a word there I could say all these things do the Sinners seek all right all these things do the Godless seek all these things for people whose trust is not in the Lord all these things and after for after all these things do the Gentiles seek for your heavenly father knoweth that you have need of all all these things but seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you what a blessed promise that is what a blessed promise tonight church that if our priorities are right God knows what we need and he knows how to give it to us what a great promise tonight what a what a what a Blessed Assurance tonight but seek ye first have your priorities right now let's turn over to the Book of Mark chapter number one verse number 35 it's a very interesting uh scripture and it has a lot of application for us tonight in Mark 1 verse number 35 and in the morning everybody say in the morning and in the morning and we don't have to allow elaborate what the morning is do we the morning is the beginning of the day we don't have to elaborate it is the I'm safe to say it is the first part of the day right the morning is the first part of the day and in the morning rising up a great while before day he went out speaking of Jesus and departed into a solitary place and there prayed there he prayed in the morning a great while before day he departed out into a solitary place a private place and there he started his day he started his day with prayer that's interesting when we consider who is praying here this is God manifest In the Flesh Adam Clark a commentary says this about this scripture Adam Clark says about Jesus praying not that he needed anything not that he needed anything for in him dwelt the fullness of the godhead bodily but he prayed that he might be a pattern for us he prayed that he might be a pattern for us everything that our blessed Lord Clark says this everything that our blessed Lord did he performed either as our pattern or as our sacrifice in other words he got up early in the morning in the first part of his his day and there he spent time in prayer he spent time as a pattern for you and I to follow after his after his footsteps he spent time in the morning in the first part of his day to spiritually prepare him for the day it was going to prepare him or to give us a pattern of how to start our day how to start our day with that pattern with that pattern of prayer some time ago I came across a book preached a little message here and um I'd like to kind of maybe go back this evening and highlight a part of that book that book was a product of an admiral a Navy SEAL giving a speech in Austin Texas at a university of commencement speech and in this commencement speech this former Navy SEAL the book is entitled make your bed he begins that book by talking about what life was like in training to be a Navy SEAL and uh he begins by saying this is what his day look like attention shouted the class leader Lieutenant Junior grade Daniel Stewart as the instructor entered the room standing at the foot of of the bed I snapped my heels together and stood up straight As chief petty officer approached my position the instructor Stern and expressionless began the inspection by checking the starch in my green uniformed hat to ensure the eight-sided cover was CR crisp and correctly blocked moving from top to bottom his eyes looked over every inch of my uniform were the creases in my shirt and trousers aligned was my boots polished bright enough so that he could see his fingers in their reflection satisfied that I had met the highest standards expected of a seal trainee he moved to inspect the bed the bed was as as as simple as the room nothing but a steel frame a single mattress a bottom sheet covered the mattress and over that was a top sheet a gray wool blanket tucked tightly under the mattress provided warmth from the cool San Diego evenings a second blanket was expertly folded into into a rectangle from the uh from at the foot of the bed a single a single pillow made by the Lighthouse for the Blind was centered at the top of the bed and intersected at a 90° angle with the blanket at the bottom this was the standard any de any Deon de say that word for me devation not de that's the word I'm saying from this from from this exacting requirement would would be a cause for me to hear the words hit the surf and then roll around on the beach until I was covered from head to toe with wet sand and then for the rest of the day I would be referred to as a sugar cookie standing motionless I could see the instructor out of the corner of my eye he looked looked at my bed bending over he checked the hospital corners and then surveyed the blanket and the pillow to ensure they were correctly aligned then reaching into his pocket he pulled out a quarter and flipped it into the air several times to ensure I knew the final test of the bed was coming with one final flip of the quarter flew High into the air and came down on the mattress with a light bounce it jumped several inches off the bed high enough for the instructor to catch it in his hand swinging around to my face the instructor looked me in the eye and nodded he never said a word making my bed correctly was not going to be an opportunity for praise it was expected of me it was my first task of the day and doing it right was important it demonstrated my my discipline it showed my attention to detail and at the end of the day it would be a reminder that I had done something well something to be proud of no matter how small the task throughout my life in the Navy making my bed was one constant that I could count on every day as a young seal assigned aboard the USS greyback a special operation sub Marine my bed was located in the sick bay where the beds were stacked for high the salty old doctor who ran Sick Bay insisted I make my rack or my bed every morning he often remarked that if the beds were not made and the room was not clean how could the sailors expect the best medical care as I later found out this sentiment of cleanliness and Order applied to every aspect of military life 30 years later the Twin Towers came down in New York City the Pentagon was struck Brave Americans died in an airplane over Pennsylvania at the time of the attacks I was recuperating in my home from a serious parachute accident a hospital bed had been wheeled into my government quarters I spent most of the day lying on my back trying to recover I wanted out of that bed more than anything else like every seal I longed to be with my fellow Warriors in the fight when I was finally well enough to lift myself uned from the bed the first thing I did was to pull up the sheets tight adjust the pillows and make sure the hospital bed looked presentable to all those who would enter my home it was my way of showing making my bed was my way of showing that I had conquered the in injury and was mov moving forward with my life within 4 weeks of 9/11 I was transferred to the White House where I spent the next two years in the newly formed office of combating terrorism by October 2003 I was in Iraq at a makeshift headquarters on Baghdad Airfield for the first few months we slept on army cots nevertheless I would wake every morning roll up my sleeping bag place the pillow at the head of the cot and get ready for the day in December of 2003 the US forces captured Saddam Hussein he was held in my confinement during which time we kept him in a small room he only slept or excuse me he also slept on an army cot but with the luxury of sheets and a blanket once a day I would visit Sadam to ensure my soldiers were properly caring for him I noticed I noticed with some sense of amusement that Sadam did not make he did not make his bed I want that I want that to sink in I want that to sink into he did not make his bed the covers were always crumpled at the foot of his cot and he rarely seemed inclined to straighten them during the ensuing 10 years I had the honor of working with some of the finest men and women this nation has ever produced from generals to privates from Admirals to Sean recruits from ambassadors to clerk typist the Americans who deployed overseas in support of the war effort came willingly sacrificing much to protect this great nation they all understood that life is hard that sometimes there is little you can do to affect the outcome of your day in battle soldiers die families grieve your days are long and filled with anxiety your search for something that can give you Soul lace and comfort that can motivate you to begin your day that can be a sense of Pride and often times an ugly world but it is not just combat it is daily life that needs this same sense of structure nothing can replace the strength and comfort of one's Faith but sometimes the simple Act of making your B can give you the lift you need to start your day and provide you the satisfaction to end it right if you want to change your life and maybe the world start off by simply making start off by simply making your bed now who would have ever thought that when a Navy SEAL was telling about his life of discipline who would have ever thought that the simple May making of the bed would face an inspection every morning who would have ever thought that every morning and there would be dire consequences if he had not adequately made his bed polished his shoes uh polished his belt buckle had his bed where a quarter could be flipped and bounced and he would catch it that it would could result in him being humiliated to roll in the sand and be called a sugar cookie for the rest of the day but yet somehow they knew that if you could accomplish one thing early in the morning with a pat on the back maybe not the words but a pat on the back from an inspector that you would start your day knowing I've at least done something right I've not come tonight to get you to join the military but I've come tonight to tell you I believe we'd all be happier if we would start our day letting the Divine Heavenly inspector come into our room inspect our lives I think we would all step a little higher smile a little broader if we just woke up every morning and spent a few moments with the Heavenly inspector asking him Lord do you see your image in the way that I walk God do you see your in God are you pleased how many want to live that way Church I want to live I want to I want to live I want to live that way I want to wake up of the morning and ask for the Divine Heavenly inspector to come into my My Life by way of prayer you know I know that God can come into my heart without my permission but if a relationship is ever going to be established I believe that God is waiting for you and I to invite him into our lives I believe he's waiting to be invited divided into our lives is that what David was doing Church in Psalms 139:23 is that what is this not what David is doing in Psalms 139 and verse 23 when he simply says search me oh God and know my heart try me and know my thoughts verse 24 that's Psalms 133 can you please get that verse of scripture up Psalms one excuse me I'm the wrong one you're the right one Psalms 139 Psalms 139 verse 23 Psalms let's read that again Psalms 139 and verse number 23 search me oh God and know my heart let's read it together why don't we search God heart let's go to verse 24 and that's making our bed right there that's making our bed right there I don't know what's going to happen throughout the day I don't know what's going to happen at noon time I don't know what's going to happen by the evening time but at the end of every day would you not want to lie down in a bed that was first made by prayer doesn't matter how loud this went as long as of the morning I ask God to search me oh that that Divine inspector what what do we ask there in Psalms 139 verse 23 what's he asked to be searched let's look at this for a moment Psalms 139 in verse 23 what does what does the psalmist ask to be searched search me and know my heart why is the heart so important because listen to me tonight change change your heart and you change your life see a lot of us are trying to pray to get things changed around us and God simply says change your heart and that will change your life why is the heart so important look at Jeremiah 17 and verse 9 Jeremiah 17 and verse 9 follow this real closely the heart the heart is deceitfully wicked is deceitful above all things and desperately what who can know it that's a question who can know it here's the answer in verse 10 I the Lord search the heart I try the Reigns to give to every man according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings listen to me tonight Church you don't know your heart well I know myself pretty good you don't know yourself pretty good I don't know myself pretty good only God knows the most valuable thing in my life the heart is wicked and the Heart Is deceitful and the only the only thing that we have hope in is to invite our Heavenly inspector to come into our lives and to show us what is in our heart turn with me if you would to Mark chapter 7 Mark chapter 7 verse 13 17 Mark 7 and verse 17 let me share this with you now the Pharisees have really been on to Jesus disciples you really the Pharisees and the scribes have really been murmuring and complaining and they believe that they have caught Jesus's disciple IPL in a moral issue they really think they've caught them being Sinners because they watched the disciples as they came in from the marketplaces they washed they watched them go to the table and begin to eat without washing their hands now I will tell you something that's a good hygiene thing to do and I recommend everybody that's free of charge tonight all right go to the restrooms here at this church that's why we got sinks across there in toal all right enough that but what they believe was not for Hygiene they literally believed that when you were out in public that demon Spirits could could could get on your hands and if you didn't wash your hands before you ate when you would put a piece of food in your mouth guess what would happen the demon would jump off of the end of your thumb and finger and jump on your tongue and down into inside and you would be that that was their explanation for people acting wickedly and so Jesus had to give them some Parables and teachings about this and we will start the explanation in Mark 7:1 17 and when he was entered into the house from the people his disciples asked him concerning the parable he saith unto them are you also without understanding also do you not perceive now follow him closely that whatsoever thing from without entereth into a man it cannot defile him do not be deceived do do you not perceive that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the into a man it cannot Define say hey it's not what comes into a man that defiles him makes him Wicked because it entereth not into look at verse 19 it entereth not into his heart but into the belly and goeth out into the drought purging all Meats he said when a man takes something in his mouth it goes through his digestive system it is not what goes in the man that defiles him and makes his behavior wrong it's what comes out of the man verse 21 for from within out of the heart of men proceed evil thoughts adulteries fornications murders thefts covetousness wickedness deceit lasciviousness an evil eye blasphemy Pride foolishness all these evil things come from within and defile defile the man so he said hey it's not what you put in in that's defiling you it's what's coming out it's like we've heard the old thing if you see a wormhole in an apple you say oh man a a worm has eaten its way into the Apple that's not correct what happened a worm laid its egg on the blossom the worm was in inside the apple and when the apple apple grew the worm hatched and ate its way out of the Apple not in to the Apple so I'm wondering tonight if we're not guarding the wrong front you know we're we're we're talking about the world we need to be on guard for the world and we need to be on guard for this and do you see this new game that's come out do you see this new thing that's come out all these different things I submit to you we are guarding the wrong front what we need to be guarding is our because whatever comes out in the world unless the heart is guarded you can't make enough rules you can't make enough regulations you can't tell you not to go to enough places if your heart's not there you'll find a way I submit to you it's my heart that I need can you say Amen tonight give God a great hand of Praise it's my heart that needs it's my heart that needs to be guarded look at Jeremiah chapter four this is interesting because we we're going to find some things what happens in prayer what happens in prayer Jeremiah chapter 4 verse number 14 God says oh Jerusalem wash thine heart from wickedness that thou mayest be saved how long shall thy vain thoughts Lodge within thee what does God say your heart needs it needs to be washed what is prayer what is prayer when you and I humbly go before our God and we go before our God and we say to God God I don't know my heart God you're the one that knows my heart and God I want you to wash my heart we all have to be we all have to be honest and transparent with oursel you know some people are saved exclamation mark I I get that I'm saved but I don't put that at the end of it I'm saved but yet I understand I got to work out my salvation with fear and with trembling and really technically none of us are saved yet I'm not going to consider myself saved until the trumpet sounds and I'm changed in a moment in the twinkle of an eye you got to be honest with yourself folks don't play Church don't play this religious Game Heaven is too sweet for you to miss it over again we this is a matter of Life eternity this is a matter and and so we go to God In Prayer we go to God in prayer and we ask God to wash our hearts we ask God to wash we ask God to wash our hearts that's interesting that word wash there in reference to the heart because as you was as you would turn to Exodus chapter 30 and verse 17 that Tabernacle in the wilderness that church house in the wilderness that meeting place of man and God in the wilderness it had a piece of furniture look with me in Exodus 30 and verse 17 and the Lord spake unto Moses saying Thou shalt also make a Laver of brass and his foot also are pedestal of brass to wash with all and thou shalt put it between the Tabernacle of the congregation and the Altar and thou shalt put water therein for Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet there at when they go into the Tabernacle of the congregation follow this closely they shall wash with water that they die not or when they come near to the altar to minister to burn offerings made by fire un the Lord so they shall wash their hands and their feet verse 21 they shall wash their hands and their feet that they and it shall be a statue forever to them even to him and to his seed throughout their Generations now I'm going to tell you something that must have been something there's a water there your feet and your hands need to be washed it didn't matter if you thought they were dirty it didn't it didn't matter it didn't matter if you had just washed them before you left the house you were under a mandate a commandment of God wash in the labor well what if I don't want to wash what happened they would die they would die now this this labor is also interesting this labor is also interesting because in Exodus chapter 38 and verse 8 Exodus 38 and verse 8 Moses tells some material that was used used for the labor and he says in Exodus 38 and: 8 and he made the labor of brass and the foot of it of brass of the looking glasses of the women assembling which assembled at the door of the Tabernacle of the congregation these women had these mirrors this brass that was polished so high that they could see their image in it it's what they use for mirrors these mirrors were needed these mirrors were needed at the labor they were needed at the labor and if you just think with me for a moment in all of our in all of our bathrooms in our homes we have our sink there and then over the sink is a mirror all right I use my mirror not to admire myself but to try to get my present myself presentable for you all right I never use my mirror to see how good I look and all that I'm just seeing it okay I all the gray hair is kind of got moosed down all I'm presentable right the reason they had that mirror there was so that they could wash and they could see themselves in that mirror oh blessed time of prayer it is a time that I believe the Holy Ghost wants to speak to us not about our flaws of of our brother across the congregation but he wants to talk to us about our own individual flaws that need to be worked on oh blessed life we would live if we would allow the Holy Ghost in prayer on a daily basis to show us our blemishes that he needs to work on and that we need to work on that word that we should not say that attitude that we should not have that gossip that should not be carried but ought to be prayed about all of these things God wants to help us to become greater Witnesses and greater examples of what the church ought to be but it won't happen until some Apostolic seal say I'm going to every morning allow the Divine inspector to come into my house and to come into my life could you just give him some praise right now turn it into a little prayer right now Lord I want you to show me where I'm lacking God I want you to show me my faults and my failures God oh yes yes I want you to show me this God it's my responsibility God it's my responsibility to invite you in can I tell you I remember hearing a story of a young man who got mad at his parents he said I'm tired of y'all telling me to take out the trash I'm tired of y'all telling me to mow the yard I'm tired of living in in this house of being told what to do I'm joining the military we're in the army of the Lord that Divine inspector is not going to come in and catch us asleep and say wake up sweetie pie wake up that Divine inspector is not going to come in and say well bless his heart he's had a hard day let me make his bed for him you're in the army now it's time that we take personal responsibility for our lives church God has given you everything that you need to go to heaven he's given you Calvary he's given you the Holy Ghost he's given you his word he's given you the man of God he's given you all these things but if you don't want to go you're not going to go you have got to learn to take responsibility for your own soul I'm not BL blaming anybody else I'm in the condition that I'm in because I'm in the condition that I'm in I'm not blaming anybody else for this I'm going to excuse me I'm going to suck it up I'm going to get in prayer I'm going to get my life changed and I'm going to walk out a brand new man I'm going to stop blaming I'm going to stop blaming others for my dilemma I'm going to stop blaming this for the reason I'm there I'm going to wake up and say prayer can change everything prayer can change all things if I can just but everybody say personal responsibility personal responsibility personal responsibility say it again respons Revelation chapter n Revelation chapter 7 verse number n talking about some men and women that came through tribulation I want you to follow this it came through hard times Revelation 7:9 John said after this I beheld and low a great multitude which no man could number of all the nations of all the nations and kindreds and people and tongues stood Before the Throne before the lamb clothed with white robes and and Palms in their hands and cried with a loud voice saying salvation to our god which sth upon the throne and unto the lamb and all the Angels stood round about the throne and about the elders and the four beasts and fell Before the Throne on their faces and worshiped God saying amen blessing and glory and wisdom and Thanksgiving and honor and power and might be unto our God forever and ever amen watch verse 13 and one of the elders answered saying unto me John what are these which are arrayed in white robes and whence came they so he he asked John he says who are these who are these in these white robes and where did they come from watch John's answer verse 14 and I said unto him sir thou knowest in other words he says you know and he said unto me these are they which come out of Great Tribulation and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb therefore now now I'm going to say right there therefore they washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb they personal responsibility they wash their robes in the blood of the Lamb the blood of the Lamb is available but it's only available to those that wash their robes what is my answer for Life the blood of the Lamb what's going to help me in life the blood of the lamb but be just because the blood was shed does it mean the blood was applied whosoever will you've got to have personal responsibility you can come out of anything if you have personal responsibility where did they come out of Great Tribulation but they knew in Great Tribulation that the only way I'm coming out of Great Tribulation is to to take personal responsibility and wash my robe in the blood of the Lamb I can't believe some people some people must be struck in their head spiritually why would you keep serving why would you stop serving God when tribulation comes if there's ever been a time to stay in church it's now if you can't see the end if this if this war in the the Middle East is not shaking you Church hear me tonight hear the Paul rever of the hour of this church he's coming he's coming Jesus is coming you better get ready you better stay ready wa you don't know what I've been through come on get your thumb out of your mouth and get your life in the blood of the Lamb what's going to help me get through this I got to wash my robe in the blood of the Lamb I have I have fallen I have in I have come up short time and time again what's the answer compare myself with others in the church not so th answer is this when I've sinned I failed God I've not been everything that I should I'm going to take my life to the blood of the lamb and I'm going to wash my life in the blood of the Lamb that's the only way you're coming through that's the only way you're going to make it through where'd they come from where'd they come from from where' they come from Great Tribulation how did they make it out they made it out because they washed their Rob's personal responsibility verse 15 gives the therefore therefore therefore because they took personal responsibility because they took responsibility therefore they are Before the Throne of God and serve him day and night in the temple and he that Seth on the throne shall dwell among them can I tell you why I'm in the presence of God I'm in the presence of God because of personal responsibility because I wash my robe in the blood of the Lamb therefore I am in the presence of God you can stop waiting for God this isn't Sonic he's not going to come and take your order at your little mountain side place that you play by Pray by the creek or wherever you got to get up every morning and you got to say God it's me and you and you're going to walk into this room I may have some dirty feet you got to be able to see your fingers in my feet you got to see your reflection you got to look at my bed and at the end of the day I get strength to face another day I get strength to say I've done something right today I've spent some time with the Lord I'm in the presence of God right now and you're in the presence of God right now because of personal responsibility therefore let me go back to that for a moment therefore therefore are they Before the Throne of God and serve him day and night in his Temple and he that sth on the throne shall dwell among them look at this verse 16 they shall hunger no more neither thirst anymore neither shall the sun light on them nor any heat for the lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them and shall lead them into living Fountains of waters for God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes that's talking about old that's talking about tribulation Saints right there how' they make it they washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb how did they make it they took personal responsibility for their lives and we do too the book of Jude only has one chapter verse 20 and 21 in Jude says but ye beloved but ye beloved building up yourselves on your Most Holy Faith praying in the Holy Ghost verse 21 keep keep yourselves in the love of God looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life there is personal responsibility please First Apostolic Church please don't fall prey to this easy believism that you've just made your faith in Jesus Christ years ago you've done nothing to enhance your growth with God you've not even been back to church since you made your confession of faith and one day you're going to die and some preacher is going to say some flowery words about you I'm I I got to tell you tonight you're going to be saved because of the blood and because of your personal responsibility you're going to be saved because you have kept yourselves in the love of God Paul sounds an alarm in second Corinthians chapter 13 I know this is heavy tonight I I I know this is not the I know this is not the kind of preaching that you know you just sit back and and and and uh God's going to deliver your life to you and it's all going to be it's not going to happen that way you got to take personal responsibility you you got to take personal responsibility you got to take the lemons of life and make lemonade with it I'm sorry and there's no better place to turn your life around but the blood the blood of the Lamb look at Paul what Paul says in 2 Corinthians Chapter 13 Verse 5 look at this verse he's talking to the church examine examine examine whether you be in the faith prove your own selves know you're not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except you be reprobates I believe Paul pretty well tells them you you need to take some responsibility you you you need to take some responsibilities you uh you said well I brother let let me let me tell you let me tell you why I don't go to church anymore Pastor no I I know the reason you don't go you've not washed your robe in the blood of the Lamb you've not washed your robe in the blood of the Lamb well no no it hinges on one thing and we all everybody say we all we all have to wash our robes in the blood of the lamb in the morning he went out for prayer in the morning he went out for prayer before it was day he went out for prayer Ecclesiastes has an interesting few verses on the morning and Ecclesiastes chapter 10 verse 16 he's going to talk about the morning Ecclesiastes 10 and 16 woe that's a curse that word when anytime it starts off it's really when with woe it's referring to a curse woe to thee o land when thy King is a child and thy princes eat in the morning that's an interesting verse your your King as a child cursed are you cursed are you when your king is a child he's immature he's not grown up cursed are you king is Authority cursed are you when those in Authority have not matured and your princes eat in the morning watch it turn around here in verse 17 blessed art thou o land kind of different the first 16 starts off with woe to the land now verse 17 blessed art thou o land when thy King is the son of Nobles and thy princes eat in due season for strength and not for drunkenness so he says there why use the morning of your life for drunkenness why use why use the mourning of your youth I'm going to live the way I'm going to live one of these days I'm going to get in one of these days I'm GNA get sold out one of these days I hear you brother Carpenter one of these days I'm really going to get stirred up you're wasting you're mourning you're wasting you're mourning he says blessed is the land whose King is the son of nobles he's been raised right he's been raised with priorities and princes they don't eat they're not drunken in the morning but they eat in due season for strength and not for drunkenness look with me go to chapter 11 of Ecclesiastes chapter 11 verse 6 chapter 11 verse 6 in the morning seow your seed in the evening withhold not thine hand for thou knowest not whether shall prosper either this or that or whether they both shall be be alike good in in the morning sew your seed and in the evening have a spirit of expectation because I sowed something in the morning no sewing in the morning of my life why should I expect the later years to give me anything but heartache and sorrow but I believe tonight that I'm preaching to First Apostolic and I believe that there's a group of people here that have already started arranging their Day pastor I'm I'm beginning to put God in the first part of my day I'm beginning to awake and arrange my schedule because I want God I want God to be in the morning of my life I want God to be if you want God to be in the morning of your life would you signify it by hands lifted right now and voices lifted God I I want you to God I want you to be in the morning of my life God God I I want you to be in the morning of my life God oh God God I want you to be in the morning of my life God I I want you to be in the morning of my life oh precious God just for another moment just entertain God's presence on the tip of your tongue right now oh God I love you early now let me tell you what's so beautiful about God in the remaining few moments of this Bible lesson what's so beautiful about God is Not only can the morning be the strong tower the morning can be to middle-aged people in the morning can be to elderly people you see with God you can be 90 years old and God give you a morning you can be 90 years old and God can step into your life and give you a morning so I'm not just directing this to our Strong Tower student students but I am saying to you right now seek the Lord while you're young let the major you got major decisions decisions that you're going to make in your youth that's going to affect the rest of your life your dedication to God how dedicated you are as a young man you're not going to get any more dedicated with marriage that's a fallacy you got to have your foundation good and stable before you ever get married and then then who you marry that's going to be something that's going with you for the rest of your life your education all these things go with you early early and I close with this I close with two two passages of scripture in Proverbs Chapter number 8 and verse 17 speaking about wisdom remember we talked about that last week about having wisdom Proverbs 8:17 it says this speaking of wisdom I love them that love me and those that seek me early shall find me now wisdom takes on a voice here wisdom takes on a voice and wisdom says in verse 17 Again I love them that love me and those that that seek me early are going to find me now that's a that's a precious promise there that God is speaking through wisdom and saying I love them who love me and if you will seek me early you will find me but now I close I close this Bible Lesson reading from Proverbs chapter 1 1 in verse 24 wisdom is still speaking and wisdom says in verse 24 because I called and you refused I have stretched out my hand and no man regarded but you have said it not all my counsel and would none of my Repro this is verse six verse 26 folks I didn't I didn't I I I didn't I didn't write this it's in our Bible I also will laugh at your Calamity I will mock you when fear cometh when your fear cometh as desolation and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind when distress and anguish cometh upon you then shall they call upon me but I will not answer they shall seek me early but they shall not find me for that they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord they would none of my counsel they despised all my Repro therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way and be filled with their own devices for the Turning Away of the simple shall slay them and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them but who so hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely and shall be quiet from fear of evil and I close tonight by saying this to anyone and everyone here please don't turn him away please you don't know more than God you don't know more than God's word you don't know the right way for your feet to walk please in the name of Jesus Christ heed his call heed his call he doesn't want you to go to the hog pin he doesn't want you to have some scars that you're going to have he doesn't want you to go to some places that you're going to go but if you won't listen to his outstretched hands and his voices and if you hear his word but you mix it with your own uh uh thoughts and your own way and I just don't think you need to do this and and all that God is going to let you get in a whirlwind a tornado a Calamity he's going to let you get there and you're going to start crying out from that pig pin but it's not that he doesn't hear you it's that he's not going to answer you until the pig pin fulfills the purpose and you come to yourself and you realize how good it is in God's house there's no greater life like living for Jesus Christ there's no greater life like the word of God there's no greater life that won you and I there's no greater place to have wholeness than in the house of God worshiping the Lord praising the name of Jesus it doesn't take away my dignity it doesn't take away my selfworth it actually it gives me dignity and it gives gives me more than a selfworth tonight what a wonderful life this is church it's the best life that there is there's not up better come on stand to your feet with me and let me hear you praise him tonight oh what a blessed life what a good life oh come on let it just let it keep coming tonight thank him for this life thank him for this blessed life thank him for this life tonight come on oh Divine inspector come on come on Oh Holy Spirit Come On My Savior look inside my heart tonight come on my Blessed Redeemer oh I love you I love you I love you I love you no better life oh No Greater Life oh no no more better life than this oh for a life of Mercy given to us oh for a life of Joy given to us oh for a life of a second chance given to us oh for a life oh for aive oh for aive don't don't leave him Church don't leave God church I know you're here at church but don't leave the savior he waits for you in the morning he waits he waits and he watches for you oh may he find brother ericon may he find may he find in the morning sprinkled out all over Blunt County and the counties that you all come from to come to church may he find you awaken in the morning with the early part of your morning given to you making your bed in the presence of the Lord isn't God good to us tonight isn't he good to us so good to us so good to us tonight so good to us tonight so good to us tonight and uh I know we got a big Sunday coming up this coming Sunday and and brother Eric said would you like to come and just say a couple words about this coming Sunday and then dismiss us all in prayer tonight