Humility, Thirst and Obedience - Part I | Senior Pastor Kenneth Carpenter

have your Bibles and would stand with me for a few moments there's something sweet about the presence of the Lord I never want to take the presence of the Lord for granted I'm glad to be in the presence of the Lord I'm glad that our marriage stayed intact because we kept our marriage in the presence of the Lord our children and our grandchildren come to church you come to church and not be in the presence of the Lord it's all up to you you can be here but not here want to be in the presence of the Lord tonight Matthew chapter 3 and verse number 11 John the Baptist it's telling who he is he said I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance but he that cometh after me is mightier than I whose shoes I am not worthy to bear he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire John chapter 7 verse number 37 in the last day that great day of the feast Jesus stood and cried saying if any man thirst let him come unto me and drink he that believeth on me as the scripture has said out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water but this spake he of the spirit which they that believe on him should receive well the Holy Ghost was not yet given because that Jesus was not yet glorified Luke 24:49 and behold Luke 24:49 and behold I send the promise of my father upon you but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you be endued with power from on high he led them out as far as to Bethany and lifted up his hands and blessed them and it came to pass while he blessed them he was parted from them carried up into heaven and they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God amen but your Bibles down for a moment the presence of God my god I love you tonight Lord there's something so sweet about your name and about your presence God Lord anoint your servant tonight with your word and God touch us tonight Oh God with your spirit Oh God tonight I asked you to move on our hearts touch us God may it be beneficial for us to be here may there be a change because we're here Jesus name help us God amen you may be seated there are three words three words that will forever change your spiritual life three words that will ever that will ever change your spiritual life if I have my way I plan to preach the first word tonight the second word Sunday morning and the third word Sunday night that's my will there are three words that will forever change your spiritual life it ever gets in trouble these three words are humility thirst and obedience humility being humble and I'm not talking about the part that you say I'm so proud I'm humble all right but true humility true humility I said to my wife today because I think it's a little bit of a slogan that true humility is not how you see yourself and some might speak up and say yes it's how you see others but that's really not even factual true humility is not how you see yourself it's how you see God because it's impossible to truly look upon God and not be humbled you cannot embrace him without feeling a spirit of humility that will bathe you there's no way you cannot embrace him without humility humility thirst and obedience I believe your if your walk with God needs a paint job your walk with God needs refreshing tonight if you'll follow me on this journey humility thirst and obedience the word to be humble means to bend the knee to bend the knee the word to be humble means to bring down low it means to be into or bring into subjection it means to be under it means to be subdued you are under you are submitted you are subdued I've heard a lot of things preached about John the Baptist I've heard a lot of things preached about him but it wasn't until a few days ago that I began to break down that scripture Matthew 3:11 when he was explaining that he was not the Christ he said now I have baptized you with water for the purpose of repentance I have baptized you to show that you have repented but there is one that is coming after whose shoes I am not worthy to bear I believe maybe in another gospel it may say something like unloose I began to search he said I am not worthy to bear his shoes did a little research on this and I found out that in John's day it was a very common say it was a very common saying whose shoes I am not worthy to bear this saying is expressive of the most profound humility and reverence that could be shown to put off someone's shoes to put on someone's shoes for them I should say or to take off someone's shoes or to carry someone's shoes to the whale to be cleaned cleans was only among the Jews and among the Greeks and the Romans it was only but Sullivan the work of the lowest of the lowest slaves it would be said of the lowest of the low slaves that I'm not worthy to help you put your shoes on I'm not worthy to help you take your shoes off I'm not worthy you you saw a slave taking a pair of shoes down to the well to be washed you can look at him and say that's the lowest of the lowest slaves in that house John the Baptist began to preach about I have baptized you with water for the purpose of repentance but there's coming one after me and he connects it to the holy ghost whose shoes I am not worthy to bear because in my estimation I am the lowest of the lowest of servants the Bible said there was not a greater prophet than John the Baptist I don't believe what made John great was his preaching ability I don't believe what made John great was his boldness to confront sin I believe what made God John great and why Jesus referred to it is because I believe that John had that true spirit of humility he did not feel worthy to be doing what he was doing you see this to be humble to have humility is something that God has to develop in you and I it has to be developed to many people mistake a passive personality for being humble they think because somebody's quiet and they don't say much they'll say they'll make a statement that that person is so humble that doesn't necessarily mean that person is an humble because true humility is not a character trait it is an inside of the heart you truly feel a sense of unworthiness in the presence of God in Deuteronomy chapter 8 and verse number 1 God begins to speak to Israel and he says in Deuteronomy 8 in 1 all the commandments which I command thee this day shall you observe to do that you may live and multiply and go in and possess the land which the Lord swear unto your father's and thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these 40 years in the wilderness to Humble the and to prove thee to know what was in thine heart whether thou wouldest keep his commandment Commandments or no you see God said I've got to allow some things to come to their lives I've got to I've got to allow some things that are not comfortable I've got to allow some some things that they don't like to come to them why are you doing that God because I need to humble them I need to break their self-will I need to break their independent spirit I need to put them on their knees in submission to me to know that I am God and there isn't another I wonder tonight at God leads you and I down a path and if he does Lord send the rain if whatever comes my way if he causes me to bend my knees to God and say God I'm gonna need you today God I'm gonna need you in my life he said I did this so if you're being led tonight if you don't like the path and the chapter that you're in it may be because God is just trying to work on breaking you until you're literally fearful not to pray you're literally fearful not to obey God's Word why what do you mean by that I mean that you look at and say I know how much I need God and I I'm going to pray as a matter of fact I think we've just China I think we've kind of brushed over this real quick but in Solomon's prayer over the temple in second chronicles chapter 7 verse number 14 you all have heard this many times if my people which are called by my name shall and pray notice what it says there it doesn't put prayer before being humble because Pharisees can pray the prideful can pray as a sign and as a hypocrite as a Pharisee to be seen heard but the prayer that God is looking for comes from the heart of a man or a woman who has humble themselves they have bent their knees they have submitted their lives to God my people which are called by my name shall humble themselves as a matter of fact that practical pastor James in the book that bears his name James chapter 4 and verse number 6 of course he has just got through talking about having a love affair with the world he's talked to he's talking to his congregation because his congregation has got a love affair with the world he says something like them to be a friend of the world is to be the enemy of God meaning man love the world the love of the father's not any he comes down in James chapter 4 verse 6 says but he giveth more grace please understand what grace is Grace is strength grace is strength grace is to do what we can't do on our own oh I'm gonna tell you I've looked back on my life and if you really want to know what grace looks like get a review get a rear view mirror in your spiritual walk with God because when you walk with God's grace you begin to look back on things that you've went through things that God has brought you through and you look back and these words come out of your mouth had it not been for the grace of God I wouldn't have made it through come on can I get a witness tonight not been for the grace of God so grace is strength he says but he God giveth more grace wherefore he saith God resisteth the proud but giveth grace unto the humble God resists look at that word resist it's like falling water it's like all in water God absolutely resists it he pushes back from it he has nothing to do with it because it's absolutely opposite to what God is and so God resists the proud he pours more grace strength out upon the humble submit yourselves there's that word submit yourselves bend your knees bow yourself break yourself will submit yourselves therefore to God resist the devil and he will flee from you you know why he's going to flee from you because he knows who's about to show up the Bible says let God arise and let his enemies be scattered as far as I've got it figured out the only way for God to arise who is everywhere is for me to go down and when I submit my life to him and I bow my knees not only physically but in my heart I bow myself to him when I bow myself to him God arises no wonder the Bible said submit yourself therefore to God resist the devil and he will flee from you draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to you cleanse your hands ye sinners purify your hearts you double-minded be afflicted and mourn and weep let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy into heaviness and this is what I want you to see now verse 10 humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord and he shall lift you up humble yourself in the sight of the Lord humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord humble yourselves with the Lord in view now we don't come to church to see one another we come to church to worship the Lord we don't come to church for the coffee shop we don't come to church for any kind of activity we don't come to church brother Thompson to ride motorcycles we don't come to church to drink coffee in the coffee shop we don't come to church to sit around an hour after church is over and chatter about things going on we come to church in the sight of the Lord we come to church with the Lord in mind that's why it is so critical to humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord he's not going he is not going to force you although I will say this you can either freely humble yourself and enjoy the bountiful larger-than-life blessings of Almighty God or he can humble you if you won't bend your knees he can put you on your back that's right and either way I've got this figured out I would love other volunteer to bend my knees and be the recipient of the glorious blessings of Almighty God than to be prideful stiff neck got it all together I'm not weak minded like these other folks that have to lift their hands and have to cry have to clap their hands have to visit the prayer room and have to do all that I'm not like that way I'm mr. macho I'm I'm mrs. I mean I don't know what you call mrs. macho I'm I'm mr. macho I've got it all together I Got News for You God won't you saved and God would like to save you by way of you freely submitting to him but if you won't free to submit to him if he listen if you won't volunteer to get on your knees he will put you on your back in order to somehow wake you up to get your attention in the sight of the Lord that's why it's always important it's not a cultural thing Church hear me tonight when we come together on Wednesday night Sunday morning Sunday night or any other time to worship let's worship God let's worship God when we've lost our victory let's worship God when we have our victory let's worship God when you and the wife had some words on the way to church let's worship God when the family is intact and let's worship God when the family is not intact let's worship God let's worship God when everything is going great and everybody's getting along with one another and come on let's worship God when there's trouble all over the camp come on let's just simply in the site with the Lord in you with the Lord and be you see Lucifer was an anointed cherubim Lucifer has not always been he has not always been evil he was created as an anointed cherubim an angelic being as a matter of fact there's different there's cherubims and serums and these cherubims they were the angelic creatures that was closest the closest to the presence of God as a matter of fact in Isaiah 14:12 speaking about him how art thou fallen how did you fall Isaiah 14:12 please how did you fall from heaven how art thou fallen from heaven o Lucifer son of the morning how art thou cut down to the ground which did weaken the nation's so the question is Lucifer cherubim anointed cover you closest to God closest to God how did you fall Isaiah or excuse me Ezekiel 28 11 tells us he's he peeled 28 11 answers it moreover the word of the Lord came unto me saying son of man take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus and say unto Him thus saith the Lord God now although he's talking to an earthly king the analogy is certainly there about Lucifer thou sillas up the son full of wisdom perfect in beauty thou has been in Eden the garden of God every precious stone was thy covering the syrtis the Topaz the diamond the bureau the onyx the jasper of the sapphire the the car buckle and gold the workmanship of thy tablets or tambourines and of the pipes was created in thee in the day that that was created thou art the anointed cherub that covereth and I have sent me so thou wast upon the holy mountain of God thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire thou was perfect in thy ways from the day that that was created till iniquity was found in thee by the multitude of thy merchandise or merchandise there means trade they have filled the midst of thee with violence and thou has sinned therefore will I cast thee as profaned out of the mountain of God and I will destroy the old covering cherub from the midst of the stones of fire when God created this closest anointed cherubim God clothed him with every beautiful glittering stone that was imaginable if God is like and we know that it says he is can you imagine what God's light made Lucifer look like when that light shone upon those jewels but he was not only a creature that had jewels of reflection see that's where we get that's where we get the glory of God the glory of God is simply us giving back to God being a reflection of what God has done that's why it says given to the Lord the glory how do you give a God something that he already has everything because there's some glory he doesn't have but it's called the glory that is due to his name so when I get into his presence and his light comes and hits me I begin to give him glory by uplifted hands I begin to give him glory by verbally singing the songs I begin to give him glory by verbally saying thank you Jesus Oh hallelujah I love you mighty Savior you're so good to me I'm beginning to give him glory because remember I am to humble myself in the sight of the Lord with the Lord in view this anointed cherub was not only covered with beautiful glittering stones but God put pipes inside him and around him horns pipes tambourines and so as that anointed cherub stood in the presence of the Lord with the Lord in view the music begin to play and the light began to glisten off notice he's called the son of the morning do you know anytime we get in the presence of the Lord it's always a new day it's always a new day anytime you can get in the presence of the Lord I promise you it's always it's always a new day well let me let me stop there for a moment because it is very important that you understand that anointed cherub were to continually look to God they were continually to look to God Exodus chapter 25 verse number 18 God is giving Moses the blueprints of the tabernacle and he says in verse number 18 and thou shalt make two cherubims of gold now what I just read to you from Isaiah and Ezekiel what's going on before time begin it was worship in eternity pass but now that sin is entered God wants a replica on the earth because God wants to restore that and so God gives the tabernacle and thou shalt make to cherubims of gold a beaten work shalt thou make them the two ends in in the two ends of the mercy seat and make one cherub on the one end and the other cherub on the other end even of the mercy seat you shall make the cherubims on the two ends thereof you follow this the Chairman's there it is the cherubim cease and jelly beings are on both sides of the Ark of the Covenant and the cherubim shalt stretch forth their wings you see it there on high covering the mercy seat with their wings and their faces shall look one to another toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be now which I want you see this this is very important a cherub on both sides with their wings making an arch creating an empty void they're creating an empty space there and their faces was to be looking down on the mercy seat they were looking down though their wings were up and arched and their faces were looking to the mercy seat verse number 21 and thou shalt put the mercy seat above the ark and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give me and there I will meet with me I will commune with thee from above the mercy see from between the two cherubim which are upon the Ark of the testimony of all things which I give the in commandment unto the children of Israel let me I'm gonna read that again and there will I meet with me and will commune with thee from above the mercy seat from between the two cherubim which are upon the art of the testimony so these cherubims were not looking at the mercy seat they were looking at God because that's the job of the cherubims was to look at God just like it's the job and the Ministry of the church I promise you learn some lessons Peter could walk on water as long as he was looking at Jesus but when he got his eyes off Jesus and on the wind he began to say let's learn a life lesson here if we can keep the Lord in view with a few hours we come here to church it's going to help us keep the Lord in view when we leave here but if we don't get it at church we're not going to get it any other place there is not another place on earth more conducive to you getting your mind on God then church then the house of God you can't do it in front of the television you can't do it in front of a radio you can't do it at the Smoky Mountains you've got listen this is the great place songs about Jesus praise about Jesus the word about Jesus prayer about Jesus come on I got got to help us tonight we've got to face some cold facts tonight if you cannot humble yourself here you're probably not going to humble yourself anywhere so please they weren't looking at the mercy seat and we're looking at God who said what's that got to do with Satan well it's how he failed it's exactly how you fail one day he began to look at his beauty one day he began to admire himself one day he played a tune and he said I did a good job one day he began to look down at himself and he said you know he didn't realize he wasn't his stones it's kind of like the moon the moon is no source of light the moon does not shine take the Sun away and the moon goes black it's only light that makes the moon a reflector the moon is a it is a great mirror that God set up there to liken it to the church we have no light in and of ourselves there's nothing that we can do why even the Bible says we don't have it inside of us to guide our ways man has sought out many inventions you know you know what man keeps becoming more depraved and more depraved as the day goes by because he his space keeps looking at himself and said how smart I am how educated I am how rich I am how talented I am how I've got all of this years ago a group of long-haired boys from Britain start singing some songs and they got pretty popular and one of them made the ridiculous statement we are more famous than Jesus Christ go in in each school room and ask does anybody know where the Beatles who the Beatles are they'll say who and they said no that was another group that come along later all right hey no more pop no no no man don't understand I hope I'm making sense tonight you know where Satan got in trouble he's when he begin to deny himself he got in the presence of the Lord and stead of just shining the light back to God playing a song praise to God he began to say I I did pretty good today and then after he got his eyes off of God guess what he decided to do he decided to come out of his place and he said I will ascend to heaven and I will be like the Most High God and I will do this and I will do that and of course we know how it fell because there's only one God do you know we fall the same way Lucifer fell when we come to the house of God how important it is that we just don't come and sit how important that it is that we just don't come to spend an hour and a half or so and go home what a blade what a blase life that would be what a boring life that would be no wonder some people only last a few months in the house of God because they just come and in the side of the Lord they just want to look at themselves and when they get when they went when they look at themselves real good then the next thing then that want to do is look at other people and look around find out what and those are all wrong reasons to go to church but if we really want God to use us if we really if we really want to go to the next step which is thirst sometimes we don't have a thirst for God because we have never unloaded ourselves in the presence of God you can't be drinking from the world's fountain and want a drink from God's fountain at the same time you can't be a double minded man you got to come to church and realize I'm not coming for brother carpenter I'm not coming from my wife I'm not coming for my kids Lord I've got you in my view and I'm going to humble myself yard if it means waving my hands I'm gonna wave my hands if it means crying out Jesus I love you I'm gonna cry out would you stand with me right now Bible said in the year that King Uzziah died his I was 16 years old when he come Uzziah reign for 52 years he started young and he stayed at it for 52 years but you know what the tragedy of his eyes life was the Bible says he was gloriously helped by God until he was strong till he was strong God helped him to prosper but that day that his eyes stepped out said man look what I've done look what I've done instead of being the young 16 year old boy King that can get up and say I started ruling this kingdom when I was 16 years old I didn't know my left hand from my right hand God gave me all kind of military power God gave me all kind of military and building skills I have I have invented new weapons I have armies that are marching instead of giving glory to God oh yes I gave glory to himself and for whatever reason for whatever reason if you figure it out you let me know if you've got to answer that issue you when I dismiss you in a couple minutes you come up and tell me why my brother Ken one day oh yes I said I've been noticing them priests going in the temple with them sensors I've never been in the temple they've never allowed me to go in the temple you know I'm the king I'm do my own thing so he went and got him a sensor and he took off into the house of God and one of the priests saw him go in he said hey hey hey you say you're not supposed to be in there he turns around says I think you're forgetting who you're talking to I'm use I hey I'm telling you and so that priest went and got 80 more priests and they walked into that temple and they said Uzziah you come on out of here right now see him in Houston see see any time you're not humble you're not welcoming people telling you what to do you need to come out of this you didn't get you didn't come out of here and the Bible said these priests tried to reason with him they said if you keep on going back there to that golden altar things are not gonna go well with you and he had a short space of time he's standing looking at those priests and those priests were telling him something that he's never heard them say before no you're not doing this and for a split second he could have looked at them and humble himself I said let's walk out of here boys I don't know what I've got in my mind I don't know why I wanted to do this I don't know why I wanted to come against this but the Bible said he stood there and he led an emotion instead of being humbled he got angry and while he was there gritting his teeth at those men of God telling him you're not gonna do this the Bible said like a cauliflower of leprosy popped out on his forehead you see in the presence of the Lord it can determine your destiny the Bible says he walked out of the temple with him when he could have walked out with a rebuke he walked out with the disease and he died and all it says about him he died and was buried in the field that's all it said about him you know why because you can serve God many years and do many wonderful things and you could blow it all with just a few stubborn prideful actions that's why in the presence of Lord with the Lord in sight I'm gonna humble myself to you today with God in sight I wonder for the next 60 seconds if ever thing in this building that's been baptized with the Holy Ghost we'd begin just in the sight of God to lift up your hands and give God praise right now you'd begin to give God glory right now on local charlet IC colorado boca received I beg you come on I promise you get your eyes on God right now get your eyes on God right now come on let him let him hear you say I love you Jesus I love you Jesus I praise you Almighty God God you've never done me nothing but good lord y'all help us tonight god I don't want to get my eyes a ball off of you Lord I want to cast my eyes upon Jesus oh when I want to cast my eyes upon him Lord I want to see your glory tonight God Father help us God Jesus help us Lord tonight God is the pastor of this church Jesus I pray for every man woman boy and girl in this building father I pray tonight that you would touch us God may we humble ourselves in your sight Lord may we humble ourselves to the Word of God may we humble ourselves tonight God may we submit ourselves Lord to your word Lord even when we don't agree God may we humble ourselves because heaven and earth will pass away but your word will always stand father father father I love you tonight father I praise you tonight Oh eternal God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob hole creator of the universe creator of heaven and earth o Savior they came and bled and died for my sins Oh Holy Spirit that feels my heart I give you praise and honor tonight I'm Lord by your name - my god for that word great and now are greatly to be praised Oh hallelujah hallelujah i love you lord i thank you i think i thank you lord i thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you lord thank you god with the lord and mind with the lord inside humble yourselves in the side of the Lord Jesus name thank you Church thank you so much see you Sunday morning Sunday Sunday morning at 10 o'clock I see you then god bless you God keep you beautiful people cause see God's face to shine upon you you're dismissed in Jesus name