The Bible Truth about God | Senior Pastor Kenneth Carpenter

Well, if you have your Bibles, let's just go right into the word of the Lord. John chapter 17 and verse number 17. And as you're looking for that passage of scripture, I want to say how good it is to be in the house of the Lord. this beautiful Wednesday night and to see you beautiful people here and thank God that we can worship together and love God together and go to heaven, go to heaven together. Amen. And uh if you believe that, turn to a neighbor and say, "I believe that." All right. Hey, some didn't turn your head. That's okay. We got water to baptize you in. That's a we can we pray you through. And you know, I thought just tell you a little story about Honduras and u we was out in that open field and I've been praising the Lord and it was it was as hot as Fourth of July drill. I mean, it was hot. And um I looked out over that field. There probably five, six hundred people in that field worshiping God. And I thought for a moment, I am seeing the glory of God. I am seeing a glory cloud. I thought now I've got a story to tell. Brother White, I'm seeing a glory. I'm seeing a glory cloud. Then it dawned on me. That was in people shouting out there on that dirt. Shucks. Thought I had me one of those stories. But do you know I really wonder what it does look like to God? It may not be a glory of God cloud, but how about a glory of man to God cloud? You ever thought about what that does in the atmosphere? We bring glory, bring honor to God. Say, let's pray. when we pray over the the word here in a moment, but uh Sister Linda Thompson, uh pastor and sister Carpenter left Sunday night right after offering to go to the hospital. They found tumors on her brain and tomorrow they'll be going and doing an operation on her on her brain. It's very serious. So, please in the morning around 9:30, 10 o'clock, uh, if you can take a moment, just pray for Sister Linda Thompson and, uh, pray for Brother Thompson, too. Pray for him. Uh, Brother Newberry, uh, just right before church, Brother Ericson had been up to the hospital, but right before church, his father Jesse passed away. And so, let's remember the Newberry family tonight in prayer. Janette Carpenter, Brother David Massingale, and Sister Helms, her cousin, little eight-year-old girl, [name redacted], uh had brain surgery today, and um she is paralyzed on one side. And let's let's pray for that. Let's pray for that need tonight. Let's read the word. John 17:17. Why don't we read it out out loud together as a church? sanctify them through thy truth. Thy word is truth. Let's pray. Father, in the name of Jesus, tonight we come before you. Lord, we know that at the mention of your name that heaven opens. And God, that you are attentive to the prayer that is prayed in your name by your people who are called by your name. Lord, you heard the request tonight. And God, I pray that every name that I mentioned and every name that is possibly strolling across our screen right now, God, I pray for every need tonight, I pray for healing and deliverance. And I pray for a way to be made, God. I I ask you, Lord, to move upon special unspoken requests, God, burdens of our hearts tonight, Lord, that you would move, you would have your way. In Jesus mighty name we all pray. Amen. And amen. I know you got your Bible in your hand, but if you'd put your Bible down and put your two hands together and clap unto the Lord tonight, for the Lord is great, for the Lord is good. Oh, glory be to the name of the Lord tonight. You may be seated in Jesus name. You know the Bible says in the book of Isaiah chapter 40 and verse number eight it says the grass witherth and the flower fadeth but the word of our God shall stand forever. Now let me break that down just very simple. The grass witherth the flower fadeth. That means seasons come and seasons go. That means life continues year after year after year. You were a teenager. Now you're middle age. And now you're above middle age. But can I tell you something? A lot of things change in our life. The grass will wither. The flower will fade away. Years turn into decades and decades and decades. But can I tell you this? Whether you're eight years old tonight or 88 years old, this word's got the answer for you. Whether you're eight years old tonight or 88 years old, doesn't matter. The word of the Lord will abide and live and be powerful and speak to an eight-year-old child. And it'll even find an 88-y old person and come down and begin to speak to them and begin to talk to them. Aren't you thankful for the word of the Lord tonight? I'm thankful for the word of the Lord. I started serving him when I was 16 and I'm 64. And I need the word of the Lord tonight just as much as I did when I was 16. But I'm glad to report that flowers fade, grass withers, but God's word just alive, just as alive and powerful as it was then. Amen. Well, my title for the Bible lesson tonight is the truth. The Bible truth. The Bible truth about God. The Bible truth. Don't Don't you want to hear the Bible truth about God? I I want to hear the Bible truth about Jesus tonight because uh if you go to uh religions around the world, some say Jesus Christ was Lucifer's brother and the two brothers had an argument and split way. Good brother, bad brother. And there's religions that embrace that. There's a religion that they say will soon if it keeps growing at the pace that's growing right now that in five to 10 years will be larger than Christianity in the world. And that religion teaches that Jesus was a good prophet of God. He was the great prophet that came right before their major prophet came. So there there's a lot of different but I I don't want to hear about that. I don't want to hear that he's the elder brother. I don't want to hear that he's the twin brother. I don't want to hear that he's a great prophet or a good man that became God. I want to hear the Bible truth about Jesus. Well, the Bible truth. Truth is an important word. As a matter of fact, Jesus prayed in that the prayer that I mentioned tonight. He prayed for us that we would be sanctified through the truth. The word sanctify there means to separate be to be separated to take from here and to separate it apart to actually call attention to what has been separated. So he said sanctify them through thy truth. Thy word is truth. Now, here's the reason that you and I ought to be passionate about the truth. We ought to be passionate about the truth, hungry for the truth, is that Jesus said in John 8:32, "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." See, we we need to be passionate about the truth because a lie will put you in bondage. But the truth, now I want you to see there. Look at the word. We we so often misquote this. We the the the most misqued way of saying this is and you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free. Scripture doesn't say set you free. It says the truth shall make you free. Because to be set free is a one-time experience that you were set free. But that's not the way the Bible works. The truth is going to make you free. It's going to be a continual process that you're going through all through life. The truth is going to make you free. Can you say amen? Let's see how the Old Testament saints viewed the truth. Let's just see how they viewed the truth. It kind of help us. We we, you know, we see how they viewed the truth. And we have more we have more of God in us than they had. They had God around them, but we had God. We had God not only with us, we had God in us. All right? So, but let's let's go back. Let's roll the clock back and let's see how people in the Old Testament view the truth. Zachchariah chapter 8 and verse number 19. Zechariah chapter 8 verse number 19. Thus sayeth the Lord of hosts, the fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fa fast of the seventh, and the fast of the 10th shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness and cheerful feast. Therefore, love the truth and peace. You see that? He said, "Uh, I I want you to I know there is some discipline. I know there are some things that are not pleasant to your flesh. I mean, as much as these folks fasted here, uh, that fasting is not pleasing to your flesh. It was a fifth month and the fourth month and a tenth month that they were fasting." But he comes to the end and he says, he says, "You'll have gladness. You'll have joy. You'll have cheerful feast. That's why church is a good time to get together and we get happy. You'll have cheerful feast. Therefore, look at that. Love the truth. Therefore, love the truth. Now, if you could pray any prayer, let me let me give you a little something for those of you that may say, "Well, when I go to prayer, I really don't know what to pray for." Mark this down. Pray and ask God to give you a love for the truth. Just ask him every day. God, give me a love for the truth. God, let me love the truth. Give me Give me a love. give me a love for the truth. Let's go on over to the New Testament. Now, we're in the church. We was in Zechariah's day. That was under the law. They love the truth under the law. And now we're in the church dispensation. In Ephesians 4, verse number 15, look at this. Paul said, "But speaking the truth in love." Speaking the truth in love. Isn't it amazing that I don't I don't believe that that's only uh how you present the truth, how you present the truth. I I know that there have been times that people have needed to apologize for how they presented the truth, but you never apologize for the truth. All right? And and and and this speaking the truth in love, you can't speak the truth in love. Now listen to it now, please. You can't speak the truth in love if you don't love the truth. You'll never become convincing if you're not convinced. But if you love something, I'm going to tell you something. If you love something, when you talk about whatever it is you talk about, you'll talk about it with love. Speak the truth in love. Well, let's go on over visit uh what's possibly a 90year-old apostle. Let's go over and visit uh John. He wrote several uh epistles. And in the second epistle of John, second epistle of John, chapter 1, verse number one, he addresses the people he's speaking to. And he says, "The elder, I guess if you're you're you're you're 90 something years old, you can refer to yourself as an elder. Um, the elder unto the elect lady and her children whom I love." Are y'all Are y'all listening to this now? Let me see if you listening. Who does he love them in? The truth. Now, now think about that for a moment tonight. What do we all have in common outside of the truth? We're here tonight because the truth brings us together. Right now, we love one another. We we we we love one another and we have things in common. There there are there's some men women here in the church that love golf and there's some I heard that and there's some men women here in the church that love to hunt and and um there's some old car fanatics here. All right. And uh there's some great cooks and fishing. Yeah. Come on, brother Abel. Fish. There's some people love to go fishing. And and then there's some there's some some women in the church that love to cook. I'm gonna tell you something. We got some men in this church that know how to cook. All right, brother Wimberly. I see you smiling. I see you smiling. Lord have mercy. He won't even make it in the rapture. You You won't go in the rapture. God is going to take you early so you can prepare the marriage supper of the lamb. He's going to take you a little early. But do you know that everything I just listed I could live the rest of my life without doing? They tried to take me. Nolan tried to get me to go golfing. It's the most boring game in all the world. I mean, you can't hit the ball. I mean, and then I got to know the terminology because, you know, I think sliced that's something good. Sliced. And I've heard no one says sliced it. So he's out hitting it and I say, "You sliced it." He said, "No, no, I didn't." No, daddy hit that perfect. And I don't know what a bogey is. Sounds like a boogeyman. I I just don't know. So I can live the rest of my life. I can live the rest of my life without doing anything that I just mentioned to you. All right? Wouldn't hurt my feelings at all. But I'm going to tell you what we all got in common. And what brings us here tonight is not fishing, golf, hunting, or cooking or cars, but what brings us here tonight? Could you give the truth a hand right now? Truth. Right? Am I right? Come on. Am I right tonight? What brings us here tonight? The truth. Well, let me go on. The elder unto the elect lady and her children whom I love in the truth. Go on over to uh u well just go down just go down a couple verses. Grace uh verse three. Grace be grace be with you. Mercy and peace from God the Father, from the Lord Jesus Christ, the son of the father in truth and love. Uh, Third John, third John, I told you he wrote a lot of epistles. Third John 1 and one. Third John 1 and one. the elder unto the well-beloved Gaes. Let's just read that last part out loud. Are y'all seeing this tonight? Whom I love in the truth. Truth was must have been important. It was. It is. Let's go to 2 Thessalonians for a moment and let's see just how important it is to love truth. 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 and verse 5. Um before we start reading, let me let me just tell you a little bit about the history of the church of Thessalonica. It had received a rumor, a lie. And you know what the rumor and the lie was? that Jesus had already returned for his church. He had already come back and they missed it. Now, I don't know about you, but if you believe that, no wonder he had to write, "If in this life only we have hope, we're of all men what? Most miserable." So he's addressing these people and he says in verse 5, "Remember ye not that when I was yet with you, I told you these things and now ye know what withholdeth that he may be revealed in his time." He's talking about the Antichrist. He said, "I've been telling you about this." And he says, "And now ye know what withholdeth that he may be revealed in his time." He's talking about there's something there is something that is a dam that is holding this the antichrist the spirit of the antichrist back. Verse seven, for the mystery mystery of iniquity, that's lawlessness, doth already work. Only he who now letth will let until he be taken out of the way. The only thing that is holding Satan back from full throttle is the spirit of God in the church. The spirit of God in the church. And do you know one of the things that Jesus referenced the spirit of God as the spirit of truth? The only thing that's holding Satan back. You said, "Man, if if he's not at full throttle right now, and I I don't I'm going to waste the time going through the list of perversion that's in our world today. I mean, people are just crazy. All right? They're just crazy. They need the Holy Ghost. They need to get in church. They need to start reading the truth. Well, they understand a lot of things if they just get in a biblebelieving church. Don't go to a spiritual country club. Come to a church that preaches the word. Why is that? Because it will make you free. Free from what? Free from a lie. Well, I'm I'm here to tell you, I'm glad that the church will be taken out before he is revealed. I'm glad for that because if he's not at full throttle right now, I don't want to be here when he's full throttle. But let's let's read on. I I can't get in prophecy tonight. Not tonight. Verse eight. Then shall that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming, even him whose coming is after the working of Satan. Now, he's talking about the Antichrist. And he says he's he's coming who is after the working of Satan. How does Satan work? with all power and signs and lying wonders and with all deceivleness of unrighteousness in them that perish. How do they perish? How do they fall prey to the devil? How do they believe his lies? Here's the answer. Because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved. Now, I want you to notice what it doesn't say. It doesn't say they didn't receive the truth. It says they didn't receive the love for the truth. Brothers and sisters, tonight, it's not enough to know how to be baptized. We got to love that truth. It's not enough to know about the Holy Ghost talking in tongues. We got to love that truth. It's not enough to know there's one God and his name is Jesus. We got to love that truth. It's not enough to know without holiness no man shall see the Lord. We got to love that truth. We got to love that. It's not enough to know that forsake not the assemblings of yourselves together. We got to love that truth. We We got to fall in love. We got to We got to embrace that truth. Could somebody give Could somebody give a good amen tonight? We got to love that truth because they receive not the love of the truth that they might be saved. And for this cause. Well, for what cause? And for this cause. Look at the next verse. And for this cause. What cause? They didn't have a love for the truth. And for this cause, God shall send them strong delusion that they might be believe a lie. I'm going to tell you something. Just just keep that verse on the screen. Brother Seth, when the devil deceives you, you can get out of it by truth. Truth reveals deception. But when God sends you a delusion, when God does. Now, see, see, it's a little hard for us to because we we really pickled and baptized in the mercy and God and good gifts and all of that, but I I got to deliver all the mail to you. I just can't deliver the dessert. I I I got to bring some chopped liver every now and it's high in protein. All right. I got to deliver things you don't want to eat. But we don't receive a love for the truth. The Bible says and the Bible says that God will send for this cause God shall send them a strong delusion that they should believe a lie that they all might be damned who believe not the truth and had pleasure in unrighteousness. But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to sanctific salvation through sanctification of the spirit and belief in the truth. He talks about an ugly scene. God sending a strong delusion, but then he flips it around and he says, "But I'm talking to people that love the truth." All right. Now, now there are people that God has sent them a strong delusion. And I'm praying for them. And I and and and you know, I believe that in their delusion, I'm not saying they can't be saved, but they're going to have to want to be saved. Let's stop right there. I'm looking at a congregation tonight that I'm convinced that's not your story. I believe because the spirit of God has separated you and sanctified you, you're here on a Wednesday night to love God. Didn't we have a wonderful praise and worship service? Wasn't that a glorious thing tonight? Didn't you feel the Lord come down and kiss this congregation? Didn't you feel the presence of God just just come down? You know, I just believe tonight that God looks down and he sees a people separated by the spirit and and he sees a people that believe the truth. I believe that. I believe that about you. Well, I let me let me see time. Uh let me just you know um please please always take this the word above anything else. Well I I I know people people get in trouble when I hear them say well I know what the word says but no there's no but about it. All right. I I know how but I feel no That's it. I like the bumper sticker I saw that said, you know, we we have the bumper sticker for years. It said, "God said it and I believe it and it's so." But a new bumper sticker came out and said, "God said it, it's so whether I believe it or not." Do you get that? It's not God said it, I believe it, and it's so. No, no, no, no. It's God said it, it's so. And whether or not I believe it is whether I get blessed or I am cursed. So never take anything above the word. If Adam and Eve and every generation thereafter had only taken this when Satan came when God said, "If you eat of the tree, you shall surely die." But Satan said in in Genesis 3 and 4, "And the serpent said unto the woman, you shall not surely die." She took Satan's word over God's word. That's where the trouble that's where the trouble began. Don't don't don't take the culture of the times. I I hear that a lot. the times that we're living in and you just can't preach that anymore and people are not buying that anymore. Well, I'm not buying that. I'm not buying that. Why? Remember my opening verse tonight. The grass witherth, the flower fadeth, but the word of the Lord endureth forever. You see, you you've you've you've come too late to tell me that you can't build a church preaching truth. You've come too late to tell me that people don't want the truth. We're baptizing too many people for that to be to be believed. There's too many people There's too many people coming in the church and saying, "This is what I've been looking for." You see, when when we start getting culture and you can't do that anymore, people won't take that anymore. You just can't preach like that anymore. You you you can't be authoritative anymore. You you you you got to come out like Tiny Tim tiptoeing through the tulips and and and and you you you know you can't raise your voice and you can't get redfaced. And people don't like that anymore. And you can't preach more than 20 minutes. They don't like that anymore. And all you're doing is coddling the flesh. Preach to me, preacher. I need help in my life. Preacher. I need help in my marriage, preacher. I need to know how to raise my children. Preach to me. Preach to me. Turn down the lies you're hearing. Galatians chapter 1 verse number six. It's interesting. Again, this is a church in Galatia. This is an apostolic church. The only difference between us and them is 2,000 years. But look what happened. Galatians 1 and6. Listen to Paul. I marvel. Blows my mind that you are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto a Please say the next two words. A what? What were they called to? Another gospel. Verse seven. Let's see what Paul's thoughts were about this. Let's read the first four words of verse seven. Well, that says it, don't it? He didn't come around and say you're believing something a little different. Well, it's kind of similar. Tomato, tomato, peacon, pecan. We're kind of saying the same thing, aren't we? We're like spokes. We're like spokes in a wheel. We're all going to the same place, right? Not so. He said, "Which is not another, but there be some that trouble you." Now, now note that. No wonder some people are troubled is because they're listening to people who are troubling them. Don't come and try to tell me the truth. Is it the truth? It's quiet in here tonight. Which is not another. But there be some that trouble you and would pervert pervert the gospel of Christ. Pervert. I guess that's a spiritual pervert. Really? Truly. A pervert is someone who takes something that in its in its god-given use is healthy and and a blessing, but they pervert it and it becomes dangerous and harming and damning. Isn't it beautiful how the gospel will deliver us? It will find us in the muck and the mire of our sin and the mess of our our our need for deliverance. And when we hear the gospel and believe the gospel, he brought me out of the miry clay. He set my feet on the rock to stay. He changed me. He Oh, I'd like to have a choir behind me right now. What a change. What a change. What a difference he made in my life. And and and that's all because of the gospel. But if you let somebody come and start preaching another gospel, they take something that's supposed to save you and they damn you with it. Listen to Paul. We talking about putting yourself on the front line here. Look at verse eight with me. But though we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be a curse. Boy, I wonder what they do to old Paul today on social media blogs. I wonder how many I wonder how many social media blogs we get a hold of the Apostle Paul. But though we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. That does he say it plain enough there? He said though we he said if any of us if any of us if any of us begin to preach any other gospel let us be accursed. You know, for years I've heard my blessed bishop, my blessed pastor, Mother Tharp, he gets up and he says this. You come to Mirable Church and he'll say, "I'm reminded now of the Apostle John who says, I have no greater joy." See, he he baptized me and my wife. He baptized some of us here in this room. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk on in truth. And so, I flipped the table on him. I introduced him at the conference and I said, "You know, we're living in a day when men preach things in their early years, but the older they got, they stopped preaching it and they have caused an epidemic of confusion through the church." Because you think about it. You think about it. Someone preaches the truth to you. They preach the ways of God to you. This is how we live. This is what we do. And then years later, they turn around, they start saying, "Well, you know, times have changed. So I introduced him this way. I have no greater joy than to see that the man that brought me the gospel is still walking in the truth. Church, I just feel the sweetness of God right now. Could we just lift our hands and worship him for a moment? Come on now. God, thank you for the truth, Lord. Lord, thank you for the truth tonight, God. Lord, I thank you for the truth, God. Help me to love the truth, Lord. Help me. Help me, God, to love this truth, Lord. Help me. Help me to love this truth, God. Thank you, Jesus. But though we are an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accur. That's verse eight. Verse nine, let's look at verse nine. Let's see if he's going to say something different. As we said before, that's verse eight. So say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that you have received, let him be accursed. Think about that. Two things. He said, if we get back up and preach another doctrine, let us be accursed. If an angel, now think how impressive that would be. You think, Sister Satan, think for a moment. If an angel let's say 20t tall came down in this building and unin he unfl folded his wings and they reached from that wall to that wall and he had a voice like an orator and he began to preach something else. Paul said let it be a curse. You have got to have a love for the truth. A man represents flesh. An angel represents the spirit world. Paul said, "Though a man or the spirit world come and preach any other gospel, let him be accursed." Let's travel back to the Old Testament again. Second Coronicles chapter 15 verse number three. The truth, the Bible truth about God. 2 Chronicles 15 and3. Now for a long season, Israel had been without the true God. Well, I don't you just reckon if there's a true God, what would there be? If there's a true God, would there have to be a false god? Israel had been without a true God and without a teaching priest. That may be the reason. And without the law. They had been without a a teaching priest. They been without a law. You know, in times of change. We can we can fill auditoriums with gospel singings and we can do all that. That's all well and good. There's nothing a song will never save you. Song may bless you for a moment, but loving the truth will get in your heart, help you know how to walk. Israel had been without the true God. Without the true God, underline that. Jeremiah 10:10. But the Lord is the true God. The Lord is the true God. He is the living God. He is an everlasting king. He's a true God. He's a living God. He's the everlasting king. Now, we're staying in frame of mind, the Bible truth about God. Jesus prayed John 17. We read a little bit of his prayer at the beginning, but Jesus prayed as a man, as a priest in John 17 and3. He prayed as an intercessor. He said these words. He said, "This is life eternal that they," of course he was praying for the apostles, "that they might know thee, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent." Now, when we understand the the dual nature, it's not two gods. It's not two gods. It's the true God. And he is saying that you would know the true God and Jesus Christ referring to the humanity that he sent. Let's let's u let's travel on. He said that you would know the the only true God. So there's only one the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. Well, let's listen to who does Jesus say he is. Look at the last. We're going to look at the last uh two two verses in Revelation. Revelation 22:13. Listen to Jesus Christ. I am alpha and omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. He is saying I am he from time beginning until time ending. I am he. One more verse in Revelation. Revelation 22:16. Jesus. Let's listen to him speak. I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. Watch him now, please. I am the root and the offspring of David and the bright and the morning star. How in the world can you be the root and the fruit? How can you be the root and the offspring? How can you be before David and after David? He was God the root. He was Jesus Christ, God, the fruit or the offspring of David. Isn't that wonderful that almost closing out our Bible, Jesus Christ wanted you to know the truth about himself? So, please don't sit there. Please don't fall prey to this that you know, here we go again. Pastor is going to spend the next few minutes of his Bible lesson telling us once again that there's only one God and Jesus is that one God. You know what? You're exactly right. Because anytime you anytime you want to refresh your walk with God, anytime you want to refresh your relationship with God, what do you do? You go back to the very beginning. And there's something wonderful about reliving again that Jesus is God. Jesus isn't second, third. He's the first. He's the last. You see, there's a lot of Bible. No, no, no. There's a lot of terminology that's flippantly thrown around throughout the community and churches that have nowhere. There's nowhere in the Bible. There's nowhere in the Bible. And of course, any more than believing in one God and and believing that Jesus Christ is a part any any believing that he's a part of a godhead that has two others in it and they three make one. That came from Rome. That came from Rome. Just like when I was talking to you, when I got started and I said there's religions, you could go online and look them up. There's religions that say that Jesus Christ was Lucif was Luth Lucifer's brother. There's those that say he was a good prophet but not God. There's those that say he became God at his baptism. All of that and all of that has time. David, you can go back and find the founder of that. But if you want to find why we believe that there's only one God, you go to the word of God and you're going to hear the Bible truth about God. The Bible truth about God. Now the truth is the number in the Bible that is used to talk about God is one. That's the number. Not one, two, three. Can you say one? One. Where do we get that from? Deuteronomy 6:4. Here, O Israel, the Lord, our God is one Lord. Let's go all the way to the New Testament. 1 Timothy 2:5. Let's listen to Paul. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. Only one God, only one mediator, and that was the man Christ Jesus. First Timothy 1 Timothy, excuse me, um Galatians chapter 3 verse 20. Can somebody say, "Praise the Lord." Praise the Lord. Boy, don't you love the truth? Galatians 3:20. Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one. Ephesians 4 and6. Listen to Paul. Ephesians 4 and six. Won't we read won't we read this verse all together, please? One God and father of all who is above all and through all and in you all. How can a person be above all, through all and in you all? How can the description that that says first person, second, third person, third person? How can a person be above all, through all, and in you all? Well, if you'll take the Bible truth about God, you'll see how can he be above all, through all, and in you all. He can do that by being a spirit. Well, where do you get that from? I'm glad you asked. John chapter 4, verse number 24. Why don't we all read it together? God is a spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. You know how he can be above all and through all and in you all is that he is a spirit. That's how he can do all these things. Now 2 Corinthians chapter 3 verse number 17. This is a good one. This is a good one. Well, they're all good, but this is this is a good one. 2 Corinthians 3 and 17. Now the Lord is that spirit. Oh, wait a minute now. It's just not a spirit. And we're not just going to take them all and give them all individual bodies. The the Lord is that spirit. And where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. There is liberty. Where the spirit of the Lord is, that's why we pray for the spirit to come down. That's why we want the spirit to come down is because when the spirit comes down, we can be bound up. Sister Brenda, from the cares of the world, we can be bound up by all the things that are going on out there in the world, but just let me either get in my prayer room or let me begin to pray to him throughout the day and especially on a Wednesday night at 7:30. Oh, let me go to the house of the Lord and begin to worship him. And where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. This has happened to me more times than I can count. More times than I got fingers and toes. This has happened to me. Pastor, I've got something in my life. And man, I've got to talk to you after church. Please make time to talk to me after church. It's major. It's I'm telling you, I'm desperate. I got to have time with you, pastor, in the office. But we'll get to having church. And the spirit of the Lord will begin to move. God will begin to move. And after the the service, I'll go up and say, "Brother, are you ready?" And let's be equal. Sister, are you ready? Brother Carpenter, I don't need to go now. The Lord took care of it. How do he take care of it? Because where the spirit of folks, this is a truth. If you're waiting on anything else, I don't have any I don't have another rabbit to pull out of the hat. I I don't have any holy water. I don't have any stones from Jerusalem. I'm just telling you, there's power in the presence of the Lord. Where the spirit of the Lord is, there there is li there's freedom. There's liberty. There's freedom. Let's see him. Let's see him. Can we see the spirit? We got to see the spirit in creation. Genesis 1 and1. In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. What's the rest of it say? And the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. There's God's spirit moving in creation. Isaiah 40 verse 12. Listen to God. He's talking to people that have left the true God and worshiping idols, small wooden stone idols. He said, "Let me tell you about myself. Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meed that's measured, out the heavens with a span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in in a balance. Who hath directed the spirit of the Lord? or being his counselor hath taught him with whom took he counsel and whom instructed him and taught him in the path of judgment and taught him knowledge and showed to him the way of understanding. He is simply saying look how great I am. Think about all the oceans in the world and God said I had them in the palm of my hand. Think about when they start talking about brother Tharp about light years and and and and and traveling at the speed of light and traveling light years into other universes and into other galaxies. Should I say light years of travel and God said when I created them I just had a I just had a yard stick. Said I measured out Mount Rushmore. I know exactly how much Mount Rushmore weighs. We'll talk about this God, this creator. Can't you see him in creation? Can't you see this spirit of God in creation? Well, that's good. That's good. But what about Jesus? I'm glad you asked. I've been waiting for you to ask that. You do realize that when we talk about Jesus, that's when God became a man. God became a man. And and and and that's why the Bible can refer to Jesus Christ and say he was in the world and the world was made by him. Wait a minute. He was born in Bethlehem. Well, that's where the flesh that's where the flesh came in. But he was in the world and the world was made by him. So the spirit, how does that play out? Well, it plays out when God became a man. Let's visit Mary and the angel in a conversation. The angel is talking to the Virgin Mary in Luke 1 verse number 34. I hope I'm not boring you all tonight. I'm telling the love story. John Luke 1:37. Look, look, the angel was slid in. The angel's talking to Mary, tell her she's going to she's going to bear a son. And then said Mary unto the angel, "How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? How am I going to give birth to the Son of God, and I've never known a man?" And the angel said, "This is how." The angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the highest shall overshadow thee. Therefore also that holy thing that shall be born of you shall be called the son of God. She said, I he said, I'll tell you how it's going to happen. It's going to happen the same way creation happened. We have creation because the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters and God spoke and there was the creation. And we have the God man, Jesus Christ. Because the same spirit that created the earth is the same spirit that hovered upon Mary. And Mary conceived a miraculous conception in her womb and she gave birth. And when she gave birth to that little baby in the in the manger, guess what we called him? Emanuel. What does that mean? God with us. Creation is God around us. But Jesus was God with us. Oh, could you take a moment just worship him? Could you take a moment and just thank him right now? I I don't know how tall Jesus was. I I don't know a lot about the features about Jesus, but could you imagine a man walking around who is God? He was in the world and the world was made by him. He came unto his own and his own received him not. But as as many as received him, gave he power to become the sons of God. What's he doing? He's sleeping. That's his humanity. But wait a minute. Wake him up. We're in a storm. We're going down. We're going to drown. The boat's going to capsize. Wake him up. He steps to the bow of that boat and tells the wind, "Hush up, lay down." And the wind stopped blowing and the sea became calm. And they said, "What manner of man is this that even the waves and the wind obey his will." I'll tell you what kind of man. He's a God man. That's what kind of man he is. Don't try to put him second. Don't try to put him second or third or whatever you want to put him. Don't try to put the spirit third. Well, he's he's the third. No, no, no, no. That's all man-made stuff. I'm t Come on. Let's love the truth right now. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Man, this will make you want to praise the Lord right now. This will make you want to thank the Lord right now and worship the Lord right now. Come on, take a moment and just thank him right now. Take a moment. Father of creation, father of creation, son in redemption. Now what is he in our lives? The creative work of the spirit in a person. Ezekiel 36:26, even in the Old Testament, God was telling man what he was going to do. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you. Take away the stony heart out of your flesh. I'll give you a heart of flesh. Go on over to John the Baptist. John the Baptist came introducing Jesus Christ. And here's part of the introduction in Matthew 3:11. Look at this. Matthew 3:11. And John introduces Jesus Christ and he says, "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I'm not worthy to bear. He shall baptize you with the Oh, wait a minute. We got the spirit of God in creation. We got the spirit of God in a man who brings our redemption. But now he begins to talk about I'm going to get in you. I'm going to the Bible uses the word regeneration. I I'm going that that word really means rebirth or recreate. Rebirth or recreate. I'm going to go back and do a recreative work in you. I'm going to create something. But how am I going to create something? Now just follow this now. I'm about to let you go home. Just follow this now. How are we here on a planet with oxygen and water and trees? And how are we here on an earth that's perfect when all other all other planets are nothing but a rock out in outer space hanging with no life at all? But here we are in a beautiful thing. I'm going to tell you the spirit of God. The spirit of God. Now, how are we going to be recreated or reborn again is what I would say. born again, it will be by the same spirit of God. Have you ever wondered the terminology that Jesus used when he commissioned them to go into all the world and preach? He said, "Go into all the world and preach to every creature." He's really saying, "Go in preaching to my creation. I made man, but man failed. He's dead, but man needs to be recreated." There needs to be a regeneration on the inside of him. And my friend, that happened. That happened on the day of Pentecost when the wind from heaven as a sound of a mighty rushing wind came and suddenly there set upon them tongues of fire and they were all filled with what? The third. No, no, no, no. They were all filled with what? The Holy Ghost. And began to speak with other tongues. The Bible called it a new tongue because just like the spirit created everything and the spirit caused the the the incarnation of Jesus Christ Mary to give birth, it is the spirit today inside of the church. That's why we preach the gospel of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That's why we tell sinners that have no life and no light, come to an altar. Surrender to him. Give your heart to God. Repent of your sins, be baptized in his name, be filled with the spirit, and all of a sudden, you are a new creature in Christ Jesus. Why don't you stand right now? And why don't you just give him praise? Hallelujah. Hallelujah to God. Come on. And you know what I'm talking about. I once was lost, but now I'm found. I once was dead, but now I'm alive. I once had no life, but now I have new life. And it is all because Come on, praise him right now. If you are glad you have been born again. Are you glad you've been born again? Are you glad you've been born again? I'm glad I've been born again. Remain standing with me. Sister Jamie, brother Danny's little girl came running up to us tonight. She's so happy. And we hated I hated like everything to had to leave the service, but Brother Thompson called during the prayer room and he they were just they just got the news and and uh they just needed their pastor and and and and the church was in good hands and and and I told pastor I said I'm I'm I'm going to the hospital. I'm I'm I'm I'm I'm going to leave and go to the kind of torn between the two, but I believe we were needed more there. And uh we missed that baptism. We we missed that. We we saw it online. That little girl came running up tonight. She's so happy. Can I tell you what happened to her? What sin she had committed were washed away. And she wears the name of Jesus. Do you know that she needed that just as much as a lot of time we begin to hear I ask you ought to praise the Lord. You'll begin to hear this and ask brother Kenny over there. He came several years ago. Life all messed up, bound up, tied up, tangled up, messed up. You look up the word messed up in the dictionary and it say see him. But you know what that man did? He got to church and he heard about the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He repented down here in this altar. He got up there in that baptismal pool. He got baptized. Yeah. Brother brother Timmy holler out. How many years ago has that been? three years ago that God changed his life. He's a worshshiper. He's a spinner. He's a runner. He He loves God with all of his heart. Do you know that that little girl over there of Danny and James needed that just as much as that man over there? What a God we serve. What a what a God. What a God we serve tonight. Aren't you thankful? Aren't you thankful? Aren't you thankful? I want to men me and first lady I'd like to go to the back door and greet everybody when you're leaving. And so in order for me to get to the back door I want to buy a little time and and and I'm not like that fellow got up youth rally and said he he did is funny. He got up Sister Thorp. He said, "Well, since we're all here not killing time." I thought, "Well, I ain't killing time, brother. You might be killing time, but I'm at a youth rally." So I No, I'm going to kill time. I'm going to buy a little time. And there's no better way to buy some time to ask you to raise your hands and just thank God that you've been born again. All right. Thank you, Lord. Lord, you reached down and got me in the pit of sin. God, you changed my life, God. Oh, yes you did, Lord. You changed my life. You gave me the revelation of truth, God. Lord, I thank you, Lord. I praise you, God. Lord, you're so good to us.