The Process | Senior Pastor Kenneth Carpenter

if you stand with me today for the reading of the word of god i'd like to direct your attention to the book of psalms chapter 37 and verse number 23 and then i will direct your attention to the book of jeremiah chapter number 10 and verse number 23. please remember and we'll say a little bit about this at the end of the service today if you're reading the bible through how many is on the journey with me this morning reading our bible through in 2021 and if you need a a spiritual tracker that we're giving there will be on the tables as you exit today so that you can keep checking those marks off and making sure that you have this journey this journey psalms 37 verse number 23 the steps of a good man are ordered by the lord and he delighteth in his way everyone repeat with me the steps the steps of a good man jeremiah chapter 10 and verse number 23 oh lord i know that the way of man is not in himself in other words a different kenny translation goes like this man doesn't know where he's going oh lord i know that the way of man is not in himself it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps would you say those two words again his steps for the first sunday in 2021 i want to minister to this congregation on these words the process the process the process oh great god of heaven i love you jesus i thank you god for saving me and my family and i thank you god that you are an ever-present help in the time of need and i need not fear what man would ever do to me you're our shelter in the time of the storm and i praise you today god i thank you for this great group of people that have assembled on this first sunday god open our hearts our ears our minds to this journey in jesus wonderful name i do pray anoint in jesus name amen you may be seated the process the process the process small daily steps small daily steps or i'm using the word the process small daily steps will lead you to your destination you will not be led you will not arrive i should say at your destination without small daily steps you'll never arrive and if you arrive at your destination by taking one step your destination has not been the plans of god the process that you and i have entered into of the year of 2021 is a process of small daily steps well the scripture tells us today that the steps of a good man the steps of a good man are ordered by the lord and then it says those steps sister carpenter turns into a way it's a it's it's amazing how small daily steps have a way of turning into your way it has been said that that if you sow a sow a thought and you sow a word you sow a habit and if you sow a habit you sow a life and so this process that you and i are on today you just might as well get out of your mind this is not a this is not come some kind of a price is right this is not some kind of a game show spiritual game show that you're gonna automatically pick the right door or the right price in order to arrive at god's destination and that's the destination i want to arrive at today in order to arrive at god's destination without fail it is small steps that we will take in 2021. no quantum leaps no hocus pocus no no no automatically arriving it is small daily steps in the right direction in the right direction i am currently reading a book entitled the obstacle is the way the obstacle is the way of course what got my attention is you normally would think of the saying the obstacle what help me the obstacle in in the way but this writer the obstacle in the way turning trials into triumphs the whole book is designed around the whole book is designed around men and women that embraced a process that led them to do great before that time unachievable goals in their life but they did it with a process now i know that this what i'm about to read may offend some tennessee fans and it may offend some lsu fans as a matter of fact there's probably if you're a fan other than alabama this is going to offend you coach nick saban doesn't actually refer and i'm reading out the book coach nick saban doesn't actually refer to it very often but every one of his assistants and players lives by it they say for they say it for him tattooing it at the front of their minds on every action they take because just two words are responsible for their unprecedented success these two words are the process saban the head coach of the university of alabama football team perhaps the most dominant dynasty in the history of college football doesn't focus on what every other coach focuses on or at least not the way that they do he simply teaches the two words the process i quote coach saban don't think about winning the sec championship don't think about the national championship think about what you you what you needed to do in this drill think on this play think in this moment that's the process let's think about what we can do today the task at hand let's think about today what we can do we are horrible creatures at living in today consumed with what may happen tomorrow we are horrible creatures at living in the now wasting valuable energy brother erickson on either yesterday or tomorrow but what has led alabama to an un unprecedented championships is that he doesn't preach to them the sec championship of the national championship he talks about where they're at and the drill that they're making and the play i want to continue reading in the chaos of sports as in life process provides us a way it says okay you've got to do something very difficult don't focus on that instead break it down into pieces simply do what you need to do right now and do it well and then move on to the next thing follow the process and not oh if you forget anything today don't forget this follow the process and not the prize follow the process and not the prize the road to back to back championships is just that it's a road and you travel along the road in steps excellence is a matter of steps excelling at one at this one then at that one and then the one after that saban's process is exclusively this existing in the present taking it one step at a time not getting distracted by anything else not getting distracted by the other team not getting distracted by the scoreboard or not getting distracted by the crowd the process is all about finishing finishing the game he says finishing the workout he says finishing the films sessions and the finishing the drives and the reps and the plays and finishing the blocks finishing the small tasks you have right in front of you and finishing it well can i tell you today as i break from this book this is not some new thing that coach saban has come up with this has been tucked away in the pages of our bible all the time and if it will work in football how much more will it work in our spiritual lives if we'll learn let's not sit here on sunday and think about on monday or think about what happened friday let's think about we're in the house of the lord right now what are we supposed to do right now have our minds on god have our minds on praising him have our minds on worshiping him and if we will do this process you see huge tasks become manageable when broken down into steps some people look at living for god a sinner will come in from the streets and get on the pews and look around at somebody that has been in the process for many years and they will say i could never be that i could never give up this in my life i could never do what you're doing can i tell you you can't do it in a quantum leap but however one of us got to where we're at spiritually this morning has all got one things and thing in common we all got here by one step at a time i am where i'm at today because of one step at a time i'm not here today because of a gigantic 40-day fast i'm not here today because of six or eight hour prayer meeting i'm here today because i choose to take one step at a time toward my destination toward my goal and i'm gonna get there because the steps of a good man are ordered by the lord and he directs his way could you put your hands together we all learn the alphabet the same way one letter at a time we all learn the alphabet one letter at a time get the mental picture get the mental picture one letter at a time you know the alphabet you know how to read because you learn one word at a time you put sentences together because you learn one letter at a time and one word at a time and one sentence at a time we understand the process today get this mental picture with me please get the mental picture that 2021 the lord willing 2021 will give us 365 days the lord willing of which we have already consumed two in almost a half of those days we've already almost consumed two and a half of those days i don't know what your goals are for 2021 but you'll never arrive on december 31st of 2021 without learning how to take a small step every day that's how we're going to celebrate on december 31st 2021 lord willing that's how we're going to celebrate we've read our bibles through in 2021 you know i hope none of us are like someone sent me this from you know the chuck norris tweets and chuck norris's tweet says i read the bible every day the whole bible no chuck norris is here we're going to end up on december 31st saying i read my bible through for the first time by simply small manageable steps every day get the picture 365 days lord willing he's given you and i and two and a half has already been spent think back of those two and a half days was there something that you did small that turns you toward the direction of god i i'm here to say i believe the great majority that's in this room today could say yes because your presence in this house was not a decision that you made this morning when you got up the steps here were already pre-planned predetermined these steps understanding about time understanding about time the bible says in psalms of which it's god psalms 90 and 4 for a thousand years in god's sight are bad as yesterdays when his past and his watch in the night psalms 90's an interesting psalm because it's actually a recorded prayer of moses it's actually if you read the very first verse you read this is actually a prayer of moses and in this prayer that moses prays he prays that god's people understand one valuable thing one thing we all have in common today it's time time psalms 90 in verse number 9 through 12 the prayer of moses he says for all our days are passed away in thy wrath we spend our years as a tale that is told in other words what story would be told about your life if you died today what would be the story of your life well you know as well as i do that most books are comprised of one page at a time one page at a time one day at a time if you could see the days in your life in the days in 2021 in this book now that's very small it's just two and a half pages but what is the story what is the story of your life listen to the prayer of moses in verse number 10 the days of our years are three score and ten that's 70. and if by reason of strength they be four score that's 80 years yet is their strength labor and sorrow for his soon cut off and we fly away in other words he says now just get this on average 70 years 70 years on average and it'll be those that will go above average to 80 years but he said understand these words understand these words that time will soon be cut off and we will fly away let's don't waste our steps today let's not waste our time today let's take a small step today in the process would you say those words with me the process say it again everyone please the process and then moses in verse number 12 i believe that he gives the most powerful advice to us that he could give he says in verse number 12 so teach us to number our what teach us to number put a number on those days let that day have significance let that day have meaning let that day let it be recorded and one of the great things sister erickson about the spiritual tracker the growth tracker that you all have put out is it's got those 365 days and you'll be able to count those days lord teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom if i could have a prayer today over our people and over myself god help us to live in the now and not the morrow god help us to live in the right now in the step of right now because look at time look at time who can do anything about what happened yesterday i remember as a small naive child it was a little corner market little convenience store and i rode my bicycle down to that convenience store and while riding my bicycle down to that convenience store our dog began to follow me and i tried my best to shoo that dog away but he kept following me and i lost track of it and as i turned on the clinton highway to go down i heard some brakes squeal and i looked back in horror at my dog getting run over by a car it killed the dog but in my naive mind a little i don't know how old i was but i remember sitting on the side of the road thinking i wonder if i could turn back time if i could turn back time to this morning and i could turn back to when i got up and when i walked out and got on my bike and my dog started falling if i could turn back time has anybody ever had anything that crazy go through your mind if i could ever turn back time well you know what i'm talking about today it's impossible to turn back the clock so why are we concerned about what happened yesterday when we can do absolutely nothing about it nothing nothing and tomorrow one person swerving 12 inches on the highway and crossing a little white line that six inches wide could take away from you the possibility of tomorrow that's morbid no that's not morbid that's life that's life you know years ago years ago every time people went to worship god at their local church they were reminded about the brevity of life every time they went to church you know why most churches had a graveyard and most worshipers had to walk through a graveyard to get to the house of god they had to be reminded as they walked through the graveyard we're not going to live forever it's not going to be forever one of the one of the most terrible deceptions the enemy could ever give the church is to get you to think you've got all the time in the world got all the time in the world i got next sunday i can get stirred up next sunday there's teenagers that have good intentions of selling out to god after they get out of high school and there's people out of high school that have good intentions to really settle down and get serious with god after they get that job that they want to get and everybody and there's people today in their graves and they took to their graves a boatload of good intentions but good intentions never take you on a journey that only god can bless you it doesn't say the good intentions of a righteous man and it doesn't say the good intentions of a righteous man are ordered of the lord it said the good steps of a righteous man are ordered by the lord come on give him a hand to praise can't do anything about yesterday tomorrow's just a promise all i have is right now god if all i have is right now i praise you right now god i take the breath that's been given to me on day three of 2021 i take the breath and i say hallelujah i take the breath and i say praise you lord i take the breath i make take day 3 of 20 21 and walk to the front and say preacher would you baptize me this morning in jesus name i may take the breath ah yeah i've heard that before i've heard that before you see some people have big plans for 2021 but can i ask you one question about your big plans are they god approved are those plans been approved by god child of god did you run those plans by god did you did did you think before you decided to take out on this adventure did you think to stop about it long enough to have prayer about it because you can have big plans and never get it finished ask the men and women that started building the tower of babel oh they had big plans oh you don't know how unified we are i don't care how unified you are if your plans doesn't include god in it you'll never finish those plans you'll never be satisfied sin has read my lips today sin has never and never will satisfy the heart of a man only the savior can satisfy you sin will never satisfy you just when you get the next layer to your babel life you'll have to add another layer and another layer and another layer why don't you just decide today i want my life to have the plans of god god i don't know what you're going to do with me but if i'm a manager at a restaurant or i'm a contractor or i'm a doctor or a medical worker god i want you to know i want the plans that you have for my life i want those plans to be in my life somebody say my title again please the process see the the writer of proverbs 27 and verse number 1 says boasts not thyself of tomorrow for thou knowest not what a day may bring is any god anybody got any witnesses here today any of you ever had a day in your life that you didn't see coming said preacher i don't have one day i got several days in my life you don't know what a day make you you you you don't know so you don't need to boast about i've got oh i'm young i'm 17. i'm 27. i i'm young i got the world by the tail you you don't know who i'm energetic i'm positive in all of this i'm talking about covet i'm positive in all of this you have it all but you better watch boasting about tomorrow you better just get your step on that your mind on that one small step every day that you take luke chapter no excuse me isaiah chapter 56 verse number 12 listen to this one listen to this one isaiah 56 12 come ye and say they i will fetch wine and we will fill ourselves with strong drink means they're going to get drunk and tomorrow shall be as this day and much more abundant sorry but that's not gonna happen there's been many men and women tank themselves up on alcohol never to see their tomorrow then jesus gives us a power a powerful parable in luke chapter 12 verse number 17-20 about a rich man who was really blessed and he thought within himself saying what shall i do because i have no room where to bestow my fruits he had a great year 2020 was a great year for him and he had more in abundance i don't have anywhere to bestow my fruits and he said this will i do i will pull down my barns i will build greater and there will i bestow all my fruits and my goods and i will say to my soul soul thou has much goods laid up for many years take thine ease eat drink and be merry but god said unto him can i tell you we just stop right there because it doesn't matter what i'm planning to happen what matters is is that words i just read but god said unto you really need to concern yourself not with what you plan to do but you really need to have small steps of prayer and small steps of bible reading and small steps of church attendance and small steps of the right company because i want to know what god wants to do with my life i want to know what god says now this man was looking out sister brittany he was looking out and he was planning all these big things because he had a very prosperous year i mean he made way more money than he thought he was going to make he had way more fruit come in than he thought he was going to have he had way more coming in and so he's looking out over everything he's got but god said unto him thou fool this night thy soul shall be required of thee then who shall those things be which thou hast provided he said you a fool we are fools to plant our lives without god involved in it we are fools to work there's there's people suicidal today because they worked all of their life on a goal and a plan only to get there and have it fall apart and when their goals and plans fell apart their life fell apart and the only way you can keep your life from falling apart is to keep god inside of your life because god has never and god will never forsake any of us that's why i'm sold on jesus christ this morning i'm absolutely positively sold on god i want every day of my life for there to be a small step toward the direction of god if it's a five-minute prayer meeting if it's a 15-minute reading session if it's just a few words of fellowship i want it to be said god you are the center of my life let hell bring what it may let trials and tribulations come let life turn itself upside down in me but i'm able to stand in the midst of every storm and declare i will be victorious because i do have god i wish somebody gave him some praise this morning in this house i plan to finish this race i plan to finish this race i plan to finish this race i didn't start this race to quit i didn't start this race to turn around i plan to finish this race i got in the church with fire i got in the church with joy i got in the church giving him everything i have and i plan to finish this race this way somebody shout finish it somebody shout finish it i plan to finish it i plan to finish it i may be battered and scarred and bruised and wrinkled when i get there but bless god i'm gonna finish this thing i may not get what i wanted out alive but i plan on finishing this thing i plan one day to hear a trumpet sound in my inner ear and to be changed in a moment and in the twinkling of an eye oh hallelujah i plan to finish this i know about some of you but i plan on finishing this thing i'm going to finish this thing i'm going to finish this thing now i'm going to say something today i'm going to say something today and this is what i say and not the lord so don't look for it in the bible don't look for it in the bible but this is just what i say i wonder if the rapture of the church is going to be similar to the moving of god's spirit in a worship service i wonder if just a moment before that trumpet sounds and the change happens if we're not going to feel the wonderful bathing of the presence of god whoo i wonder just just a millisecond before the rapture takes place if my automobile is not going to be filled with that presence that i'm going to recognize i'm going listen if you don't know what the presence of god feels like you need to start those small steps today you need to start those small steps today listen i know what the spirit of god feels like and it didn't happen by a quantum leap it didn't happen because i visited a church it happened because i went to church and i stayed in church and i know what the presence of god feels like i'm going to finish this thing i wish you'd say that to yourself today i'm going to finish this thing i'm going to finish this thing i'm going to finish i'm going to finish i'm going to finish come on paul talk to me today the tower of babel never got finished but come on paul in second second timothy chapter four and verse number five is this all right this morning for the first sunday of 2021 the process 22nd uh timothy 4 and verse number five listen to a man get the scenery brother mayford get the scenery jail cells dungeon chained paul is writing he's a prisoner he hears the sharpening of the executioner's sword outside the date has been set paul will soon be beheaded there's there's no pardon from nero there's nothing that can be said what rome has written has written paul will soon be beheaded what do you write paul what do you write to a young preacher but watch thou in all things endure afflictions do the work of an evangelist make full proof of thy ministry do you know that word there make full proof of thy ministry paul is saying finish it finish it finish it timothy if i could tell you anything with the day of my death just a few hours away i would tell you finish it if i could preach to anybody today finish it if god would take me in 2021 from the sins of this pulpit may you play the recording of today and let me tell you if i'm ever gone the word word i want to echo in your mind finish it finish it out see me on the other side of glory see me on the other side of glory for god's sake finish it don't quit don't get your feelings hurt don't get overwhelmed with the things of this world finish it finish it to those of you watching by our line today finish it finish the race make full proof of your ministry for i am now ready to be offered and the time of my departure is at hand i have fought a good fight i have finished my course can i tell you those small steps some of you think the devil fears you because you're gonna fast three days some of you think the devil fears you because your your goal is to pray an hour every day can i tell you the devil doesn't fear your three-day fast nor does he fear your one-hour prayer meeting you know what he fears he fears a woman or a man setting their alarm clock just a few early few minutes early in the morning and instead of trying to be at the certain workplace at just the certain right time they'll turn their clock back a few moments because they're going to take a small step on day 4 of 2021 they're going to take a small step in the right direction that my friend is what hell will shake in his boots over hell does not shake in you his boots because you came for one sunday it's that third and that fourth and that fifth sunday when everything starts falling apart whenever the whole hell comes against you because satan knows you've taken. it's interesting to note that the fight happened when he said i have fought a good fight i have finished my course sounds like to me the fight happens on the course that's where the fight happens next same saban will tell you you'll never play on game day any better than you practice when the stadium's empty nothing magical happens because of the fans in the stand you will play exactly like you practice you'll run the you'll run the plays exactly like they were small stepped into your life say what you want to we are all here today because a man finished a task who are you talking about i'm talking about noah talking about noah the bible says in genesis chapter 6 verse number 22 thus did noah according to all that the lord that god commanded him so did he how much of the instructions did he complete you know why we're here today because a man finished a task we're here today because he finished well brother carpenter i'm not perfect i i i'm just not perfect i'm not finishing because i'm not perfect oh you think noah is perfect could i introduce you to his life after the flood he started growing grapes he became a vine dresser okay oh yeah and he started making wine okay and he got drunk now i'm not advocating drinking and i'm not advocating getting drunk but i am telling someone today that has a less than a perfect reputation don't quit because of what you've done we're here today because noah finished the boat not only that you search for truth bible study teachers we would not have had a tabernacle had it not been for exodus chapter 40 verse number 16. thus did moses according to how much that the lord commanded he boy i'd like to have more saying i'd like to have clothes that little hum there tells me that there's a lot of you that are not engaged you know why i feel for you today is because if god is willing and he gives us this whole entire year you're going to end up december 31st 2021 just like you are now or what or what or worse i was saying that for a reason i heard you the first time or worse so why don't you do something about it today why don't we determine right now i'm gonna finish this year out i'm going to finish this bible i've started i've started to try to read through this many i'm going to finish it this is the year i'm going to finish it i'm going to finish it you know what i we've all got stirred up me and my wives me and my wife and i'm not talking about me and sister i'm just talking about conversations that might have taken place honey you know you know you you remember when we were faithful to church and and our marriage was doing good and the kids were doing good and the job was doing good and we've gotten out of the habit of going to church let's get back in the habit of going let's start going back to church and i think that's such a beautiful conversation for you to have but can i tell you when your first sunday turns into your eighth sunday understand that there will be a fight but would you finish it would you finish it no ark without noah finishing it no tabernacle without moses finishing it brother nolan i want you to do something with this verse not right now i just want you to prepare him to preach some time won't you do some of this oh solomon gets a lot of negative talk don't he man in fact i don't hear a lot of positive things ever preached about solomon i don't i don't hear a lot of positive things most times we think about solomon we think about a man who married 700 women bible says it had 300 girlfriends concubines all right can we hear oh he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth oh he he was born david's son oh he was he was given an opulent kingdom and all that but i'm here to tell you there's one thing that old boy did that needs to be bragged on today you see you don't brag on your you don't brag on your perfection you brag on your completion noah build that ark moses or what can be negative said about moses you do know moses murdered a man meek mild moses more than likely broke an egyptian's neck just took that away in the back of mine but he finished the tabernacle yeah solomon you had this thing with women yeah but first kings 7 51 states this about you so was ended all the work that king solomon made for the house of the lord and solomon brought in the things which david his father had dedicated even the silver and the gold and the vessels did he put among the treasures of the house of the lord he finished all of the house of the lord he finished all of god's house not most of god's house he finished all of god's house can i tell you i'm trying to get you to understand something today you're not perfect noah you're not perfect moses you're not perfect solomon but the one thing you have going for it finish it finish the work finish it jesus said our musicians would make their way jesus said in john 4 34 jesus saith unto them my meat food nourishment is to do the will of him that sent me and to finish his work look at that jesus said i live my meat is to finish his work john 5 36 listen to jesus again but i have greater witness than that of john for the works which the father hath given me to finish stop right there for a moment not all of us have the same works to finish god gives one a work to finish god gives another another work to finish that's why sister alice i can't get my mind on what god's called you to do and you can't get your mind on what god's called me to do we're just responsible god has given you a work to finish to some god may be given a burden to be a sunday school teacher finish it to some god may be given a burden to teach in our school or our daycare finish it to some god may won't be god may lay it on a young man or you don't want young woman's heart to go to college eight 12 years and become a medical doctor finish it whatever god has called you to do finish it i told you about noah moses solomon and jesus but don't miss this don't miss this the greatest statement that was made in john chapter 19 and verse number 30. oh thank you jesus god when jesus therefore had received the vinegar he said it is finished thank you thank you noah for the art thank you moses for the tabernacle thank you solomon for the house of god but that pales in comparison to the cross of jesus christ thank you jesus thank you jesus thank you jesus on the cross you said it is finished and now when we believe upon the finisher when we believe upon the finish when we believe upon him and we accept him in our lives and we repent of our sins and we are baptized in his name and when we are filled with the holy ghost please listen guess what we get we get the d and a of the finisher we're not quitters church we're not quitters we are finishers we are not quitters we are finishers i planned by the help of god oh god when somebody start praying with me right now when somebody start praying come on holy ghost come on holy ghost fall on us today come on holy ghost follow us today come on come on come on come on come on come on pray pray right i am not a quitter i am not a quitter i have the dna running through my veins i am a finisher i am not a quitter oh yeah my god come on say you know jesus you can't be a quitter if you know him in contracting in in building of homes there's a terminology and i've been out of it a few years brother hyde but there's terminology there's what's called i am a framing contractor when you hire a framing contractor they're building the walls the roof structure the trusses the walls they're framers but there's also in that same profession what's called a finish and it's odd that he's called this finnish carpenter when you hear someone as a finnish carpenter that doesn't necessarily mean they can't or they can do framing it simply means inside the house they put the trim up they hang the cabinets they put the crown mold on they put the they put the railing on the step they are called a finished carpenter can i tell you today that the framing contractor gave his life on calvary and he said it is finished but that same framing contractor gave us the holy ghost and in hebrews chapter 12 and verse number one wherefore seeing we are also compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses let us lay aside every weight and the sin would just so easily beset us and let us run this race with patience the race that is set before us looking unto jesus the author and the finisher of our faith who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross despising the shame and is set down at the right hand of the throne of god i know 2020 was crazy i know 2020 has robbed some members from our congregation but i've got my mind on a better day i've got my mind on a better destination he is you would stand with me right now and by your heads and close your eyes i want us to hear the hum of prayer all over this room but you can't finish if you don't start you can't finish if you don't start you cannot finish 2021 if you don't start it with god i'm going to ask for anyone today why heads are bowed and eyes are closed minds on god and people are praying if you'd like to start your journey on this first sunday of 2021 either rededicating your life back to god or giving your life to god would you step out of your pew this morning and take some steps down toward an altar and would you come to recommit your life or to commit your life to jesus christ this morning would you come would you come right now would you come right now we're going to wait on you for a moment would you come right now oh god in the name of jesus god you see that man god you've been dealing with that man ever since i've been preaching god you've been dealing with that woman ever since i've been preaching this morning they once was in the race they once was in this thing all always god they had dreams and visions and big plans of doing great and mighty things but something came along and caused them to quit god this morning in the name of jesus come out of that pew come out of that pew in jesus name it's time for you to live today it's time for you to live today it's time for you to live today come on come on pray with me today please pray with me today please pray with me oh god yes jesus it's always been oh i got the intention why don't you take some steps out of your pew this morning it's always the steps of a good man or woman are ordered by god why don't you make some steps that's right come on make some steps when the altar fills up we'll feel the eyes the process of the process do what you can do right now pray hard pray hard pray loud yes lord i love you