The Greatest Love Story Ever Told | Senior Pastor Kenneth Carpenter

you have your Bibles and would stand with me tonight I don't want to direct your attention to the first book of Kings chapter number 11 and verse number 3 brothers sister Fallon and the first Apostolic Church of Cleveland we welcome you home tonight this is just I love I love this absolutely I absolutely love this brother Fallon and and the the people that you all are winning for to God and disciples in the ways of the Lord have a very special special place in our hearts and we love you both sister Fallon so very very much brother Perry I know where you were at 36 years ago tonight I know exactly where you were at and where I was at and where sister carpenter was at 36 years ago tonight he said carpenter and I were having our wedding rehearsal Brother parrot was in my wedding our wedding and we were having a wedding rehearsal 36 years ago tonight to my knowledge to our knowledge and we tried to think back tomorrow will be our wedding our 36 wedding anniversary will be tomorrow and to our knowledge to our knowledge we have either been here in church or we have been somewhere at a camp meeting preaching 35 of those years and if I could find a camp meeting tomorrow which no but I must admit I must admit to you now what I have just said has no connection with the scripture I'm about to read all right has no has no connection first Kings 11 and 3 and he had 700 wives I promise you no connection the only connection there is is I can't get off my mind today's thirty six years ago we were rehearsing to get married tomorrow is our 36th wedding anniversary and I love her dearly and I have had that on my mind since I got the word off my heart this afternoon he had 700 wives and princes and 300 concubines and his wife turned his wives turned away his heart John chapter 3 and verse number 29 he that hath the bride is the bridegroom but the friend of the bridegroom which standeth and heareth him rejoiceth greatly because the bridegroom's voice this my joy is fulfilled john 3 chapter 6 that john 3 verse 16 we read that verse together it'd be nice to read it all together john 3:16 for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life one more verse of scripture I believe you'll see the correlation John 15 and 13 John chapter 15 and verse 13 greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends for a few moments tonight I want to preach to you on the greatest love story ever told the greatest love story everybody loves a love story and I'm gonna tell you the greatest love story it's ever been told father I love you thank you for bathing us with your presence tonight no doubt our burdens are lighter our sicknesses are healed our Devils have been pushed out of the way and victory is ahead Father anoint us tonight touch us in Jesus name we pray amen you may be seated customs of the ancient days many times are rich with Bible topology there are many customs that are not necessarily found in scripture but history has preserved customs that were in the days of the Scriptures being written many of these scriptures many of these customs are a rich in typology that speaks to our hearts there is an ancient story that is told about solomon solomon and david's son israel's third king there is an ancient story that is told about him and it goes something like like this we do know that he had according to my opening text tonight 700 wives 700 wives and 300 concubines now this ancient story tells us that solomon got very weary with women who wanted to marry him solely based on what solomon had his riches his position he knew that when he walked in a room in a young beautiful princess would look at him that it wasn't because who he actually was it was because of the position that he held why first Kings chapter 4 and verse 20 tells a little bit about his wealth says Judah and Israel were many as the sand which is by the sea and multitude eating and drinking and making merry Solomon reigned over all the kingdoms from the river unto the land of the Philistines into the border of Egypt and they brought presents and served Solomon all the days of his life and Solomon's provision for one day was thirty measures to find flour threescore measures of meal and ten fat oxen and twenty oxen out of the pastures at one hundred sheep besides hearts and roebucks and fallow deer and fatted fowl go down to verse 26 Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots for the hemant you preached about horses a few weeks ago but Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots and twelve thousand horsemen those officers provided rituals or vittles for King Solomon food and for all that came into the Kings Solomon's table every man in his month and they like nothing well the message Bible helps us a little bit better to understand it because the message Bible says one day's food supply for Solomon's house was a hundred and eighty-five bushels of fine flour three hundred and seventy five bushes of meal ten grain fed cattle twenty range cattle one hundred sheep and a herd of miscellaneous deer gazelles robots and choice foul Solomon was sovereign over all throughout Solomon's life anyone in Israel and Judah lives safe and sound Solomon had 40,000 stalls he had district managers Solomon had wisdom like no other before him this was Solomon well no wonder when he walked into the room beautiful women cast their eyes upon Solomon because after all what would she be if he would marry her but the old tradition the old custom says that Solomon grew very sick of having only this kind of relationship that he grew very sick maybe even accounts for the number of wives that he had because he was never satisfied one after the other because it always ended with you've only married me because of what I've got you've not married me because of who I am the tradition says that one day Solomon made a plan and the plan look went something like this he took off his regal robe of royalty he reached up and got the crown off the top of his head he removed his expensive leather sandals from his feet he removed all the expensive clothing from him and he girded himself with commoner clothes he girded himself with the common dress of a shepherd he told those in the palace not to worry about him he told those in the palace his secret is closest of friends he said I'll be back he said I'll be back but he said I'm going to get me a bride I'm going to look for me a bride that knows nothing about my wealth I'm going to go get me a bride that's gonna love me for who I am they're not gonna love me for what who I've come from my pedigree they're not gonna love me because I'm the most powerful man in the East they're gonna love me because of who I am he puts on a common shepherd's garment and a common shepherd stick and he goes down and hence we have the inspiration for the songs of Solomon the songs of Solomon are nothing more than the chronicles of Solomon's day being disguised as a shepherd all the while he was the mighty king of Israel he goes down to a vineyard and in songs of Solomon chapter one and verse number five his eyes glance upon the maid that he that that he desires she responds back she says in verse five of songs of Solomon I am black but comely o ye daughters of Jerusalem as the tents of Kedar as the curtains of Solomon look not upon me because I am black because the Sun have looked upon me my mother's children were angry with me they made me the keeper of the vineyards but my own vineyard I have not you tell me o thou who my son moved my soul loveth where thou foetus where they'll make us not flock to rest at noon for why should I be as one that turned it aside by the flocks of the companions if they'll know not oh that fairest among women go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock and feed thy kids beside the Shepherd's tent now you got to understand o Solomon showed up in his Shepherds garment and he showed up in a common vineyard he showed up in a poor girl's vineyard he showed up in a little old girl's vineyard that that was dysfunctional she come from a dysfunctional family her sisters had put her out she was made to work hard labor and Solomon went down and I don't know how it went it probably like it is today you know you know how you know how it happened I mean when you're when you're single and you're looking you you you you try to find somebody that that you you see and and then you try to keep looking at them until they start looking at you and when they start looking back at you then you know that you are on first base you know that hey there's some there's some chemistry there's some chemistry going on here there's a there's some there's some there's some chemistry going on here and and I I remember and please excuse me I I may not be in the spirit at all tonight I may just be in in the flesh of 36 years but I remember preaching here at this church when brother sister our wood was pastoring and I was their favorite evangelist and I was here preaching for them and and on a Wednesday night or Tuesday night or Sunday night maybe one of one of those we went after service to Shoney's and we walked into the show knees now the one out here on 321 wasn't built yet man there was only one shown he's in town in one Western sizzler steakhouse in town and and we went over to the show knees that Moses draw with walked in and I was behind them and we were waiting to be seated when I turned to my right and I if I could go there tonight it could probably take you to the booth and I saw her young lady sitting there and I looked at her and she looked fine she looked mighty fine she looked really fine and I'm sorry I may be a poor testimony tonight I didn't know I didn't know her name I didn't know anything about her all I know is that little tan blue-eyed girl look good I know I've been preaching and the anointing was upon me but I'm telling you she looked mighty fine and I kept looking at her and I noticed that she was looking at me and so I thought I'm just gonna keep looking at you and she kept looking at me and I kept looking at her and finally brother Arwen turned around and and oh oh yes sir yeah praise the Lord are we weren't to go to yeah and he looked and he saw I was looking he said he said well that's Robert and penny Bennett I said you know them he said yes he said they just recently got baptized over in the Knoxville Church in her I said you talking about that little girl over there and these are the words I said I said we must need to go through Samaria I said you've got to take me back there and so we went back there her dad was sitting on this side of the table penny was on this side of the table and brother or would introduce me to Robert and it went something like this this is Robert I said glad to meet you Robert it's really good it's really good to meet you I'm I'm so glad to make you and so I kept looking at penny and penny kept looking at me and I went through our table and we kept I'll get the salad bar you know how it goes I wanted to sell a bar and she kept looking at me and I go back so I need some more salad and we kept going back and and then I had at that time at that time I had a little system down evangelizing I would preach nine weeks solid and I'd come home for three weeks preach nine weeks solid and come home because that's I'm gonna tell you when you preach it every night and back then back then there wasn't none this Wednesday Thursday Friday Sunday but I mean it was Sunday I mean you preach Sunday morning Sunday afternoon at the nursing home Sunday evening in the jailhouse and Sunday night and maybe if you went to a real liberal Church they let you off on Monday night to do the laundry but you had to be real liberal for that to happen all right so I mean it was nine weeks and and I was just getting ready to go back on a nine week stretch and I thought you know I'm telling you what I'm still tired I need to go home and I need to get me some rest and God forgive me but I called and cancelled out some revivals and I went back to my home church only to find it's a long story and I'm a getting a lot of trouble for telling this because his family connected and all that but when I got home to the National Church somebo he ain't some boy done laid grip on I mean he already but I watched one night I watched him walk to the car and get in the car and he got in the car first and before yeah your pastor's wife before she got in the car she looked over the hood at me and she did this right here she went I said man there is hope in the camp of Israel praise God so I'm just simply telling you tonight I don't know how Solomon went down to the vineyard he just went down there and got to looking at that little girl and that little girl got to looking at him and he got to look maybe he come over and said hey can I help you pick grapes or can I do that but but what Solomon loaded he wanted somebody to marry him not because he was the king of Israel but because he was just a shepherd boy and he said he got off man he just he just he started telling just he started just kind of courting her dating her and finally finally one day he said little Shulamite girl little little tan girl a little shoot of my girl he said I want to marry you and she said oh I'll marry you but he said no you gotta wait right here a little shoot now you you promise me you'll marry me oh I promise you I'm married and here's where the custom comes in there was a custom that when a man asked a woman to marry him that they did a public signing of an engagement now do you remember the scripture I read you tonight about the friend of the bridegroom the friend of the bridegroom now the friend of the bridegroom was exactly that he stayed when the bridegroom went back to his kingdom to get his to get a place prepared for his wife the friend of the bridegroom pitched his tent right beside her tent and kept the copy of the contract he kept an eye upon the engaged bride he kept an eye upon her because he had to report to the bridegroom his job wasn't done until somebody said behold the bridegroom cometh he had to wake up long hours if the bride went into town the friend of the bridegroom had to go into town if she started getting too friendly with other men oh the friend of the bridegroom would waive the contract and be a reminder to hey you can't get too friendly dude only hero remember and then if some men tried to get friendly with the bride the friend of the bridegroom will waive the contract at them and said stay away from her she is a woman that's about to get married if she tried to slip out at night he had that contract and he was waving it because he was the friend of the bridegroom what this custom typifies tonight is the pastor's role in the church do you not know that Paul said about the church I have engaged you to Christ and so the friend of the bridegroom is the pastor of the church his job is not going to be done until we hear the sound of the trumpet and until we hear the sound of the trumpet the friend of the bridegroom is going to waive that contract in your face when you begin to get a little worldly he's gonna step out there and he's gonna say don't you remember who you are don't you remember who you are how many wants a friend of the bridegroom friend you forget who you are don't you forget who you are with that that preachers always on my back you better hope to god I never get off your back well he's all wait what is he's the friend of the bride grandma he's waving that contract around when you start getting a little worldly he starts waving that contract while the friend of the bridegroom had the contract at this past Wednesday night that's exactly what he was doing when the friend of the bridegroom was telling us about holiness the friend of the bridegroom was simply reminding you you are not your own you are bought with a price therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit which is God so the friend of the bridegroom he looked at her and he said and now dear my dear I've got to go away I've got to go away and I've got to prepare a place for you and I but if I go away I will come again and receive you to myself that where I am there you may be also but can I tell you tonight Oh hallelujah that that little old poor tanned shooter might woman that little old port and shooter might woman who fell in love with that young supposedly Shepherd waiting for him to return waiting for the Shepherd to return can I tell you tonight that that Shepherd never did return in a shepherd's garment know in songs of Solomon chapter three and number six she looked over the hill she been she'd been scanning the horizon because that's what the bride did she would scan the horizon she would stay up in the dark night and make sure that she had oils in her vessel she would make sure that her lamps was burning because at any time I could hear the cry behold the bridegroom cometh many nights she looked over the horizon waiting for the lonely silhouette of the poor shepherd to return but she didn't see the silhouette because in songs of Solomon chapter 3 and verse number 6 she had to say who is this that cometh out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke perfumed with myrrh and frankincense with no powders of the merchant behold his bed which is Solomon's threescore valent men are about it all the valiant of Israel all holds swords being expert in war every man had this sword upon his thigh because of the fear of the night King Solomon made him a chariot of wood can I tell you that that little old Shepherd man that came down the first time is not going to come the second time lachchi came the first time the first time Jesus came he was up in heaven and he said I'm tired because they worship me because I can make the mountains to tremble I'm tired that they worship me because I can change the course of a river I'm tired that they worship me because I own the stores out to shine I'll take off the regal robe in a on the form of a servant he came to his own and his own received him not but them that received him hallelujah if you can't serve Him now you'll never serve Him if you don't love him now you'll never love him if you can't love him from nail printed hands you'll never love him if you'll never love him because of Calvary you'll never love it oh god help us can you see that poor little chute of my girl she never had two pennies to rub together she was the poor the river didn't even run by her house she was supported the garbage man came and left her a bag I mean she was poor she had nothing can you see that day when that dust storm got to moving somebody said man there's a dust storm out on the horizon I wouldn't know dust on that was Solomon I can see I can see the glorified Jesus Christ right now I can see him as he hung on a cross he died he rose again he ascended into heaven I can see him walk right by the angels as they start saying holy holy holy I can see him so I can see that that doesn't mean anything to me because there's a little shoot of my church down there there's a little Gentile Church down there now I revealed myself to them and they love me simply based on that I am the door I am The Good Shepherd I am the bread I am the water they love me I can see him I can see him for a moment looking at the beautiful celestial beings as they beautifully in ki sing holy holy holy but tonight brother Clavin I can see God go over the balcony of heaven and the angel say don't you want to hear us and he says to know there's a Gentile shoot of my church and they're singing my praises they're singing my name because we can sing a song that the Angels cannot see but I got news for you the next time he comes the next time he comes he's gonna be in a glorified body the next time he comes he'll have a name written he'll be a soldier not a servant he'll be a captain not a servant he will have only the prints of the former battle but he will be the great god almighty robed in human flesh and there is a church that it will listen to the voice of the friend of the bridegroom if they will let it they will allow the friend of the bridegroom can I tell you tonight your preacher is not your enemy your pastor is not your problem oh the enemy would like to so deceive you tonight and make you think that this church is your problem this church is not your problem this preacher is not your problem as a matter of fact the friend of the bridegroom is the greatest blessing that you'll ever have in your life thank God that we get the contract out and we begin to wave it and say he wants a holy church he wants a faithful people he wants a people musicians would you come musicians would you come oh my god oh my god the friend of the bridegroom tonight waving that Bible he don't always tell you he don't always tell you what you want to hear can I tell you that if you're being pastored by somebody that will always tells you what you want to hear you need you need to go to him and say stop lying to me you gotta tell me what I need to be tough I gotta be saved I can't go to hell I don't want to be lost don't you just tell me what you think I want to hear you tell me what God tells you you wave that book in my face you may be seen don't always tell you what you want you always tell me what I want to hear I think his brother Jeeter brother William Jeter tow one time somebody came to him and start talking he said well you need to go to Pastor he said well yeah all all he ever tells me to do is pray as if that's some inferior answer but the Pentecostal church doesn't have a psychiatrist couch it has an altar and we're trying to become like the world and psychoanalyze have a body and talk everybody through some trouble I'm gonna tell you let's get back to some old ways of praying through hey there's some lingo that needs to be revived in the church I pray through tonight you know what that means that didn't mean I got the Holy Ghost that Saints lingo for I got the Holy Ghost again hi prayed through I boys start datin girls out of the faith hey my girls i boys start doing they they start getting jobs keeping them out of church you know usually you may be seated you don't used to the the little picture of a mom and a child and a mama was the little child had the Mamas a skirt tail and I said the other day they can't jump that high anymore hey I'm a brand of the bridegroom and you know what's going to be my favorite day when I hear him say behold the bridegroom cap when we get over there on the streets of down into that shitty Oh staying with me tonight who's he think he is I'm gonna tell you I am I'm a friend of the bride ground he left me enough not only to save me by the Thompson but he loved me enough to call me to preach and he left me enough didn't trust me with the church and he said keep waving the contract at her she'll heaven she'll have a tendency to wanna accept I want to swerve from the right way I said just keep waving keep waving the book keep waving the book keep but I'm gonna close with this not only did that friend of the bridegroom waved that book at that bride when she got to cutting her eyes to other men but when other men and then the bride would cast her eyes down as if I'm not wanting you and he would keep looking the friend of the bridegroom would get in his face demonic spirits believe you know you can not believe in them if you want to live that poor of a life but there are demonic spirits there's demonic spirits to try to take control of your mind sometimes the friend of the bridegroom does what's called spiritual warfare and he waives the contract in the face of spirits and he says spirits spirits you can't have that one you hear me you loose your hold you shut your tongue up you take your grip off of that home you take your grip off of that couple you take your grip off of that individual you take your grip on some of you funk some battles and all of a sudden you've got all cleared up and you wondered if it was just a fluke it wasn't just a fluke the friend of the bridegroom was somewhere in the dark sanctuary calling out your name saying leave him alone leave him alone leave him alone leave him alone because the greatest love story that could ever be told is that God so loved the world that he took off his regal robe of royalty descended into the little vessel of a virgin girl named Mary and when he was born he didn't cheese Rome or Alexandria or Greece he didn't choose cities of prominence he chose a manger he chosen Nazareth as his hometown because all the while the shepherd was just wanting you to fall in love when he just fall in love with here if you fall in love with his power you'll find yourself out of challenge but if you'll fall in love with Jesus tonight oh Jesus in the mountain Jesus in the streets Jesus in my family Jesus Jesus Jesus come on right now all of this building in the name of Jesus let's just let's just lift our voices right now Jesus Jesus Jesus for God so loved the world a God so loved the world he was looking for a bride he was looking for somebody that would love him just because he's Jesus he's Jesus he's Jesus he's Jesus he's Jesus every head bowed every eyes closed oh come on to the altar right now if you're here tonight he you don't know he have come right now come right now he's Jesus he's he's Jesus he's Jesus actually yes Oh Paul in love with who he is tonight he's Jesus you don't have to tremble another loungin you don't have to display another power I believe in you Jesus I trust in you Jesus you don't have to do one more miracle you've already done it over your name is he your dad oh Jesus Oh jeez you're break every song No so Jesus is red Jesus former I sneaked a hole Jesus in Oh the star the mouth Jesus Jesus Oh Oh oh geez Jesus but God Oh to Jesus in the street Jesus every small the so lift our voices in our hands right now let's lift our voices in our hands to the Lord Church this is a slim Blair and before church this evening we met with her and her parents and she understood what it took and what it takes to get in that bride that pastor preached about and she said I want to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ so that's what we are going to do this evening could you stretch our hands toward Mason tonight let's pray for it God we thank you Lord you got for this soul seeing her need to be baptized Lord God is clearly explaining your word to get in that Bride of Christ that we must be born of the water that we must be born of the Spirit God apprentice she will use her God you and guide are you and leader Lord closer to you Lord let this be a start Lord of someone who's a world changer God that revolutionizes the world Lord said he that saves souls that goes after and wins a loss to the dying world Lord we do it in your name in Jesus name Amen Mason Blair upon the profession of your faith and the obedience to the Word of God I now indeed baptize you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins and thank the Lord you have already received the gift of the Holy Ghost yah come on thank the Lord tonight thank the Lord for what he's done tonight and if you would indulge me I wonder what it was like when that little shoot of my girl didn't recognize that chariot gold plated silver plated chariot of Solomon's and when he pulled up in front of her house or her Shack and she come walking outside barefooted rhaggy dress on Solomon pulls up his veil and says come go home wonder if she said something like let me go back and get my clothes I want to be sick you won't meet her where we're going you won't need him he took her in at Jerusalem which was up and he waltzed her right by the 700 wives and 300 concubines he said this is my church this is my church can I take you tonight where that church loved him now loving living right now amen love him right now I am I want to make an explanation for my voice you know we're living in a culture now that if you you sneeze in public I mean you know you sneeze and everybody's looking or or if you if you you know if you just look like you don't feel good Oh Lord is the corona among us you know and all of this the explanation for my voice I did some camping with my grandchildren this week and evidently the night air does not agree with my voice nope no corona of Corona we got another one to baptize praise God this mortal shall put on immortality this poor man shall become rich beyond measure thank God thank God go ahead praise team lead us in some more praise and worship as we baptize another this is Christie calmly which is another faith faithful faithful family in our church and we've been teaching a Bible study and she's in church because of her sister and all that we baptized just a couple of weeks ago and we thank God Christie coming upon profession of your faith and obedience to the Word of God I do now indeed baptize you name of Jesus Christ for the missions of your sins and thank God you have already received the gift of the Holy Ghost god bless you tonight for coming today and hear the word of the Lord let's give God a hand puppet produce right now you're dismissed in Jesus name