Jesus the Great I Am | Senior Pastor Kenneth Carpenter

go ahead this morning go ahead this morning if you can relate to that song go ahead and praise him right now I am Revelation chapter 19. begin reading in verse number one I give God praise and honor this morning and then I would like also to reiterate as we stand for the reading of God's word we serve and worship and adore a holy God an awesome God and I would like to ask whenever his word whenever his word is being read if you're physically able now I understand there may be those that are physically not able to stand you're physically not able to stand and I believe God would understand that but if you're physically able to stand I as a minister of the Gospel I'd like to ask the church to stand to the reading of God's word and then another thing if unless it would be a an emergency when God's word is being read if we could stand reverently you said that little Carpenter that's old-fashioned I know I know but you know there's things that are old-fashioned at work when the new fashion does it it's nice to have an electric knife to trim the Christmas turkey but if somebody came and borrowed it and didn't tell you they borrowed it and you brought the Christmas turkey out of the oven all hope is not gone you have a knife so I know it's it may seem a little old-fashioned may seem a little not on Cutting Edge but we serve a holy God today Revelation chapter 19 and verse number 11. and I saw heaven opened and behold a white horse and he that set up on him was called faithful and true and in righteousness he doth judge and make war his eyes this gives it away of who this is this is the glorified Jesus Christ The Returning King of Kings his eyes were as a flame of fire and on his head were many crowns and he had a name written that no man knew but himself now there's a name written that no man knows it but himself he was closed clothed with a vesture or a vest dipped in blood and his name see the verse before said his name no man knew now he tells you and his name is called the word of God started a series last Sunday entitled determined to no Doctrine determined to know the doctrine as a subtitle today as a subtitle I want to minister on Jesus The Great I Am Jesus the Great I am father I love you this morning I thank you for your word that has been preserved your word that has been recorded your word God that through time you have kept your hand from the tampering of man Lord we have God in our holding today your infallible word Lord for the next few moments allow me to minister that word Lord allow me God to take that word and Lord take it from a page and put it through my mouth and Lord through the ears and into the hearts of people that their lives will be changed now I'll give you praise and honor in Jesus name we all pray amen and amen you may be seated this morning the Bible says in the Book of Mark chapter 16 and I believe this may help us today to understand the value and the power the value and the power in preaching the word of God not just preaching not just preaching the power is not just in preaching but the power is in preaching the word of God motivational speakers motivational speeches is a multi-million if not a billion dollar industry to go hear someone give a motivational speech to help you to become a better person to be a better salesman and the list goes on and on but preaching the power behind preaching is not in the eloquence of the speaker that the power behind preaching is the word of God now not only is the word of God the power but it is it is who shows up when the word is being preached oh every preacher every person that stands and proclaims God's word ought to covet somewhere in that message God steps in and God begins to move the preacher and the word can touch your ears but it was God that caused that tear to flow down your face the preacher and the word can touch your can touch your hearing but it was God it was God that began to talk to your heart to back this up with a scripture that God will show up when the word is preached Jesus has ascended to Heaven at the time of this scripture Jesus has ascended into heaven and in Mark chapter 16 and verse 20 the Bible says and they went forth and preached everywhere the Lord working look at that church the Lord working with them they went everywhere preaching but who was working with them who was that invisible servant beside them the Lord working with him well how do we know that the Lord is working with us and confirming the word please look at that confirming the word with signs following amen so the Dynamics of preaching this morning the Dynamics of preaching this morning is not just not just preaching a word but the word of God but faith believing as the word is being preached and faith is being received and is taken root in our heart that the Lord comes down and the Lord begins to work beside those preaching the word and then it's left up to us our reception of the word whether there will be con confirmation there will be confirmation confirming the word with signs following we said well tell me what kind of sign you'll be looking at I'll tell you what kind of sign I would be looking at I would be looking at um I would be looking at um sunny and Susu that came to church last Sunday night yes we'd been teaching them about baptism but they had they really had no plans of being baptized but because of the word being preached he confirmed the word well how do you know that they got baptized last Sunday night they didn't get baptized because I asked them to they didn't get baptized because it was the word of a man they got baptized because it's the word of God and they were baptized a few weeks ago here my my good neighbor brother Trey sent me a text I was in we were in Louisiana preaching and he sent me a text that God had been dealing with him and he even texted the a scripture and in the morning would he could he be baptized in Jesus name now folks I'm telling you those are the greatest signs that could ever follow the preaching of the word is that people want to act upon the word amen can you say Amen God works with those brother Ericson God works alongside those that Minister the word Jesus was standing in John chapter 5 verse 39 Jesus was standing with religious leaders and religious rulers and uh they had missed the point of the word they had gotten into the word but they had made a man-made religion out of the word they had taken the word because you cannot take the word and not take Jesus Jesus goes along with the word because he is the word but you can't just take the scripture and not take Jesus but they had taken the scripture but they wanted nothing to do with This Man Called Jesus and Jesus said in John 5 39 Jesus standing talking to these religious leaders he said search the scriptures for in them you think you have life you think you have eternal life he said search the scriptures turn the pages read the verses for you think that they that you have eternal life and they scriptures are they which testify of me he said if you will study the scripture you will find out that I am in the scripture that's why when we preach the word the one we need to show up this morning is not necessarily the preacher because there's other preachers that could take my place and have taken my place but can I tell you we don't want another Jesus to show up because there is there isn't another Jesus to show up so when this Jesus shows up something miraculous is going to happen when this Jesus shows up he says they or they which testify of me look at verse 40 and you will not come to me that you might have life can you see how pitiful these people were they had the Bible in their hand or the Old Testament they have the Bible in their hand and Jesus in their sight and was ignorant of the fact that that Bible would tell you of Jesus he said search the scriptures there's power in the scripture Jesus stood in John chapter 7 verse number 37 Jesus stood at a feast day thank you brother Hammond for that thank you for that word about you know the Fourth of July not being about hot dogs and a day off and Memorial Day and Veterans Day is not just another a long weekend that we can take off there was an event happen that caused us to have this day here is a Jewish feast day that they're celebrating in 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 dream see on that day they would take they believed that one day that the spirit was going to come they believed in ezekiel's Temple of water issuing out from the threshold of ezekiel's Temple you remember the story Ezekiel told it Ezekiel said I see one day water coming from underneath the doors of the temple and the waters or to the ankles and the waters or to the knees and the waters or to the loins and the waters the waters are over our head to swim in and then Ezekiel gives a vision of Heaven the Trees of life he gives that Vision meaning that from the flow of that water from the flow of that water coming from the temple would lead us into that place called heaven and they were having a ceremony they were just symbolically going through they would take they would take golden or silver excuse me they would take silver pictures filled with water and they would pour them down the steps of the temple and they would all had a little ceremony they had a long weekend they a Hot Dog Grill they had a time off they were they had a little ceremony going on but Jesus stands at this feast and he cries in verse 37 If any man thirst let him come unto me and drink I believe we have a thirsty World on our hands I believe one reason that we need to stay true to the word of God and true to preaching the word of God is nothing will quench our thirst like Jesus there's some temporary fixes but there's no Eternal fixes the only thing that can cure you the only thing that can satisfy you is Jesus Christ Our Risen Lord he's the only satisfaction Jesus stood and Jesus cried If any man thirst let him come unto me and drink he that believeth on me cast this now he that believeth on me as grandmother hath said he that believeth on me as my denomination has said well at least I got about five of you that believe that he that believeth on me as he as he believes his own opinion no here's the true meaning he that believeth on me say it with me as the how are we to believe on him out of his belly shall flow rivers of Living Water when they were pouring little buckets of water down some steps that would soon dry that would not satisfy anybody Jesus stood within eyesight and said If any man is thirsty he said is anybody tired of that is anybody weary with not being filled is anybody weary with this Memorial Day is anybody weird with this if you are come unto me and drink for he that believeth on me as the scripture has said out of his belly shall flow rivers of Living Water but catch this now but this spake he of the spirit which they that believe on him should receive for the Holy Ghost was not yet given because that Jesus was not yet glorified he said there's coming a day that I'm going to shed my blood I'm going to be buried in a tomb I'm going to raise I'm going to rise again on the third day and Ascend into heaven and when you begin to hear the preaching of the word of God if you will believe on me as the scripture has said out of your belly starting at the day of Pentecost will flow this glorious life-giving water of the Holy Ghost the Holy Ghost baptism and let me tell you something there is nothing comparable to receiving the baptism of the Holy Ghost there is nothing comparable if you're here today and you're wondering then I got to tell you today obey the promise of God get your nose in the Bible and find out that God has a gift and you just need to claim that gift today it is the baptism if you're thankful for the baptism of the Holy Ghost would you give him a praise of thanks and a praise of Thanksgiving today oh I'm so glad Jesus said many significant words in Matthew Mark Luke and John that are recorded he said many significant words in the gospels Matthew Mark Luke and John about himself he said many significant words about his identity he said many things about himself his purpose on Earth but John John writes specifically of seven statements that Jesus made about himself he writes he he writes in detail about these seven statements the song begin to pull back the curtain for the message today that statement those seven statements all included the phrase I am I am why is this important because when Jesus made those statements I am he was revealing to himself his identity he was revealing that I am Jehovah I am Yahweh I am the god of your forefathers standing here in a fleshly body we know that the origination of the words I am if you would turn in your Bibles to Exodus chapter 3 and verse number 13 Moses stands Moses stands puzzled at a burning bush that is burning is not consumed as he approaches the bush he hears God's voice requiring him matter of fact God must have been old-fashioned because God said when Moses started walking into his presence God says take your shoes off why do I need to take my shoes off because I'm a holy God and I have showed up on this spot and because I have showed up on this spot it makes this spot what church Holy Ground take off your shoes and in verse 13 God had told Moses to go down to Egypt and demand from Pharaoh the release of his people and the Bible says in verse 13 and Moses said unto God behold when I come unto the children of Israel and say unto them the god of your fathers have sent me unto you they shall say unto me or to me what is his name what shall I say to them now I first want this may be very Elementary but a lot of people think the name of God is God the name of God isn't God that is a descriptive title of a deity of a power but he is no ordinary God and so he said when I go down to Egypt and you've got to understand if Moses just went and said God said to let my people go and they would say well what's his name and they would say God well God did well you see these are people and you got to go back in your mind to the to the level of understanding of the audience there were many gods so-called gods in that day you see here in America we were very sheltered you know we think that there's like you know there's like four or five Gods you know but in countries like India there's thousands of Gods there's thousands of Gods so-called Gods so Moses simply says to God what they're going to ask me what is your name because again character is revealed in the name character is revealed in the name and God spoke to Moses and God said you tell them that I am that I am Husky and he said and you go tell them verse 14 excuse me and God said unto Moses I am that I am and he said thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel I am has sent me unto you I am God reveals himself as the self-existing one where did you come from God I am I am the self-existing one how did you get here God I am where did you come from I am was there a god before you I am I am I reveal myself to you God says as the self I declare and describe myself unto you Moses as the I am that I am I am the self-existing god now that was later translated into the word Yahweh or Jehovah all right so I am was translated into Yahweh or Jehovah and so they first know this God that he is the self-existing one before all other gods he is the self-existing one now as the Old Testament would go on they begin to add they begin to add I would say titles to his name they would say Moses would be Moses but Abraham would be on top of the mountain offering up Isaac and God would send a ram up the other side and he would he would reveal himself he would reveal himself as Jehovah I am Jehovah as I am but I want to put something to it jirai what does that mean in the Mount of the Lord it shall be seen you don't understand down below but Abraham I'm going to take you to the top of that mountain and I'm going to let you see a ram caught in the thickets by the horn and then you're not only going to know me sister Carpenter as the Jehovah I am but you're going to know me as Jehovah Jireh he's the god that can provide God would take them into battle and every Army had banners representing who they were but God would take them in a into a battle one day that they would win and he would say he is Jehovah he is I am but he's Jehovah Nissi and that means Jehovah my banner he is Jehovah my provider jaira he is Jehovah my banner Niecy he is Jehovah Rapha he is Jehovah my my healer Jehovah Nissi Jehovah Nissi Jehovah Jireh and and all of these different titles go on Jehovah sister knew the my my righteousness and the the list goes on and on and and I'll tell you I I've come up with another Jehovah I found a I found another Jehovah I came up with another Jehovah I I call him I call him Jehovah nicotine I serve a God that may not come when you want him but he'll come just in the nick of time I said Lord aren't you glad you served Jehovah nick of time today she glad he's come through just in the nick of time for you come on give him praise this morning in the house may not come when you want him but he'll be there right on time all through the Old Testament God I am Jehovah I am I am Jehovah Jireh I am Joe benisi I am Jehovah Rapha I am but then Jesus comes miraculous birth Jesus comes and Jesus begins to speak to a woman at a well oh I feel my help coming on right now I don't know about you can I just ask you a simple question today from the time I've started to right now do you feel the climate change you don't know why I believe that is I believe I believe that the Lord is working with us today because when we preach the word when we preach the word the Lord begins to work Jesus is standing talking to a woman who's in a miserable shape she'd been married five times she's living with someone that's not her own she comes to the well at noon time because she don't want to put up with the judgmental looks of the other women to come around she has to come down to the well when no one's there but she gets in the conversation with this apparent Jewish rabbi and before that conversation is over she says to the Jewish rabbi I gotta go for now I got a water bucket full of water and I gotta head on back to where we live us Samaritans don't have fellowship with you Jews and you Jews don't fellowship with us I'm about to leave you Mr Rabbi and as she said I know that one day that that Messiah is going to come and in verse number 26 of John 4 Jesus say It saith unto her I that speak unto thee am he now we just read that and go right over the top of it but to a first century to a first century Jew or Gentile those valuable words I am cause you to stand at attention anytime you heard Jehovah anytime you heard I am you stood at attention because that represented the god that you served and Jesus said to her that he that speaketh unto thee am he why no wonder she left her water pot the scripture said she left though she forgot about the whole reason she came to the well she forgot about being thirsty she forgot about the need for water at her house she leaves the water bucket at the well goes running into town proclaiming this word come and see a man that's told me every thing I've ever done surely this is the Christ this is the I am this is well no wonder in John 6 20 when the disciples cried out for their lives on that stormy sea when the waves were filling their boat and they had left Jesus miles away on the shore the boat is filling with water the night is dark the winds are strong these men of the sea cry out in fear of their life they had a Superstition in those days that first century people had a sin had had a superstition and that is brother Poole that right before death a death angel would come to them and anytime they would see the death angel come anytime they would see the death angel came I I was at somebody's house one night and they had the windows open up and and all of a sudden one of the windows just fell shut just just just fell shut and horror struck an older person in the living room and they said oh you know what that means don't you and I said I want to say the window seal is loose I I don't what do you oh that means the death angel the Death Angel is coming so the last time that window fell three you know you hear this yeah if you can hear this oh in our family death comes in threes it runs in threes you know he say it's bad luck to step under a ladder we don't step under a ladder it's not it's not safe to do that to begin with they believe that if they were about to die that they would literally see the death angel come and all of a sudden over the waves Here Comes Jesus walking on the water they cried out they thought you know they'd seen a spirit but in verse 20 of verse 20 of John 6 but Jesus saith unto them it is I Be not Afraid in other words he calmed them by saying it is I well let me go on today I want to just very quickly just very quickly John writes his book between 80 80 85 and 80 90. John writes these seven statements of I am as a matter of fact in John chapter 8 and verse 24 if you would go there with me John chapter 8 and verse number 24. Jesus said to them I said therefore unto you that you shall die in your sins if for if you believe not are you with me that I am he you shall die in your sins now you may notice as she's open your Bible as you're reading that many many bibles that that have the words that were added by the translators words that take nothing away from the meaning words that were added by the translators to cause there to be a flow of fault you will soon find out you may even notice in your Bible that when Jesus says for if you believe not that I am the word he is italicized and that's meaning that was added by the translators because the pronoun he there is not a pronoun he in the Greek language there is not a pronoun he so when you read this you would read it like this for if you believe not that I am you shall die in your sins well that caused quite a stir because again going back to statement I'm making to the first century Jew someone claiming to be the I am was blasphemy and the penalty to blasphemy was death well the conversation went on from verse number 24 down to verse number 56. John 8 56 Jesus said your father Abraham because they were really rejoicing that they knew Abraham listen to Jesus your father Abraham Rejoice to see my day and he saw it and was glad then said the Jews unto him or doubt not yet 50 years old and hash thou seen Abraham now let me first tell you what Jesus meant when he said Abraham saw my day and rejoiced he is talking about typology of Abraham taking Isaac to the mountain to offer him up and through that that was a picture of God having a plan of becoming flesh and that flesh would be offered up as a substitute the ram was a substitute for for the Isaac just like Jesus Christ was our substitute and I'm glad that he was our substitute because all of the blood in this building could never redeem a person from the power of sin all the blood of humanity did didn't have any Redemptive power in it but oh when God became a man and that body had blood in it not any ordinary blood but redeeming blood Incorruptible blood blood that could tell the enemy to lose its hold on its victim and I thank God for the blood and if you think I'm getting a little bit excited you are exactly right today what can wash away my sins nothing but the blood of Jesus what can make us whole again another nothing but the blood nothing but the blood come on give him some praise in the house this morning Jesus Jesus said to these religious leaders that prided themselves and Abraham the children of Abraham before Abraham you're not yet 50 years old verse 20 verse 57 you're not yet 50 years old and hast thou seen Abraham they mentioned an age you're not yet 50 years old listen to what Jesus said Jesus said unto them verily verily if you've been in any Bible class of mine you know this right now you can about mouth the words verily is a statement used of the speaker to say hey I need your attention but anytime you see two verilies coupled together the speaker is saying hey hey hey hey I I need your attention hey hey verily verily I say unto thee before Abraham was are you with me I am that wasn't an ordinary flippant off the cup statement I'm going to tell you this is how you know it look at their reaction they said you're not yet 50 years old you're claiming to see Abraham and then he says before Abraham was I am look at verse 59 then took they up stones to cast it him but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple going through the midst of them and so passed by can I tell you today what made them so mad that they would Stone him and run the risk of being in trouble with the Roman government for only they could issue a death warrant what would make them so mad what made them mad was a man stood before them and claimed to be the same I am that's where they all got their beginning they all came out of Egypt they were all slaves down in Egypt until a man named Moses come down and they said what's the name of this God and he said the I am has sent me I am Jehovah Jireh I am Jehovah Nissi I am Jehovah your healer Jehovah Rapha I am I am I am I am in John starts seven statements of the I am I am the bread of life I am the bread I am the bread of life this is found as he spoke to people because there's a lot of them that just wanted the miracle of the loaves Jesus had multiple multiplied fish and bread and the crowds were following him but he knew you're only following me because of your appetite your belly your flesh that's the only reason that you're following me but I want to introduce you to another bread it's a bread that will satisfy not only your belly but it's a bread that will satisfy your soul and so he begins to talk to these people about this bread and in John 6 26 Jesus answered them and said verily verily there it is again I say unto you you seek me not because you saw the Miracles but because you did eat of the Loaves and were filled you seek me for the wrong reason Jesus says labor not for the meat or the bread which perisheth but for that meat or bread which endureth unto ever everlasting life which the son of man shall give unto you for him hath God the Father sealed going down to verse 32 then Jesus said unto them verily verily that is again I say I say unto you Moses gave you not that bread from heaven but my father giveth you the true bread from heaven for the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven and giveth life unto the world then said they unto he Lord give us of this bread and Jesus said unto them I am the bread of life he that cometh to me shall never thirst and he that believeth on me shall or shall never hunger and he that believeth on me shall never thirst can I tell you today I'm not here for a Jesus to get me out of trouble I'm not here today for a Jesus to fix my broke life and when Jesus fixes my broke life I'm out of here until I break down again Jesus is not a glorified AAA service he's come to satisfy your hunger for eternal life and once you can get a hold of eternal life things can go upside down down here you can lose spouses you can lose children you can lose houses you can lose reputation but you can't lose your Everlasting eternal life that's what gives you Joy Joy oh I wish somebody shout Joy I am I am the bread I am the bread of life in John chapter 8 verse number 12. then spake Jesus again unto them saying I am the light of the world he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life now the reason he said this they were at the Feast of Tabernacles brother Copeland the city was filled with the Feast of Tabernacle celebration one of the things of the Feast of Tabernacles is everyone would purchase them a small torch or a small Lantern and they would light them all over Jerusalem you would see these small torches these small lanterns of flames it was all giving memory of when God LED them out of Egypt with that humongous Pillar of Fire that humongous Pillar of Fire that came down to a dark Egypt because when did they come out of Egypt they came out at night they needed a light to come out of Egypt just like we need a light to come out of the sin of Egypt don't you know where I'm going today they needed a light to come out of Egypt and he gave them a pill or a fire and so every every time they celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles everybody would buy them a little torch and put it in their front yard but you see verse 12 there are 11 verses that go before verse 12. at this same Feast of Tabernacles everybody wasn't there celebrating coming out of Egypt there was the spies there there were a group of men that felt it their calling to make sure that all of Israel was holy and that was their calling to make sure everyone was living right modern day Hypocrites is what they are they can't live for God themselves so they just want to spy on God's people to make sure God's people are living right well sure enough sure enough they had been they had had a surveillance going on and they had been noticing a certain married man a certain married woman who's not married to each other they had been talking a little bit too much and instead of being a friend and saying hey you may not want to be alone you may not want to do this they decided they would do a little surveillance and sure enough they they they they caught they they caught them going into the house and they evidently they evidently I I wonder I wonder if she wasn't if that woman might have been like that one woman that never got married she never got married and and and and she she would tell everybody at church when they say you need a man you need a husband and a man and she'd say oh Jesus is my husband Jesus is my husband well one night her house caught on fire and little boy and his dad were standing outside watching the House burn down and a man ran out the back door of that house a little boy said Daddy who was that he said I guess that was Jesus leaving I wonder if she was like that I she's a hypocrite but they called her in the act of adultery and they brought her down where was the man I'd like to know that I'd like to ask that question where where was the man because the law said that both of them were to be stoned but they only brought the woman down and so when they brought her down they brought her in front of Jesus and they said Jesus this woman has committed adultery what do you saying of course you know the story he that be without sin aren't you thankful for are you thankful for Jesus he's a counselor he that be without sin cast the first stone they begin to drop their stones from the oldest to the youngest they begin to leave and then Jesus said woman where are your accusers at I don't have any Lord he said now go and sin no more now let me tell you at the end of verse 11 when he said go and sin no more he turns right around and says I am the light of the world that religious light over there is not changing anybody your little lanterns in your yards your little lights your little celebrations are not changing anyone they're not changing anyone that that is here that Jesus said I am the light of the world now let me tell you three things the light does let me tell you three things the light does number one the light will expose sin because God loves you too much to let you go through life with the thing inside of you that will cause you not to have everlasting life and live with him throughout eternity so God turns on the light it's called it's called conviction aren't you thankful today you're not at a motivational speech my assignment from God today is to turn the light on to allow the light number one the light will dispel the darkness but the light will expose things in my life that the darkness was covering up I didn't know the reason I didn't have joy is I've got this in my life I didn't know the reason that I didn't have peace I've got this in my life but when the light I am the light of the world when the light comes on the darkness has to leave and I begin to see this is the reason I don't have joy this is the reason I don't have peace but number two let me tell you what the light does the light light protects us from our accuser I the light protects us from being stoned if the devil could kill you he had already had all of us in the grave we give the devil too much power sometimes if the devil could kill us he had had every one of us have a car wreck on our way to church but thank God the devil doesn't have the power the light has the power the light has the power and what the light said the light said woman I'm going to expose your sin but I'm also going to hold back the adversary because the adversary wants to damn your soul to a devil's hell but I'm going to hold back the adversary until you make a decision and here it comes woman where are your accusers I have none wait a minute I have none is that the end of the what no no it's not the end I have none Lord you see she made a decision since Jesus came into my life since Jesus turned the light on I'm not mad at him because he exposed my sin I'm thankful he exposed my sin I'm not upset with me with him because my sins have been exposed thank you Jesus you love me so much that you send somebody to preached to me to talk to me I am the light of the world and the third thing the light does we leave there walking in the light of the glory of God of what I used to be that I am that no more what I used to be you see friend you become a Pharisee when you want to erase your past I'm all for erasing the penalty of my past but my testimony is in the past I'm glad that God erased the penalty of my past but I never want to erase the testimony of my past I'm 63 years old I Pastor one of the greatest Apostolic churches in the apostolic movement I am the general super intended boy don't that sound important don't that sound important I am the general superintendent of a global worldwide Fellowship of apostolic men and women man don't that sound good but can I tell you when I was 16 years old I was so lost and so hungry and so in need that I would take the lid to a lawnmower the gasoline tank to a lawnmower and unscrew the lid and stick my nose down in that lid and sniff sniff the gasoline fumes to get a momentary high in my mind I would buy a 99 cent bottle of spray paint spray the fumes in a bag and pull the bag over my head and inhale the fumes until I was overwhelmed and would pass out with a high I was 16 years old with mow yards it's back this back when it was illegal I would mow yards and I would I would get enough money at the end of the day to meet a man down on the corner of a Victor a street and Clinton Highway and the man would pull in and I'd hand him a lot of dollar bills and he would hand me a nickel bag of marijuana enough to sew me up a few marijuana cigarette I don't know what they call them now a few marijuana cigarettes and I'd sneak up to the woods Kathy behind gently kitch's house and I would light him up and I would get I would get high I'm not bragging yourself oh you you shouldn't be telling that you the general Pupa you're the general superintendent you the pastor of this the largest house of worship in in Blount County oh God has saved me from the penalty of that but I never want to be removed from where God has brought me from opraham that's what pushed the step in my wall that's what's brought me back here this morning you don't know like I'm no I wish somebody helped me praise him right now you don't know my dad was waiting up on me one night I kept waiting waiting because I was as high as a Georgia Pine I kept waiting and waiting until I could walk straight I kept waiting and rinsing out my mouth and I kept practicing walking straight so I could walk right by my dad and it was sitting there on the right and I could go through a little opening and go to my bed that was in the Next Room and I kept and showing up I walked right by my dad she's currently I walked right by him not to give him any suspicion I was high but what what doomed the whole thing is when I went to lay down in bed I missed the cotton picking bed and landed flat on the floor busted everything up my dad come in there and I was sure enough busted then I was busted then but I don't tell that to brag and I'm not telling that to erase it either because I'm going to tell you the light exposed my sin and the light protected me from the adversary and now I'm living in the light now I'm living in the light now I'm living in that light I'm living I'm living in that life I am the light I am the light why don't we stand right now I am the light of the world I am the light I am the true bread are you are you hungry this morning are you hungry are you hungry this morning are you weary this morning am I speaking to someone in this room today that you're so hungry for something and you know not what it is you're so hungry you've tried to satisfy it with money you tried to satisfy it with relationships you've tried to satisfy it with the hopes of one day living in a better neighborhood and driving a finer car and wearing better but I got news for you I got news for you you will never make enough to satisfy your spirit's hunger for God you'll never make enough can I appeal to you with everything I have in me and the Lord working with me today why don't you give up why don't you somebody precious family down in Georgia precious Church down in Georgia had a prayer meeting and they made these handkerchiefs and they made one for every member of my family and they said we prayed over these and we had known at these why don't you throw up the white I want you to throw up the flag this morning God I Surrender my life to you God I I'm God nothing has ever satisfied me nothing will ever satisfy me today come on all over this building would you bow your heads with me right now there there's somebody here today and you're trying you're so disappointed you're so disappointed in life you're so weary with life you're so you're so weary with living and you you you you've had your doctor prescribe your things and you've even went by for the happy hours and you you you've tried relationships and you you just you're just one dead in street after another finally you're here this morning at church and I'm here to tell you Jesus is your bread today Jesus is your bread this morning he suffered bled and died and hung on a cross and offered his body his flesh as a source of bread those that would come and believe upon him would find everlasting life in Jesus name right now church family would you pray with me right now oh would you pray with me right now all over this building all over this building all over this building Jesus is here today working with Pastor Jesus is here today because the word is being preached and he's walking the aisles right now saying I am I I am I am I am I am I am would they come and give us a little bit of that song this morning here's Jesus walking the aisles today I am home I am your comfort and release from your stress I am afraid I am faith I am your freedom very young I am home I am peace Jesus foreign Jesus Jesus is here Jesus is here oh my God I am I am I am the one I am in my eyes oh yeah this is forever eyes please hold yourself I am your friends foreign and I want you to understand today that when I say the Lord is working among us today we are the body of Christ we are his hands we are his feet today we are his voice today is someone standing around you may need the I am to reach over and just lay their hand on their shoulder and I'd ask today all over this room if you would just reach over and Touch Somebody join with somebody right now I am begin to pray over them right now somebody needs a touch from God somebody needs the light in their life somebody uh somebody needs a touch right now come on church family oh reach over and encourage somebody I am your encourager I am your encourager today I I am I am I am your encourager right now foreign oh yeah come on right now right now the body the body the body oh God make burdens be lifted large I am I am the bread I am the light I am your nourishment today I am I am I am I am I am I am oh I am I am I am I am Jesus you are The Great I Am Jesus you are The Great I Am Jesus you are The Great I Am oh yes oh may your burdens be lifted may your burdens be lifted in Jesus name today oh may your burdens be lifted in the name of Jesus today oh May there be a Clarity come to your mind may all the Mind fog that you got may it roll away today May there be Clarity in the name of Jesus today may the Lord bring you clear your mind may the Lord I am I am I am the light I am the bread