"The Place By Me" - The Apostolic Connection

and welcome to the apostolic connection the weekly televised service of the First Apostolic Church here in mville Tennessee I'm Pastor Kenneth Carpenter choir church family let's make those welcome today by a great big hand clap offering that's watching and worshiping by way of television and by way of the worldwide way to all of our viewers today we are currently experiencing a move of the Holy Ghost we are experiencing the blessings of God falling in our congregation this morning and why don't you just join along with us today the book of Exodus chapter 33 and verse number 21 and the Lord said behold there is a place by me and thou shalt stand upon a rock for just a few moments this morning I want to minister the place by me the place by me you may be seated think about it this morning think about the pressure Moses had on on his life think about the tremendous amount of pressure called to lead the children of Israel out of bondage called to lead the children of Israel to the promised land think about the pressure this man faced it comes out in chapter 33 because Moses repeatedly speaks to God about who's going to go before us and he begins to talk with God and finally in chapter 33 of Exodus God just says Moses my spirit my presence shall go with you and of course Moses says back to God well God this is the way it's going to be if you don't go with us don't carry me there in other words I don't want to go if you're not going with us and then Moses cries out he uses the word beseech which which literally means to beg he begged God show me your glory god Show Me Your Glory in other words Moses was saying to God God please show me how this is going to be Show Me Your Glory God and God just simply told Moses he said there there is a place by me you know I really believe that every hard question in life can be answered by the simple verse there is a place by me know anytime we can get to that place that is by God anytime that we get to that place I I'm glad that he told us today that there is a place by him now it's much like heaven when he said I go away to prepare a place for you he added this he said and if it were not so I would have told you in other words what I'm saying today if there was not a place by God he would not have told us that there is a place by him he said there is a place by by me I call it today the place of his presence it's what I call it today because I have not always got my prayers answered but I have never been denied his presence things have not always in my 54 years of living and my 35 years of living for God I have not always got what I wanted I have not always got what I expected as a matter of fact some things I got I felt like I didn't deserve either way you want to read that there were things that that came my way I felt I didn't deserve it and there were sure blessings that came my way that I felt that I should not deserve it but I have never been denied his presence yay though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death thou art with me thy rod and thy staff they comfort me I've not always got my Miracle but I've always had my Miracle Worker I've not always got my answer but I always had my problem solver there is I wish somebody clap their hands there is a place can I tell you something there is a place to bring your messed up life there is a place to bring your sins there is a place place to bring your Disobedience there is a place to bring your Hang-Ups because uh he he he was was hung on a cross for our Hang-Ups there's a place to bring our Hang-Ups there's a place to bring our addictions there's a place to bring everything in life there is a place and it's called the place of repentance and we have a man in scripture Hebrews 12 and 14 he was an unthankful man he was unth thankful that he was the first born of Jacob he was unthankful that he had the blessings and the birthright and through esa's unthankfulness for his Birthright and His blessings he sold he sold his Birthright and he was deceived out of his Blessing he lives a life lower than what he should have had but the scripture is interesting in Hebrews 12: 14 for it says follow peace with all men and Holiness without which no man shall see the Lord looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you and thereby many be defiled lest there be any fornicator or profane person as Esau who for one morsel of meat sold his Birthright for you know how that afterward when he would have inherited the blessing ing he was rejected for he found no place of repentance though he sought it carefully with tears you see God had a place of repentance God had a place that he could have fixed things although he had did he had sold his Birthright and he had been deceived from his Blessing God doesn't give up on us because there is a place by by me not just for the perfect there is a place called repentance I'm glad that our God gives us the ability to turn our lives around I'm glad that God doesn't say three strikes you're out because his mercy endureth forever I'm glad the God that I serve that's why if you've walked into this church recently I don't care to know where you've come from and I don't care to know the baggage that you brought along because there is a place by God that can handle all of your baggage that you can bring in to the house of God there is a place feeling the holy ghost moving today I may be talking to somebody watching today in a hotel room Put the gun down put the peel bottle down put it all down because there is a place there is a place lonely hearted brokenhearted there is a place by God now you got to understand with me today there's a place of repentance there's a place of repentance now we need not to accept the cheap imitations The knockoffs of repentance because repentance Works God gave us a place to turn our lives around and repentance works and repentance is not being sorry he got caught I said repentance is not sorry you got caught repentance is not sorry you're in the mess you're in Repentance is truly a change of mind about former Behavior you have a change of mind about why you did what you did and it's more well well Paul addresses it in 2 Corinthians chapter 7 verse number nine Paul addresses it he says now I Rejoice not that you were made sorry but that you sorrowed to repentance for ye were made sorry after a Godly manner that ye might receive damage by us in nothing for Godly sorrow worketh repentance to Salvation not to be repented of but the sorrow of the world worketh death for behold this selfsame thing that you sorrowed after a Godly sort what carefulness it wrought in you can I tell you something Satan's always got a counterfeit for what God's got the real God has love Satan has lust that's right God has Joy Satan has happiness God has repentance and Satan has a counterfeit they're only sorry for the moment they're only sorry for a moment but they turn right back around and go back and do the same acts that got them in the same mess Paul said when it's a Godly sorrow he said what carefulness it wrought in you in other words you don't just live your life careless anymore I'm I'm not careless about where I go I'm not careless about what I listen to I'm not careless about who I associate with let me tell you what a true life of repentance makes you very care makes you very very cautious makes you very very cautious about where you go who you associate with things you listen to things you watch repentance says I don't want to go back what what carefulness let me get back to my scripture now what what carefulness it wrought that's what repentance does what carefulness it wrot in you yay what clearing of yourself let me tell you something a true case of repentance a clear your mind and your heart up you won't go around wondering where who you are and what what's all it it'll it'll clear it'll clear up your mind and it'll clear up your heart what clearing of yourselves yay what indignation yay What Fear yay what vinant desire what yay what Zeal yay what revenge in all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter he said I got a repentance that made me want to Revenge the life that I had lived in other words I wanted to get revenge on that old life that I lived and I get revenge by living a better life that's how I get revenge I'm glad there is a place called repentance wait a minute now I'm talking about what am I preaching about a place by him there is a place by him and our sins he gives us a place by him and it's a place of repentance but not only that look with me if you would in Romans chapter 6 and verse number one Romans 6 and verse number one written to the church what shall we say then shall we continue in sin that Grace May abound God forbid how shall we that are sin that how shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein know you not that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ talking about water baptism here as we were baptized into Jesus Christ were're baptized into his death therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death he said to Moses there is a place by me he said about repentance there is a place by me and he says about water baptism there is a place by me we are buried with him please understand today when you go into the water of baptism that you're not going into that water to join a local church you're not going into that water to make some kind of public profession of your faith when you go into that water it is because there is a place by him he is there in that water with you you are buried you are buried with him into death that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the father even so we also shall walk in newness of life for if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death we shall also be in the likeness of his resurrection I'm glad there is a place by him that I can bring my sins and I can repent of my sins but I'm glad there is a place by him that I can be buried in the name of Jesus for the remission of sins and there is a place by oh there's not only a place by him for repentance and there's not only a place by him in water baptism but Jesus said in St Luke he said just before his Ascension into heaven he said but Terry ye in Jerusalem until you be endued with power from on high you see obedience is the activator for God's blessings you will never enjoy anything from God without obedience you can sit you can hope you can wish and you'll miss every bus that God send your way Jerusalem had been for centuries just another city Pentecost had been for hundreds of years just another Jewish celebration but on this day God said no there's a place by me and go back to Jerusalem and wait until you are endued with power from on high and Acts chapter 2 and verse number one and when the day of Pentecost was fully come they were all with one Accord in one place meaning they had obey the word of the Lord anytime you take one step God is going to take two anytime you step out now I'm going to tell you something had they not obeyed God none of this would have been recorded but because they obeyed God and they got into the position to be blessed the Bible said and when the day of Pentecost was fully come they were all with one Accord in one place and suddenly there came a sound from Heaven as of a rushing Mighty Wind and it filled all the house where they were sitting and there appeared unto them clo tongues like as a fire and it set upon each of them and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other tongues as the spirit gave them utterance God said to Moses when Moses was asking about the pressures of life he said there's a place by me and God says to us in the church dispensation today those of us that have wrecked our lives with sin and Rebellion there is a place by me and it's called all repentance and if you want to turn your life around the door is open and if you want to come to the master the way is made if you want to come to him the door is open the place is there there's a place called repentance and after you come to that place called repentance there is a place called water baptism where your sins are removed in the name of the one who died for you he joins you in that baptismal pool you you took on his name you took on his name says in the Bible that there'll be people that will say we've done Great and Mighty works in your name but he will say depart from me you workers of iniquity I never knew you the translation of that is depart from me ye he used my name illegally you did not have the authority to use my name and to those that reject the name of Jesus Christ in baptism have not the authority to pray in that name or to do anything in that name but if you have walked up that shameful Hill of Calvary and you're not ashamed to be identified with him and you've been baptized in that name of Jesus you have been given the Spiritual Authority to use the name that's why Devils have to back up and sickness has to back up and problems have to back up because I have got the authority of that name you got more than wet when you got baptized in Jesus name you got more than just a certificate you receive that power shout that name out with me today Jesus name can receive the gift of the Holy Ghost this morning in this place because there is a place by me but maybe you're here this morning in this Sanctuary with me and you're saying pastor maybe you're watching today and you're saying pastor I've done all the above I've repented I've been baptized I've been filled with God's spirit but brother Carpenter I've got a lot of woses and trouble and problems in my life you see you identif ify with Hezekiah because in Hezekiah the Bible says that sarib the captain of the Assyrians send him one of the most foul threatful letters a man could be sent as a matter of fact scripture records such language when the ambassadors of sarb came the scripture records such vile Lang language that they cried out to them that they were going to do that the proper decorum of this house does not allow me to even repeat the threats of what sikar rib's ambassadors said they would do physically to the Jewish men doesn't even allow me to go into detail so they sent Hezekiah a letter and it's spelled out trust not in your God we have defeated your God in other nations your God has been defeated and Trust not in your God sikar rib took that letter and sikar Rib did the wisest thing you could do with the with that with a letter of Sword the Bible says he took it to a place called an altar and he spread it out before the Lord and he said Lord behold their threatenings I don't know about you today but a lot of crazy things going in my life and I'm thankful that I have a place called The Altar Hezekiah spread those letters out on that Altar and he begin to say God you you hear what they're doing you hear this your letter may be a doctor's report this morning your letter may be some Court paper your letter may not even be in the form of a letter it may be some situation in your family God you see this listen to what God did this is how much God is in control he sends one Angel one can you say one he sends one this is how much God's in control one Angel and one Angel slays takes care of 100 and 80,000 Assyrians in one night 10,000 180,000 slain in one night he didn't have to wake up a legion of a he didn't have to wake up a whole host of angels just one you know why just one because just one man came to one place and spread one letter and God said there is a place by me