Our Lifeline is Prayer | Senior Pastor Kenneth Carpenter

you would be second to stand in honor of the reading of god's word tonight and say i've got i've got my part of the net that brother ball so beautifully preached about uh last wednesday evening time to get the nets down back in the water and i got my i've got my net here i'm gonna put it back in the water what a fantastic message what a fantastic message turn with me to the book of luke chapter 11 the book of luke chapter 11 and we're going to begin reading at verse number 1 luke chapter 11 and verse number one when you found the place in the bible say amen and it came to pass that as he was praying in a certain place when he ceased one of his disciples said unto him lord teach us to pray as john also taught his disciples and he said unto them when ye pray say our father which art in heaven hallowed be thy name thy kingdom come thy will be done as in heaven so in earth give us day by day our daily bread forgive us our sins for we also forgive everyone that is indebted to us and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil tonight for a few moments i want to minister on the subject our lifeline is prayer our life line can you say lifeline our life line is prayer our life line is prayer please help me pray mr carpenter gave me a request of someone a sister sonja fowler turned in a name god knows all about the situation god knows all about the circumstances could we just remember that as we pray right now would you pray with me father i love you lord you know tonight as i stand before your people that god talent talent or the ability to speak is not what your people need lord they need your eternal word presented to them tonight lord jesus i pray for this request that sister sonja fowler has turned in god you know the need right now lord you know the need lord i ask you to answer these prayers lord for a number of reasons lord i pray that prayers would be answered that your name could receive the glory that your name could receive the glory and the honor god that it's so deserving of lord i ask you tonight to move upon that situation and i ask you lord to anoint my limbs of clay that i could feed your sheep tonight in jesus name we pray amen amen i want you as you're being seated to give god the best hand clap you've given him all night oh that's right come on that's the best one i've heard all night long jesus deserves it jesus deserves it i am not a pessimist i am not a doomsday preacher i am not a gloomy outlook preacher but i do feel compelled tonight to come before you be no news to you if you watch any news at all things are getting shaky out there things are getting shook up listening to the news today i heard words like world wide famine i wasn't aware of the fact that ukraine produces 40 of the world's wheat of the world's wheat leaders notable leaders are telling us to brace for a time a famine a time of a scarcity of food a time a time of trouble i would be less than a man of god if i didn't prepare the church for whatever we may go through prayer is our lifeline prayer is our lifeline there's not a situation that you or or i can get into that prayer cannot bring us out of prayer is our lifeline and quite honestly tonight sister carpenter if when the lights are turned off in the parking lot i don't believe it to be completely empty again but when everybody's gone home if everyone could just lay their head on their pillow tonight and remember one phrase of the bible lesson prayer is our lifeline prayer is our lifeline i would consider myself successful tonight if a week from tonight if somebody said what did pastor teach about last wednesday night you would turn to them and say he taught us about prayer being our lifeline i can tell you one thing that is not the will of god for us to do with whatever is coming our way i can tell you simply it is not god's will for us the church to be gripped by fear it is not god's will it is not god's will for whatever is coming up on this earth that we may be here it is not god's will that we would be gripped with fear but we would be gripped held by faith faith that is the product of a prayer lie a prayer life i am reminded in 2010 2010 the mine in chile that collapsed and i believe that several miners uh the number escapes my mind that they were trapped hundreds of feet below the earth's surface for 17 days for 17 days there was no communication between where they were at in the mine and above ground but somehow someway they drilled a small hole and they were able to lower down communication and they were able to lower down food and that small hole that gave them nourishment because when the mind collapsed they only had enough emergency food and kits down below to last two days and they had to take two days of food and stretch it over 17 days and then from that small hole was drilled another hole and then another hole and then another hole until there was a hole that was wide enough that they could drop down a capsule and they could take those trapped minors to the surface i feel much like those miners tonight that this world seems to be collapsing in around us but i come tonight not with a message of gloom and fear and doubt but i've come to tell you that prayer is our lifeline prayer is our lifeline prayer it's interesting in my text this evening the bible says it came to pass in luke 11 1 as jesus was praying in a certain place when he ceased one of the disciples came to him with a request with a request lord teach us to pray teach us to pray as john taught his disciples to pray well the first thing that we that we understand is that evidently jesus had had not done any teaching to them on prayer i believe the best teacher of prayer is to model prayer i do believe that he was going to teach on prayer but i believe that before he was going to be a teacher of prayer he was going to model prayer because after all it was while he was praying that they said lord would you teach us would you teach us how to pray and they didn't stop there they said just like john teaches his disciples to pray turn with me to turn with me just a few chapters back luke chapter 5 and luke chapter 5 and verse number 33 luke chapter 5 verse 33 and they said unto him why do the disciples of john fast often and make prayers and likewise the disciples of the pharisees but vine eat and drink well this question came up they said jesus we want to ask you something about your disciples what's that why do they not fast and pray like john's disciples fast and pray and like the pharisees fast to pray would you would you tell me why your disciples are not fasting and praying the answer came in verse 34 and he said unto them can you make the children of the bride chamber fast while the bridegroom is with them but the days will come when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them and then shall they fast in those days let me tell you what he was telling them there he was telling them that he is the bridegroom and that he is with them and that the children of the bride chamber they do not fast while the bridegroom is there with them it is only in the absence of the bridegroom the disappearance of the bridegroom that they would begin to fast and they would begin they would begin to pray turn to john keep a keep a note there and and keep a note there in in luke 11. we'll come back to that that'll be our that'll be our uh point of reference for the bible lesson tonight john chapter 16 verse number 21 keep in mind he's giving the answer for why he hasn't done teaching to the disciples about prayer he says to them he is the bridegroom and he says as long as the bridegroom is visible as long as the bridegroom is there they don't pray they don't fast because the bridegroom is there but the day will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them and then will they fast then will they pray john 16 verse 21 jesus speaking again on this subject said a woman when she is in travail has sorrow as she's giving birth the pains a woman when she is in travail has sorrow because her hour has come but as soon as she is delivered of the child she remembereth no more the anguish for joy that a man is born into the world in other words he likens it to a woman giving birth and she's going through the pains of birth but but when the child is delivered and she she knows a child safe and healthy tears of joy begin to flow from the woman he says then in verse 22 and ye now therefore have sorrow but i will see you again and your heart shall rejoice and your joy no man taketh from you now he's talking about calvary he's talking about he's going to be presented in a light that they've not seen him he's been the miracle worker he's been the problem solver but he is about to enter a stage with them he is the bridegroom he is with them but he's about to enter a time in his ministry that he's going to be crucified and he's going to be buried he's going to be gone from their vision he says in verse 23 and in that day ye shall ask me nothing verily verily i say unto you whatsoever you shall ask the father in my name he will do it now now follow this with me now follow this as i'm i'm just doing some teaching and i follow this he says while the bridegroom is here what i'm here with you why would you pray i'm right here with you but the day is going to come when i'm going to be taken from you i'm going to be put in the hands of sinners i'm going to be crucified you're going to have great sorrow but on resurrection mourning your joy is going to be restored i'm going to be with you a few more days and then i'm going to ascend into heaven but then the holy ghost is going to come in that day this is what he's talking about in verse 23 and in that day you shall ask me nothing verily i say unto you whatsoever you shall ask in the father's name the father in my name excuse me he will give it look at verse 24 heather ii in other words he's saying up to this point hitherto have you asked nothing in my name ask and you shall receive that your joy may be full lord teach us to pray like john taught his disciples you've got to understand john taught his disciples that they were to believe upon him which was to come which was the messiah the christ they had never seen him they had never seen the christ john was saying you need to pray you need to have a prayer life because you can't see him but you need to believe that he's coming now they come and they ask the lord would you teach us to pray as john taught his disciples going back to chapter 11 of the book of luke jesus in verse number 2 jesus said when ye pray when ye pray say our father our father now when we go to god in prayer we have got to have the mindset that we are approaching our father we got to have the mindset we're approaching our father please he's not the man upstairs he's not the man upstairs he's not the boss he's our father would you just look at that word can i just give us a a a little bit of a test how many of you your prayer sounds a little bit like mine i'm trying to correct it when we go to god in prayer does your prayer sound a little bit like mine i'm trying to correct it does it sound something like this god i praise you god i worship you god i thank you now i'm talking about when you start praying god i i you are you noticing something with my prayer what's it got i the lord said when you pray i want you to start your prayer off not with an eye but our can i tell you tonight that our lifeline is prayer and when we go to god in prayer we're not the long-ranger we're not all by ourselves but he's our father he's our father kind of help you get rid of self-righteousness because you got to understand that he's the father of that person that you may not really feel is all that deserving of a father but he is our father you understand he's our father he's not the man upstairs he's not the boss he's our father he said when you pray say our father now notice their praying was not really to begin they did pray before the day of pentecost but the prayer that he's teaching them about would only start after the day of pentecost he said up to this point you've asked nothing in my name but said that time's going to come that you'll ask the father in my name well wonder this this father this father where does it come from why did it have to wait till the day of pentecost why did he say that that we're going to go through this trial and we're going to go through this test but then in that day and he's referring to pentecost why turn over with me to the book of romans romans sheds the light on why this would be on the day of pentecost romans chapter 8 and verse number 15. romans chapter 8 and verse number 15. paul is saying here to the church at rome church you have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear do you know what they had before pentecost they had the law they had the dispensation of law and the dispensation of law is crossing every t and dotting every eye and making sure every blemish is gone and the the the dispensation of the law gendered fear but he said you have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear but ye have received it's the day of pentecost you have received the spirit of adoption whereby we cry abba father abba father that abba aramaic and it's the most intimate uh some have used it uh it's the most intimate it's not the it's not the word father it's an intimate word of father it could be a word like daddy it could be it could be it it's an intimate word and he said when the day of pentecost happens and you receive the gift of the holy ghost you're not going to receive a spirit of fear again unto bondage and the as the world is collapsing in around us we have the spirit of god inside of us we have the spirit of adoption inside of us and you know what that spirit causes us to cry that spirit causes us to cry abba father so when i go to god in prayer the first thing i'm going to keep on the back of my mind i'm not coming to the boss i'm not coming to one that's wanting to write me off i am coming to my heavenly father abba abba father i'm coming to my father turn on over a couple of books to the book of galatians galatians even shares even more galatians chapter four and verse number six galatians four well let's read verse number five because it talks about a different dispensation the dispensation of the law galatians 4 and 5 to redeem them that were under the law that we might receive the adoption of sons and because he our sons god has sent forth the spirit of his son into your hearts crying once again crying abba father abba father prayer is our life line do not fear church in the collapsing of the world around us we have a line of communication with heaven and prayer is our lifeline he is your father tonight he is our father this evening go to the old testament with me for a moment the old testament in isaiah chapter 9 isaiah chapter 9 and verse number 6 isaiah wants to give us prophecy of jesus christ what he is like for unto us a child is born unto us a son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulder his name shall be called wonderful counselor the mighty god the everlasting what the ever lasting father i don't know how long the war is going to last in ukraine but i got good news to the church he's everlasting which simply means he's going to last longer i don't know how much trouble we're going to endure down here but by the name of jesus and with the spirit of adoption inside of me praise god he's going to be the everlasting father now go back to luke 11 which is going to be all over in this bible lesson tonight our father which art in heaven where is our father at where is he at our father are in heaven who is our father jesus christ is our father well no wonder when they were going to be taught how to pray that he didn't teach them right then because he was on the earth right then but he's talking about in that day when you pray when you pray i know john's disciples are praying right now because they don't see me but the day's going to come you're not going to see me but it's then you're going to pray but you're going to have my spirit within you and in that day you're going to know that i am your father our father where's our father at tonight our father who art in heaven look at the book of hebrews the book of hebrews why is our father in heaven the book of hebrews the book of hebrews chapter 4 and verse number 14. hebrews chapter 4 verse number 14. if you're there say amen seeing then that we have a great high priest that is passed into the heavens jesus the son of god let us hold fast our profession let's don't get let's don't get let's don't get shaken let's don't certainly get shook out you might get shook up in these last days but for god's sake don't get shook out you know if you've ever held on to your profession if you've ever held on to jesus christ your determination your consecration if you've ever held tight hold on now don't leave now this thing's wrapping up he said because we have because we have this high priest let us hold fast our profession verse 15 for we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities but was in all points tempted like as we are yet without sin let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in the time of need now turn over to hebrews turn over to hebrews chapter 7. turn over to hebrews chapter 7 now and verse number 22 hebrews chapter 7 verse 22 but so much was jesus made a surety of a better testament and they truly were many priests because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death but this man which is jesus because he continueth ever hath an unchangeable priesthood wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto god by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them look at this our father who art in heaven who is our father jesus is our father what is he doing in heaven he's just not sitting on a on a throne up there twiddling his thumbs waiting for the prophecy clock to click and and rapture the church no he is in the he is in the place of an intercessor do you know jesus is praying for you and and and myself tonight do you know he's praying for us to make it do you know that he ever liveth to make intercession for the sake for the for the people that come to him you know the other old testament priests died they couldn't fulfill that they would die but he ever liveth where is our father tonight our father is in heaven what's he doing he's in a place of intercession for us as a matter of fact it's only by the blood and by the name of jesus that gives us access into the holy of holies did you see what i read a moment ago i come and i find mercy by the name of jesus i'm not fit i'm not proper i'm not deserving to be in the throne room but when i mention the name of jesus i've been adopted into this family and i can boldly come into that throne room would you give him some praise tonight would you give him some praise right now jesus is praying for me go back to luke chapter 22 for a moment go to luke chapter 22 and verse number 32 he gives us just a little glimpse in this story of what he's doing right now right now presently at 8 27 p.m eastern standard time what is where is our father at in heaven what is he doing right now he's praying for you he's praying for you he gives us just a little snippet of this in luke 22 and verse 32. well let's read verse 31 and the lord said simon simon behold satan hath desired to have you that he may sip you as wheat you know what scepted wheat is don't you that's where that's where you take the weed you shake it you beat the wheat the the the chaff the husks falls off and the grain is on the inside in other words let me interpret to you the deep greek language tear you up satan wants to tear you up satan desires like a roaring lion he wants to tear you up he wants to tear me up he he he wants to he wants to get a simon simon satan had desired to have you that he may sip you as we look at verse 32 take comfort in this take comfort in this know this day and night but i i have prayed for you that thy faith fail not now notice what he said and notice what he didn't say he didn't say i prayed for you and i rebuked the devil and the devil shall not come yea nigh unto me he didn't say that he said satan wants to tear you up he wants to rip you to shreds but i have prayed for you that your faith does not fail you know what's going to get us through wars in ukraine and wars in russia do you know what's going to get us from here to the rapture our faith in god our faith in god is going to see that church i don't know how much we're going to see i'm hearing on the news famine i'm hearing on the with the news a worldwide famine but church let's not get caught up in fear let's get caught up in faith because prayer is our lifeline he is our father i have prayed for you that thy faith fail not and when thou art converted strengthen thy brethren strengthen the brethren i'm praying for you i make an intercession for you that there's a conversion happen you know what the lord's praying for us tonight for us to be converted for us to be changed go back to luke 11 and 2. and he said unto them when you pray say our father let's see that sounds good doesn't let's say that together those two words you say it with me doesn't that sound good would you do it again that just i don't know about you but that is warm to me that is warm to me please indulge me one more time praise god he's not the boss he's not the man upstairs he's which art in heaven hallowed be thy name father's not the name jesus said i have come in my father's name what a name thy kingdom come thy kingdom come when you pray you say lord thy kingdom come thy kingdom now because the word kingdom is used we're not familiar with that we are more familiar with the term government government because that's that's exactly what it means thy kingdom or thy government come we must understand that as flesh we are united states citizens but as spirit we're citizens of another country please you got to believe this in the flesh i proudly say i am a citizen of the united states of america but as spirit i worshipping say i'm from another world i'm from an another kingdom and in one way i'm governed by the constitution of the united states of america but in a much better way i'm governed by a constitution of the word of god thy government thy government come now this word government means it means governing it means controlling it means governing and and and controlling now let me add this to to this bible lesson tonight when we are born again and cry abba father it doesn't mean that we automatically have all the governing power of god upon our lives because this governing power must be welcomed and sought after by the prayer of the children of the kingdom that's why new converts need to quickly be taught to pray if you're praying you're staying right if you're praying you're staying that's why people need to quickly find the prayer room that's why we as as as older brothers and sisters need to be looking at the babies born in the altar and in the baptismal pool and be able to start leading them because just because you're born again doesn't automatically mean that the government comes upon you you have to pray the government upon you you have to pray god's god's governing power and i've got news for you god is neither a republican nor democrat god has his total government that's totally his and there's none like his government now follow me now we have to pray thy kingdom come thy government thy government come we'll turn john chapter 3. this is why don't ever try to witness to someone who is not born again about the government of god they can't see it you're wasting your time when someone begins to ask you about the government that's upon your life and while you're why you are governed why you have allowed a lifestyle to govern your life for you to start explaining of why you don't do this and why you don't do that and why you lay this down to someone who is not born again is a waste of your time they can't see it they can never see it until this happens john chapter 3 and verse number 1. there was a man of the pharisees named nicodemus a ruler of the jews the same came to jesus by night and said unto him rabbi we know that thou art a teacher come from god for no man can do these miracles that thou doest accept god be with him now listen to this religious man coming to jesus and telling jesus can we tell you what we know about you jesus just wanted to inform him and so jesus said in john 3 3 jesus answered and said unto him verily verily i say unto thee except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of god except a man is born again he cannot see the government of god except you have a new birth you cannot see the government of god nicodemus said unto him how can a man be born when he's old can he enter the second time into his mother's womb and be born jesus answered verily verily i say unto thee except a man be born of water that's water baptism and of spirit that spirit baptism he cannot enter into the kingdom of god of the government of god he said it takes a new birth it takes a new birth for you to be able number one to see it notice that's what he said first it takes a new birth for you to see it that has to do with your eyes meaning that before you're born again you are blind the bible says that you are the bible says the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them but oh when you're born again your eyes get open and you can see the government of god then the second thing that happens the second thing after you see the government of god he went on and said that then you can enter that has to do with your legs before you're born again you are blind and crippled you cannot see nor enter to the kingdom the government of god no matter how good works you've got you don't have it doesn't matter how much money you give to the united way it doesn't matter how many good works you do if you're not born again you'll never see the ways of god but then when you're born again notice verse 6 that which is born of the flesh is flesh that which is born of the spirit is spirit marvel not that i said you must be you must be born again now we have to understand that prayer is that great helper for us to yield to the government of god because i'm going to go ahead and tell you after you get through speaking in tongues and after you get dried off from the baptism you're going to come to a bible study much like this one and god has got a person called a pastor that's going to begin to teach about the government of god now the first thing that's going to happen is your flesh of which you're still very much a part of is going to resist because that flesh has been used to living free but that person called that pastor or that teacher is going to step to a platform and he's going to begin to tell you that this is the restraint this is the way that god wants you to be now you will because you still very much live in the flesh there will be a resistance and there can even be a humanistic way of interpreting the bible now turn with me just for a moment let's go back to isaiah isaiah chapter 9. isaiah chapter 9 verse 6 again isaiah chapter 9 verse 6 again of course this is talking about the jesus christ for unto us a child is born and as a son is given government shall be upon his shoulder his name shall be called wonderful counsel of the mighty god the everlasting father the prince of peace verse 7. look at this closely of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end there's an increase of the government you see we have quite a challenge in the apostolic church because we rub shoulders to shoulders with those that preach a christ that once you have believed upon this christ you are absolutely complete there's nothing you could ever do to be unsaved there's nothing you could ever do you are eternally sealed there's nothing that you could ever do to mess to mess that up you don't have to attend church you don't have to line up to the word you are sealed we've all been to those funerals where someone got up and said you know 400 years ago so and so gave his life to christ and not really seen him since but we know that he's walking streets of gold you see the apostolic church takes the counsel of god and understands that when we're born again that's the birth certificate now we come and sit on a pew and have a pastor take the word of god and put it on us and if if if we don't if we don't really stay in a prayerful mode you get people praying that's why i'm a big promoter of prayer before church it's easy to have church with people that pray before church but you get a group of people that don't know how to pray before church that's some rough sledding friend i'm going to tell you i'm going to tell you right now it's like pulling hen's teeth i mean it's just it is just rough time but prayer keeps you prayer keeps you in that in that frame of mind to say god bring it on because of the increase you see as children of god we ought to always be increasing in the government god god i want you to have more control of my life and more as a single man god you put those restraints on me and now god is a married man you put those restraints on me and now god as a middle-aged man you put those restraints on i don't want to i don't want to buck him i don't want to fight away from him i want to yield i want to yield to him i'll tell you in landing this plane tonight of a bible study i'll tell you the one thing i struggled with can i tell you the one thing i struggle with coming to god i um i struggled with this thing called tithing now i know i'm the only one i i understand it's not i'm a big sinner i understand that but i struggled with it i was born again i got the holy ghost i got the power but i struggled with it i i struggled i i struggled with it um it was something sister carpenter it was something brand new to me it was something absolutely branded i was and this is why we need to train our children we need to train our children it was brand new to me now i'm going to tell you here's how i looked at it here's how i looked at it although i was born again i had way more month than i did money i was born again i was talking in tongues i was shouting but i was having financial trouble tires wearing out on my car car breaking down getting rained out this and that never never having quite enough and what would you know in my mind i had it figured out one of these days one of these days i get my finances right i'm gonna be a tither i'm gonna be a tough one one of these days i get my finances sit i'm i'm gonna be a tither i'm i'm one of these days i'm gonna i'm gonna get things situated and i'm gonna be a tither just right now i can't afford to tithe and don't you know that god would have my governor get up and make an outlandish statement that went like this you can't afford now can you understand how that was fitting with me because thy kingdom come you've got to pray that when things of the word of god just don't go here you got to have a heart of prayer saying god let your kingdom come and i thought well well god i can't afford to and then the pastor got up and he said you can't afford not to well then i started this thing i kind of hit and miss i i know i'm the only one no i'm the only one i start hitting and missing i i get my faith really built up and man man i'd look at that money and tithing shonies tithing mcdonald's tithing go out with everybody eat a hamburger and there were times i won the battle and slipped it in there put it in then i got this idea well i want to go to shawnee tonight i'll tell you what i'll do i'll double up next week now i know i'm the only i know i am i bet you i get calls from pastor sunday saying do you know i had so and so here at our church sunday i'm telling them come on back come on back out i'm gonna double up and you know what if you can't get be faithful giving god 20. you ain't gonna be faithful with 40. but oh then i had another bright mind sister thought i had another income tax time god it'll all be yours god how many knows that that never comes and you know what helped me when i just got tired of struggling and i just said god if this is what you want god and i i i you know now now obviously to remove to remove any doubt that is something that i have a long since that victory over all right but now but now i see it just like that pastor does for god's sake you can't afford not to tithe you're going to stay the way you are until you begin to let thy government come upon you let that government that control be a boy how many is thankful for that tonight how blessed we are then there was church attendance because you know we live in a culture of c and e christians christmas and easter we live in a culture now and there was at those church services and you know i don't have time don't have enough time as it is and um thank god for that government it didn't come easy it didn't come easy there was prayer that had to go you had to pray the light your lifestyle changed there's a lot of things there's a lot of things your lifestyle change do you do you know we're talking about money right now but do you know the greatest currency you have tonight is your obedience to the word of god that's the greatest currency listen them few dollars you've got in your pocket they're not powerful but you're obedience to god's word it's the atomic bomb of your life it's the greatest your obedience well let me uh thy kingdom come and thy will be done right stop looking for the will of god if you've not submitted yourself to the kingdom of god a lot of folks i have a lot of fun there's folks that just they are they are forever searching for the will of god for their life the will of god i want to be in the will of god and i just want to ask them before the will of god is the kingdom of god has the government come in your life have you submitted yourself to the government of god because his will comes after thy kingdom come and thy will be done now in closing tonight it is impossible for you to have your will and god's will at the same time some one's will has to decrease if it's your will guess whose will decreases god's if it's god's will and you decrease then god's will in your life but once again says carpenter although we're born again this is why we pray although we're born again we still live in flesh that's somebody worshiping one night not here is in a camp meeting someone was worshiping and someone leaned over to me and said do you think they're in the flesh and i thought to myself well i hope they are because i love the holy ghost but i mean when you start seeing that i don't know about that all right you got to understand it's pretty as we dress up we still look at me now we're still in the flesh guess what our flesh battles with stubbornness and again i'm just talking about myself you all are just watching the revealing of the center tonight okay i know stubbornness yes yes did i hear that what did i hear you you say that sir carpenter what's what's it called rotten stinking flesh do you know when we don't pray rotten stinking flesh just let me give you a few verses stubbornness would you give me deuteronomy chapter 9 verse 13. deuteronomy chapter 9 and verse 13. listen to god furthermore the lord spake unto me saying i have seen this people and behold it is a look at look at the phrase what kind stiff neck when he wants to describe people that won't turn he says you're stiff-necked you're stiff-necked look at verse 27 of the same chapter remember thy servants abraham isaac and jacob look not unto the stubbornness of this people nor to their wickedness nor to their sin we don't pray church here pastor tonight if you don't pray you become a stiff neck i'm not changing i've been this way all my life go ahead sister step neck go ahead brother step neck i don't know about you but i want to always be changing i want to be i want to be becoming more like jesus christ with every year that goes by god turned my neck god help me to turn god god i may not have done the best i could in 2021 but god this is 20 22 lord help me to turn myself god don't ever give up on me lord well let me read the last chapter tonight the last verse acts chapter 7 and i believe it is verse 51 stephen is preaching the gospel he is preaching to a group of people and evidently they did not receive him and in verse 51 acts chapter 8 or excuse me acts chapter 7 and verse number 51 can we just praise god while they're finding that on the screen please could we just can we just praise him right now let's just come on come on thank you lord now let me give you a little test tonight let me give you a little test tonight because your flesh is deceiving you okay you ever notice how it's much more easier if i had said would you all stand we're going to dismiss but because i said could we just praise the lord it was kind of like it's our flesh and the only thing that's going to help our flesh is going to be prayer prayer is our lifeline prayer is our lifeline verse 51 watch this now how's this for an altar call how's this for an altar call you stiff-necked they didn't have any organ playing in the background you're stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears ye do always resist the holy ghost as your fathers did so do ye i've got a little note here that simply says stiffneckness can run in the family he said he said you are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in ears and heart he said you resist the holy ghost just like your father did he said he said i remember your father's they were stiff-necked now there's one thing about it that i don't want it to run in my family i don't want skip neckness to run in the carpner family i do not want to have grandkids that are stiff-necked i don't want to have sons and daughters that are stiff-necked and this is this is it's probably going to end on a little bit of a negative thing but when you've pastored as long as i have you have pastored long enough to see children and grandchildren that inherited things from their father their father had an issue with worship their father had an issue with somebody telling them to stand and lift their hands so guess what because father was stiff neck junior was stiff-necked mama had an issue with holiness i've seen it been pastor almost 40 years i've seen it mama had an issue with i've seen it to where grandma had an issue with holiness grandma had an issue with it then her daughter had an issue with it and grandchildren had an issue with it and regardless of how much you teach it to them it runs in their family he said your step-neck so were your daddy your daddies were stiffening man those are fighting words right there you're not only stepping your daddy was a stiff-necked person well i want to be like here's what i want to be like brother troy i want to be like the little boy in sunday school that was asked why he was baptized in jesus name and he told the sunday school teacher these words why am i baptized in jesus name he said why my mom and daddy were baptized in jesus name why am i baptizing jesus name why my mama and my papaw on both sides were baptized in jesus name why am i baptized in jesus name my great-grandparents were baptized in jesus name so sunday school teacher i guess to answer your question of why i was baptized in jesus name i guess it just runs in the family you know what i want prayer to run in my family i want i want i want my family to be a praying family and the only way that i can have praying children is to be a praying parent could we stand right now and just spend a moment or two in prayer come on let's just spend a moment i know our flesh is saying it's almost nine o'clock but could we just spend a moment or two father father you know that it's getting it's getting dark out lord you know by the prophecy timetable these things must be and lord we're here and we're your church and god prayer is our lifeline jesus you are our father who art in heaven and hallowed be thy name lord thy kingdom come and lord thy will be done lord on this earth as it is in heaven god give us all our daily bread lord forgive us our trespasses as lord we forgive those who have trespassed against us and lord lead first apostolic church lord god don't lead us into temptation but deliver us from evil lord for thine is the kingdom and thine is the power and thine is the glory oh god touch us all tonight lord help us lord to submit our lives to the kingdom and we'll give you the praise and give you the honor in jesus name we pray amen and amen and would you in the spirit give him the best hand clap offering as you're being dismissed