Join us for Sunday Evening Worship LIVE from Maryville, TN!

you have your Bibles and turn with me to the Book of Jeremiah chapter 29 verse number 10. brother Hammond was mentioning we have a couple here that have been here before but they're here tonight as husband and wife and and we're so thankful we're so very very thankful for the presence the new presence press and family that we have but we also have another family that this is their first Christmas together and that's Brady and Courtney Wilson tonight give it up for them right now amen and I came in tonight and I didn't recognize a young man John Kirby it is so good to have you back home tonight and John's so good to see you Jeremiah 22 10. come on let's celebrate Jesus tonight for thus saith the Lord that after 70 years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you and perform my good word toward you now this is God talking now this is God talking I will perform my good word toward you in causing you to return to this place for I know the thoughts that I think toward you saith the Lord thoughts of peace and not of evil to give you an expected end now let me give you let me break that down to where you understand what he's talking about there that word expected in means I give you a future to give you a future and hope for just a few moments tonight before we have our Candlelight celebration service I want to minister on this simple thought God thoughts God thoughts precious savior tonight we come before you in honor and we come before you in reverence Lord I Thank you tonight for your precious spirit that fills our hearts and our minds I thank you Lord that in a day of hopelessness that we are filled with hope Lord I ask you tonight that for the next few moments that you would use me to take your word and Inspire faith in this room Lord to give someone The Hope and the expectancy of the future Lord I'll give you the praise and I'll give you the honor in Jesus mighty name we pray amen and amen you may be seated tonight I remember I remember Hampton saying that the other night at dinner he was thankful for his for his kids I told him I said well that new family that holding family has moved down here and Hampton's awful sweet on that little Holden girl so we might need to keep an eye on them here just a short description of the scripture here because of Israel's sin God had put them into Babylonian God had put them into Babylonian captivity and God went ahead and told him it was going to be 70 years it's going to be 70 years it's a lot of false prophets that came along and began to tell them that any day they would be going back to Jerusalem and any day that they would be happening they were really giving the people false hope giving them false hope finally God spoke through the Prophet Jeremiah and God just simply said that my good word is going to be towards you you will return to this place but it will be after 70 years is accomplished then verse number 11 that this got my attention for tonight's service God said I know the thoughts that I think towards you saith the Lord I I know the thoughts God said I know what I'm thinking about you I I know the thoughts that I have for you and they are thoughts of giving you a future and they are thoughts of giving you hope for the next few moments I want us just to explore God thoughts God thoughts I don't know if you've ever really paid much attention that God he does split Red Seas and keeps three men safe in a fiery furnace he does rain bread down from heaven and raise the dead but can I tell you who he is also a god who has thoughts he has thoughts Psalms 33 and 11 continuing this pathway of God thoughts Psalms 33 and 11 says this the counsel of the Lord standeth forever the thoughts of his heart to all generations now what that's telling me is although it's been 2 000 years ago since God was born in bethlehem's manger there the thoughts that God has go from generation to generation he is not only the god of your grandparents he is the god of your parents and he is not only the god of your parents he is your god tonight he's not only a God if you can comprehend that God had thoughts about your grandparents and God took care of your grandparents or your parents I've come to tell you tonight that he not only had thoughts about your grandparents and your parents but he also has thoughts about you tonight he has thoughts about you to all generations going down to Psalms 40 and verse number 5. follow me closely Psalms 40 and verse number 5 many O Lord my God are thy wonderful Works which thou Hast done and thy thoughts which are to us word they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee if I would declare and speak of them they are more than can be numbered look at the psalmist he gets in the same vein that I'm in about God thoughts and he begins to say you know when I begin to think about the wonderful thoughts that God has and I begin to try to in my mind just count them and I I just try to to look at them and number them he says I if I would declare them they are more than can be numbered now the next thing I want to tell you is not only God's thoughts transferable not only has did he have thoughts of the grandparents and the parents and you not only are they transferable tonight but they're also they're also more than you can number in other words God thinks a lot about blessing you and I we are on God's thought process when God is thinking God is thinking of ways he's going to bless us and keep us I don't know about you but we just missed a good place for amens and hand claps right there but then something happened in verse 5 to the psalmist he's he's zeroed in on God thoughts more than can be numbered but it's as if the Holy Ghost is taken over and he begins to look at one certain thought that God has one thought that would be the cheap thought sacrifice and offerings thou desirest not mine ears hast thou opened burnt offerings and sin offerings hast thou not required then said I lo I come in the volume of the book it is written of me the psalmist says not only are God's thoughts transferable not only are God's thoughts good not only are God's thoughts more than can be numbered but he said there's one certain God thought that is the thought of all thoughts and that is in the beginning was the word and the Word was with God and the Word was God and the word became flesh let me just break it down to you in the beginning God had a thought and the thought was with God and the thought was God and the thought became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld here listen the greatest thought God ever had about you was not thinking you a better job or thinking you will raise on your job or think making you a better home but the greatest thought God ever had was when God taught about being one of us for the purpose of being a savior clap your hands to the Lamb of God right now give him a thunderous praise give him a praise right now I wish somebody would shout God thoughts God thoughts Lo it is written in the volume of the book it is written of me this wonderful Jesus that we are celebrating him tonight we are celebrating him his he is more than he is more than almighty God thoughts this is the greatest almighty God thought that could happen when God became one of us he gave us what we needed most desperately we needed a redeemer what you and I need most desperately with the unpredictable way of life with the unpredictable way that people are God said I'm going to give you somebody that will never leave you that will never forsake you that will be with you always even to the end of the world Amen I've come to share good news I can't tell you tonight for certainty that someone body is going to always be with you but I can stand flat-footed as a preacher of the Gospel tonight and tell you there is one that had a thought about you that became a man and that man said I will never leave you I will never forsake you I don't know what 20 23 holds but I Know Who Holds 2023 I believe somebody ought to praise him right now somebody ought to praise him right now our greatest need our greatest need a savior our greatest need savior no wonder in Luke 2 10 we read it tonight and the angel said unto them fear not for behold I bring you good tidings good tidings of great joy it's good news it's great joy which shall be to all people what could be good news and what could bring great joy for unto you is Born This Day in the city of David a savior which is Christ the lord a savior the greatest need we have is the need of a savior and praise being to God we have received it tonight we are here celebrating it tonight Christmas is is not about gift giving in Banquets and dinners Christmas is about celebrating that God had these awesome thoughts about us to give us oh Hallelujah the savior well what is a savior a savior is one who saves from any form or degree of evil in its highest sense the word indicates the relation sustained by our Lord to his redeemed ones he is their savior this great message of the Gospel is about salvation and the Savior it is the gospel of Salvation again savior we use that word flippantly Jesus Christ Our Savior that means he saves us from any form or degree of evil what that means is that there is not a lock that our savior cannot break there is not a chain that our savior cannot break there is not a situation or a dilemma church that you can be placed in that the Savior cannot bring you up and bring you out of that at and I'm glad to know his name his name is Jesus are you in the dungeon of depression speak his name tonight have you been hemmed into a corner and there's no way out you gotta speak his name tonight because he is our savior why Isaiah wanted Isaiah told us a few things about him to the verses of scripture that I want to pick from Isaiah is Isaiah 14 or excuse me Isaiah 7 and verse number 14. therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Emmanuel which is god with us so Isaiah prophesied and he said there's coming and a virgin is going to conceive and when the Virgin conceives she's going to Bear a son and this son is going to be God God With Us I know he's a baby in a Manger but don't lose sight that that baby in a Manger is God With Us I know he looks helpless but don't look lucite he is God With Us he didn't become God when he was 30 and was baptized as someone want to say a he didn't become God when he was 12 years old from the time of his conception in the womb he was the almighty God he was in the world and the world was made by him and all things that were made I'm telling you Christmas is a time for celebration Christmas is a time to ring the bells Christmas is a time to see oh mighty God I feel your presence tonight you are my savior but not only that Isaiah would also give us in Isaiah 9 and 6. Isaiah also would tell us something else that this God With Us would have a name for unto us a child is born unto us a son is given the government government shall be upon his shoulder and his name Shall be Called wonderful counselor the Mighty God the Everlasting father the prince of peace now we know that is not his name that is what his name would be called his name Jesus would be called wonderful this word in the Hebrew means miracle and isn't Jesus a miracle miracle by birth Miracle by Resurrection Miracle counselor Mighty God the Everlasting father the Prince of Peace but later on these two scriptures were fulfilled in Prophecy and in the book of Acts Acts chapter 4 verse number 12 let me tell you a little about his name Peter said neither is there salvation savior neither is there any degree of the breaking of evil neither is there salvation in any other for there is none other name under Heaven given among men whereby we must be saved I'm glad to know him in the manger tonight but I'm glad to know the Babe's name and his name is Jesus are you down you ought to use that name do you just feel like all spiritual energy has been drained why don't you try saying Jesus Jesus Jesus have you just put one foot in front of the other and come to a candlelight service why don't you stand on your feet throw your head in the air and begin to say Jesus Jesus Jesus something happens when I call that name something begins to take place when I call that name I can't stay down when I call that name I can't stay out when I call that name when I call that name when I call that name go ahead I want you to do it I want you to do it I want you to call his name tonight I want you to call his name oh Danielle is here tonight her uncle passed away her heart is grieving but can I tell you there's a name that can help a grieving heart Jesus whether ore is here buried his wife a few days ago but can I tell you there is a name that is above every name it's the name of Jesus the saliards are here their son needs a heart transplant there's a name that's above every name and his name Mighty God come on somebody say it with me Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus let me tell you may be seated let me tell you brothers and sisters tonight you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink I can lead you to that name but I can't make you call out on him I can tell you about that name the tragedy of all tragedies would be for you to sit here tonight loaded down with problems and guilt and not say that beautiful name not mention that beautiful name Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus no wonder Philippians chapter 2. no wonder Philippians chapter 2 verse number five listen to Paul let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus who being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God that simply means Jesus the human the human the man was just as much man as he was God and he was as much God as he was a man 100 percent not one-third percent God one hundred percent God he wasn't Jehovah Jr he was Jehovah almighty God he was 100 God but he was also 100 percent man and the man thought it not robbery to be equal with God the man did not take anything the humanity took nothing away from the deity he took nothing away he robbed nothing from deity but made himself of no reputation he took upon him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men being found in fashion as a man he humbled himself and became obedient unto death he even the death of the Cross wherefore God hath highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow of things in heaven and things in Earth things under the Earth and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is the Lord to the glory of God the Father you hear me tonight there is coming a day that every politician in Washington DC is going to bow to the name of Jesus Christ there's coming a day when every government on the Earth is going to bow to that name why don't we do it now why don't we love him now foreign oh religion all religion religion has got it so messed up can I give you a can I give you a quote from Confucius can I give you a quote from Confucius he says this I am not the way can I quote from Buddha Buddha says seek for truth can I quote Muhammad on his deathbed Mohammed Said I don't know the purpose of life Confucius says I'm not the way Buddha says seek the truth Muhammad says I don't know the purpose of life but Jesus said I am the way I am the truth I am the life glory to the name of Jesus tonight I am that way oh hallelujah hallelujah we needed a savior and a savior came job cried out one day in Job chapter 30. and excuse me Job chapter 9 and verse number 30. job was trying to cleanse his life to get purified enough to come into God's presence job was trying to purify his life and job says in job 9 and 30. listen to him now if I wash myself with snow water and make my hands never so clean yet shout out plunge me in the ditch and my own clothes shall abhorred me for he is not a man as I am I should answer him and we should come together in judgment neither is there any Desmond between us that might lay his hand upon both of us job said I'm so rotten sinful I've cleansed my hands in the white of snow but when I do I still come up short with being able to come in his presence job said I'd be cast into a ditch and then job makes a statement he said I wish there would be a Desmond I wish there would be a lawyer that's what a Desmond is I wish there would be a a lawyer that would come in that would lay his one hand upon God in the other hand upon me and stand in between for me and God I'm not pure enough to touch God on my own brother Kenny but if a Desmond could come if somebody that would be pure enough Abel with one hand of humanity to lay it upon sinful Humanity but Abel with the other hand a Divinity to connect it into the throne room of God job you missed it by about three thousand years buddy because a little baby born in bethlehem's manger was going to become the mediator for you and I he was going to be able to touch the woman caught in the act of adultery he was going to be able to touch the leper and they would be clean in that way he was going to touch you and I just to mention look at the cross with me tonight I know we're in the manger but look at the cross the cross has four points tonight the cross has four points each point of the Cross goes in a different direction One Direction Goes to Hell One Direction Goes to Hell as if to as if to stab hell and defeat hell of its power the other point of the Cross reaches up to heaven has him to puncture heaven to release the power of the throne room of God for the mayford one point of the Cross goes to a repented sinner it says remember me when you come into the kingdom but the other point of the Cross goes into a rebellious Thief it says if you be he come down can I tell you that this God that I'm preaching about tonight has got you covered from every direction he has done defeated hell he has done placed his cross in hell he has done taken over the realm of the domain he has done stepped out every foe that you may have you don't have a habit that he cannot break you don't have a situation or a circumstance that he cannot take care of he has not placed his cross in Hell he's been taking care of it for you oh my God my God my God whoa somebody ought to get happy somebody ought to ring the bells the Savior has been born the Christ has been come on Church come on Church ring the bell tonight come on ring Praises tonight hell has been defeated chains have been broken addictions have been subdued relationships have been made whole stand with me tonight you can't preach him as just a little baby in a Manger you can't preach him and keep him there oh mighty God you say brother Carpenter I thought we were supposed to take it easy today can I tell you that I talked to a little couple this morning it said we got up said our church was closed down said we got up our church was closed down see we try to find churches we just got on the internet said you all popped up on Instagram and here we are we can't take it easy somebody needs to leave here tonight knowing that Because He Lives I Can Face tomorrow because he lived somebody needs to leave here saying Jesus judge judge Jesus somebody needs to leave here one one life one live follow me here it was a man born of Jewish parents in an obscure Village he grew up in another obscure Village he worked in a carpenter shop until he was 30 years old and then for three years he was an itinerant preacher he never wrote a book he never held office he never owned a home he never had a family he never went to college he never put one foot inside a big city he never traveled 200 miles from the place where he was born he never did any of the things that usually accompany greatness while still a young man the tide of popular opinion turned against him his friends ran away from him he was turned over to his enemies and went through the mockery of a trial his executioners gambled for the only piece of property that he had his coat when he was dead he was taken down and laid in a borrowed grave but let me tell you all the armies that have ever marched in all the Navies that have ever been built and all the parliaments that have ever sat all the kings that have ever reigned put together have not affected the life of man upon the Earth as this one solitary life I'm glad I know him tonight that little babe that little flicker of light in the dark world I want you to listen to me tonight I need to just just go to the side for just a moment in just a moment they're going to be coming through and they're going to be lighting these candles please do not let a little child please do not let a little child foolishly if you're standing beside a child and they have a candle please be a very responsible adult with that and make sure that they hold that candle but uh that one life I what are the almonds would you come brother Jeter both brother jeters would you all come tonight I need you to help me light some candles tonight just one just one babe in a Manger just one as the lights are being dimmed just one please wait in the audience please wait to light please just one just one one life two thousand years ago one light began to burn one light began to burn just one light he said I am the light of the world he lived for 33 and a half years 33 year 33 and a half years his thoughts were to go to Calvary 33 and a half years his thoughts were to pay the ultimate sin dead Satan would not have a right to accuse God of being Injustice for holy God would make a way that sinful man could come into His presence 120 disciples made it to the upper room and on the day of Pentecost God filled the 120 with his spirit he sent them out into the world Judea Samaria the outermost parts of the Earth soon Europe heard the word soon Asia heard the word somehow someway across the Atlantic the word came and Men begin to have the light of God within them men begin to have that light placed within them in the light of God for 2 000 years as the prophet Isaiah so beautifully spoke of the increase increase of his government increase of his government there shall be no end do not be deceived tonight Church of the Living God we are not being decreased in number but there are more Spirit-filled water baptized Believers alive currently on this Earth than they have ever been in the history of the Church of Jesus Christ I'm glad that his life has affected us tonight oh let's let our light shine oh thank you savior thank you master go ahead singers take us before the Lord and song tonight I give you praise tonight look at how this place is being illuminated tonight look at how we're being illuminated your life does matter your life does matter but we've got to stay Tethered to Jesus Christ your life does matter tonight in the name of Jesus