The Throne Room of God Part IV | Senior Pastor Kenneth Carpenter

you have your Bibles in which stand with me tonight we're going to go to the word of the Lord as it's already been said what a beautiful occasion what a beautiful opportunity it is to be able to come to the house of the Lord what we say about our God we find in the pages of God's word what we have to say about our God what we have to say about our God this evening we don't find out of a magazine or a newspaper we find out of the pages of God's word that can be that is true when we say that our God is a god of salvation that's because the Bible says our God is a god of salvation when we say our God Is A Healer that's because the Bible says our God Is A Healer when we say that our God is the same yesterday today and forevermore it's because our Bible tells us that our God is the same yesterday today and forevermore before I begin reading in Proverbs Chapter number 30. in verse number 24 wanna I want to introduce to you a a new member here at First Apostolic church we grow both spiritually and physically here with spiritual births and say haven't we been having a great number of people baptized just about about every service somebody is getting baptized and uh Joel and Rebecca Mayo became the proud parents of this beautiful baby girl no not that ugly guy right there that they'll be putting her picture in just in just a moment her name look at that look at that her name is Juliet Ruth Mayo she was born 9 24 22 at 4 30 in the morning she weighed six pounds and 12 ounces and her height was 205 inch no I'm sorry 20.5 inches all right man I thought we've already got a basketball player already here I know that Joel and Rebecca are watching from home tonight would you welcome her Juliet and just give a kind warm welcome and we love you and we can't wait to have that precious baby we got grandparents on the front row brother male and Undertaker can't wipe that smile off of your face right now and it's a wonderful thing serving the lord isn't it Proverbs Chapter 30 and verse number 24. there be four things which are little upon the Earth but they are exceeding wise the ants are a people not strong yet they prepare their meat in the summer I still want to continue on prayer this evening the throne room of God and um let's just pray right now that God will open our hearts father through your word we open up the windows of our mind to have the revelation God given to us Lord through your word God we will receive things tonight that will be put in the library of our minds and in the days to come the Holy Ghost will bring it to our attention and we'll make decisions based on what we heard tonight Lord for the next few moments help me to feed your sheep help me Lord to take your word and place it in the hearts and minds of these men and women in Jesus mighty name we pray amen and amen would you give the Lord a hand to praise for what you're going to hear tonight you may be seated the throne room of God I begin to think about that verse of scripture there be four things which are little upon the Earth little upon the Earth and my mind was in the frame of the vein of little prayers little little prayers the power the power of little little prayers you know um years ago we would sing a song Went something like this little is much if God is in it and then we go on back we go on back a few years before that many years before that maybe a few decades before that and we sing a song just a little talk with Jesus makes it right right may have doubts and fears my eyes may fill with tears but just a little talk with Jesus makes it right begin to study the Bible you find that some small prayers made available some tremendous power we know that a man on a cross prayed a small prayer simply Lord remember me when you come into the kingdom and that small prayer was answered we know that a backslider by the name of Samson prayed a small prayer Lord remember and touch me just one more just one more time we know that the prophet challenged the worshipers of Baal that the god that would answer my fire let him be God we know that the worshipers of Baal started early in the morning started early in the morning and went almost to the evening calling and praying to their God Baal Dale never answered the fire but the prophet stepped out the prophet prayed a 58 word prayer fell from heaven I'm a firm believer that there can be great power and little prayer not praying little but little prayer found myself over here in the Book of Proverbs Book of Proverbs was written by the wisest man to ever live he was the second wisest man to ever live the first the wisest man to ever live was God incarnate Jesus Christ he was the wisdom of God robed in flesh but the second wisest man to ever live was a man by the name of Solomon was a man by the name of Solomon and Solomon wrote This Book of Proverbs as a matter of fact there's a lot of principles brother Erickson that Solomon taught in the Book of Proverbs that even non-Christian leadership groups today use a lot of the proverbs to teach about how to be successful in life they will teach from the Proverbs they were the principles the principles they may not take chapter and verse but the principles that they found in the Book of Proverbs on success they tick they take it and they teach it because Proverbs has many many principles principles that if they if he will go by these principles if you will go by these principles and live by these principles practice these principles then success in life will come to you now of course our ultimate success in life ultimate success is heaven heaven heaven is our ultimate success we we should live our lives for heaven success is having God inside of us and not only God inside of us but God living out himself through us that people would see God through our words through our actions through through our lifestyle and so this this man Solomon began to teach about to teach about success now um it is all right to be successful in business but don't let that be the first priority of your life let living for God be the first priority and let the success of your business Aid in the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ let God use your success in business to bring glory and to bring honor to him Solomon wrote in verse Chapter 30 and verse 24. he said there are four things which are little little upon the Earth but they are exceeding wise the little there means insignificant insignificant now I don't know about you and I don't want to offend any ant lovers here and that's not a-u-n-t that's a-n-t all right but I don't know how much I don't know if there's any other creature on earth that's as insignificant as an ant all right I mean you go by the the highway and and someone has hit a dog and the dog is dead you do have a little bit of grief in your heart or at least I do all right poor dog you know but I have not stopped on any sidewalks and looked down and said oh that poor hand that that that that poor hand I I don't know how you know when you talk about something that's just simply insignificant you talking about an aunt all right there are four things which are little and these really many insignificant but they are exceeding wise in other words I will make up for being insignificant with wisdom it is amazing what wisdom will do to our lives it's absolutely amazing wisdom can make up a lot of ground that we've lost in life wisdom he said there are four things upon the Earth which are little but they are exceeding wise the first thing the ants verse 25. the ants are a people not strong that's true yet they prepare their meat in the summer the ants are given by their creator God the ants are given by the Creator God if you're writing write this down the ants are given by their creator God the wisdom of foresight the wisdom of foresight you see the Bible tells us plainly that nature can teach us death not nature teach us now there's no ants there's no ants School there's no place that ants catch little yellow ant buses and go to elementary school in junior high and high school and there they learn how to have foresight when God created the ant when God created the ant in his mighty wisdom he went ahead and gave them a natural instinct to understand that in summer is the time to gather your food because winter is coming and there'll be no food for you to find so the ant are given by their creator God the wisdom or foresight they work in the time when work can be done they are not lazy or procrastinators they believe that hard work can overcome individual weakness the ant he said now go to the ant and learn some things the ant has foresight not just for today but for tomorrow the ant just simply knows in the summertime I have foresight winter is coming so I must gather my food now for winter that's coming later we all could learn from that shouldn't we we all should think about what we're doing today will affect tomorrow right the Apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians chapter 5 and verse 15. he wrote to the Apostolic Church in Ephesians 5 and 15 and he says see then that he walks circumspectly not as fools but as wise this word circumspectly means to have foresight it means it means to be aware of what is going around going on around you to walk with foresight or to walk circumspectly to Walk in such a way that my behavior today how will my behavior today affect my tomorrow I need to be aware of that that's a very wise thing that's a very wise thing to consider Paul says see that you walk circumspectly and not as fools but that's why so you break that down fools don't care how today's actions face tomorrow fools have no foresight they don't care about their Demar they don't care that what they do today affects their tomorrow so they they have to have disregard for it they just disregard it but the wise understand that if I want to have a better tomorrow I must work on having a good today if I want a better tomorrow even Jesus shows this see the ant one thing about the ant they know the window of opportunity won't always be there see the window of opportunity the ant the ant knows this now think about it the ant knows this the ant knows in the summer when it's time to gather food the ant knows Falls coming Winter's coming I better gather now for later the the ant knows it good intentions won't feed me when winter gets here feeling sorry for myself won't feed me if I fail if I fail to have foresight feeling sorry for myself is not going to feed me the window will be closed Jesus in John chapter 9 verse 4. shows this in John chapter 9 verse 4 Listen to Jesus I must work the works of him that sent me while it is day the night cometh when no man can work Jesus said I've got a window of opportunity I've been given a space of time to work I've been given a space of time to do Miracles I've been given a space of time to work and I must work while I have day while I have opportunity Because the Night Comes when there's no opportunity we've got to live for God today we got to serve God today we know not what tomorrow may bring if I'm going to live for God I need to start living for God today I need to make up my mind to live for God now here in this place because now is that window of opportunity open again the wise man in re in writing Ecclesiastes chapter 9 verse number 10. look closely to Ecclesiastes 9 and verse number 10. whatsoever thy hand findeth to do it with thy might for there is no work nor device nor knowledge nor wisdom in the grave where thou goest very simple isn't it he says why you got air in your lungs why you got your mind why you got your health whatever your hand finds to do do it with all your might why it's your opportunity it's your opportunity to do it God has called you to this time in history God allowed you to be born in this time of History God allowed you to be in this place tonight you know why we all are given a window of opportunity don't let it close don't let that window close because I know it's a morbid thought but it's a factual thought read the obituary death is no respect for a person there's a nine month a 19 year old an 89 year old people get snuffed out of life very very young the 44 year old man 52 year old woman has a heart attack church I'm here to tell you your window is open tonight your window is open tonight do what you can now Jesus spoke a parable in Matthew chapter 25. he likened his coming to a wedding and he likened the bride to ten virgins these ten virgins were separated between wise and foolish wise and foolish he said that the wise what made them wise was the wedding would be held at night and a cry would be made in the darkness behold the bridegroom cometh go you out to meet him and the bride would need a lamp and a light to show her the way and so these wise virgins not only filled up their lamp with oil and lit their lamp but they took a vessel with them and they put oil in an extra these these these five virgins took extra oil I guess that's extra virgin oil I guess that's what that's see when you're a preacher you can go through Walmart and get a sermon all right he's getting this kind of extra virgin oil well it cost them more didn't it it had to carry a container it cost them more because they said the bridegroom may carry and I may have to refuel and so it's going to cost me more I'll be uh my hand will have to hold on to this but I'm going to be wise I'm going to have foresight here we go right I'm going to have foresight that he could carry his coming and I only got enough oil for so many hours and if he carries his coming I want to be able to refuel and wait a little longer but the Bible says that there was five others and they're not called wise virgins they're called foolish virgins well what makes them foolish is they only took oil for today they only took oil for the day they didn't think about tomorrow that he may tarry they didn't think about he made Terry his coming they only were concerned with today it's more convenient just to think about today right let us eat drink and be merry today for tomorrow we but so all they were thinking about was today I don't want to be covered with another I don't want to be cumbered without having to hold something in my hand and go down and buy some more oil I don't want to be comforted with that I'm only thinking about today Matthew 25 verse 6 let's let's jump into the story now Matthew 25 verse 6. and at midnight there was a cry made behold the bridegroom cometh go you out to meet him then all those virgins arose and trim their lamps and the foolish said unto the wise give us of your oil for our lamps are gone out that the wise answered saying not so lest there be not enough for us and you but go you rather to them that sail and buy for yourselves and while they went to buy the bridegroom came and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage and the door was shut the window was shut afterward came off so the other virgins saying Lord Lord open to us but he answered and said verily I say unto you I know you not watch therefore for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the son of man cometh I think it's Crystal Clear what happened there they lost their window of opportunity had they had foresight had they not only been thinking about today you know what one of the most careless things you can do is live for 24 hours one of the most careless things you can do is pamper yourself and never tell yourself no and never think about tomorrow and and the repercussions of tomorrow it's one of the most careless things you can do you don't have to carry extra oil you don't have to be covered you can come by these people that are praying and asking God to help them because they're thinking about tomorrow you can walk right by them say I don't have to do all that praying stuff I don't have to do all that extra dedication stuff and you don't but when the wind closes I would rather pray as an old as a Young Man I would rather pray and give my God my life to God my energy to God as a young man and grow old and let arthritis get in all of my bones and not be able to get up out of a chair and not be able to lift my hands and sing the song Precious Memories how they linger how they ever flood my mind that I would be able to say God when I had energy I went to the house of God when I had the ability I went to the house of God when I had ability I lifted my hands and I gave you praise God I wouldn't want to be somebody that sets and says one of these days I'm going to get spiritual one of these days I'm gonna I'm gonna lift my hands and praise God I just got too much business on my mind right now one of these days I'm going to do that and then get old and unable to do it and you live with the regret of the devil beating you up come on Church our day is right now our opportunities right now if you're going to live for God do it now do it now do it now do it now your salvation it's the most important thing in your life your salvation I'm going to tell you something here I have never been sure of my worthiness and neither should you because if you ever get the feeling you're worthy you're pharisaical there is no way any of us can live as good a life to come and say God I believe I'm worthy I believe I'm worthy no I have never been sure of my worthiness as a matter of fact as a matter of fact I I I know beyond a shout of a doubt I'm not worthy and nobody in this building is Worthy I'm as convinced of that as anything but my salvation you better be sure from the book you're saved you you bet I'm not talking about chill bump I'm not talking about sad songs saying at Granny's funeral I'm talking about you better be able to pick up this black back leather book and you better be able to cross the t's and Dot the eyes and if this book says you've got to believe you better know you're believing and that's not a past tense word that's a future tense that's a present and a future tense you better be believing you better have believed you better be believing and you better look to the Future and still be believing and if this book says repentance you better find out what repentance is and do it because he said if you don't repent you'll perish that's as simple as I can make it you better find out what repentance is and you better do it and then you better find out if he wants you to be baptized and he does and you need to do it the Bible Way and you need to do it and then you need to get the promise of the Holy Ghost and believe God for the promise of the Holy Ghost and you need to do it and then you need to read where he said be ye holy for I am Holy and you need to find out how he defines Holiness and you need to live your life to the best of your ability you better when it comes to your salvation you better know that you know come on Church you better know that you know that you know you better know you better know you better know that you know that you know second Corinthians chapter 6 verse two listen to this very closely second Corinthians chapter 6 and verse 2. for God's saith I have heard thee in a Time accepted in the day of salvation have I secured thee that means saved thee behold now is the accepted time behold now is the day of salvation do you know that when he came two thousand years ago he opened up a window of opportunity but that window of opportunity is not always going to be here for us gentiles that window of opportunity is not always going to be here for us people that window of opportunity has been opened the Bible said he came to preach the acceptable ear of the Lord I came to give you an opportunity I I'm amazed at some people that say I'll come to God when I want to you're sadly mistaken you are sadly mistaken there's a window of opportunity if you're in this place tonight and whatever the things that I listed if you've not yet done it you need to do it you need to do it tonight and this is an Apostolic Church and that's the main thing on our list is helping people to know that they know after your salvation at your salvation I guess I keep using Brother Kenny back here and uh wonderful work of Salvation that God's done in this young man's life wonderful work of Salvation that he's done in his life and is it wonderful to watch how God is progressing him God got a hold of him God working on him and the next thing you know what's he doing he's bringing his family to church he's bringing his family to church because that's the second most important priority in your life you need to know that you're saved and after that you need to work on getting your family saved I'm not just I'm not just talking to people outside I'm talking about us Carpenters Erickson's Hammonds we need to work on our families to be saved because we've just got a window of opportunity with our children I'm not glad I'm not putting any debt six years old or when they get six years old I'm gonna start talking about them to the Lord I'm not really going to talk to the Lord until they're 12 years old you need to you need to can all that stuff you need to talk to them listen you need to talk about the Lord to them before they even can talk back to you you need to look at them and talk about the Lord you say well they don't understand you don't know that you know that you you don't know that they don't understand you need to talk about the Lord to him because that's the that's the most listen before you get a burden to go to Africa before you get a burden to go to Cambodia or wherever and cry over the lost you better cry over your own kids because they're just as lost as the people you want to fly around the world Proverbs Proverbs 22 and 6 Proverbs 22 and 6. train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it train up a child and say train up a teenager then say train up an adult kids children are like concrete when it comes poured out of the truck it's moldable concrete conforms to whatever you pour it in if you pour it in a square box guess what kind of guess what the form is square around and on and on can I tell you something about concrete and I've worked with concrete Heavenly brother Perry that is when they bring that concrete up and pour it out of that truck anytime take a break it ain't time to get on a cell phone it ain't time to leave well I gotta go home and check on the cows for a few hours tell us a time that leaves that concrete truck it starts setting up and the only way you can get it the way you want it is to work it and concrete work some of the hardest work you'll ever work all your life it's something it's some it's some I remember somebody preaching they told about somebody come gave them a card said I'm a hat I'm a handyman I'm a jack of all trades and it had on it I do yard work I do cleaning gutters I do painting I do framing I do concrete work and they had taken a pen and etched out concrete work you know our kids are the same way God gives them to us they're moldable that's why God's using our daycare because these wonderful Ministers of God inside these daycare classes are teaching these little ones to pray some of them come from homes that don't pray for their food some of them come from homes that don't pray sing songs about Jesus but we've got a daycare and these little ones come into this daycare we how to pray over their food and ask God to bless their food and you know what we have lived long enough to see kids that went to our daycare 25 years ago that are now grown adults in our community that'll come up and say I learned so much about life at your daycare you know why because train up a child in the way don't get listen don't get mesmerized with being pregnant sometimes kids get treated like Christmas puppies oh they're so cute and cuddly at Christmas time but a few months later he's chained to a tree in the backyard and somebody says has anybody fed Rover this week you see when God gives us these children I'm going to tell you something raising kids isn't for wimps if you want your family to be a Godly family they call it the work of the Lord it takes work to raise a Godly family it takes work to raise kids and have morals it takes work to have kids that have a love for the house of God it's not the easiest thing in the world to keep on coming on Wednesday night Wednesday night in Wednesday night out as a matter of fact we go to the house of God so much that your kids don't even ask the question are we going to church tonight they know better that boy what in the world wrong with you did you hit your head did you take some less than smart pills today I'm working on that word again you take some less than smart pills today no they don't ask they didn't ask today are we going to church tonight it's getting into the routine of their mind they're just going to church but somewhere in the repetitiveness of songs and prayer and preaching little nuggets begin to spin in their mind and they begin to do unto others as they would have them do it until unto them and and they begin to love God and they begin to have a conscience and they begin to open up and worship and the next thing you know they're baptized and the next thing you know they've got the Holy Ghost and the next thing you know they're looking for a Christian mate that's just like them and the next thing you know they're walking down the aisle to get married and they're bringing their babies to get dedicated and the house of God begins to grow the easiest thing to do is just give your kid a TV and a cell phone and say there you go just give them a TV and a cell phone don't take them to Sunday school only bring them to Sunday school every once in a while and then and then you'll find your way around to me and say well my boy just doesn't feel like he fits in here and I'm going to say come on oh I you know I my my greatest she just don't fit in here she said well she don't feel like she fits in because you haven't kept her around in they can't listen to that secular garbage music all day long and come in here and relate to this it's a different song it's a different tune and it's a different spirit they can't be fed Helly wood I mean Hollywood and didn't want to come in here and want to get their Bibles open and read the word the word word of God you can't keep them out there where their Ambitions is in the world they want to be a major league baseball player or major league basketball player or they want to be some kind of a beauty pageant or they want to be something like that and then bring them in here come on Church raising children is not for whips you've got to roll up your sleeves Mama You've got to roll up your sleeves Dad it's going to take some conversations on the job it's going to take some conversations at home it's going to take some hey let's you know turn the TV off for a minute I just feel like telling you how good God's been to us it's going to take it's going to take your sons and your daughters getting ready for bed at night and off in the distance they hear Mother oh God would you keep your hands upon our family God would you move upon our family God I'm talking about I'm talking about little kids I'm talking about little kids on their little kids that sleep in late in the summertime they're awaking at 6 30 with Mom and Dad oh God keep me safe today Lord keep your hands upon us God and and I'm just I just I just say this to you to help you out but but but when my kids were at home I would get up in the morning and pray and when it was summer and they were there I would go in I didn't care if they were asleep or not I didn't care what time they got in bed that didn't matter to me but I'd get down beside their bed and get a hold of their feet and I begin to pray for them and ask God to to move upon them and say well they were sound asleep no they would say later dad I knew that you come into my room I knew that you were there that Dad I I knew that we're there come on we have got to raise these children do we want the ant is an insignificant thing but it's exceedingly wise I'm no match I'm no match for the entertainment today I'm no match for everything that our kids are watching on television today I'm no match for what's fighting for their mind but if I can make it up in wisdom if I can make it up in prayer if I can Melissa listen the spirit of God is great more powerful than anything Nickelodeon anything Disney wants to bring our way the spirit of God is stronger than us use it Mama use it Daddy use it use it use it would you give y'all some praise right now oh come on it's hard work to raise your family it's hard work to raise your family in the ways of God Jerry think you'd hear me saying that it's hard work to raise your family easiest thing in the world to do easiest thing in the world to do dad can I go over to so-and-so's and spend the weekend sure spend the whole week if you want to do we know where they're at do we know who is where they're at that's the easiest thing it's just the easiest thing yeah sure go off go off four or five days that just means I I won't have to look out after you hear what I said Boy comes up I'm gonna take your daughter out tonight sure go ahead son your name is what now why don't you let somebody come up and say can I have the keys to your Corvette are you crazy I didn't hardly know you oh yeah I said over here in the you section can I have the keys to your Corvette excuse me yeah I I yeah I sit over here I've been here about four or five times can I have the keys to your Corvette what are you going to say to him have you been taking some of those lessons smart pills today but you know what we'll do with our daughters I take your daughter out tonight what's your name so and so I've been here several times folks it's not wise if you want to raise your family it's hard work and that's hard about it being mom or dad enough to say no I don't have a good feeling about this let me check that young man out Mama check that young girl out do they worship do they show signs of spiritual life oh it's quiet tonight what if I tell you just five more minutes I'll let you go all right but I mean we we can get into all of this calling people out operating in the gifts of the Spirit I'm telling you what the apostolic church needs today is not necessarily operating in the gifts but operating in the principle principle it's hard work it's hard work it's hard work oh I want a marriage like you've got really are you really are you ready to work at it it's not Romeo and Juliet maybe more like Bonnie and Clyde right really you know we use terms that are so far off base I fell in love well Folly is an accident falling is I just fell in love with that's an accident there's an attraction there but what should bring you together is not necessarily the physical attraction like a marriage like you got you ready for Ephesians 5 28. so ought men to love their wives as their own bodies he that loveth his wife loveth himself for no man ever yet hated his own flesh but nourisheth and cherish it even as the Lord the church do you know do you know man do you know brother these two words nourish and cherith are farming words forming words nourish a farmer nourishes the soil a farmer cherishes the soil and the farm he's putting things into the soil he's working with the soil farming is probably some of the hardest work that a person can do you're working in the sun you're scratching in the dirt if it doesn't rain enough you bring water to it because the farmer understands if I don't work with the dirt and I don't work with the plants and I don't weed around the the corn and I don't weed around the things the farmer knows it won't reap a hermist so it is with a marriage so it is with a marriage it's hard work it's hard work but a man's got to be putting things in he's got to be putting things into the marriage he's got to be putting words of affirmation he's got to be putting words of value he's got to be letting he's got to be letting his spouse know that besides God you're the most important thing in my life and there's misunderstandings and there's Seasons you go through and there's weariness and tired and disappointments and there's a gamut of emotions that you go through but in the midst of that gamut of different emotions that you go through you hold on to God and you understand that wisdom says let me invest something today I've got I've got foresight foresight I'm looking I'm looking ahead in this marriage again go to the ant go to the ant and just look at the end the ant has foresight I'll end with proverbs six and verse 6. Proverbs 6 and verse 6. go to the ant thou sluggard sluggard is a lazy person a sluggard is an entitle now nowadays I I don't really I I don't want to use the word lazy anymore I want to use the word entitled entitled entitled signs all over our town signs all over our town right now in in restaurants closed on Tuesdays and Thursdays lack of Staffing you go to restaurants and they'll just simply tell you we can take you but we're short-handed here you know why it is entitlement and I despise it my government owes me a living your Governor doesn't owe you a living and how your government's got the money to send you is they tax I know this is they tax working people so if you're able to work work it's a god-ordained thing if you can work now now please please understand this please understand this if you're here tonight or you're watching online and you're physically unable to go to work and you're on government assistance thank God I thank God for that I thank God that our that we have got a system that helps people that can't have a place to live and can't have food they're physically unable to go to work thank God I go down to say thank God for that but if you're here or you're watching and you can't work and you've just got a entitlement of a check and you're making it through on the entitlement of a check go to work go to work I'll tell you what you'll do you'll feel better about yourself if you'll go to work you'll have greater self-esteem if you'll go to work and get a check and say this is what I did this is what this is what I've done this this is what I have done we got an entitlement It's a lazy generation that just feels like you you need to give me a living you need you need to get you know my parents you you ought to take be taking care of me no no no no no no and no shouldn't work that way as a matter of fact we will enable them to always need us what is our first lady said to us on many occasions good parents are always working themselves out of a job you ought to be working yourself out of a job training children to be responsible training children that money doesn't grow on a tree right right now I'm really going to date myself can I kind of preach a few more moments back when I was a teenager and bell bottom pants came out bell bottom pants came out not only bell bottom pants came out but a shirt came out that had a wide elastic band about that about that wide right through the midsection of course I wouldn't wear it now but back then I could you know and I didn't have enough money to get bell bottom pants and so I got a idea Lizzy Lyons she had a little alternation sewing machine on the corner of First Street in Black Oak and so I took I took some blue jeans one blue jeans the the seat of it was eat out and that was back before it was in fashion to have blue jeans with looked like a shotgun shot through them see and I took them pants up to Lazy lines and I told her I said if you could cut some some wedges out of this and take the hint to take the seam and and put these in here it would it would make blue it make bell bottoms and I wanted bell bottoms and she did it I got ready for school that morning and I looked I looked like I had two skirts on the end of my knees but Kmart had them bell bottoms and my mom and dad they wasn't sure about bell bottoms anyway because a heathen singer by the name of Tom Jones wore them all right and so my mom and dad said he won't bell bottoms you'll have to buy them yourself and so brother Dempsey I got me a lawnmower and a can of gas and I went mowing yards and I mowed yards until my toes were greens to help me God that bath water couldn't get the green grass out of that my toes but come Saturday I had enough money to go down to Walmart and Kmart with my green toes and all and I bought me a pair of blue jean bell bottoms and a little shirt that had a big band around it and I got on that yellow school bus going to sturkey elementary school and I was walking in Tall Cotton and that taught me a lesson you won't nice things in life don't wait till your parents buy it for you get out and do what you can do before you say man it's a good sermon but our kids are not here to hear it you preach it to them tonight you preach it to them tonight when the kids get back come on I'm just here to tell you it's hard work to have a family but it's worth it you're going to have to bring them to the house of God you're going to have to bring them to the house of God when you don't want to come to the house of God you've got to bring them to the house of God went went listen if you'll go to work on Thursdays with the sniffles come to church on Wednesday with the sniffles if you if you'll do all of those other things oh staying with me right now I've done got Plumb off my notes the ants go to the ant thou sluggard consider her ways and be wise verse 7 which having no God overseer or ruler can I tell you you nor I are going anywhere in life if we can't be self-motivated come on weak-minded well I'd go the older somebody come take me I go pray for somebody else no we might bring you to altar one time to get you salvation but after that you need to be self-motivated well I'd get up somebody call me really you're 32 years old and your mama's still calling you to get you up for work I already think that you listen I pastored this church you know why they're that way because somebody needed to say grow up you got to be self-motivated you're gonna go anywhere in his life you hear me you don't have anything in his life you gonna be a mother you're gonna be a father you're gonna be self-motivated well I'd start doing right around this house preacher preach on Pastor teach on a little bit I'd do it and come on just be self-motivated I'm gonna make it I can do all things through Christ I'm gonna get back in this race I did some stupid I did some lessons smart lesson smart things I'm gonna get back in this thing I'm gonna run this race nobody gonna have to come from Texas and tell me what I ate for breakfast and my social security number tell me God wants to use me I'm gonna get back in this or I'm just I'm just going to get back up in this I'm hey what's he going to take to get back in the choir hey what's he gonna take it back on the Usher and staff hey what's he going to take to get back in Sunday school hey watch it go I got to get back in this race having no God nor overseer no ruler provided for meat in the summer and gather their food in the Harvest how long will thou sleep o sluggard when without rise out of sleep you see people sleep for two reasons some the Slugger the entitled sleep to be escaping oh I just like to go to sleep can't stand life let me just sleep it off and the other people go to sleep because the Bible says the work the sleep of a working man is sweet some people go to sleep because I bet Scott I'm going to recharge because I got to go back out there and hit it again get a little sleep a little Slumber a little folding of the hands to sleep doing nothing folding your hands doing absolutely nothing folding hands inactive inactive inactive folding the hands so shall thy poverty come as one that traveleth and I want as an armed man and I won't be as kind to you as I can but don't be surprised if you do nothing who is it poverty poverty I wasn't expecting you sure you was you've been doing nothing for a long time success doesn't come to those that fold their arms tell you this and you're gone tell you this and you're gone we went looking our son and daughter-in-law wanted us to go there picking out a couch and we went to build Cox Furniture they've got one here in in Maryville and then they got a big showroom in Knoxville and we went in the showroom in Knoxville and there was an elderly gentleman and he's watching tonight you're a good looking elderly gentleman it was an elderly gentleman stretched out on the recliner there we started talking and I really love your sense of humor because I walked in and I said I didn't know who he was I said sir we're looking for some cheap furniture he said go to your house I said I like you I said I I said I like you I said uh I'm Kenny Carpenter he said I'm Bill Cox I said okay I got you and I said tell me your story Mr Cox how did you get in the furniture business he said 1962 I had an empty building on Sullivan Avenue he said I was as broke as anybody could be broke sister Salyers he said I was so broke it's 1962. he said I was 20 I think he said I think he said he's something like 22 to 22 years old he said I was so broke so I just had an empty building and he said I just went there that day to sweep and clean it out and he said as I sweeping that building out he said a tractor trailer pulled up he said a man got out and he said sir I'd like to sell you a tractor trailer full of damaged furniture at a good price he said you can fix it up and sell it he said I'm sorry but I don't have any money so the man kept dropping the price there and he said you just don't understand I don't have any money I'm broke and the man said I'll tell you what I'll do Mr Cox he said I will leave this semi-trailer full of furniture here and he said I'm gonna be back in a month with another load and he said when I'm back in a month with another load pay me what you sold he said that's a deal he said he called his sister said there were some of the furniture had rips in it and his sister brought a hook needle down an upholstery needle and sewed it up he said I sold couches for twenty dollars love seats for ten and chairs for five and he said I sold that whole truck he said the man came the next month he said I bought another and I sold it he said I did that for 12 months and I made some money and he said then I just began to drive around town and buying junk said that's what I call it I just called it junk I bought junk and I brought it back and I sold judge and he said I just kept advancing I bought better junk I bought better junk and I bought better junk and then he he put his hands up in the showroom and he said and I'm still buying junk but he told me about working Brother Brad he said I've worked he said in my Prime I worked seven days a week he said I did everything and I worked now everybody today would love would love to have started out where Bill Cox is at right now but you listen to me you don't start out there you start out in empty buildings sewing up cushions fixing legs on couches driving around to rummage sales buying that cabinet in that chair and you keep it listen it's a principle if you'll work God will bless you and if you'll forgive me I'll let you go right now how many you forgive me for keeping you this long all right dismissed in Jesus name get out of here