Our Story, God’s Glory | Senior Pastor Kenneth Carpenter

Book of Matthew, chapter number one. Book of Matthew, chapter number one, verse number one. Oought to be easy easy to find. Matthew chapter 1, verse number one. The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham begat Isaac and Isaac begat Jacob. And Jacob beget, it says Judas, but it's Judah and his brethren. And Judah begat Phyz and Za of Tamar. Phyz begget Isam. And Israam begat Aram. And Aram begat Aminadab. And Aminadabadab begget Naanon. And Nasson begget Salman. And Salman begget Boaz of Rakab or Rahab. And Boaz begget Oid of Ruth. And Obid begget Jesse. And Jesse begat David the king. And David the king begget Solomon of her that had been the wife of Uriah. For a few moments this morning, I want to minister on this subject. Our story, God's glory. Our story, God's glory. There's no two stories alike in here today. How many want your story to be God's glory? Your story. God's glory. Go ahead. want to have a word of prayer before I minister. Please remember to pray for Sister Gloria Franklin, Brother Keaton Phillips, Sister Ronda Meyers, Martha Watkins, Sister Debbie Lawless, and Brother Patrick Campbell today. Also, plea, please keep on your prayer individually that you would pray for an offering. We need uh we need around $100,000 to complete the movement training center. And I've been asking the church I've been asking the church uh to pray about an amount, to pray about something to give. And um I got scolded by the pastoral team. And I said, "We want this offering to come in by Christmas or we want to be done by Christmas." And boy, in the car were they ever sending text messages. Tell Papa, "We need it now. We We want it. We want it now." Well, I'm thankful to God that I've got a family that wants to be involved in the work of the Lord. And I'm going tell you, God must be answering. God is answering our prayers. Someone came today and had a folded up envelope and handed it to me and said, "Uh, the person of this wants to remain anonymous. That they they don't want any recognition. They they want to be anonymous." And uh I uh curiosity killed the cat. So, I uh politely uh excused myself from them and went in the office and and opened it up and I counted out $5,000 that someone just wants to give. Come on, give God a praise for that. You have a need today, raise it in the presence of God and the angels. Father, I come before you today, Lord. I thank you for the move of your spirit that I feel in this room right now. Lord, you are in this room. You are breaking chains. Lord, you're having your way upon us today because we're lavishing praise upon you. Lord, you heard the names that we called out this morning and you see the names that are scrolling across the screen. God, you're here to save, deliver. God, you're here to heal this morning. Lord, I ask for a demonstration of your spirit, God, when we gather in the altar in a few moments. I ask for a demonstration, God, of your spirit, Lord, that you would move upon the hopeless today and give them hope. Lord, touch me in Jesus wonderful name we all pray. Amen. Amen. I want you to give him one more good hand clap of praise. right now. One more good hand clap of praise. My my my my sounds sounds good in the house of the Lord this morning. >> Our story, God's glory. There are several reasons for the need of the genealogy of Jesus Christ. Some may say, well, why does Matthew open the way that Matthew opens? There's several reasons that are given of why the Bible would have two recordings of the genealogy of Jesus Christ. Matthew Matthew will record the genealogy through the lineage of Jo Joseph, his supposed father. Um, and I I guess that we could we could call Joseph I guess we could call Joseph his step. Uh, he would call him his stepfather. We would not be wrong to call him his stepfather. But the lineage of Matthew goes through goes through Joseph. And then the lineage of the lineage of Luke traces it through through through Mary. So there there's several reasons we have the genealogy of Jesus Christ. Although when we read it, when when we read it, we we just kind of skim over it and we we skim through it as if it was just something that was put there to fill up the pages. One of the reasons uh for the genealogy of Jesus Christ is uh to affirm the historical to affirm the historical reality of Jesus. It's uh by rooting Jesus in a concrete named lineage of real historical figures rather than presenting him as a mystic or purely spiritual figure. How many believe in Abraham today? How many believes Abraham existed? Sure. How many believes that King David existed? Well, see, God had God so arranged it that the Lord Jesus Christ would be named among them. So, it would be a concrete proof that hey uh he he he he really he really did live. He really was in in the lineage. But the probably the most favorite of my explanations for why there is a lineage in Matthew and why there is a lineage in Luke would be this. God wanted to demonstrate his faithfulness. God wanted to demonstrate his mercy. God wanted to demonstrate. Aren't you thankful? We serve a God that still demonstrates. All right. still still demonstrates and God did this to demonstrate his faithfulness despite human failure. Despite human failure, we have these genealogies because God wanted to demonstrate not only that he existed, Abraham and David, but that also he was faithful to work with people who were flawed and people who were a human failure. The line includes flawed people. When you read what we we read what we did today, the line includes flawed people, an unexpected unexpected figure. There are four women who have a story. In the short lineage I read to you today, there are four women that have a story. Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Basheba. Can I tell you out of the four women that are named in the short genealogy, two of them were prostitutes. Let that sink in. You know, I I think if I got to write my lineage, I and if I was a prideful person, I might I might omit some in my family. And I say, "Oh my god, let's just pass over this one." And and you know what? If some in my family were writing their lineage, they might skip plum over me. And let's just don't or or they might just tell the good part, right? Because we people come on now. We people are good at just telling the good part. All right, we're good. Jesus asked the man with the withered hand. He said, "Stretch forth your hand." But you'll notice what Jesus didn't say. He didn't say, "Stretch forth your withered hand." Because we're prone to just stick out what works. We're just prone to want to show you the good side. But he was honest enough to stick out that that withered hand. Two of them, Tamar and Rahab, were prostitutes. Ruth was a Moabitete, which you study the culture, you study the culture of the Moabites, and they were a sexdriven culture. They were a godly one. Matter of fact, you have the Moabites uh because of incest. You have Lot's two daughters getting him. Y'all still here, right? Yeah. You you you have Lot's two daughters getting him drunk and they sleep with their own father. And uh from that uh from that came the Moabitete race and the the Ammonite race. And so probably although Ruth makes some good decisions and we'll preach about her here in a few moments, she was probably well schooled in a lot of things. And then we have she is not she is not a prostitute. She is not a harlot. Uh her name is Basheba. She is neither a harlot nor a prostitute but she is an adulteress. Somebody bring me my phone. I got to get a picture of this this No, I'm just teasing. I gota we read in your Bible. Okay. Because God wanted to give God wanted to give the stories. But God is able to take two prostitutes and one Moabitete and one adulteress and mix it in to his story. And when God can take their story and mix it in with his glory, >> we'll end up with God becoming flesh and being our savior. >> Now, I spend a little time here today because I want everybody in this room today, whether you're Tamar, whether you're Rahab, whether you're Ruth, whether you're Basheba, I want everybody in this room today to know something from God. Your story can bring God glory. There's no story that God would not put into his genealogy today. If you're a drug addict, there's hope for you. If you if if if you are strung out on something today, there's hope for you. If you're an alcoholic, there's hope for you. If you just don't have any hope, there's hope for you today. I want you to know there is hope. If you're forgotten, if you're forsaken, whatever it is, there is hope for you today. Come on, give him a praise right now. >> Well, we have this Judah. Boy, we sing a lot of songs about Judah, don't we? Oh, call me Judah. Some churches are even named Judah. I I pass a church go uh said the first church of Judah uh the you know and I'm thinking if you really studied that name here we go he's mentioned it's Judah Judah goes and takes a Canaanite for a wife he takes a Canaanite for a wife he takes somebody the wife that he shouldn't have and they have three sons and of the three sons one is named E R and uh the Bible just simply says about the firstborn. He was raised. He raised the firstborn and he gave the firstborn. I guess he's a pirate, wasn't he? Uh I'm sorry. I kind of liven up something around here. All right. And uh so uh was born and raised and he he found this woman named uh Tamar that Tamar. All right. And uh she you say, "What's he doing? What's he doing? Marrying his daughter uh marrying excuse me, marrying his son uh to to a prostitute to a harlot." Well, she's not one yet. She's not one yet. All right. And so, uh they get married and the Bible just simply says, it just simply says it in the 38th chapter of Genesis. Don't go there now and read it. Read it on read it some other time but not now. It says that that that was so wicked God just killed him. That's all it says. And the Lord slew him. That's all all it says. And he was wicked and God killed him. All right. He was wicked and God's God God slew him. And so when when God slew her and they had his funeral and and and all that after that, good old Judah, he goes and he he gets his second born. He gets the next in line, Onan. He says, "Now, Onan, you know it would be only right, you know it only be right for for you to marry Tamar and for you to uh to marry Tamar and raise up children for the name of your dead brother." All right? And so Onan said, "I can do that. I can do that." But I I won't get graphic with this. But Onan only wanted to have pleasure with Tamar, but he didn't want to produce any children from her. He wanted to have the pleasure of her, but he didn't want to have any children by her. And the Lord slew him. All right, that's this is in the Bible. And the Lord slew him. And and so now you you got the firstborn and the second born. They're dead. And Judah's got one more son, Shula. All right. And he's he's evidently not old enough to be married yet. And so Judah tells Tamar says that if you'll just wait, you you just wait. I will give you Shula. When he gets old enough, you can have Shula as a husband and everything will be everything will be all right. >> >> But evidently Judah wasn't too keen on Tamar, his daughter-in-law, because he probably thought that there was something wrong with her. That's why God was killing the boys. So when it came time for Schula to be given to Tamar, uh Judah backed out on his word. He uh kind of kept Shula kind of hid. Well, in the meantime, Judah's own wife dies. She dies. Am I keeping you on the story today? Uh, don't change channels. It just So, Judah's wife dies and he's left a single man and time goes on and he has sheep and it's a it's a shearing time uh for the shepherds. Now, when they would shear the sheep, you got to understand when they shear sheep, it was like the Fourth of July, Christmas, getting your income tax check back, it was all these things rolled in. I mean, they partied. I mean, they absolutely, it was a festive time. And so, Tamar knows that Judah hasn't kept his end of the bargain. So Tamar takes off her black garment of widowhood because she was going to wear it until Sheula was given. Then she would get a wedding dress. But she decided that he had been kept. And so she takes off her widow's garment and puts on the attire of a harlot. A harlot. She covers your face. She sets out in the road where Judah is coming down to go shear his sheep. And so Judah sees, see I told you we may look at Judah different after today. Judah sees this uh this harlot in the street and uh Judah's uh emotions and passion begins to uh drive him to her and and he goes up to her. Now he knows not that it's his daughter-in-law. She's got her face covered and and they go up and they bargain. They bargain together for the exchange of a goat. I get to have you and and I'll bring you a goat. I don't have it with me right now, but but I'll have somebody bring a goat. Oh, she said, "That's good." But said, "You you got to give me your ring, your signate. You got to give me your staff, and you got to give me your bracelet. How do I know that you're just not going to have me for an evening and a and and not come back?" And he said, "I'll give you my ring, and I'll give you my staff, and I'll give you my bracelets." and and and then and tomorrow I'll have somebody bring the goat and they'll bring the he said that's good enough and so Judah went in with the Tamar not knowing it was his daughter-in-law and and uh he he went in unto her and uh then he he left and he went home and he said uh there's a there's a harlot down there in the open street and said take this goat down there and give it to the harlot and and uh she's got my staff she's got my signature she's got my bracelet she's got she's got my identification she's got who I am she's got my driver's license. She's got my passport. She's got everything down there. So, you need to go get her. So, he took a goat down and there was nobody there. And so, he began to ask men, "Hey, y'all know where the harlot went?" They said, "Man, we've not seen a harlot around here in a long time. We don't know what you're talking about. We've not seen a harlot around here in in a long time." And so, the man brought the goat back and said, "I'm sorry, Judah, but we couldn't find the woman. We couldn't find her." her and he said, "Well," he said, "Uh, she's just got my my my my staff and my my my ring and my bracelets and and that's that's how it is. That's how it is. I missed out. I lost." Three months later, three months later, word comes to Judah, "Your daughter-in-law has played the harlot. She has played the role of a harlot." boy. And he got on his old selfrighteous judgmental, drop the hammer, make an example, drop it hard. He said, "Burn her. Burn her at the steak. Burn her at the steak." And so, no doubt Judah was thinking, "Man, now I've got out. I give I give Shoula to somebody." And and and and no wonder, God, no wonder my boys died. They were married to an unrighteous woman like this. And so as they brought Tamar, as they brought her to burn her at the steak, she said, "Wait a minute. Be before you burn me at the steak, can I tell you the baby that I have in my womb, the baby that I've got in my womb right now, I'm three months pregnant, and the baby I got in my womb womb right now, I can tell you who the daddy is." Oh, that'd even be better. we can have a double burning because you you know the man and the woman according to the law should have died and oh that's good. We'll have a double burning. And she said, "I tell you who it is. It's the man that owns this staff right here. And I'll tell you who it is. It's the man that owns this bracelet right here. And I tell you who it is. Do you recognize this signate? Do you recognize this?" And it all changed. It all changed with Judah that day. And the Bible says that when the she was pregnant with twins, that we have this Phyaz, this man called Phyaz that was one of that was one of the twins and it just simply ends there. You you say, "Oh, brother Carpenter, that's a that's kind of a bleak story to leave us." It it it just ends there. But does it end there? Does it end there? I say not. I say it picks back up in the book of Matthew where somewhere between the 38th chapter of the book of Genesis and the first chapter of the book of Matthew, God takes your story and God turns it around for his glory. Don't stop serving him. Don't stop praying. Don't stop reading your Bible. Don't stop trying to live for God. In the process of time, God can take your story and turn it out for his glory. Would somebody would clap their hands and shout yes. Here is the first dysfunctional story of Judah. Oh, don't we use Judah? Oh, Judah, send up. We got songs. We got songs like that. Send up Judah. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Yeah. Send up Judah. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. I'm going to tell you something. If that song had been sung in the 38th chapter of Genesis, people would looked at you like, "Have you lost your mind? He's a conniver. Have you lost your mind? He slept. He slept with his Can you imagine the Facebook gossip that would have went through the Middle East when they found out that Judah slept with his daughter-in-law and she pretended to be a prostitute and all of that. I I'm telling you, it would have been a mess. But over time, and I got to preach this to you today, you've got to give God time. How much? You got to give him time till you don't have it anymore. You got to give him time till you don't have another breath. You got to give him time. The Bible says, "Though a righteous man fallth seven times, he will get back up." I I got to preach to somebody today and tell you, you've got a story that the great author is just waiting for you to come to this altar today and say, "I give you my story. I give you the story of my life. I don't know who the I don't know who the young man was that came down this morning and prayed, but I'm going to tell you, I commend him for walking down the this aisle and coming to an altar and and kneeling down in an altar and say, "Well, what happened there?" He's bringing his story. And he's saying, "God, I'm going to give it to you for your glory because if I can stay here long enough, Jesus will be born. If I can stay here long enough, the lamb of God will be born. Anybody can stay here long enough. Now, let's travel on. Let's go now to the second prostitute, Rahab. And I'm going to tell you, the men are not innocent in this. I although I've I'm focusing in on the four women. Judah was no angel. I said Judah was no angel. They were so warped in the Bible days they could bring a woman to Jesus caught in the act caught in the act. And may I take their own evidence? They said the very act. I personally believe that what Jesus wrote on the ground was simply this. Where's the man? Where's the man? Because there's one thing about God. God is just. And so although we're talking about women here today, I'm going to tell you the men, we don't get off the hook >> because it was Judah that really brought about a lot of this dysfunction. We have a woman by the name of Rahab. We find her in the second chapter of of of Joshua. Joshua chapter 2 and verse number one. Let's look at it together. And Joshua sent and Joshua the son of nun sent out men to Shikam two men to spy secretly saying go and view the land even Jericho and they went and came into a harlot's house named Rahab and lodge there you asked a lot of questions. I guarantee you there was a lot more houses you could have went winded up at than a harlot. Just think about it for a moment. These two men fed by mana coming through the wilderness wind up at a harlot's house. Just just let me put that out there for you your thoughts. And it was told the king of Jericho saying, "Behold, there came men in hither tonight to search the of the children of Israel to search out the country." Verse three. And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab. That's strange. Evidently he somebody tipped them off of where they went. And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying, "Bring forth the men that are come to thee, which are entered into thine house, for they for they be come to search out all the country." And the woman took the two men, Rahab, hid them, and said, "Thus," here's what she said to them. She hid the two spies. And then here's what she said to the king's men. There came men unto me, but I wish not whence they were. And it came to pass about the time of the shutting of the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out, and whether the men went out, wrought not be pursue after them quickly, for ye shall overtake them. Um, somebody says, uh, this woman lied. She she she straight out lied. Let me tell you something. She she that's one of her that's one of her better traits is lying. She's a prostitute for God's sake. She lies. You see, some people, they can't see a God working with flawed people. They can't see a God working with people that are a failure. They can't understand. And let me tell you something. Did you listen to this preacher today? I preach a God from a Bible that has an Old and a New Testament. a God of the Bible that the Old and the New Testament reveal the mind and the will and the ways of God. And when I find that God only worked with perfect people in both the Old Testament and the New Testament, I will only preach about God using perfect people. But until I find perfect people in the Bible, I'm going to choose to preach that God works with flawed people. I'm not advocating that you sin today. I'm not preaching this so you can go live any old way that you want. Quite the contrary, I am preaching this today to somehow get a flawed man or a flawed woman to get on their feet and say, "If God can use them, God can use me. For he's the same yesterday, today, and forever more." Oh, I wish we would really give him worship. Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord. She sent them on their way. Verse seven, verse six, excuse me. But she had brought them up to the roof of the house and hid them with the stalks of flack, which she had laid an order up on the roof. The men pursued. Let's go on down. I'm I'm running out of time here. Um, let's let's let's let's go on down to verse number 11. Or no, not not verse number 11. Verse number eight. And before they were laid down, before the two men went to sleep, she came up unto them upon the roof, and she said unto them, I know that the Lord hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you. This is a harlot talking. Hear me now. This is a harlot talking. This is a harlot talking. We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you. That was 40 years ago. That was 40 years ago. She said, "We've heard that when you came out of Egypt and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites that were on the other side of Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed." As soon as we heard these things, our heart did melt. Neither did there remain any more courage in any man because of you. For the Lord your God, he is God in heaven, above, and in the earth. Beneath, let me just for time's sake, stop right there. Can I tell you something? We need to stop prejudging the package before we know what the package is saying. This woman, is she a harlot? Yes, she is. She sells her body. That's how she made a living. She is a harlot. But on the inside of that woman was a heart that was saying, "There is a God. He is mighty. He is powerful. He is coming through the land. Don't allow Satan to cause you to write people off because you see the external of them and not their heart. God can change any heart. There's not a heart that God cannot change. I don't care if you're messed up from your head to your feet. God is able to get on the inside and God is able to change a heart. Oh, hear me. Are Are y'all listening to me today? Are Are you listening to me today? Do you believe that God can change your heart? Do you believe that God can change? >> She's a harlot. >> She has the attire of a harlot. Harlots didn't dress in robes from their shoulders to their ankles, but on the inside of that woman was a woman that said, "My heart knows that the Lord he is God." And then she said, "Would you please remember me when y'all come back? Would you please remember me for this good deed that I've done? I've I've kept you safe. I could have turned you in. I've kept you safe." And they let she led them out a window by a scarlet rope by a scarlet cord. And the spy said, "We're coming back." And said, "Leave this scarlet cord in the window." And said, "When we come back, if you'll leave this scarlet cord in the window, and if you'll be in the house, we'll save you." They went back and they told Joshua, they said, Joshua, there's a harlot in there that knows the Lord God. There's a harlot in there that knows about God. and she saved us. She could have turned us into the king and we could be dead. We could have never returned. But she didn't. And said, "There's a window on the side of the city and it's got a scarlet cord." And we told her, "Everybody in that apartment is going to be saved if they're if they're inside there." And Joshua's giving instructions. He's saying, "Shout for the walls to come down." He says, "Go into Jericho, but don't take any gold. Don't take any silver to yourself. Burn everything that can be burned. Totally destroy Jericho." And then Joshua said, "But men, look for the scarlet cord in the window. Look for that cord in the window." And the Bible said when the walls of Jericho came down, the two spies went back to that window. And there was Rahab in there. But didn't stop there. There was Rahab in there. There was Rahab's mama in there. There was Rahab's daddy in there. They was Rahab's sister in there. There was some cousins of Rahab. Can I tell you one person can be the key to bring an entire family to the house of God. One person. No wonder the devil's fighting you. No wonder hell is trying to get you because hell sees your mama, your daddy, your cousin. Hell sees it all. Come on right now. Hell sees it all. Hell sees it all. Hell sees it all. Hell sees it all. Let's take a moment and worship him right now. Let's take a moment and praise him right now. Come on, please praise him right now. >> Brother Kenny Hurst. Brother Kenny Hurst, I'm going to put you on the spot this morning and I'm going to put in the men you men and women you and brother Johnston don't have with you. But I wonder if you guys would help me out today. Kenny, stand up right now. Stand up. Would you step out in the aisle back there in the back? Would you step out in the aisle back there in the back? It was only you that came to that that Christmas dinner. It was only you that came to that Thanksgiving dinner. It was a It was family, my wife, that said, "I want to get all my family here so we can get to know him better and spend it get to get to know them better." Christmas or it was Christmas or Thanksgiving, one one of the two. Kenny, you came and I tell you, you didn't look like you look today. You the world had scarred you, boy. The world had scarred you. You You had no hope in your eyes. Your head hung low. Your hair covered your face. Your shoulders were stooped. But God got a hold of Jenny. What? What man looked at was another statistic. What man looked at was another casualty. But God said oh hallelujah. I want as many men that Kenny helps brings on the van. Kenny helps you. I want as many men to get behind Kenny right now. And I want y'all to come walking down the aisle. Get behind him. I want you to come walking down the aisle. And Kenny, I want you to walk I want you to walk all the way around this place. Can I tell you, >> God? I can't hardly stand it. It's not just one harlot. It's not just one Rahab. It's her mama, her daddy, her brothers, her sisters. Come on, praise him right now. Come on, praise him right now. That's what I'm talking about in this room. Your story is God's glory. Come on, praise me. Look what the Lord has done. Look what the Lord has done. Look what the Lord has done. My God, if that don't make you feel good, I don't know what will. If that don't make you rejoice, I don't know what will. What family member do you have that God wants to do the same thing? Come on, praise him. Come on, praise him. Ain't enough praise going up. I said there ain't enough praise. your story. God's glory. Your story. >> Remain standing with me for a moment. Remain stand with me for a moment. Get the camera as close on me as you can cuz I got somebody that's watching today. There's a prodal that's watching today. You lost your wife. You lost your family. When you got out of church, you had them, but you lost them now that you haven't been out. But I want to prophesy to a prodical and tell you if you'll come back home, God will bring it all together for you. If you'll come back home if you believe it, help me if you believe it. Help me right now. If you believe it, help me right now. Help me. Help me. Help me. >> Pray. >> Pray right now. My Lord, my God. Hey, glory to God. Glory to God. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Come on. Do you have a cousin that you need to call? Do you have a Do you have a brother or sister you need to call? Is there somebody that you need to get back in church? >> Go ahead, Angelica. Go ahead. That's right. Go ahead. Go ahead. Go ahead. I can finish this message some other time. Go ahead. Go ahead. Oh, God. Oh, John, Stone, come down here for a moment. Come on. Pray right now. Oh, God. Hallelujah. Brother John Stone, I need you. I need you. I need you. I need you. Come on right now. Oh, God. Ghost. Holy Ghost. Holy Ghost. Interruption. Holy Ghost interruption today. Oh God, Holy Ghost interruption today. Can you feel me this morning? Can you see me? Will you let me take your hand and guide you? Will you let me take your mind and renew you? Will you let me take your soul and save you? Come on, let's worship him right now. Come on, let's worship him right now. Come on, let's worship him right now. Oh, come on. Let's worship him right now. Oh, God. Robbie and Amber, are you here this morning? Robbie, are you here this morning? Would you come down here right now? Robbie, would you come right now, please? Would you go get Robbie? Would you go get Robbie and bring him down here? Brother John Stone, will you go get Robbie and bring him down here right now? Come on, Robbie. Oh, God. Come on, Amber. Come on, Amber. Come on, man. Come on, Robin. Amber, is your son here this morning? Tristan. Tristan, you're in the house. Come running up here right quick, Tristan. Come on. Come on, Tristan. Come on, Trist. >> Tristan, wish I had you on the platform right now. Sister Carbon, come over and stand beside me. Yeah. Come on, Tristan. How'd you get them? How'd you get Robbie and Amber? Tristan, tell we got them. pastor's wife fell under a burden years ago to fast every Wednesday. Every Wednesday, Sister Sullivan, Sister Carpenter fasted for her family. For her family. It didn't matter. We was on vacation. It didn't matter. You ask our kids. Didn't matter. We was on family vacation. Dakota, she ain't eating. Because I want my family safe. There comes Rhonda. Pinky Harley motorcycle riding tatted up all over. In comes Ron. And what the world could see is a woman on a Harley, tattied up, messed up. God looked deep into Rhonda's heart and God saw a timetable and God got a hold of Rhonda. She fell in the altar. She repented. She was baptized. She was filled with the Holy Ghost. She became an onfire witness for God. Come on. I'm talking about onfire witness. If some of you are waiting for this to be a goody two church, you need to go somewhere else. We're a messed up church. But God uses a messed up people. She got the Holy Ghost. But little did we know, and she didn't know it. And she said, "I'm so glad I didn't know it." Cancer was in her body eating away at her. She witnessed. She brought people to church. Amber Robbie, you're some of them that she brought to the house of God. You're some of them. You're You're some of them. She was emphatic baptism in Jesus name. She was emphatic. There's only one God. She was emphatic about the apostolic church and the the way of apostolic church. She was emphatic. Still remember the day we took her to Knoxville waiting for that final test. Rhonda, we're going to get good news today. We're going to get good news. Wouldn't be one bit surprised if if if the doctor doesn't say cancer's gone. We pulled up at UT and she went in. She didn't get to ring the bell when she walked out. No, what they said to her, it's you're pretty well done. The ride back to Maraveville was a little bit of a quiet one, but about McGassin airport, she began to tell me, "My time is short, Sister Helms, but I'm going to win as many people to God as I can. I'm going to take as many people to heaven as I can. I'm going to take them to heaven." Yes. Yes. At her funeral, there were two-piece suits and ties. And there were people, but the vast majority that came in here wore leather. They were tatted up. And they would come in and they would say, "We we knew Pinky. Pinky was a testimony at her graveside. There were motorcycles galore. We we we knew we knew Pinky. We we knew her. But can I tell you, Pinkiey's story didn't end when we buried her. It's still alive today. Tristan, Robbie, Amber are still alive today. Is still moving today? Is Robbie perfect? No. Is Amber perfect? No. Is Tristan perfect? No. But we serve a God that says, "If you'll give me your story, I'll turn it into glory." I don't know about you, did you see that group of men walk by? Robbie, Amber, and yes, that daughter, too, is going to be saved. Is going to be the influence. Robbie, I just wonder how many people are behind you today. I just I just wonder how many people I'm just What about you? I don't know. I know the holier than thou and the goody two people that they think they are. You're really You're not brother Carpenter. I'm I'm I'm ripe. You ain't ripe. You're rotten. I never forget when brother Robbie came to me. He'd been coming to him for some time. He said, "Brother Carter," he said, "I'm so many weeks free from smoking pot." How about when some man came up to Rahab and said, "Hey, how much?" She said, "I don't do that anymore. I'm serving Jehovah God. I don't >> That's the God That's the God that I serve. Got two people I've not even brought in the story yet. Basheba was no. She listen. She was tell like it is. Oh yeah. Poor little Basheba was taking a bath. Oh, come on in. I thought y'all was more people coming in. My God. Come on in. Is this all right today? I've heard people and I believe that they butcher this. I believe they butcher this. Poor Basheba was just taking a bath and that wicked old King David looked down and lusted after her. You really study your Bible and study culture? >> That old girl knew exactly what she was doing. And I just lost you again. >> She knew exactly what she was doing. She knew she was beautiful. She knew she was attractive. What woman takes a bath out in the open courtyard? Culture didn't say that. But you see, when misery finds company, David's no angel either. I know you got a slingshot in his hand. You got him strumming a heart, but before you get the slingshot too good in his hand and stringing a heart and singing the Psalm 23, he's a peep and Tom. He's somewhere he shouldn't be. He's on a rooftop when he should have been in battle. >> Can I tell you something? One reason you need to stay away from places is because when your passion kicks in, your common sense goes out the window. It is hard to help somebody when their passion is running wild. I just got to preach to you. Stay out of the places where your passion. Stay off that channel. Get that junk out of your house. Stay away from that junk. David's somewhere he shouldn't be. He looks down. Now, the best custom I read was that women did take a bath in the evening time, but decent men knew to stay within their doors for fear of looking upon a woman. But notice David didn't look out his window, did he not? The Bible says we're exactly where he was at. Bless God, he was on the rooftop. He was on the rooftop. He called for her. He called for her. She could have said no. Oh, but he's the king. She still could have said no. He called for her. They told him, "This is another man's wife." But please remember this today. Please remember this today. When your passion kicks in before your conviction does, you'll be cruel. He brought her to his house. He slept with her that night. He sent her home. She sent word, "I'm pregnant." He calls her husband from the battle. goes through a series trying to get Uriah to go home so Uriah would sleep with his wife. He had been in battle and so it'll all be covered up. But Uriah won't go home. And so I'm talking about the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of Abraham, the son of David. >> He won't go home. That same hand that took a stone and slung it in a slingshot takes a pen and writes a letter to Uriah's captain, Joab. And he sealed up the letter. Here's what the letter read. The letter read, "When Uriah comes back, set Uriah in the front of the hottest battle that you have and tell everybody to retire back from him." And then David had the cruel audacity to hand the sealed letter to Uriah. And when Joab got the letter, he followed through. He put Uriah in the front of the hottest battle. Everybody retired back and Uriah was smitten. Word came back to David. Uriah's dead. David said, "Well, don't fret. The sword kills one as well as the other." David then goes and marries Basheba. We really don't know if Bashibba knew that David had the her husband murdered. We really don't know that for sure, so I'll stay off of it. But they get mad. They get married. It's a cover up. her her robe is loose enough that she doesn't expose that she's pregnant. There's a baby born and it's all covered up until the man of God sent from God who loves you too much. You no, it wasn't God sending a rebuke. It was God sending mercy. It wasn't God exposing his sin. It was God saying, "David, there's more to your story. There's more to your story. David, you're the man. Let's stop there with David. David repented. The baby died and David knew Basheba again. Solomon was born. Now I doubt today that if you knew about Bashibba what you wanted to know that you will look you will look at Psalm you will look at Proverbs 31 a whole lot different because Psalms 31 Mother's Days read who can find a virtuous woman for her price is far above rubies her husband does suffly safely trust in her she shall and it just tells about a woman that cares cares for her husband, a woman that cares for her kids, a woman that is a businesswoman in the community, a pure, virtuous woman. Who you talking about? That Sheba wrote it. His glory is looking for your story. Many of you are in the altar already, but I believe God today if we'd just spend a few moments in this altar, asking God to send us some more Kenny Hurst and asking God to send us some more Robbies and Amber and Tristan. Come on, move up as close as you can. If you care about the loss, if you care about your family, their story is God's glory. Their story is God's glory right now. Oh God, help us today, God. Oh God, help us today, God. Oh God, you're not through with my family yet. God, you're not through with my family yet, God. You're not through with my family yet, God. You're not through with my family yet, God. Lord, you're not through with my family yet, God. Oh God, touch my family right now, God. Touch my family right now, God. Oh God, get a hold of my family right now. >> Oh God, get a hold of my family life. >> Still moving. He's still proving just how great he is. How great he is. He's still He's still moving. >> He's still proving just how great he is. How great he is. >> Still moving. >> Still moving. >> He's still proving. >> Still proving just how great he is. How great he is. >> Still proving. He's >> still moving. >> Still proving. >> Still proving how great he is. How great he is. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Yeah. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. >> >> Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. >> >> Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. >> >> Todd Gardner, upon the profession of your faith and obedience to the word of God, I now indeed baptize you in the name of Jesus Christ and for the remission of your sins. You shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost in Jesus name. >> >> Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Yeah. Heat. Yeah. Heat. Yeah. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. >> >> How just Heat. Heat. Heat. Yeah. Heat. >> >> Now, now without any aid of any musical instruments, without any aid of any amplification of a microphone, I want God to hear the sound not of praise but of prayer >> for the loss that we have in our city. for the loss that we have in our family, for the loss that hell is flaunting in front of us. Come on. Do you care enough to pray? Oh, do you care enough to pray? God help us. Jesus. Jesus. Oh god. Oh god. God. Oh God. Come on. Let it go. Let it go. Let it go. >> Let God hear. Let God hear you. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Call their name. Call their name. Call their name. Call their name daily. Call their name. Call their name. Oh yes. Oh yes. And please, please, the individual that came and talked to me about this, please understand that I am not rebuking you and I am not disagreeing with you. I am not in any way, form or fashion um saying no or whatever. But there's marketing agencies now that with social media that churches can buy into ways of assuring that you'll have x amount of guests if you use this social media platform. If you do this, if you do that, we guarantee you so many brand new people on your pew weekly if you'll if you'll do this. And I'm not saying I'm not saying no, but I am saying this. A pastor long enough to know that the average s church service years ago ended something like this. Lord lay some soul upon my heart and love that soul through me. And may I ever do my part to win that soul for you. But I wonder church if we haven't morphed over time to where we end with bless me Lord, give me Lord, give me and bless me Lord. Keep me from sickness Lord. Keep me with plenty of money in my pocket. Lord, I wonder if that's why churches haven't had to go to a marketing agency because I'm going to tell you something. I'm gonna say, "No, I'm not going to do it." But I am telling you this. I think the greatest marketing to put souls on these pews is the prayers of God's people. The prayers of God's people. God's face is much better than Facebook. I said, God's face is much better than Facebook. Here's what I don't want to I I would do it with a show of hands, but I don't want to do it with a show of hands. I I'm going to go ahead and tell you I'm going to lead the way because I I never I want to ask you to do something I wouldn't do myself, but I wonder until further notice how many would join me. I will miss one at least one meal on Wednesday. on Wednesday. If you can't do it on Wednesday, do it on Tuesday or Thursday. Just do it another day. But you can't do it. But it'd be good if we all did it together. I'll miss one meal. And it's not it's it's it's a fast, but it's it's not a fast for somebody to get healed of cancer. And we'll pray that. Well, I just wonder. I I guess this morning my mouth spoke before my mind got in gear. And I said this. It came out and it's it this it it's like, wow. It came out. And I said, "God, I'm praising you with no strings attached." In other words, I ain't praising you to get a dad. I ain't praising you to get a chill bug. I'm not praising you to get in a good mood. I'm praising you with no strings attached. You're just good. You're just good. And I'm just praising you. It's a fast. Not that we have more faith to get healings. Not that we have more faith to finish the the the the movement training center. That's going to come in in Jesus name. But this is the fast. God, get a hold of my family. >> God, speak to my family when nobody else can speak to them. When I can't get into their mind, God, you can get into their mind. >> Would you do that with me? >> Because I got news for you. There's a hundred more Kenny Hurst that are waiting to come in this church. And there's a hundred more Robbies and Ambers Tristans that are coming into this church. We just got to find somebody to say, "God, I'll give you my story. You turn it in to your glory." Praise him one last time when you're done praising him. when you're done praising him. Sung an old song. Sung an old song. But I want to end in an oldfashioned way. Years gone by. This is how we used to end our services. Men to men. It's the only time we're segregated. Men to men and women to women. Won't you find three people? Won't you hug them? Won't you tell them it's good to have them in the house of God today? You going to obey your pastor? Do what I say. 5:30 prayer