The Value of the Church | Senior Pastor Kenneth Carpenter

thank the Lord if you have your Bibles turn with me to the Book of Matthew chapter 16 and verse number 20 or excuse me verse number 13 Matthew chapter 16 and verse number 13 while you're looking for that passage I guess with time time people are are uh are passing milestones in their life such as uh hard to believe that Josh Weatherly turned 40 years old he's been a worship leader here for 20 of those 40 years would you give Josh a hand when brother Erikson came to us 25 years ago he was far ahead of his time was far ahead of his age and wisdom and it's all because he had attended um Indiana Bible College we reaped a lot of benefits that uh Indiana Bible College under the uh Ministry of brother Paul Mooney had poured in to brother ericon had poured into to him so when we got him 25 years ago we got more than a youth pastor we got someone that was trained to take us on you know it has been our Dream here it has been our vision here to have a Bible Training Center that we can call and allow people to come from around the world and be trained here and then send them send them out um last night uh brother Ericson was at our home and I ask brother Ericson to serve as the president of our Bible Training Center Center and I don't think I could have picked a better president a better overseer and um you'll be hearing you'll be hearing in a service or two about the location and uh we'll be meeting to um um decide this location and um God's going to bless us amen God is God is going to bless us Matthew Chapter 16: 13 I feel the joy of the Lord when Jesus came into the coast of cesaria Philippi he asked his disciples saying whom do men say that I the son of man am and they said some say th are John the Baptist and some Elias and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets he saith unto them but whom say ye that I am Simon Peter Peter answered and said Thou Art the Christ the son of the Living God and Jesus answered and said unto him blessed art thou Simon bar Jonah for Flesh and Blood hath not revealed it unto thee emphasis on the word revealed but my Father which is in heaven and I say also unto thee that thou art Peter and Upon This Rock I will build my church and the Gates of Hell shall not Prevail against it and I will give un to thee the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven and whatsoever Thou shalt B Thou shalt bind on Earth shall be bound in heaven and whatsoever Thou shalt loose on Earth shall be loosed in heaven a message that's been on my heart now for a month I want to minister this morning on the value of the church the value of the church would you say that with me today the the value of the church father I love you this morning thank you Lord for the privilege of preaching your word thank you Lord for people that are here today that want to hear from your word and want their lives to be directed by your word and God it'll all be done that we can become a brighter light God that we we can be the salt of this Earth Lord for the next few moments Lay Your Hand of anointing upon my tongue and help me to be used as an instrument I'll give you the praise in Jesus name I pray amen and amen you may be seated this morning the value of the church this passage of scripture has to do do with the identity the identity of Jesus Christ he does and this is a very familiar passage of scripture he gets to a certain place and he asks his disciples a simple question who are people saying that I am what are they saying who are they saying that I am and when they were asked this question well the people had the people had several several opinions or guesses some thought him to be John the Baptist and some thought him to be Elijah and some thought him to be Jeremiah some thought him to be Jeremiah some thought him to be John the Baptist because uh Jesus was straight about preaching about Sin and rebuking sin some thought him to be Elijah because he was a miracle worker and some said Elijah did Miracles and Jesus does Miracles some thought him to be Jeremiah IA the weeping prophet the weeping prophet because Jesus was seen on many occasions weeping over the people over Jerusalem but then he asked them now I want to know who do you say that I am now church out of all the 12 that could have answered there was more than just Peter there there were at least 12 that were there that could could have spoke up and could have G given an answer but it was Peter it was Simon Peter he spoke up and with Clarity and shity and with confidence he didn't say you might be the Christ the son of the Living God he didn't say I I I I I really have a hunch that you might be the Christ the son of the Living God he said it emphatically strong with conviction you you are the Christ the son of the Living God having said this Jesus looked at him and it's interesting how Jesus addressed him he does not address him as Peter he does not address him as Simon only he says blessed fortunate are you Simon bar Jonah Simon bar Jonah simply meant you're Simon bar son of Jonah I know you and I know who your father is now this is interesting to note because Jesus says to Simon Flesh and Blood did not reveal this to you another man coming up to you and telling you I am the Christ the son of the Living God did not reveal the word reveal there in the Greek means to uncover what has been concealed it's there it's there it's just veiled it's just covered and until someone removes the covering or reveals it you cannot see what's underneath of the covering he said Flesh and Blood did not reveal this to you but this came to you by a spiritual revelation My Father revealed this unto you and because you have this revelation of who I am you have a revelation that I am the Christ the son of the Living God because you have the revelation of who I am Upon This Rock we're not going to go down the the error Road of saying the church is built on Peter the church was not not built on Peter it was built on the Revelation that Peter had Upon This Rock I will build my church upon the revelation of who I am I will build my church and then he said the Gates of Hell shall not Prevail against the church now we are all alarmed and we are are all a concern and we have been for many years of the of the direction of our country of the direction of the direction of our world around us all of us have been concerned all of us we're being asked questions now when we take our children to the hospital we're being asked questions such as what do they identify as we we we're beginning to be asked questions that that are mindboggling that we would be ask these questions and so we are all alarmed of the direction of the world but can I tell you something there is a place on Earth that you better make sure that you're in and you better make sure you're in the church I'm not talking about a building I'm talking about a spiritual body you got to make sure you're in the church because the Gates of Hell have already prevailed against the world but the Gates of Hell Jesus Promised the church that's built on my Revelation the Gates of Hell will never Prevail against it I give unto thee the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven whatever you bind on Earth shall be bound in heaven whatever you loose on Earth shall be loosed in heaven we have to first talk about the identity of Jesus Christ he is called the Christ he is called Jesus Christ this word Christ means Messiah or it means the anointed Ed Liberator when they called him Jesus the Christ they called him Jesus the Messiah when they called him Jesus the Christ they called him Jesus The Liberator as a matter of fact the anointing the anointing goes with God's anointing goes with Jesus Christ the anointing is very important because in Isaiah chap 10 and verse 27 he is talking about his people God is talking about his people that the enemy has come in and so put them under bondage and so put them under horrible suffering but in Isaiah chap 10 and verse 27 it says and it shall come to pass in that day that his burden God's people his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder and his yoke from off thy neck and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing he said I'm not only going to take it off your shoulder but I'm going to destroy it in your presence so you're never going to fear what had you in bondage you're not going to live your life in fear of that yoke coming back on you because I'm going to take it off of you and when I take it off of you in your very sight I'm going to break it and I'm going to destroy it how in the world would you do that it's called The anointing he's not just a prophet he's not just a philosopher he's not just a figure in history he is Jesus the Christ he is Jesus the anointed he is Jesus The Liberator today Acts chapter 10 in verse number 38 Peter preaching gives an interesting statement about Jesus he says in Acts chap 10 verse number 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth now I I really like how they attached the word Nazareth to the name Jesus because Nazareth was everything Jesus wasn't right it was it was a hide out for those that wanted to live lewd and Lawless it was a hideout it was a place if you were from Nazareth it had a stigma about it but Christ Jesus said I'll take the stigma and I will bring power to the stigma now how that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power who went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil for God was with him now this word word oppressed is not the same as possessed there are people that are possessed and there are sometimes Christians that are oppressed a Christian cannot be possessed but a Christian can be oppressed this word oppressed means to exercise harsh control over to use one's power against one to oppress him God never said the devil wouldn't oppress us but he simply gave us a promise that Upon This Rock and I want you to Value the church Upon This Rock I'll build my church and the Gates of Hell shall not Prevail against it it's a day that if you're not in the body you need to get in the body if you want to find out how to get in the body I'm sure before I finish here I'll tell you how to get in the body but when you get in the body if the enemy is allowed to touch you he's not only touching you but he's touching you with your heavenly father watching out over you and the heavenly father is simply saying to the devil devil I'm allowing you to come in because you're building muscles in this individual that they're going to do greater things right now they're being oppressed and they almost think it's the end of their life right now they're being oppressed and they're questioning God are you with me right now they're being oppressed in their questioning are they pleasing to God but you watch them as they continue to pray and as they continue to worship and as they will as they in the darkness reach out to me devil I'm telling you they are building they are building spiritual muscles and when the test is over I'll turn the light on and I'll send them to a higher mountain and I'll send them to do greater things for the glory of God I'll send them to do that Jesus uses the word revealed which I told you means to be uncovered to uncover that which is hidden you see in order to receive a revelation you must be hungry you must be hungry to receive a revelation it takes hunger to see the things of God God does not reveal himself to picky eaters God does not reveal himself to people that can only I I've heard people say I only read the red in the Bible although I think I know what you're saying I totally don't agree with what you're saying because there's more than the red in the Bible I not only read the blessings of the Bible I also read words there's cursing in the Bible there's curses that come so what I'm trying to tell you today there's no way to receive a revelation if you're content in what you've got that's what you're going to have but if you somehow in your mind are questioning where you're at with God and you're questioning your experience with God and you're kind of saying to yourself I just think there's got to be more I just think there's got to be more we I think we've I think we've got that brother that's coming uh the end what's it tell me his last name again Hansen handsome like me handsome handsum okay all right we've got a brother coming at the end of the year that was within taking his Chasity oath and his oath of poverty to become a Catholic priest but something kept telling him there's more there's more there's more when he went to take the oath he told them that he could not take the oath It's the final step that he could not take the oath and this is according to him in the interview that we had he couldn't take the oath so they they said you you just have been studying and you're tired and you need a few days rest and so they sent him to a camp that they had I believe up in Canada to a retreat they had in Canada and and there they said get two or three weeks get some rest and then come back and take your oath of Chastity and take your oath of of poverty for a lifetime you know uh and and come back but he said during those weeks up there he got to walking around a little town one night and he saw a little sign that said Apostolic and he decided to go in and when he went into the church just make a long story short before he left that church about two and a half hours later he was baptized in jesus' name and he was filled with the baptism of the Holy Ghost and he found out what he was looking for that was more you you see today if you're content with where you're at there's nothing more coming but if there's a little bug inside of your spiritual soul that is saying there's got to be more I don't feel complete there's got to be more I'm telling you that's the that's the ingredient that's the igniter that's the igniter now watch this you got to be hungry to get a revelation although it's not recorded somewhere Peter was hungry to know the ID identity of Jesus Christ although we don't have it written in scripture somewhere Peter got alone in prayer and Peter started praying God who is this man that walks on the Water God who is this man that heals the sick God who is this man and God gave Peter a Revelation he is the Christ the son of the Living God but watch this in Matthew 11 Matthew 11: 25 Jesus plainly spells this out he says at that time Jesus answered and said I thank thee oh Father Lord of Heaven and Earth because thou Hast hid these things from the wise and The Prudent and hath revealed them unto babes he said I thank you that those that think they got it all those that think and they're prudent and they're proud and they're boasting about what they know I thank you that you hid this from them but you have revealed there's that word uncovered you have uncovered what is hidden unto babes infants is what the word means infants have a hunger for one purpose and Mom I know you think that's to keep you up all night but it's not infants have a hunger for one purpose infants want to grow infants don't work jobs infants don't come home tired at the end of the day but yet they're hungry why are they H why are they hungry they're hungry because of growth God helped me to stay a bad in Christ because I always want to be growing I've been in this beautiful church for 45 years plus but I want you to know today I do not boast on what I know I'm thankful for what I know I'm built on what I know but I'm reaching out to a god to tell me give me more God reveal more to my life God tell us how to have more of your power more of your spirit and more of your anointing and if you want it give God a hand of Praise today Matthew chap 5: 6 you better stay in this Matthew 5:6 blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness they shall be filled he said blessed are thou Simon bar Jonah flesh and blood at not reveal this but my father on this rock I'll build my church The Gates of Hell shall not Prevail against it and I will give unto you the keys to the kingdom of God and I'm going to show you something there's nowhere in Scripture that Peter gave the keys to another man the keys were not given to a man the keys were given to a man that had the Revelation and today Keys represent Authority and the keys have been given to the ministry that have a hunger for Revelation now we need to thank Our God for the ministry I know we're living in a world that is downplayed you can you can be you can you can be a Christian all by yourself you don't need the ministry I'm just going to tell you and you're probably going to I'm you're probably going to have to really squint to understand what I'm trying to say I'm gonna say it that's not true that that is just simply that is just simply not the truth that's like saying after that infant is born in that hospital just leave it there on the table let the mother walk away and everything will be all right it takes the preaching of the word implanted in our hearts and afterwards it takes the word of God to bring that growth now he says to Peter not just the man but to the ministry I give you the keys and whatsoever yet Thou shalt bind on Earth shall be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on Earth will be loosed in heaven now they very well knew what he was talking about let me read you from a commentary barlay today barlay says his word binding and loosing were administrative terms in Daily Jewish life whenever a Jew came up against the law of Moses that Jewish person whether bound or loosed in regard to that law to loose meant to permit something to bind was meant to prohibit to loose was to free from the law to bind was to put under the law this regular sense which any Jew could would recognize was to allow or forbid when you said bind or loose it was to allow or forbid to bind something was to declare it forbidden to loose was to declare it allowed there were the regular phrases these were the regular phrases in making decisions about about the law now just just stay with me for a few moments the law needed as brother Hammond said today the law needed the priest in order to fulfill the teaching of the law in The Binding and the loosing the priest would say this is forbidden and they would say this would be permitted the problem was with the priest is that they became very very harsh and very judgmental until they delighted they delighted in making it difficult on the people oh they just delighted when the man came and said hey the law says this what what what can be bound or loose from this oh they just absolutely delighted the the harder they could make it on you the harder they could make it on you the better they went off to priest conference and told how rough they were and how hard they could oh you well I told them this well I top that right now I went above this matter of fact we have such we have such history that's given that one time a person came and asked the question about a household pet dying the household pet dying to all of you dog lovers that are here today sister Paula to all you dog lovers today here is the question rabbi if my dog dies in my house is my house clean or unclean Rabbi unclean Rabbi if my dog dies out if my dog dies out in the front yard is my house clean or unclean Rabbi clean Rabbi if my dog dies on the doorstep is my house clean or unclean rabbi which way is his nose pointing Rabbi if the dog's nose is pointing toward the door your house is unclean if the dog's nose is pointing toward the yard your house is clean can I tell you something today you want to be under the ministry that's not that's not trying to see how difficult it can make it on your life he came that we might have life and that we might have life more abundantly so when it comes to the binding and the loosing when I come to the place to where I'm going to say I permit that I'm going to make sure that it has nothing that can desensitize us to the move of God and if it's something that I deem will take us away from the move of God I believe the ministry can say you don't need to have anything to do with that you need to stay as far away from that as possible I'm thankful to be in the church today because in the church is the place that the Gates of Hell cannot Prevail and in the church is a Ministry that is looking out for what needs to be forbidden and what needs to be permitted because we have got to make it to heaven it's interesting passage Jeremiah chapter 3 Jeremiah chapter 3 the value of the church and I just go ahead and tell you I'm just going to go ahead and tell you you ought to put the value of the church part one because unless God strongly strongly deals with me today well it don't have strongly unless God deals with me today you're going to hear the value of the church part two we have to understand the value of the church we have got to have a new revelation of what it means to be in the body of Christ and the benefits that go along with being in the body of Christ it's in Jeremiah chapter 3 that God's people oh they have turned so far away from God but in Jeremiah chapter 3 and verse number 14 God in his pleading love and mercy God says listen to God now turn oh backsliding children sayeth the Lord for I am married unto you I will take you one of a city and two two of a family and I will bring you to Zion he pants himself up as a as a husband that's going after a wife that wants to leave turn oh backsliding children sayth the Lord I'm married to you verse 15 and I will give you if you'll come back to me I will give you pastors of according to my heart oh God always pray for me that I have a heart that is according to God you don't just want a pastor you you don't just want a life coach you don't just want somebody that can preach a funeral and marry your little Susie off you don't just want somebody that you can hang out and bounce ideas off of them you want a pastor that's after God's heart you want a pastor that's after God's heart I know to the cynic that might be here and to the cynic that might be watching that sounds rather bragado doia but I would rather preach and do my duty to tell you of the value of a pastor I want to stay after God's heart I want to stay after him I want the approval of him I want him I I want to know what he thinks about me I want to be pleasing in his sight I want to hear him say ultimately on that day Kenneth Well done thy good and faithful servant I'll give you pastors look at verse 15 closely I'll give you pastors according to my heart who shall feed you with knowledge and understanding and it shall come to pass when you be multiplied and increased in the land in those days sayeth the Lord they shall say no more the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord neither shall it come to mind neither shall they remember it neither neither shall they visit it neither shall shall that be done anymore will you look at that as as Mystic as the Arc of the Covenant is I mean even in the secular realm people are trying to find out the ark as a matter of fact Disney makes a movie Raiders of the Lost Arc how important that the Arc of the Covenant is but do you read your Bible did you follow with me this morning God said I'm going to give you something that's better than an ark I'm going to give you something and when you realize what you've got get ready to multiply and get ready to increase and get ready for things to change it's a matter fact I'm going to give you something that it ain't going to come to your mind anymore the Ark of the Covenant it's not even going to come to your mind God you've given me a pastor you've given me a spiritual leader you've given me a director you've given me somebody that when the world's telling us that up's not up anymore and down down is not down anymore and bitter is not bitter anymore and sweet is not sweet anymore and sin is not sin anymore thank you God that you've given me a pastor that's going to tell me what I need to hear my children my children are going to hear it you ought to thank your God that your child is your grandchild is in a Sunday school this morning listening to the word of God now I I know the world doesn't value pastors I know the world doesn't value pastors if you make a spiritual analogy they told they told Jacob and them said hide your identity when you come down to Egypt because the Egyptians hate Shepherds that's in the Bible they don't like Shepherds can I tell you I've yet to see Disney put a movie out Raiders of the Lost pastor in search of a lost Pastor you know why they haven't because they don't know the value of the church they don't know the value of the church listen to Ephesians the New Testament now Ephesians chapter 4 verse number8 Ephesians chapter 4:8 where he saith look at this victory that God gives when he ascended up on high he led captivity captive oh yes he did and gave gifts unto men what are these gifts now that he ascended what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth he that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all Heavens that he might fill all things here's the gifts here's the gifts and he gave some Apostles and some prophets and some evangelists and some pastors and teachers for the perfecting for the perfecting for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ that we are till we till we all come in the unity of the faith and have the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ that we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro carried about with every wind of do uh Doctrine by the slight of men and cunning craftiness whereby they lay in weight to deceive but speaking the truth in love may grow up into him in all things which is the head even Christ I'm telling you the so-called Christian entertainment or the so-called Christian Ministries today that are thriving but with money out of the pockets of widows and the uninformed would not be there today if there was more Pastors in America that was teaching their people the right way teaching the people let me just name let me just name a few things he already paid for your healing that right sister th he already paid for your healing I remember I remember as a new convert brand new a nationally known faith healer came to Knoxville and I I I I you know I heard the radio people walking blind eyes and God knows that happens to people walking blind eyes open and and this young wide-eyed new convert wanted to go down to the Knoxville Civic Center and listened to him and I did he preached a message he preached a message but at the end he said now it's time for the healing to break out and then he went into this he said now the amount of money he said money is a symbol of faith the more money you give the more sacrifice you make the more the more your faith is and the man had a $20 line a $50 line $100 line and $1,000 line and if you had a lot of faith you was in that, line but if you didn't have a lot of faith using that 20 can I tell you even if IID have went down and I knew better even as a young convert not to go down even if I would have went down I wouldn't even qualified for the $20 he needed a have pocket change is what I would have been able to give him but I got to tell you something today don't you ever fall pray you don't have to pray for healing as a matter of fact matter of fact F sister X I'm gonna give you because it's been on my mind I I I thought about doing it today before before I was teaching but I I want to do a little tradition I don't know how long we're going to do it but there's a lot of preachers on on on TV and everything they've got a little thing they do before they preach and all that that that's well and good this is my Bible it has what I said I I get I get I get all that I get all that but here's the one I'm going to get I'm going to do this for a few times I need the praise team to help me every promise in the book is mine every chapter every verse every line I am trusting in his love divine every promise in the book is mine I don't have to pay for it I don't have to get my credit card out I don't have to do anything like that right there because he already paid it all in full at Calvary at Calvary he paid it your he has already been paid for your blessing that's on the way on the way on the way on it's already been paid for it's already been paid for don't send no money after some water that's been prayed over that's going to help you lose weight drink a lot of water it'll help you lose weight but don't pay $90 for a jug of water that's right he gave some Apostles some prophets some evangelists verse verse number 11 again some pastors and teachers for the perfecting the word there in the Greek perfecting sister Carpenter means equipping for the equipping for the equipping of the Saints the word in the Greek for equipping is the ideal to put right to put right this ancient Greek word was used to describe setting broken bones or mending Nets these Ministries work together together to produce strong mended fit Christians after we come to God we still got some Brokenness but stay in the preaching of God's word he's going to grab that bone and he's going to equip you he's going to set it right again he's going to grab that net that's always coming empty in your life and he's going to mend it together today but it has to be through the equipping of the ministry the the equipping of the ministry you still here this morning the Gates of Hell shall not Prevail against it did we read that today did we read that today does it say you need an affirmation amen does it say the Gates of Hell shall not Prevail that's what it says the gates of hell now he said Prevail that doesn't mean the Gates of Hell will never come against but let's read Isaiah chapter 54 and verse number 13 man I feel the joy of the Lord this morning Isaiah 54 verse number 13 listen to this of course he talks if you if you if we had time to read the the 12 verses before this again he's the the children of Israel have went Wayward but now he turns the blessing and he says in 13 and all thy children shall be taught of the Lord and great shall be the Peace of of thy children if you are a normal natural father and mother you want your children to have peace if you don't there's something wrong with you there something wrong with you every father and mother wants the very best for their children children matter of fact the other night after church our whole family met at Lauren's house and and um ate dinner after Wednesday in Bible study and I was late getting there and when I walked in I'll tell you with with when I walked in I heard my grandchildren laughing I heard my son and my daughters and my son-in-laws and my my daughter-in-law and my wife erupting and laughing and having a good time of talking about just life and I stood there for a moment and I just simply said God thank you the devil has so infiltrated families to where there's no peace among children and families that ought to be enjoying the Blessed times of their life are now in a situation of turmoil and animosity but I ain't going to stop there get in the church and if you're in the church Let the church get in you because the Peace of your children ought to be at the top of your list you ought to want your children to be at peace with one another you ought to want your children to be happy with one another and that can get in the church get in the church if you're in the church Let the church get in you verse 14 how am I doing this morning in righteousness verse 14 shalt thou be established Thou shalt be far from oppression Thou shalt not fear for from Terror for it shall not come near thee behold boy I'm talking to somebody right now in the Holy Ghost behold they shall surely gather together talking about the Enemy talking about the devil talking about Satan he shall surely gather together but not by me in other words I'm not allowed it whosoever shall gather together against you shall fall for thy sake that's God speaking if some are gathered against you and you're in the right relationship with God don't fear don't run don't stop what you're doing they're going to fall because of who you are and what you are doing behold I have created the Smith that bloweth the Co in the fire and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work I have created the waster to destroy listen to this oh I help you I hope you get this inside of you this morning no weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper every tongue that shall rise up against the in judgment thou Thou shalt condemn this is the heritage of the Servants of the Lord and their righteousness is of me sayeth the Lord Shake yourself don't you let the enemy get one bit of your praise don't you let the enemy get one bit of your worship I don't care what might maybe happen to you you keep your praise up because you're in the church and the Gates of Hell shall not shall not shall not come on praise him this morning every promise in the book is mine every chapter every verse every line I am trusting in his love divine every promise in the book is mine if that doesn't make you want to stand up and shout and rejoice and praise God I don't know what will oh let me go on quick I'm I'm going to give you a lot of word just a couple of minutes Matthew 18 chapter 18:1 15 well you don't know the problems I got you don't know the problem you don't know the issues we got Matthew 18:15 let's just listen to this If thy brother shall trespass against thee go and tell him his fault between thee and him only alone if he hear thee thou has gained thy brother but if he will not hear thee then take with thee one or two more that in the mouth of two or three Witnesses every word may be established and if he neglect to hear them follow this closely tell it unto the church but if he neglect to hear the church let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a public I'm going to just I'm going just extract one little phrase let him hear the church let him hear the church you know what's wrong with a lot of folks they've not heard from the church they don't know decisions to make because they've never been faithful to the house of God and got Incorporated in the house of God and got good roots down in the house of God that they've never really heard the church it never really hurt the church they're isolated they're alone their opinion is their God and their opinion is their Bible simply said when you run into an issue in life try to resolve it now I I I think this is Major stuff here I don't think it this is you and the brother are fussing over a parking spot out out here at the church all right I think this is Major and I think today one of the reasons we don't have more unity in our our churches is we don't have people willing to communicate well that guy hurt me 10 years ago would you go talk to him no I ain't going to talk to him well do you know that's not do you know that's not what the Bible says the Bible says go to him and tell him his fault if he hears you you've gained your brother right and it goes on it goes on it says if he refuses to hear you and he refuses to hear two or three more that come with you he said if he refuses to hear the church if he refuses to hear the church then let him be unto thee as a heathen man and as a public I'm going to tell you there is a value in hearing the church there's a value in hearing the church there's the value of the church there's the value I'm G to keep hammering that for a moment there's the value of hearing the church in Psalms chapter 73 and verse number one I'm going to read you the entire chapter it's 28 verses just stay with me if you want to get it out in your Bible or follow it on the screen you're welcome Psalm 73 and verse number one Listen to This truly God is good to Israel even to such as are of a clean heart but ask for me everybody say ask for me say but asked for me now now now watch the writer watch the writer he says I'm telling you something God is good to Israel but not to me but not to me but as for me my feet were almost gone my steps were well well n slipped for I was envious at the foolish when I saw the prosperity of the wicked for there is no bands in their death but their strength is firm they are not in trouble as other men neither are they plagued like other men therefore Pride compasseth them as a chain violence cover them as a garment their eyes stand out with fatness they have more than their heart could wish they are corrupt speak wickedly concerning oppression they speak loftily they set their mouth against the heavens and their tongue walketh through the Earth therefore therefore his people now he just described to you in verse nine how happy Sinners are how happy Sinners are all right happy hour is an extreme myth there is nothing happy about the world calls a happy hour if you believe there's it's happy go to the emergency room on Friday or Saturday night and see how many happy drunks come through the door but see we get in our mind oh look at those movie stars look at that magazine look at look at look at how popular they are look behind the stage they've got a handful of pills look in their homes look at look in their homes and and all sometimes the the rich the famous the movie stars their their their married life gets plastered in the news and it doesn't look very happy to me I don't care if they do live in Beverly Hills it doesn't look very happy to me but if we don't watch it we'll look at the world and say look at them out there look at how happy they are they don't have to get up and come to church they don't have to do all of these Bible thing look at how smiling you're judging them according to one frame matter of fact Facebook and social social media is about the biggest farce you could ever watch you're cturing capturing people on the at the oh I'm sitting here and they they they they posed the camera just not I'm sitting here looking out over over this and over that having my morning prayer and my morning tea I'm sorry my morning prayer doesn't look like that oh we're on vacation men Honeys all that and I get all that we've done all that but to think that our lives at the Sinner's life is one big happy vacation is not the truth because the enemy wants us to get in here and say well look at how much fun they're having out there wait a minute now again I'm going to ask you how am I done this morning let's listen to God's people in verse 10 now he turns it to himself verses 1-9 how happy the world is now here's verse 10 and I'm going to put a little background noise to this therefore his people return hither and Waters of a full cup are rung out to them see how pitiful we have it now and they say how does God know and is there knowledge in the most high behold these are the ungodly who prosper in the world they increase in riches verily I have cleansed my heart in vain I have washed my hands in innocency let me give you the KRC version I've went to church for nothing I've done all this for nothing I've tithed and give all offerings for nothing I've altered my life for nothing verse 14 for all the day long have I been plagued and chastened every morning if I say if I talk this I will speak thus behold I should offend against the generation of thy children when I thought to know this it was too painful to me do you see the Paradox here do you see the Paradox for the for the four how the Sinners have God it's so good and how we the church have got it's so painful he said I almost backslid that was the opening verses verse number 16 when I thought to know this it was too painful for me look at verse 17 see if you can see if you can't an amen don't just come out until I went into the sanctuary of God then I understood there end surely thou did set them in Slippery places thou castest them down into destruction how are they brought into desolation as in a moment they are utterly consumed with Terrors as a dream when one awaken as so oh Lord when thou awak Thou shalt despise their image thus my heart was grieved and I was pricked in my Reigns so foolish was I and ignorant I I was as a beast before thee nevertheless I am continually with thee thou Hast H Holden me with my with my right hand Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel and afterward receive me to Glory whom have I in heaven but thee there is none upon Earth that I desire beside thee My Flesh and my heart fath but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever for Lo they that are far from thee Shall Perish thou H has destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee but it is good for me to draw near to God I have put my trust in the Lord God that I may declare all of his works the value of the church is you have the right perception of what is Rich and what is poor you have the right let me tell you what I had over there in Lauren's dining room is far better than a gated home in Beverly Hills what you've got in your little house is far greater than what the riches in this world oh the value the value the value of the church oh would you stand with me this morning would you stand with me today I've got enough sense to know that the mind can only receive what the seat can endure all right but I want to preach on the value of the church I want to preach you you you better value the church you you you better value the chch ever man in this room I know you're a man's man and I know you got it together but you ought to valow you there's a place that you can take your family to you ought to valow you there's a place you can can take your children to there there's a place you can get your children there's good men that go here oh yes there is there's Godly men that go here there's men that go to this church that I have so much confidence in that if I had committed a horrible sin and God says you've got to confess it to at least one person other than your wife there's men in this church today that I have so much I have the utmost confidence in that I could tell you the Deep deepest darkest secr secret of my life and walk out of that office and know it'll be kept secret I know there's a lot of good men here today but a good man understands that there's no way that you can bring everything God wants to your home without bringing them to the church that's right bringing them to the church the value the value of the church would you bow your heads with me for a moment would you begin to pray all over this business building if you're here this morning and you want to give your life to God I open this altar to you right now if you're here this morning and your wayward and you purposed in your heart you said when brother carner gives that altar call I'm going to the the front I'm going to the front brother Carpenter gives this altar call I'm going to the front I'm going to I'm open this altar up for you right now right now if you want to give your heart to God if you want to recommit I want you to know something today brother Carl sards I give that invitation because many years ago in Sanford North Carolina I preached the message and I knew that it was a message to the church just like would you not agree with me today this message has been to the church it's not been really to a sinner because a sinner a sinner cannot see the value of the church until they get in the church but the reason I gave an altar call is that night in s North Carolina I didn't give an I didn't give an Altra call I just said church this is for us let's come Pray when I left that building that night there was a young man and by the looks of that young man you could tell he had lived a rough life and that young man's words stabbed me through the heart he pulled his hair back and with a tear streaming down his face he said to me preacher if you'd give an altar call I would have come I did my best to get the young man to come back in the church but he would not and so I'll always just about give an altar call but today I want to give an altar call as someone has responded thank God I want to give an altar call to the church don't you think we need to come back today and recommit ourselves to the value of the church right now I want to re some some of you young men today are soon to be fathers you better have a right value of the church you need to have the right value of the church come on let's come and recommit our life to the value of the church today oh God I thank you this morning God I thank you this morning God Lord I Thank you this morning