Sunday Morning Worship

Well, again, I'm so thankful to have the ability to join uh online and I'm going to tie this into my message today. I'm going to preach on the greatest decision. The greatest decision. And um when we were making the decision over the last past couple of days uh about our service here and uh knowing knowing our congregation the way that I know the congregation, um I knew that if if um we just left it open to everyone that would uh that could make it would make it, I felt that we would run the high risk of someone being injured. I I thought about the um the type of people that attend church here at First Apostolic. I thought about brother and sister Marshall. I could I could just see right now brother Marshall coming AC across the parking lot because brother and sister Marshall have a love for the house of God. I could just in my mind know that if I didn't cancel out the service, if we didn't go online, I could I could see brother and sister Marshall as they make their way. And then I could uh in my mind I could see uh young couples like the alters. I could see them gathering their little babies in the car and coming across uh the icy roads and and then the possibility of of of something happening to them because I I know the families here at First Apostolic Church. It was a difficult it was a difficult decision to make but again I believe that it it was the right decision. It was the right decision to make. So, here we are in in an empty auditorium this morning with the exception of Pastor Ericson's here uh with me and uh brother Asa and Sister Cameron and Atlas. He's here with us today and and Colin uh he's running he's running some of the cameras today and and so here we are. We we're not sitting out any chairs this morning uh in attendance, but we're doing the best we are doing the best that we can today. Let's turn in our Bibles to the book of Joel chapter number three and verse number 14. Joel chapter number three and verse number 14. And um the Bible says multitudes multitudes in the valley of decision for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. And again, I want to minister for a few moments today on the greatest decision. The greatest decision. Again, let me remind you to hit that share button. Let's get as many people on here to hear the word of the Lord. This word, this word decision in Joel chapter 3 verse number 14, this word decision is an interesting word when you look at it at its root in the Hebrew. It's an interesting word because to make a decision or to decide is a sense of dividing between two choices. when you when you make a decision when you when you decide to do something that you are are making it it literally means to make an incision. It's represented with a sharp point. In other words, you're you're you're taking your decision and you're using your your ability to make a decision as a sharp instrument that makes an incision. Now, this incision seems to have the um it seems to want to uh liken it to making a trench, making a decision in the dirt. Um it goes on and and gives you several different other um analogies, if I could use that word, uh to dig, to dig, to mine, uh as in mining for silver or mining for gold. So we we come to understand very quickly that when we make a decision when we make a decision that we are making an incision to decide between two choices to mine for something that is valuable. Believe that all of us today want to make decisions that are valuable. We want to make decisions that are not regretted. We want to make decisions that we look back on in life and we can say that was the best decision of my life. That was the greatest decision. That was the greatest decision of my life. I think of the prophet I the prophet Elijah and the people of God had made a decision. They had made a decision to serve God and or or should I say and correct myself attempt to serve God and also serve false gods. They were giving Jehovah part of their time and they were giving the false gods part of their time. And uh we know that our God is either Lord of all or he is not Lord at all. that there's only one way to serve God, and that is to serve God and love God with all of your heart, with all of your mind, with all of your soul, and all of your spirit. Well, because the nation of Israel had were half-hearted, they were they were serving God with half their heart, and they were serving Baal with that with half their heart, there was the judgment of God of a great drought that was in the land. There was a famine. There was a drought that was in the land. And it was time for that drought to come to an end. And God used his prophet Elijah. And Elijah came unto the people in first kings chapter 18 and verse number 21. And the Bible said, "And Elijah came unto all the people and said, how long haunt ye between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow him. if Baal then follow him. And the people answered him not a word. In other words, he came and he said, "It's time to make a decision. It's time to make an incision. It's time to to mine. It's time to Here we are in the middle of a famine. Here we are in the middle of a drought. And it's time to stop halting." That word halt there means to limp. It's time to stop limp limping between is God God or is Baal God. It's time to to to choose. It's it's time not to uh halt between two opinions. And of course the Bible says the people answered him not a word. You understand today that that was a decision. That was a decision. their decision not to respond was a resi was a decision. And so there are many times in all of our lives, we think, well, I'm I'm just doing nothing. And uh doing nothing is a decision. I've often said that with God, there is no neutral gear. There is no neutral gear. There's no there's no in between gear. We are either serving God or we're not serving God. We're either serving him or we're not serving him. And they answered they answered the man of God, not a word. It was a decision. They they answered him not a word. And then he offered them this. He said, "You prepare a bulock. You prepare an offering. You lay your offering on the altar and uh I will do the same. I will take a I will take a bulock and I will lay it on the altar." And they said, and he said, "The God thatth by fire, the God thatth by fire, he will be God." And the Bible says, now you you get this in your mind now. Um, he says to the worshippers, he says to Israel, he says, "You you go ahead and build an altar to Baal, and I'm going to build an altar to Jehovah." And the God that sends fire and consumes the sacrifice, he will be God. And when he gave them this decision or he gave them this choice, it says in first Kings 18:24, uh, call ye and call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord. And the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, "It is well spoken." Now, do you notice now? Now, just before when he said, "How long halt you between two opinions?" Uh, the Bible said they answered him not a word. But when he said that we serve a God that can answer by fire, we we serve a God that can make himself manifest and he can he can answer. He can answer by fire. And when he said that, they said, "This is well spoken." Again, I'm ministering this morning on the greatest decision. the greatest decision and the greatest decision that you and I ever made in our lives. We we've made some great decisions. We've made some great decisions. Uh great decisions about a mate, great decisions about how how to raise our children, great decisions about financial uh great decisions about obedience. But the greatest decision that you and I ever made was when we made that decision to be born again of the water and of the spirit. When we made that decision to give our heart to God, when we made that decision to become a disciple of Jesus Christ, to live for him, to serve him through good times, through bad times, for better, for worse, if I could use the words of the marriage vows, for better, for worse, richer, for poor, dark days, and bright uh bright days, and all of these things. I'm just thankful today to say it was a wellspoken word because our God Jesus Christ has truly answered by fire. And of course, we know in the 18th chapter of First Kings that God did answer by fire. And when he answered by fire, uh the people fell on their faces and they said, "The Lord, he is God. The Lord, he is God." And then the prophet, the prophet Elijah, he commanded that all the false prophets of Baal, all the false voices, all the false prophesying, all the false voices that was in the ears of the people of Israel. He said, "You need need to take them down to the brook of Keshan, and there you shall slay all of the false voices." You know, when God answers us by fire and we we make the decision to accept and we make the we make the decision we make the decision today that the Lord, he is God. It's amazing how we automatically begin to slay the false voices in our lives. The voices that say we're no good. The voices that say that God God doesn't notice you. I if if God noticed me, why am I here today? All of those false voices are taken down at the brook Keshan and there we put them we put them to death. We silence all of those false voices. I want you to know today that's watching that you can have false voices in your head. False voices of past condemnation. False voices that tell you that you can't make it. That God doesn't love you. that you've tried and failed too many times, but you listen to me on this online service today. God has not given up on you. God still has a plan for your life. God still has something for you to do. And we need to slay the false voices that want to whisper, that want to whisper to us. Of course, we know this story. When they silenced the false voices, it was Elijah that said, "I hear the sound of the abundance of rain." Is it amazing that when we begin to slay those false voices and cut those voices down in our lives, that we begin to hear the voice of God and we begin to hear the rain that we so that we so desperately. But it all happened because Elijah challenged them. Elijah challenged them. how long halt you between two opinions. You need to make a decision. You need to make an incision. You need to mind. You need to think back over the over your life when you serve Jehovah, he answered you. The clouds were full of rain. When you think back over your life when you were dedicated to God, how that uh blessings uh not not all were not all were easy days, but all were blessed days. But when we made a decision to go another direction and try to serve both God and the world, then we find ourselves in a miserable situation. But this morning, we're going to make those great decisions and we're going to serve God with all of our heart. It was Joshua, the book of Joshua, chapter 24. It's a long it's a it's a chapter that Joshua just goes and he starts back with Abraham and he starts back at the very beginning and he starts talking about the goodness of God all the way back to Abraham and how good God was to Israel and how good God had been to them and how God would provide for them and how God would fight for them and how God would do all for them. And then he comes to verse number 24 of the excuse me verse number 14 of Joshua chapter 24. He comes to this verse now the the the prior 13 verses. He's just rehearsing how good God had been. He's just rehearsing how good the Lord had been. Oh, could you and I just take a few moments today and could we just rehearse in our minds as he Don't you remember that when you were a sinner and God came down and touched you with conviction? Do you remember when your mind was a million miles away from God, but somebody invited you to a church service? Somebody invited you to a Bible study and there you begin to feel the grip of conviction. You you you knew in your mind, "This is God knocking at the door of my heart." Don't you remember how God filled you with the Holy Ghost? Don't you remember what it felt like when you came up out of that water baptized in Jesus' name and and your sins were remitted? Don't you remember the freedom? Would you remember the blessings of God as doors begin to open up and and a way of life, a disciplehip, a way of life and how it healed your how it healed you uh mentally, emotionally, and how it healed your marriage and how it changed your children and on and on and on and on it goes and oh we could reminisce and that's what Joshua has done from Joshua 24:es 1-13. He just talked about the goodness of God. But in verse number 14, Joshua says these words. Joshua says, "Now therefore," he says, "now therefore, fear the Lord." What that simply means there is in light of the goodness of God, in light of how good God has been to you, he says, "Now therefore, fear the Lord." In light of all of this, you need to have a reverential fear of God. Not a not a fear that's an unhealthy fear that I if if if I if I don't do everything just right, God's going to zap me. If I if I don't do everything just right, God's going to bring my past sins up and I'm going to pay for my past sins through my children or or something like that. That's nonsense. That's foolishness. That's not the God that we serve today. But yet the God that we serve today needs a reverential fear. It is a fear that simply recognizes that he is God. It is a fear that you walk with to know that he is the Lord. He is the God. And Joshua said, "In light of all the goodness, now therefore, fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in truth." Notice this. He first said we should have that fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. The fear of the Lord are your first baby steps with God. The fear of the Lord. Notice what comes next after the fear of the Lord. He says, "Now serve the Lord." Now you you you need to serve the Lord. You you fear the Lord with your mind, with your spirit, with your soul, but you serve God with your body. You serve God with your time. You serve God with your talents, your treasures. You sh You serve God this way. Please don't get that backward. Please don't try to serve God and then fear God. It just simply doesn't work that way. You got to first have that fear of God, that reverential, that awe, that God is the great God, that God has it all in control, and that God has a good plan. God has a good plan for my life. Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in truth. Serve him in sincerity and in truth. this word sincerity or sincere was a word that they would use about wood furniture, wood furniture. Um if if if someone was making a chair and let's say that that um part of that chair had a wood, it it was made of wood and there was a a a part of the chair, a part of the wood that was missing, maybe a knot hole. Uh, some furniture makers would pack that hole with wax. They would pack it with wax and they could stain it real good. And when you went to purchase that chair, you would just look at it. You would just look at that chair and and you would see how beautiful the chair. You you you didn't know that that part of the arm or part of the leg was uh actually made of wax. But what would happen, they would buy these chairs, they would take them home, and if they set them too close to a fire, the fire would begin to melt, the fire would begin to melt the wax, and they would refer to the chair as not sincere. It wasn't fully all that it claimed to be. Oh, let's serve the Lord today and let's let's fear the Lord. Let's serve the Lord. and let's let's serve him in sincerity. Let's serve him in sincerity and in truth. Just let the Lord work on you. Just let the Lord Ju just let the Lord come into the parts of your life that are not what they should be and let God do a new work on the inside of you. He uh Joshua is saying, "Serve him in sincerity. Be who you claim to be. Serve him in sincerity and in truth. Put away the gods which were which your father served on the other side of the flood and in Egypt and serve ye the Lord. Notice this. Put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood. He's talking about before the flood in Noah's day when they served the gods of being sensual. They served the false gods, the false sensual gods. And every man did that which was right in his own eyes. And and and Joshua is simply saying, don't carry on like your fathers did. Don't carry on like your like your your fathers. Of course, we could talk today about generational curses. We could talk today about men and women that find themselves in the bondage of addiction. And when we begin to run the family history, we find that their parents had the same addiction and their grandparents had the same addiction. And on and on it goes. But through Jesus Christ and the marvelous power of the life-changing gospel, that generational curse can be broken today in Jesus' name. That generational curse has to give way to the name that is above every name. So I'm preaching to you today and telling you that regardless of that generational curse on the other side of the flood, God's got power for you to break that. And then he said, "The gods in Egypt, this would be the current gods. This would be the current situations around us, the current temptations around us." And Joshua said, "Whether the gods which your father served that were on the other side of the flood or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell." Listen to this. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. The greatest decision that you will ever make, Father. The greatest decision you'll ever make, mother. The greatest decision to the families of FAC Mville and FAC Severville, the greatest decision that you will make is to serve the Lord regardless of what others are doing. To serve God regardless what another family may be doing. To serve God regardless if it's popular or not popular. To serve God whether you're in the minority or the majority. You're going to serve God. You're going to live for him. He said, "You do what you want to do, but I have made a decision. You do what you want to do, but I have made an incision. You do what you want to do, but I have mined. I have found the golden nuggets of living for God. I have found that he is a blessing God." So I I want to stand today and I want to say with Joshua to anyone that may be hearing me today online congregation, I want to say to you today, if it seems evil to serve the Lord, if you have made a decision and your decision has caused you to see the negative, it's caused you to believe that it's a burden to serve God and you no longer have to serve God that way, that's well. But as for me, as for Kenneth Ray Carpenter, and as for my house, we will serve the Lord. You've come too late to tell me he's not beautiful. You've come too late to tell me he's not merciful. You've come too late to tell me it's in vain to live for God. You've come too late to tell me that going to the house of God on a regular basis doesn't make a better person, a better marriage, a better family out of you. You've come way too late. You've come way too late to try to tell me I've tasted. I know the goodness of God. So regardless of what anyone else wants to do, as for me and my house, we're going to serve the Lord. We're going to serve the Lord. Man, I I feel the presence of the Lord. I hope I hope right there in your home, you're feeling the presence of God and making that same declaration. making that same declaration that I'm making. Wednesday evening, I preached about living for God and serving God and and uh being good good ground. I you I was talking about the parable of the swer. I received the most wonderful text message from a precious dear saint of God, Sister Bryant. She sent me a text message the other day and she said, "I thank you for your preaching." Uh, she said, "I thank you for what you were saying last night. I'm thankful that my children get to hear this. I'm thankful that my grandchildren, my great grandchildren get to hear this." Sister Bryant, Sister Fay Bryant, she said, "I don't know how much longer I've got left, but said, "I'm so thankful that my family are is getting to hear this type of holiness teaching, this type of preaching. I'm so thankful." And Sister Bryant's probably watching today. And I she's uh her family is is all over this church. Her her and her husband, her husband, Brother Ray Bryant's done went on to be with the Lord. But they raised their families to live for God. They raised their family, the house of God, revival, camp meetings. That that that was the vacations. That was the that that that was the recreation for their home was the house of God. And we see the rich benefits. You've come too late. You've come too late to tell us that's foolishness to live for God. You've come too late to tell us that it it it doesn't pay to live for God. I I beg to differ with you. It doesn't pay. Sin doesn't pay. But God gives the rich benefits of righteousness. And I'm so very thankful for that today. Joshua said, "As for me and my house, we're going to serve we're going to serve the Lord. I want to come to an end here today and the greatest decision and I think about the shipwreck that occurred in Acts chapter 29. I think about Paul on that ship. I think about him uh being a prisoner and headed to Rome and um he he wasn't a sailor. He he wasn't a man that knew the seas, but but yet as he stood there on the deck of that ship and he heard the voices of the um the captain, the master, the navigator. He heard the voices of the um of the centurion and he heard the voices of the owner of the ship. You see, the ship was full of cargo. That's how they made their living, taking cargo from one place to the next. Paul overheard them making a discussion. It's late in the season. It's late in the season. Storms could arise. We could encounter terrible storms. It was Paul that spoke up. He said, "Sers, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the ladding and ship, but also of our lives." Well, who are you, sir? Who Who are you? Excuse me. We've got a prisoner talking here. Excuse me. We we we got a prisoner here that's talking. Uh who who are you? Well, I'm I'm a follower of one Jesus Christ. And I want you to know that I perceive I something in my spirit that this voyage, this voyage will be with hurt and much damage not only of the cargo and ship, but also we're putting our lives in jeopardy. But the Bible says they made a decision. Made a decision. They probably when they made that decision, they made the incision. Who are you? Well, you know, the rumor is that that fellow called Jesus that rose from the dead. We all know that somebody stole his body and he's a fanatical religious man and they made the decision. Nevertheless, the centurion believe the master and the owner of the ship more than those things which were spoken by Paul. story there in the se 27th chapter goes on brother Ericson it goes on and they cut the ropes loose and they went out to open sea and the south wind blew softly and they believe that they had obtained their purpose. That south wind that cool gentle south wind seemed to tell them that they had made the right decision and who knows maybe they even mocked Paul for a little bit. Maybe they even brought Paul up on top of the deck and said, "See, you feel that south wind and that's a that's a indicator that we've done the right thing." But the Bible said that not many days after they rose against it, a tempetuous wind, a a hurricane, a cyclone, a wind that blew in every different directions. clouds that were so black and so thick that for many days and nights the sun, the moon, the stars didn't appear. A storm that was so terrible that they begin to cast out all the cargo. They begin to try to lighten the ship. And then the Bible simply says, "And all hope and all hope that they would be saved was lost." 276 men on board a ship. It's a boat of hopelessness. It's a boat of despair. Maybe you got men writing letters to their wives, hoping that they'll find this letter. But in the midst of the darkest, hopeless night, Paul stands up once again. Paul lifts up his voice and Paul says,"For there has stood by me this night the angel of God whose I am and whom I serve." And Paul said, "Be of good cheer. We're all going to make it to land. We're all going to make it to land, but the ship and the cargo will be lost, but we'll all make it to land." They believed Paul. They took meal. They took food. And their hearts were cheered up a little bit. But but not everyone on board believed Paul. Not everyone on board believed him. It was a group of sailors that wanted to go and take the little lifeboats on the side of the big ship. They wanted to go under disguise and they wanted to get in those little lifeboats and they wanted to float away. They wanted to get away. Paul saw them. Paul told the captain of the ship, he said, "Except these men stay in this boat, they'll die. Except they abide in the ship, they'll die." The Bible says they took knives and they cut off those little boats and they let them drop into the sea. Today, I wonder how many are listening to me this morning and watching that you're you're a mixture of wanting to turn your life over to God. You're a a mixture of wanting to see the church and the as the answer. You're a mixture of all of that, but somehow you've got a little lifeboat that you're holding to. You've got something in your life that you just won't let go. Could this Sunday morning, February the 1st, be the day that you take your decision and make an incision and cut that boat off and turn and look to Paul and say, "I'm allin with you." The Bible simply ends this wonderful story in Acts 27 verse 44. And the rest, some on boards, some on broken pieces of the ship. And so it came to pass that they all escaped, all safe to land. Let's pray right now in your homes. Those of you that are watching right now, Father, if there's one that is watching today and God, they're finding themselves in a great shipwreck, Lord. Maybe their marriage, maybe their life, God, they may be suicidal, Lord. Things may have happened. They have made decisions that have wrecked and ruined their lives. Decisions that if they could, they would go back. No. A thousand times over they wouldn't make that decision. But God, right now, in the name of Jesus, I'm asking for your wonderful spirit to flow into their home right now as they lift their hands on the other side of the screen. As they lift their hands and begin to say, "Jesus, help me. Jesus, I need your help today. Father, I've made the wrong decisions of my life. God, I want to make the right decision. Lord, I want to begin to make the incision. God, I want to begin to choose this day, Lord. Today is your day of salvation. Today is the day, God. Lord, is possibly that man reaches over and gets the hand of his wife right now. And that that wife reaches over and gets the hand of a child right now. on God. In homes all over, we begin to pray. We begin to seek your face right now. Oh Jesus, do your work. Do your work right now. Right now in that hospital room with Mother Zender, in the name of Jesus, may she be healed today. In the name of Jesus, may she be healed today. Lord, I pray today for the many needs, God, of people that are watching. Lord, as that person has possibly fallen to their knees, Lord, they're in front of the string today. there in front and Lord, they're calling out on you right now. I pray with them, Lord, online. I pray, God, they'll get the victory today, Lord. I pray, God, they'll get the victory in their life, Lord. God, I give you the praise and I give you the honor, Lord. I want to make the greatest decision of my life. I want to live for you and I want to serve you, God. In Jesus wonderful name we pray. Amen. And amen.