The Doctrine of the Laying on of Hands | Senior Pastor Kenneth Carpenter

If you have your Bibles and turn with me to the book of Hebrews, chapter number six and verse number one. Let me give everybody a special invitation to be witness tonight at 6:00 in our evening service. A couple weeks ago at the general ministry conference, brother Jeff Moses from Lefallet, Tennessee preached one of the most powerful impacting messages on the end of time. On the end of time. Now he admitted when he began his message that his message did didn't fit the theme of the conference. The theme of the conference was the gift of family. We were emphasizing the family. And he and he said he said the message God laid upon my heart is not a message about the family. But I disagree with him. I believe every family should be concerned with the end of time. It's a powerful message. And I've asked him, I don't know that I don't know and I could stand to be corrected today, but I don't know that I've ever asked a minister to come and preach a message just like that one. And it was confirmed. I was sitting beside Sister Carpenter and I I leaned over to her and I said, "I feel led." Said, "I feel led to ask brother Moses to come on Sunday night as quickly as he can and preach that message on the end of time." And she said, "That's exactly what I was sitting here thinking about." So, it's going to be I'm going to go ahead and tell you, come to the prayer room tonight and then have your shouting shoes on at 6:00 sharp. We're going to worship and praise God and we're going to get brother Moses on the floor to preach as quickly as possible on the end of time and events that are taking place in our world today. And you you don't you really you don't want to miss Brother Jeff Moses tonight. Hebrews chapter 6 and verse number one. Somebody say, "Praise the Lord." Praise the Lord. The apostle Paul says, "Therefore, leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, the doctrine of Christ, where doctrine means teaching, let us go on unto perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptism." That's plural because there's two baptisms. There's a spirit baptism and a water baptism of the doctrine of baptisms and of laying on of hands. And of laying on of hands. Let's pray right now. Precious God of heaven, would you for the next few moments anoint your servant God. Lord, as I preach your word, as I teach your word, as I expound upon your word, Lord Jesus, I just ask you today that while I am preaching your word, that the Holy Ghost will ride upon the words and the Holy Ghost will move upon our hearts today. That at the conclusion of this message today, Lord, you will confirm your word. Lord, you will move upon our hearts. It'll be more than just a message. It'll be a life-changing event that takes place. Lord, I'll give you the praise and the honor and the glory in Jesus name we all pray. Amen and amen. You may be seated in Jesus name. I want to minister today for a few moments on this subject. The doctrine of the laying on of hands. The doctrine of the laying on of hands. Brothers and sisters, today we we do a lot and we see a lot, but it is ever so essential and needful that from time to time we stop and we go back to the Bible and we educate ourselves just on the subject that would be at hand. And the subject today is the laying on of hands. Paul calls it a doctrine. Paul calls it a teaching of the laying on of hands. Now, I want you to know this morning that from Genesis to the book of Revelation, the act of the laying on of the hands is mentioned all the way back to the book of Genesis, the very beginning of our Bible to all the way to the ending of our Bible, the book of Revelation, the laying on or the act of laying on of hands is mentioned. It is not only a symbolic act. All right. It can be a symbolic act. It can be an outward act or a symbolic act. But in many cases, hear me now, in many cases, it is the actual transferring of the power of God as it flows through one person into another person. Now it is a symbolic act in some cases but in many cases it is actually the power of God that has flowed through one person as they lay their hands upon another person and they pray for that. We are told in the book of Mark chapter 16 verse number 18 we are told that these signs would follow them that believe. Everybody say believe. Everybody say, "I'm a believer." These signs shall follow them that believe. They shall take up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them. They shall lay their hands on the sick, and the sick shall recover. So, we see at the ending of the ministry of Jesus Christ on earth that he turned to the believer and he said, "There's going to be signs that are going to follow you that you will lay your hand upon the sick and the sick shall recover." That's the New Testament. Let's flip back to the Old Testament. Genesis chapter 48 verse number one. Can everybody agree with me that the family of Jacob, the family of Jacob, Jacob had 12 sons, that Jacob's family faced many hardship and trials and troubles. All right. As a matter of fact, I find it very interesting when when uh teaching a search for truth on Bible study that as you begin to weave your way through the Old Testament and you begin to talk about families, you begin to open the Bible up and you have uh you have disobedience, you have Adam and Eve disobeying and then you have Cain killing Abel and and you go on and on and and you find that it is one huge book, chapters of dysfunctions of families. And I have actually had people that are unchurched that are unchurched. When I begin to tell them about brother killing brother and this one left this one and got with that one and this one did this and did that. I've actually had people that are unchurched said, "Man, I don't feel so bad after all." Said, "We're not so messed up after all." Man, it's a Jacob's story is a story of of I mean, how would y'all feel to send your son out to check on his brothers because his brothers were not trustworthy? And Jacob sends Joseph out. He sends he sends uh he sends Joseph out to the sheep to to to look over his brothers. And while Joseph goes to find his brothers, his brothers hate him. They hate Joseph. They they hate they can't stand the sight of his coat of many colors. They can't stand the sight of Joseph. So much the hatred boils into a scheme. And they said, "Let's throw him in this pit and some evil beast will come down in the pit and kill him and we'll see what becomes of his dreams." And we know that we know the whole story, right? But how would you like to be in Jacob's shoes knowing that? Don't Don't you know? Don't you know that there was nights that Jacob said, "It's all my fault. It's all my fault. If I just hadn't sent him to check on his brothers, Joseph would be here today. It's all my fault if I just hadn't if I just hadn't sent him. It's all my fault." And for 17 or so long years, Jacob is led to believe. Sister Bonnie, he's led to believe because his brothers took the coat, dipped it in animal blood, and brought it back to the Jacob and said, "Is this his coat?" He said, "No doubt my son has been devoured by a beast." And for 17 or so long years, there's no Joseph there. But then we know what happens. Joseph became second in command of Egypt. And Joseph was over the graineries and the famine hit and it was Joseph that decided who got bread and who didn't. And it was a great huge family reunion. What what it must have been like for Jacob to get the news after so many years. Joseph is alive. Joseph is alive. And he goes down to Egypt and he lives Jacob and his brothers live in Egypt there for some time. But Jacob knew that death was coming and he knew he knew that the next generation was coming. And I laid the foundation for all that by now that Joseph has been reunited with his father and Jacob is on his deathbed. Chapter 48 verse number 11 took place. And Israel, that's Jacob. And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face, and lo, God hath showed me also thy seed. Now look at that one verse. He said, I never dreamed I'd see your face again. But God has not only let me see your face, but he's let me see my grandchildren. Can I tell you, God will always exceed your expectation. If you'll serve God with all your heart, God will far exceed your expectation. And if he doesn't do it down here when we get over yonder, it'll far exceed our expectation. He said, I I I didn't I didn't think I'd ever see you, much less your children. Verse number 12. And Joseph brought them out from between his knees. They were just two little boys, two little boys. And Joseph brought them out from between his knees. And he bowed himself with his face to the earth. And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them near. Now, the reason it's talking about a right hand and a left hand is because Jacob, Israel, is about to lay his hand and bestow a future blessing upon the firstborn. That's what would normally happen. And so, so Joseph standing looking at his father, Joseph standing looking at his father, he takes Ephraim that's in his right hand, and he puts Ephraim to the left because Ephraim is not the firstborn. Ephraim is the baby. He's not the firstborn. So, he takes Ephraim in his right hand and pushes him toward Israel's uh left hand and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's right hand. And the reason Manasseh is going there, he is the firstborn. Now, you you got to believe this is important because the Bible's bringing special attention to uh the firstborn is going to have the right hand laid upon him. Why? The next the baby is going to have the left hand. Let's let's just see what happens now. Verse 14. And Israel, which is Jacob, stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and he left and and and his left hand upon Manasseh's head, guiding his hands wittingly or knowing what he was doing. For Manasseh was the firstborn. Now, you you got to see it. Now, Joseph brings them like this in the proper order. But when Israel gets ready to bless, he takes his right hand and crosses over to the younger, which is Ephraim, and takes his other hand and crosses it over to the firstborn, the left hand. I guess that would mean that Jacob was the first cross blesser to live. All right. He and sorry I had a little humor there. Verse 14 again. And Israel stretched out his right hand, laid it upon April<unk>'s head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manass's head, guiding his hands willingly, and Manasseh, for Manasseh was the firstborn. And he blessed Joseph and said, "God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my lifelong unto this day." Well, you get somebody older in the Lord. They get to talk about the Lord. They go all the way back to the beginning. Said, "God, you fed me all my lifelong to this day. and the angel which redeemed me from all evil. Bless the lads. Let my name be named upon them and the name of my father fathers Abraham and Isaac. And let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth. And when Joseph, watch what happens now. And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him. and he held up his father's hand and removed it from Ephraim's head under Manasseh. Now, here's something you you you want to be very careful trying to correct an older person. All right? You want to be very very careful. Now, Joseph stands there and he says, "Hi, Dad's got his hand on the wrong head. He's got his right hand. He's got his right hand on on Ephraim and but he's got his left hand on Manasseh. Manasseh, he should have." So, so, so Joseph's trying to be nice guy and he's kind of just gets in there and tries to pick it up and turn it around. Let's see what happens. Joseph said unto his father, "Not so, my father, for this is the firstborn. Put thy right hand upon his head." And his father refused and said, I know it, my son. I know it. Anytime an older person repeats something, they're they're a little ticked off. All right. He's I know it, my son. I know it. He also be shall become a people, and he also shall be great. But truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations. And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee shall Israel be blessed, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh. And he said, "Ephraim before Manasseh." And I'm going to tell you what rhyme or reason is that? Why would you bless? Why would you lay your hands and put the blessing? What does it really matter? Well, it matters. It matters because there is a transferring of power when you do it the way that the word of the Lord directs you. And he said, he said, "I know it. I know it. But now, why? Let's try to dig this out. Let's try to mine this jewel today. We do understand that Manasseh was Manasseh was the firstborn. Manasseh was Joseph's firstborn son. After all the family trial, after being hated, lied on, put in prison, forgotten in prison, all of that. Finally comes to power, marries a woman in Egypt, they have a son. He said, "I'll call his name Manasseh." Boy, I want to talk to somebody for a moment. Just just get on the edge of your pew in your mind. And I want to talk to somebody this morning. He said, "I'm going to call his name Manasseh. For God hath made me to forget all the toil of my father's house. God has made me to forget all the mistreatment of my father's house. God has caused me to forget all the hatred, all the mistreatment, all the being sold in the pit, all on it." I get what you're saying, Joseph. I get it, says Carpenter, that you name him Manasseh for God made me to forget. But as long as you've got a son that reminds you of your hurt, you've always got a hurt. As long as you've got something in your life that reminds you of what God has brought you through, that reminds you of all the hurt and pain in your life. Every time you call him to the dinner table, you're reminded about being hurt. Every time you call his name, you're reminded of that of that hurt. So his firstborn, he said, "God hath made me to forget." And I believe that that's not hold of vengeance. God have made me to forget all the toil of my father's house because I'm going to tell you, if you want to paralyze your walk with God, hold unforgiveness in your heart. I said if you want to paralyze your walk with God, hold unforgiveness in your heart because that will paralyze your life, turn you into a bitter individual and you'll live out the rest of your days an unhappy individual. Joseph, I believe he named you Manasseh because he no longer he had the memory of being thrown in the pit. He had the memory of all that, but he didn't have the revenge spirit that went with it. So Manasseh was the firstborn. God hath made me to forget. Everybody say amen. Amen. Then the second boy came along. And when the second boy came along, he said, I'm going to call his name Ephraim. For God hath made me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction. Why is that? Why did Jacob want to bless Ephraim first and not bless Manasseh? Because God is in the business of blessing your future fruit and not your past mistakes. Manasseh, God is not in the in the business of wanting to go back in your life. The only time he wants to go back in your life is to heal hurts in your life and to help you to to forgive and not have revenge. But God doesn't want to put his blessing upon the wrong that was done to you. God is in the business of the fruit. You still got some fruit in you. You still got some good things in you. I know you've had some bad things and horrible things that's happened to you in life. I know we're all damaged material here today and we're all damaged in transport today. But I've not come today as a victim. I've come today as a victor. I've come today to say, God, I don't want you to bless Manasseh. I want you to lay your hand upon Ephraim's head because that's what somebody say amen. Would you go with me now to the book of Leviticus? The book of Leviticus, chapter number one, verse number one. Now, let me tell you a little bit about the book of Leviticus. The book of Leviticus is to the book of Exodus what the epistles are to the book of Acts. Um, let me explain it this way. God spoke to Moses from a fiery burning, shaking mountain of deliverance. But he spoke out of the tabernacle to a group of people that needed to be taught how to worship. And I really believe that there's a balance that we have to have as a church. We have to have powerful services like we had at Strong Tower. And I'm so glad that Strong Tower came here this year because for over two decades, we've been trying to tell everybody what goes on there. But you had no idea how radical those students get until you were here. You were here on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday night. And you see how radical they get. Well, yeah. that that they're real rat that they are. But getting real radical, we're going to balance that out with some good teaching. See, you can have a book of Exodus where God speaks from a mountain, brother Hammond, and shakes the mountain, but you got to have a book of Leviticus where God speaks out of the tabernacle. Because when God speaks out of the tabernacle, he's going to tell you how to worship the God that shook your world. He's going to tell you how to please the God that filled you with the Holy Ghost. He going to tell you how to walk with the God that changed your life. He's going and I've seen churches today, and this is my prayer, wisdom, prayer, prayer, wisdom. I've seen churches today that get out of balance. They they just think you got to have strong power every time you come to church. And I'm not knocking that. I hope that's not coming across as that because I'm not knocking that. and their radical spirit turns into fanaticism. All right? They can't sling a slow song because God couldn't be in a slow song. They can't just stand and raise their hands and worship God without feeling anything because how could God be in anything that I can't feel? And it leads into a deadness. It leads into deadness. Some of the hardest places some of the hardest places they ever preached is is in is in that those those places because when you're just teaching the word of God, you're not talking about an angel 12t tall coming bending down to get in the auditorium and you're you're not you're you're not talking about all that. They just tuned you out. You you didn't you you you didn't mention anything like that. You just that carpenter guy just came and taught the Bible. But then I've saw it on the other hand. And I've saw them being fanatical. And then I've saw them I've saw them go to the other extreme and all they want to teach and and teach and teach and and and and that turns into stagnation. That turns into stagnation. Is it any wonder when Jesus told the woman at the well, they that worship the father must worship the father how? In spirit. That's our excitement. That's our praise. That's our worship. That's our dance. That's our shout in spirit and in what? That's our Bible teaching. Don't ever get weary. They'll both have to come together. They are the bookends. Spirit and truth worship are the bookends of the apostolic church. Take any one of the way from them and we cease to be the church that we need to be. Can you give God a hand of praise right now? Leviticus chapter 1 verse number one. And the Lord called unto Moses and spake unto him. Notice this, brother Ericson. Where did he speak unto him out of? Where did God speak to him out of? Out of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying, speaking to the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man of you bring an offering unto the Lord, you shall bring your offering of the cattle, even of the herd, and of the flock. If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish. Notice this please carefully. He shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord. Can I tell you there's nothing any more beautiful than voluntary worship. And there isn't anything more distasteful than somebody trying to cheer you into worshiping God. When you come to the house of God, church, you've come of your own accord. You've come of your own free will. And I believe that's why that's what pleases God this morning with the hundreds that are here. You're not here out of some, you know, well, if if I don't do this or I don't do that. You came of your own accord today and you lifted up your hands and you worshiped God. This is the kind of worship that God wants. God wants the worship. That's a free will. God wants you to worship because you want to worship. You might not be worshiping on my left. You might not be worshiping on my right, but I'm going to worship anyway. You may not be singing on my left and on my right, but I got news for you. You're not going to hinder my worship because my you you you don't have to sing my right song. You don't have to be in my right style. You don't have to do anything like that. I'm telling you, when I come to the house of God, whether it's southern gospel, white gospel, black gospel, Latino gospel, it doesn't matter to me. I'm going to worship my God cuz that's what I want. I've told you this story before, but as a younger pastor, I was very inexperienced and I drove people to worship God. I drove I mean, well, let me say this. I drove them to worship I mean, I sat on the platform. I was lean and mean. Buddy, you going to worship in this church? Are you going to get the pastoral stare? And if my pastoral stare didn't get it, then I'd come down the aisle. Notice I said aisle because we just had one. And didn't get their hands up. One night driving home in the car and I got the laugh and I said, "What you laughing about?" She said, "I ain't going to tell you." Don't you hate it when your spouse does that to you? You know, cuz it cuz it's going to escalate into I can't tell. No, no, no, no, no. Don't tell. She said, "Okay." She said, "You know how tonight you went up and down the aisles waving your hands?" And she said, I said, "Yeah, you get people to worship." She said, "It looked like the wave at the Tennessee football game." I said, "What do you mean by that?" She said, "When you go by, they'd go up and when you would pass, they would go down." Kind of worship God wants volunteer worship. But you see, the role of a pastor is to teach. Everybody say teach. and remind everybody about say remind what you have been taught and to expose sin by preaching the word. You see the word is not bad. The word just exposes. Paul had to come around and because when the church got when the church was birthed, they begin to look at the law as something bad and they said, "Oh, the the law was evil." And Paul said, "Oh, no, no, no, no. The law wasn't evil." Said, "You would not have known sin without the law. So the law wasn't bad. It was a sin that the it was a sin that the law exposed. So the job of a pastor is to teach you from the word of God. And then not only is the job of the pastor to teach you from the word of God, but the job of the pastor is to also teach you what you've already learned from the word of God to remind you. How many like reminders, right? To remind you what the word of God says. And then the job of pastor is teach the word and the word will the word will expose sin. Everybody say sin. Let's travel along quickly here today. Leviticus chapter 4 verse number one. It's very interesting. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a soul shall sin through ignorance against any of the commandment of the Lord concerning things which he ought which ought not to be done, and shall do against any of them. If the priest that is anointed do sin according to the sin of the people, let then let him bring for his sin, which he has sinned, a young bulock without blemish unto the Lord for a sin offering. And he shall and he shall bring the bulock unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation of the Lord. That's interesting. and shall lay his hand upon the bulock's head, and shall kill the bulock before the Lord. The priest that is anointed shall take of the bulock's blood and bring it into the tabernacle. Look at this. Look, look, look, look at the laying on of hands. We're talking about the laying on of hands today. When the man has sinned, he was to bring an animal to the door of the tabernacle. And before they would kill the animal, he was to lay his hand upon the head of that animal. That is symbolic of saying, "My sins are transferred." The guilty, everybody say guilty. The guilty transfers his sin on the head of the innocent. It's a symbolic transferal here before it dies. Before it dies, before the animal dies, the guilty touches the sacrifice. The guilty touches it, identifies with it, connects with it, and through that connection, he confesses his sin and symbolically the sin is passed down upon the head of the animal. And then the animal dies with that sin. Let me go on. Let's let's let's go down to Leviticus chapter 16 verse number 15. uh excuse me, Leviticus chapter 16 verse number five because we stay in this same frame of mind here. The Bible says, "And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin offering." Two small goats are chosen for a sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering. Aaron shall offer his bullet of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself and for his house. And he shall take, let's go back to the two two young goats, and he shall take the two goats and present them before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats, the one lot, one lot for the Lord and the other for the scapegoat. Now that that was just a that that that was just kind of like drawing straws or by chance. One of the one of the goats was going to be a sacrifice and the other was going to be what's called a what is called a scapegoat. And that word in the in the in the Hebrew means a goat of departure. So one of the goats is going to die right there and the other goat is going to depart into the wilderness. Listen up. Ju just keep following me for a moment. Verse N. And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the Lord's lot fell and offer him for a sin offering. So there's one goat. He gets offered up as a sin offering. It gets offered up. But the goat, verse 10, on which the lot failed to be the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the Lord to make an atonement with him and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness. Now go down to verse number 21 very quickly, please. Verse number 21 of Leviticus 16. And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, and all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness. and the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a lamb not inhabited and he shall let sha and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness. Now, one goat dies for the sin. Another goat, Aaron, comes out and lays his hands and confesses all the sins of the nation of the nation of Israel upon this one upon this one goat. He's all the sins of the nation of Israel. And again, it's a spiritual transferal. It's a spiritual the guilty is placing his head upon a hand upon the scapegoat or the goat of departure. Now, let me let me tell you that he laid his hands and that's our subject matter. And notice it said it put put him into the hand of a fit man. A fit man would come down. It's called him a fit man would come down and take the goat upon which Aaron had put all the sins and he would take him into a land not inhabited. He would take him into the wilderness. Well, let's first deal with the word fit man. The word fit man in the Hebrew means a timely man or a man that is appointed for a time. There was a man in Israel that was appointed. You're the fit man. What does that mean? That means that you're going to go down and when Aaron puts all the sins upon the goat, you're the fit man. It will be your time. Not today, not tomorrow, not next month, but the time will come that you will be a fit man. You are you are a man. You are a man, a timely man, a man who is in readiness. Now, we understand today that fit man, that fit man, church, is the Old Testament type of Jesus Christ, he's a timely man. He's a man that's been appointed. Does not Paul tell us in the book of Galatians. Galatians chapter 4 and verse number four. Listen to what Paul says about Jesus Christ. But when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth his son made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. Can I tell you today, in the fullness of time, God had a plan from the foundation of the earth. God had a plan for our redeemer to come even before Adam and Eve sinned in the garden. He was the lamb slain from the foundation of the earth. And the time came about 2,000 years ago when an angel came down and told Mary, "That which is conceived in you is of the Holy Ghost." I I got news for you today. He came in a timely fashion. You say, "What's my time today?" I'll tell you your time. I'm glad you asked. Today is the s day of salvation and right now is the acceptable time. He's already come and fulfilled. But now wait a minute now. Wait a minute. He takes him he takes this this goat upon which the sins of Israel into a land into a land that the Bible says not inhabited. That means a barren land. That means nothing grows there. That means no one can live there. Are you following me now, please? That means he where am I taking the goat? I'm not taking it back to Israel's backyard. It's not going to be tied up at the door of the tabernacle. You're never going to see it again because you're going to take it to a land that is not inhabited. It's a barren land. Nothing grows there. No one no one can live there. It's just simply a place of dead things. Can Can I tell you today that that is symbolic of how the Lord treats our sins, both past, present, and future. Listen, we don't need to have our sins tied around our neck. We don't need to be reminding ourselves. The problem is with people today is not that God will forgive them. They can't forgive themselves because they've let that goat park in the garage. They've let that goat live around their life. It's time to let the goat go to the land not inhabited. And it's time for you not to talk about it. It's time for you not to rehearse it. It's time for you to live in I know I'm boring y'all to death this morning, but this is good. It take them to a land not inhabited, right? A land. Everybody say land. But Micah chapter 7 verse 18. Micah chapter 7 verse 18. Just the carpenter. Micah begins to prophesy of our day. Micah prophesies of the day that we're living in. Let's see what Micah says about our sins. Micah 7 se 7 7 verse 18. Who is a God liken to thee that pardeneth iniquity and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage. He retainth not his anger forever. And you ought to say, "Praise the Lord right there." God doesn't stay mad long. He retainth not his anger forever. Because he delightth in mercy. Let's get his personality. God doesn't like living in anger. He delights in forgiveness. Right? You see that? He delights in forgiveness. Verse 19, it's talking about our day. He will turn again. He will have compassion upon us. He will subdue our iniquities. And thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto thy fathers from the days of old. Notice the difference. In the Old Testament, your sins went to a land not inhabited. But when Micah prophesied of the Acts 2:38 day, he said, "The scapegoat is not going to a land, but he's going to take your sins to the water." He is taking them to the sea, never to be remembered. Never to be remembered again. I'm going to tell you something. If you remember what you did before Acts 2:38, being baptized in Jesus' name, you're remembering something that God says, "I don't remember that anymore." If if you're Let me let me share this with you. If you keep asking God to forgive you of your sin, I'm going to tell you the conversation going on. If you ask him once to forgive you of your sins, he is faithful and he's just to forgive you of those sins. But if you keep going back and back and back and back, I'm telling you, God is saying, "I don't know what you're talking about." Because when God forgives you, God forgets it. When God puts it under the blood, he he doesn't take it to a land. He takes it to the water. He said, "I'll take your sins." Psalms 103, Lord, help me. Psalms 103:12, "As far as the east is from the west, y'all see that? As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us." Can I tell you today, there's no such place as an east pole and a west pole. It does not exist. That's what he's trying to get apart here. John said, and I'll quickly come to an end. John said, "Behold the lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world." Things changed when God became the man. As spirit, he is the great high priest. Yet as flesh, he is the sacrifice. Hold on to me now. Only God, everybody say only God. Only God can be the both offering and the offerer. Only God can prepare his body of sacrifice but yet at the same time be the offerer. He offers up himself but he is also the offering. Now that he is humanity, now that he is humanity, we're not touching a goat. And we're not touching a lamb. We're touching the lamb of God. Did John not say it in First John? Look here closely. Musicians, would you come? First John 1 and1, would you look at this closely with me today? John 1 and one reads like this. That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands, somebody say our hands have handled the word of life. For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life, which was with the father, and was manifested unto us. John says, "We saw him. We heard him. We actually reached out and touched him." Oh, what a touch. What a touch. A leper came to Jesus and said, "Lord, if you will, you could make me whole." And in John 1:41, Jesus moved with the compassion, put forth his hand. Somebody say the next three words. man touched him and said, "I will be thou clean." They brought a man to him in Mark 7:32. They brought a man to him that was deaf and had an impediment of his speech. When they brought that man to him, the Bible said that Jesus touched him. He reached out and put his fingers in his ears. Spit reached out and touched his tongue, prayed a prayer, the Bible said. And immediately his ears were open and the string of his tongue loosed and he spake plainly. They're bringing out a widow woman's only son. You talk about you talk about low as you can go. Not only am I a widow, but my only son has died. My only form of support has died. They're bringing him out. They've got him laid. They call it a beer. It's the same as a casket. They got him laid on a casket and they come to an intersection. Jesus walks up. Jesus walks up. When the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her. Sudden her weep not. And he came touched the beer with a casket. And they that bear him stood still. And he said, "Young man, I say unto thee, arise, I'm here to tell you today, maybe a may maybe a little bit of feeling the Holy Ghost real strong right now, but you've got some dead things laying around your life, and it's about time for God to touch the dead things and bring it back back to life." Could we really close out the service today without telling you there was a woman who had suffered for 12 long years? a woman that had hemorrhaged blood, that had hemorrhaged blood for 12 long years. She had no rosy cheeks. She had no fair complexion about her because she's continually losing blood. She's weak. She's frail. She's sick sickly. She looks sick. Everybody knows she's sick. For 12 years, she can't stop bleeding. But somebody came, brother Nash, and somebody told her about Jesus. And she be to say, "If I can touch just the hem of his garment, I if I could just get desperate enough to touch the him." I wonder today, we're talking about healing hands. I wonder if we got any desperate hands in this room today. I wonder if we got any people here that know you're on your last go around. I wonder if we got any people here today. You don't really know how long that you can hang on, but if I can preach to you today, if you can just but touch, she touched him. He stopped immediately. She She touched him from behind. He stopped immediately. And there's people thronging him. He turns to Peter and he says, "Hey, Peter, who touched me? Who touched you? Are you kidding? Who touched you?" Look at this crowd. People trying to put their hands. He's Oh, no, no, no, no, no. Somebody touched me that was desperate. Cuz when they touched me, I felt virtue leave my body. I felt power leave my body. I wonder today if there's not some frail, hemorrhaging people here. You've tried everything. You've tried everything in your life. You don't know how much longer you can make it. Tried yourself to sleep. You think about it from the time you get up till the time you go to bed. Your conversations all around it. But on this Sunday morning, I've come to preach with all of my heart to somebody the doctrine of the laying on of hands. that God is not only something we do on Sunday night. It's not only something you'll see occasionally being operated through this church, but there's a God today that wants to take his hand and he wants to touch you today with his hand. Would you stand with me right now? Oh, reach out and touch the Lord. Oh, no, no, no. Not too busy. Come on, singers. Just sing it now. Oh, reach out and touch the Lord. Come on, singers, lift it up today. Come on, lift it up today. Lift it up. Lift it up. Just reach out. Hallelujah. Oh yes. Oh yeah. You will find he's not too busy. Oh yes, God. To hear your heart. Reach out the Lord. Now, I want you to hold just for a second. Just for a second. Let's all be transparently transparent with each other today. We all need a touch from the Lord. We all need a touch from the Lord. I couldn't preach this morning without having a touch from the Lord. But I think there's two kinds of people here today. And we want to give priority to the first. There's all of There's all of us. I cannot say that I need a touch from God today because I don't know how much longer I can go. I can tell you I need a touch from God today because I I need to function need to function in life. But there are people here today that you need a touch from God this morning. This is your morning. You need God to come down in your life. It may be a physical sickness. You may have cancer. You may have terminal disease today. You may have a terminal dis. You may may have some something in your body running rampant. But I want you to know right now, I want you to know that this service is for you right now. You get priority. You get priority. I want you to step out. You you may be troubled in your mind. You may have depression. You may have oppression. You may be you may be mentally your blood pressure may be good. Your your your heart rate may be good. Your vital organs may be great. But in your mind, you're so troubling. I want you to know today that God wants to touch you this morning. God wants to touch you. Maybe there's a situation in your life. We going to sing that song again. I want to give first priority to those that I just mentioned. After they fill the altar, the rest of us can come. But reach out and touch the Lord this morning. Come on, sing it. Oh yes, God. and trust the Lord. As he goes, you will find to hear your heart. by this moment. for the high. Just reach down and touch the Lord as he was high. You will find it to be to hear your heart. I see by this moment your so just reach out and touch the he and trust the Lord as You will find you will find to hear your heart by this morning. the Lord as he and trust the Lord as he goes by you is not to be seen to hear your I try by this moment for me to touch and trust the Lord. I see your smile. You will find too busy to hear your heart. And this moment your surround you is not to be seen to hear your heart. Sing by the song your knees to the just if you're praying right now please continue to pray. If you're praying right now please continue to pray. But God inspired me for this message at Strong Tower. And I begin to think about in one sense of the word, we are all failures. Now, let's just let's just be be transparent with each other today. We've we've failed God in a lot of ways. All of us have. But I not only believe that I'm looking at failures today, but I think I'm looking at former failures. I believe I'm looking at overcomers today. Believe I'm looking at overcomers today. And and and do you know that I really believe that if we could get our former failures to realize that they've got power in their hands? If we could realize because if we're going to transmit what we got that overcoming I'm a former failure. But I got news for you. I said I'm a former failure. I'm an overcomer. I've overcome some things that have come my way. Well, if we could ever give former failures to get out of your role of being intimidated and feeling like you're a secondass member of First Apostolic Church because you failed God a long time ago and everybody knows it and you're just coming around here keeping quiet. If we could ever get you laying your hands on people, why he rose with a new body. He could have chosen any body, any physical appearance to appear in. But Jesus Christ, when he rose from the dead in the body that will never die again, chose to keep some things. scars in his hands, scars in his side. As a reminder, I am an overcomer. I am an overcomer. Thomas said he's not resurrected. I don't believe any of you. I know you've said you've seen the Lord, but I don't believe any of you. Why? The only way that I would believe, if I can put my finger in the holes in his hands, and if I can, if you can prove to me he's overcome, I'll become a believer. Eight days later, Jesus showed up and he said, "Thomas, right, here's my hands." And again, it'd be a voluntary thing, but if you just feel like putting your hand over on somebody and praying for them right now, it's biblical. These signs shall follow them that believe. If you just feel like putting your hand over on somebody right now, if you see somebody troubled and you have overcome being troubled, if you see somebody wavered and you overcome being wavered today, if you just put your hand over on them right now and begin to pray with them, go ahead, former failure. Go ahead, former failure. Get loose in the Holy Ghost. Come on, former failure. You're not a secondass citizen around here. Go ahead, former failure. You got power in your hands. Go ahead. You got power in your hands right now. Oh, reach out. Go ahead. Go ahead.