Overcoming the Roar of the Lion | Pastor Kenneth Carpenter

Oh, now let's put that hand together and let's give Jesus a big hand. All glory and honor goes to him tonight. All glory and honor goes to him. Glory to God. If you would remain standing with me for the reading of God's word tonight. No graduation service would be complete without the preaching, the addressing of God's word. I would first like to congratulate all of our seniors tonight and I wish I could articulate and I wish I could tell you how proud that we are of you this evening. This is class of 2025 is a special class. I'd like to thank brother Sullivan and the faculty of ACA. I have a scripture I would like to give to you. For God is not unrighteous to forget your labor of love which you have shown toward his name and that you have ministered to the saints and do minister. Thank you ACA faculty. This evening I'd like to give a special thanks to our parents, our grandparents, our guardians who have sacrificed to make sure that your child, your most valuable possession would be at ACA. And I say thank you. Thank you so very very much tonight. Second Timothy chapter 4 and verse number 16. The Apostle Paul writes these words. At my first answer, no man stood with me, but all men forsook me. I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge. Notwithstanding, the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, that by me the preaching might be fully known and that all the Gentiles might hear. And I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. Graduating class, tonight I would like to minister to you on this subject, overcoming the roar of the lion. Overcoming the roar of the lion. Would you bow your heads with me this evening, precious lamb of God, we come before you, Lord, tonight we thank you for all the celebration. We thank you for the awards that have been given. We thank you Lord as we have come to cheer our students on. But now Father, we turn our attention toward your word for a brief few moments Lord to see to understand what you have planned for us. Lord Jesus, the next few moments, would you anoint my lips of clay that I may speak your eternal word that it may have an impact in the graduating class of 2025 in Jesus wonderful name we pray. Amen. And amen. You may be seated this evening. It is commonly believed that the scripture reading that I gave tonight was Paul's last letter. The background is a cold, damp, dark dungeon, jail in Rome. Paul writes a letter to a young man that he is pouring himself into. He talks about opposition. He talks about rejection. You heard it in the text tonight. He said, "There was a time that I needed someone and no one stood with me." Paul didn't focus on that very long until he said, "But the Lord stood with me." Then he makes an interesting comment. He said, "I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion." Graduating class of 2025, I believe that your greatest challenge in our culture today will be overcoming words that will be spoken to you that will try to belittle you. words that will be spoken by a culture, a woke culture that will try to take words and form you into the image that they desire for you to be. But I believe that God is able to deliver you out of the mouth of the lion. Paul was born of Jewish identity. Paul was of Jewish descent. He was from the tribe of Benjamin. He was raised in a devout Jewish family, educated in Jerusalem under the renowned rabbi by the name of Gilia. This indicates that Paul had a high level of education placed in him. Paul identifies himself as a Pharisee, a sect known for strict adherence to the law of Moses. Paul is very zealous toward what he believes. He has his mind set up. But Paul had an experience like this graduating class of 2025 had. Paul had an experience with the Lord Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus. He had a bright light experience. He had experience that turned him from one fighting the truth to a man that was fighting for the truth. Was a man that knew both sides of the coin his life is changed. Throughout history, Paul would let us know from that day forward, from that day forward, Paul began to face numerous hardships in his life. Again, I bring your attention back to my text tonight where Paul said, "I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion." It's interesting to note that lions roar, lions roar at the beginning of the day, just before it is fully light. And lions roar at the ending of a day. When they they study it out, they find that lions are more prone to roar at the beginning of a day and lions are more prone to roar at the ending of a day. Sounds like the graduating class of 2025. For you are coming to an end here at ACA. We have done all that we can do along with the Holy Ghost. We have done everything we can with prayer and fasting and teaching. You're coming to an end. And the lion would like to roar. But you're not only coming to an end, you're coming to a great future that belongs to you and your great God. Dream big. Work hard. God's got great rewards for the class of 2025, but it won't be without opposition. You will face opposition. I wish we had time to elaborate on the fourth chapter of second Timothy 4. As Paul comes to the closing of his life, he even says in the letter, he says, "The time of my departure is at hand." He knew that just in a few days that he would lose his life to the Roman emperor Nero. He said, "The time of my departure is at hand." He said, "I have fought a good fight. I have finished my course. I have kept my faith." He uses several words that start with the letter F. He said, "I have fought. I have finished. and I have kept faith. So if I was going to grade you spiritually tonight, class of 2025, I would give you an F. I would give you an F. But F on a report card now is something you don't want to see. But this is a spiritual F. I believe that we're looking at a group of graduates that are fighters. I believe that we're looking at a group of graduates that are finishers. I believe that we're looking at a group of graduates that have kept the faith. What they have heard here taught at this school is going to go into our community, the places of work, and the name of Jesus and the glory of God will be increased through their lives. Paul talked about opposition. He talked about opposition. and you're going to have opposition. Don't give up. Don't close up. Don't quit because you face opposition. Don't give up because someone speaks words of rejection to you. Don't give up when you want to start that business and the bank says, "We won't loan you any money." Don't give up. Don't give up when you want to go to school and higher education and you seem to not have the money to go. Don't give up. Don't give up when you try something and fail. They say that Thomas Edison tried 10,000 times to invent the light bulb. Someone asked him, "What have you learned after all of these times of trying to invent a light bulb?" He said, "I have learned 10,000 ways not to create a light bulb. I've learned 10,000 ways." Students, you will face opposition. You will be alone sometimes. But I can tell you this tonight, the Lord will stand with you. He will never leave you. Paul wrote about his sufferings. He said, "I was uh five times received thy stripes. 40 stripes save one. Three times I beaten with rods. Once was I stoned. Three times I suffered shipwreck. A night and a day I was in the deep in journeyings often in perils of waters. Perils mean dangers. In dangers of robbers, in dangers of my own countrymen, in dangers of heathen, in dangers in the city, in danger in the wilderness, in danger in the sea, in danger among false brethren, in weariness, painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, fasting's often in cold and in nakedness. But look at Paul's attitude. Listen to what he just read. But look at Paul's attitude. He says for our light affliction which is but for a moment all these things that Paul went through shipwreck beaten left for dead all of these things Paul just said oh it's just a light affliction it's just a light affliction can I tell you graduating class you're going to have some afflictions but when you get your eye on where you're going you see some people are so full of where they've been they can't see where they're But I believe that you're going to be of the mindset that you're going to know where you're you're going to know where you're going. You're going to understand what you want in life. You're going to suffer persecution. You're going to have some you you're going to have some push back in life, but I believe you're going to stand tall, square your shoulders back, and say, "This is nothing but a light affliction. I know exactly where I'm going. I know exactly what I need." You see, Paul said, "I was delivered from the mouth of the lion." Bible likens Satan to a roaring lion. Says, "Satan is referred to in scripture as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour." But instead of getting our mind tonight, students, on the roaring lion of Satan, do you know that Jesus Christ is also referred to as a lion? The Bible refers to him as the lion of the tribe of Judah. Well, what exactly does that mean? Satan has a roaring negative word for you. And if you listen to his negative words, if you listen to labels that people want to put on you, if you listen to people that want to roar these negative words in your mind, you'll never reach the high potential that God has for you. But don't listen to the roaring of that lion. There's another lion, the root of the tribe of Judah, and he's got a word that will set you free. You are free, not bound. You are treasure, not trash. You have a future. You're not hung up in your past. If any man be in Christ, he's a new creature. Old things have passed away, and behold, all things are new. I wonder what would have happened with David when David stumbled upon the battlefield. The scripture tells us that Goliath bellering out his cursings and blaspheming toward the people of God. The Bible said that when Goliath would blaspheme the God of Israel, Jehovah, that when Saul and his army would hear these words, they were dismayed and they were greatly afraid. But one day come a young shepherd boy with the same mentality that you have, with the same spirit that you have. Came a little shepherd boy into the battle. And the little shepherd boy heard the same words that Saul and the warriors heard. He heard the same words that caused Saul and the armies to be fearful. And the Bible said when David heard these words, David began to say, "Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should curse the living God of Israel? Let me add him. Let me fight. Let me go get him." Wait a minute. Wait a minute, David. Wait a minute, David. You've come down here, David's brothers. and I'll spare you the reading. But David's brothers begin to tanalyze him. David, why have you come down here just to see the battle? David, why are you down? You see, sometimes negative words can come. Yes. Even from family members that don't have the same spirit of God that you have inside of you. And they can speak words that David's older brothers were saying, "How did you get here?" And and why are you saying this? And David said, "Is there not a cause?" Finally, David convinced Saul to let him go fight the giant. Then guess who? He had to overcome the words of the mouth of the lion. He had overcome Goliath because Goliath. Goliath called him a strippling. Goliath called him a puny a puny youth. Goliath began to insult him with words. And Goliath, class of 2025, Goliath began to trash talk David. He began to he be to try to get in David's head. He began to paint him a picture. He said he said, "I am going to feed your body." He's trying to He's trying to paint an image. I'm going to feed your body to the birds of the air. I'm going to take you and tear you from limb to limb. And he's trying to paint this picture just like the enemy is trying to paint a picture in your mind about your future. I want you to know that just as God delivered Paul from the mouth of the lion, God is going to deliver each one of you if you know how to come against the devil's word with God's word. David said, "No, Goliath, you will be the one that will be fed to the birds this day, and the rest, the rest is history." The rest is history. David took the head of Goliath. What would have happened if a young man, that reminds me so much of you all tonight, a young man that had convictions, a young man that had convictions. I I noticed tonight they had us to be seated. They had us to be seated. And the choir began to sing about the goodness of God. And when the choir began to sing about the goodness of God, do you know congregation who were the first to get on their feet to start worshiping God? The class of 2025 was the first to get on their feet and begin to worship God. And while I was sitting on my comfortable pew, I looked over and I said, "Precious God, if they can get on their feet right now, I can get up and get on." You've got something. You've got what it takes tonight. Why? What would have happened to that young man by the name of Daniel who a decree went out that you cannot pray to any god for 30 days or you will be fed to the hungry lions. You're going to be fed. You're going to be thrown into the lion's den. You see, Daniel has the same faith that you have because he didn't let culture change the way he worshiped. Don't let culture, there's no doubt, there's no doubt, class of 20, 25, prosperity is in your pathway. I have I have no doubt. As I look into your young faces, as I look into your eyes that are beaming with vision and dreams, there is no doubt you're going to work hard. You're going to be honest, and you're going to excel, and you're going to prosper. You're going to prosper spiritually. And yes, you are going to prosper materialistically, you're going to prosper. But in all of your prosperity, don't ever let it change the way you worship. Don't let ever let it change the way you believe in one Lord, one faith, and one baptism. one God and father of all who's above all and in your don't ever let don't ever let whatever kind of car you drive and you know the older that you get you'll find that you'll find that a a Bentley automobile that costs hundreds of thousands doesn't drive any different will get you to the same place that a Ford Pinto will get you in life. All right. You'll find that a expensive Timex or Rolex watch that a 1999 Timex at Walmart tells the same thing. Don't let prosperity change you. Let prosperity be that thing that you look back and you use for the glory of God. Thank you, Daniel. Thank you that you didn't let prosperity change you because when the decree was written that you couldn't pray to any god. You went right back and opened your window and you begin to pray even though you were going to be fed to the lions. But you know what happened? They threw Daniel in the lion's den. And the next morning, for whatever reason, the king came down. And that's even amazing that the king came down the next morning. King, why would you come down to the lion's den when you would starve lions for weeks before feeding someone to them? They would be hungry lions. Daniel should not have made it to the bottom of the of the of the den of the floor where he was thrown. He should have been eaten by the lions before he ever hit the bottom of that den. But the next morning, the king came down. You know why? Not only not only does your parents, your pastor and ACA faculty have faith in you, but they will be an anointing that goes with you on your job that your employers will look at you and they will be able to say, "There's something different about her. There's something different about him." Why do you go down to the lion's den? I'll tell you why. Because the king had it in his mind. I just believe there was something different about Daniel. And when they rode the rock away from the lion's den early the next morning, the king with a lambable, the Bible says the king with a lambable voice said these words, "Oh Daniel, is your God able to deliver you?" And from the bottom of that den came a vibrant voice that sounded like the class of 2025. And it said, "Oh king, live forever. My God has shut the jaws of the lion, and my God has delivered me." I believe the class of 2025 is going to be just like Paul. He's a God that delivers us from the mouth of lion. I come to a close this evening. I come to a close. We are living in the days just prior to the soon return of Jesus Christ, the rapture of the church. We're coming and we're living in a day of an antichrist, anti-God society. As a matter of fact, John the Revelator in Revelation 13 and verse one wrote about the Antichrist. He said, 'I stood upon the sand of the sea and saw a beast rise up out of the sea having seven heads and 10 horns and upon his horns 10 crowns and upon his head the name of blasphemy. This is the Antichrist. And the beast which I saw was like a leopard was sleek. His feet were as the feet of a bear and his mouth as the mouth of a lion. You see, we're living in a culture today that wants to take you and put you in its mouth and have you listen to its words. Failure, final, failure, victim. You are who you are. You'll never amount to anything. It's a lie. I am special. I am God's. I have been born again. I have a great future ahead of me. It does not yet appear what I shall be, but God is going to change my life. I believe well to take a moment and just give God praise right now. I am not who I used to be. I am a new creature in Christ Jesus. My future is secure in him. Oh, I love him and I magnify his name tonight. That's the Antichrist. That's the Antichrist. But you see, we overcome him. For Revelation 12:9 says, "And the great dragon was cast out that old serpent called the devil and Satan which deceived the whole world. He was cast out into the earth and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice coming from the class of 2025. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, "Now is salvation and strength in the kingdom of our God and the power of his Christ. For the accuser, there's his mouth. For the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. But how do we overcome him? Class of 2025. And they overcame him by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony. They begin to talk back and they begin to say, "Oh, no, no, no. I'm not a failure. I'm I I've got a future ahead of me tonight. Oh, oh, oh, no. I I I don't care my I don't care my past, where I've come from. It's where I'm going that matters this evening. And finally tonight, I want you to know, class of 2025, that this will be my prayer for you. It's found in Psalms 58:6. This will be my prayer for you as you end your time here at ACA and you begin a new future in your life. The lion roars at the end of the day and the beginning of the day. But here's my prayer found for you. Break their teeth, oh God, in their mouth. Break out the great teeth of the young lions. Oh Lord, my prayer for you as you go forward and you hear the words of rejection and you hear the words that tell you to conform and you hear the words that tell you do this and do that somehow someway that God will help you through the Holy Ghost to break the teeth of the lion. And I want you to know, and I end in with this, and some may think this not in good taste for this ceremony tonight, but at Calvary, Jesus Christ broke the teeth of Satan. At Jesus Christ at Calvary, Jesus Christ broke all the bite out of sin. You don't have to go that route. Many years ago, as a young teenage boy, our neighbors had a dog that I was fearful of. This dog had one of the most Colin, it had one of the most ferocious barks that you ever heard. Go to the neighbor's house and this is how I found out. I drove my car to their drive in their driveway and the dog came out. The dog was barking with that loud, deep bark. The neighbor came out and he said, "You don't have to be afraid of it biting you." You see, our dog got a gum disease and every tooth in that dog's mouth fell out. Kenny, the best that dog could do is gum you to death. It has no bite. Class of 2025, I want you to see the adversary that at Calvary, Jesus Christ broke every tooth, everything that he has. And all he can do is to give a loud bark and to try to intimidate you. But you have what it takes to make it. Oh God, may you break all of the teeth of the enemy. I pray over them right now in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Holy Ghost, go with them and be with them and give them dreams and give them visions in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen and amen. If you believe God heard our prayer, would you give him a great hand right now?