The Value of the Church II | Senior Pastor Kenneth Carpenter

if you believe that tonight and you are standing would you get your Bible out if you believe that every promise in the book is mine every chapter every verse and every line my mother was told years ago that God no longer healed no longer Anointed with oil that was something of days gone by my mother was suffering horribly from asthma but she got on listening to the radio one Sunday afternoon she was a Sunday school teacher at an nominal Church she got out of Sunday school and would go to the car at 1:00 and listen to a radio program by the name of the voice of Pentecost and one day listening to that voice of Pentecost she heard brother Billy M say Jesus Christ is the same yesterday today and forever more our God is still a Healer we still anoint people with oil and pray the prayer of faith over them my mother made a phone call brother M and sister M came to our home anointed my mother with oil in the name of Jesus and my mother never from that moment ever suffered another asthma attack in her life I'm glad that every promise in the book Is Ours every chapter every verse and every line if you have your Bibles tonight we'll go quickly to the word of God 1st Samuel chapter 25 and verse number one thank you Lord for your magnificent spirit that we have felt here tonight 1 Samuel 25 and verse one and Samuel died and all the Israelites were gathered together lamented him and buried him in his house in Rama and David arose and went down to the Wilderness of perin and there was a man in Mayon whose possessions were in caramel and the man was very great he had 3,000 sheep th000 goats and he was shearing his sheep in Caramel now the name of the man was nabal and the name of his wife Abigail she was a woman of good understanding and of a beautiful countenance but the man was chish and evil in his doings and he was of the House of Caleb I want to minister tonight on this subject the value of the church part two father I love you tonight I thank you for the tremendous way God that your people here tonight have responded in music and in song and in worship I thank you Lord you are worthy of every hand clap you are worthy oh god of every dance you are worthy God of all the leaping and all the worship that we have given and God it would never be enough to adequately say thank you Lord I Thank you tonight tonight for your touch already I pray that in the next few moments that you continue to touch our hearts and our minds in Jesus name we pray amen and amen you may be seated this evening it's very needful tonight that I take a few moments chapter 25 of 1 Samuel the ver the first verse really says it all Samuel that great prophet of God Sam that great stability to the nation of Israel Samuel that man that could pray and God would let it thunder Samuel that great man of God died and they buried him must have been a sad time for them to have their spiritual leader to pass away to watch as Samuel grew old and weary and to watch Samuel their connection with God to watch him die several things begin to move in this verse the Bible says and I believe it is connected that when Samuel died David also made a move David also made a move Samuel died and David made a move and went down into the Wilderness of pin now the reason that David made this move was because at this time David along with 600 men that he had had with him were being hunted down by the mighty Army of King Saul Saul was vowing to kill David and Saul was sparing no resources in hunting David down there was not a safe place for David David was on the move and caves and woods and any place that he could find a few days of security David was running David was hiding from Saul Now verse two takes place and we're introduced to a man uh that we're told that he is a very wealthy man we're told that he has thousands of sheep and thousands of goats and we're not only told about that but we're told that it was a very festive time in nabal's life it was the shearing of his sheep it was the time that the prophets were coming in and I'm I'm not talking about prophets that spoke the word of the Lord I'm talking about prophets that had dollar signs behind them it was the time that all of his Investments the wool he was counting up he had become even even more wealthy during the time of the shearing of sheep we hear that it was a festive time it was a time of of eating and drinking it was a time of it was a time of Celebration we're told that the man's name was nabal we're told that his wife's name was Abigail we're told a little bit about their personalities we are told that that nabal was a chish man and evil in his doing we are also told that he was of the House of Caleb and if you study that word if you study that word deeper it it it simply means a dog it means a dog nabal had the disposition of a dog friendly one moment and would bite you the next unpredictable I uh I have warmed up I'm sorry uh uh I'm sorry Kelsey uh about your dog in the neighborhood but I've tried to warm up to that dog but it's hard to warm up a dog that is growling and wagging its tail at the same time I don't know how how many times during the neighborhood walk that I I've tried to stop and and pet that dog but the dog Justin I'm sorry your dog growls and wags his tail at the same time if he would just wag his tail I could probably get in your yard but enough said tonight Caleb or excuse me nabal was that kind of a man he would be friendly one moment he'd bite you the next he was evil in his business doings nobody wanted to get into business with nabal nabal always come out on the better end he was a schemer but on the opposite side of that we find that he had a wife by the name of Abigail and Abigail the Bible simply says two things about her she was a woman of good understanding simply meant she was very wise woman she was a woman that had a lot of wisdom but then the Bible also tells us that she was a very beautiful woman she was beautiful in her countenance well you wonder how could Abigail marry nabal as a matter of fact let me go ahead and tell you nabal's name means look it up in the Greek nabal's name means a fool a fool all right how in the world that was back during the time of arranged marriages when obviously Abigail had absolutely nothing to do with marrying this fool of a man by the name of nabal it goes on the the chapter goes on and I'm going to have to tell you the entire story before I begin to really preach the Bible says that nabal had all these thousands of sheep out in the open field he had a few Shepherds watching out over them but nowhere near enough Shepherds to protect them against the Philistines that would roam the countrysides and look for flocks of sheep that they could invade and they could steal but they had a problem with nabal's sheep because David was mighty fond of sheep nabal didn't ask him nabal didn't know that he was doing it but nabal would simply move his 600 men close to nabal's flock and there when the Philistines would entertain robbing sheep from nabal's flock they would be turned around and turned away by David's Mighty Army night after night David's Army would watch over nabal's sheep day after day they would fetch their muscles and show their swords to the Philistines and say you better not touch that it came to the time of the shearing of the sheep it came the time that nabal's house and nabal's Village he lived in was filled with all kinds of Aroma of food all kinds of fruit all kinds of party and festivities were going on it was a time of Celebration David and his men out in the field their main diet had consisted of of every now and then a small animal they could kill every now and then berries and fruit from trees so David decides that he'll send 10 of his men to go to the party of nabal and there at the party of nabal David's 10 men are told by David go and greet nabal in my name go and tell nabal that David David has sent us to you we were a shield we were a wall for your sheep we were a wall for your men and now we ask for a little gratitude offering we ask for some of the some of the meal that you're eating we ask for just a little bit of the food just a small token just a small token of a thank you for what we have done the 10 men made their way made their way way to nabal's house and there at nabal's house they greeted nabal in the name of David and they said we greet you in the name of David our master and our master has sent us here to ask for a small token of food that we can take back to the camp for we have watched out over your flocks and they ended and when they ended they received not a plate full of food theyed not a basket full of fruit they received not anything that they could eat but they received a great big platter of an insult for nabal says who is David now if he would stop there we could entertain the thought that he had never heard of David but he goes a little further and he says who is David and who is Jesse automatically we know that nabal knows exactly Who David is he names not only David but he names Jesse David's father but not only did the insult continue nabal said there be a many of run away servants today that have run away from their master in other words they were calling David a runaway servant they were calling David a law breaker there' be many servant that have run away and then he goes into a long list of my my my my he said should I take my water and should I take my sheep and should I take my fruit that I have prepared from my servants and give it to someone that is on the run I think not and so you've got David and 600 men that are anxiously waiting back at the camp waiting for the meat to come in waiting for the fruit to come in waiting for the token of the Gratitude of thank you for staying up long nights and watching out over the flock thank you for staying up and fighting off the Philistines for us but when the 10 men came back the 10 men had nothing but a platter of insult as David begin to possibly say where's the food they begin to say David he insulted us he called you a runaway servant he called you somebody that you're not fit to receive anything from his house and David flew into a rage and wrath David his teeth be to grit and David stood up and he's mad and he's hungry and boy you don't want to mix the two together he's mad and he's hungry he GS his sword on and he tells 400 men he saysi want you to gge your sword and he said we're going to the Fool's house we're going to Neal's house and said by Morning Light by Morning Light there won't be a man alive in nebal Village By The Morning Light there will not be one man that will be alive we're going to take the sword and we're going to kill every man that is in Neal's Village we're going to kill kill nebal we're going to kill every man that is in his village David's teeth gritting sword gted on and he straddles the donkey in away David and 400 men ride furiously anger and hunger going to nabal's house meanwhile meanwhile some of nabal's servants go to Abigail and they said Abigail we are in a heap of trouble trouble David's servants came to us and oh what a comfort they were by night they were a wall around us and they kept our sheep safe they were a wall they never took all the time that David's men were there there was not one sheep one lamb there was nothing that was missing David sent a messenger to talk to your husband but he railed on he railed on them and I I'll bring a thought here that just for a moment these men these men also said these men also said in 1st Samuel 25:17 they said this to Abigail the men said now therefore know and consider what thou will do you got to do something Abigail for evil is determined against our master and against all his household listen to this for he is such a son of Bel that a man cannot speak unto him you can't tell him nothing you can't tell nabal nabal nothing he doesn't listen to No One he can't you you can't reason with nabal Abigail please you've got to do something if you don't do something David and 400 men are coming with swords and we'll all be dead by the Morning Light Abigail very wise she begins to order for all kinds of bread and all kinds of fruit all kinds of bottles of wine to be laid upon the backs of donkeys all kinds of food to be prepared food to feed hundreds of men she sends the Caravan of donkeys away in the direction of David that's coming that's hungry she sends them away and she says I will follow after you but the Bible simply says but she did not tell her her husband she didn't tell her husband what she was doing the Bible records it this way that David came down over a low Place riding gritting his teeth ready to kill Abigail comes down over the hill David's hungry and David's angry and David meets all of these donkeys Laden with food but it doesn't seem enough to suffice him until the beautiful Abigail lit off the donkey that she was riding and she lay down before David and she be to plead as an intercessor she said things that sums it up this way please forgive us please forgive us for not being thankful please forgive us for not acknowledging your goodness to us David I'm married to a fool she says no one can speak unto him but your handmaiden here did not see when you came if your handmaiden had seen when you came David your handmaiden would have fed you and would have said Thank you and then Abigail does something very wise cause David is about to get out of the will of God David is about to Mar his testimony David has a testimony that he didn't kill Saul David had a testimony that he was good to his enemy but David's now about to go into a village and have a blood bath and watch Abigail in scripture as she reminds David that you have Destiny she says David please remember that your enemies are going to be like a stone that is put in a slingshot your enemies are going to be put in a slingshot and your enemies are going to be cast away from you but David you shall be bound in the bundle of Life of God in other words she said David you have a future David you're now a fugitive s of speak but David you're coming to a kingdom and David you're going to be a king and Abigail so beautifully put this together you find out why she's a woman of wise understanding she says you're about to kill an entire Village of men and says years later you're going to sit on your throne and you're going to regret that you allowed anger to cause you to do this this will be a blot this will be a spot and a stain on your testimony David you need to rethink what you're about to do well I got news for you a Hungry Man and an angry man can be sufficed by animals with food and a very beautiful wise woman David says you are a blessed handmaiden you are a blessed woman for surely this day had you not met me surely this day I would have killed every male I would have killed your husband and every man you are a blessed handmade and then Abigail attaches something at the end she says David just remember me just remember me well The Story Goes On Abigail goes back nabal is partying nabal is well drunken the Bible says he is drunk with wine nebal is drunk they are parting and the Bible says that that Abigail didn't say one word to the fool neall while he was drunken you know there's an interesting passage of scripture there is an interesting passage of scripture found in Proverbs 26 and verse 4 and Proverbs 26 and verse 5 in Proverbs 26 and verse4 it simply says this answer not a fool according to his folly lest thou also be like unto him verse four says don't discuss things with a fool don't try to reason with a fool for you will seem like unto him now I understand that verse but let let me give you verse five of Proverbs 26 answer a fool according to his folly lest he be wise in his own conceit is this a contradiction in Holy Scripture it is not there is a time that you should not entertain a conversation with a fool there are times that you need to allow your wisdom to be silent and let the fool be the best advertisement that they are a fool but then there comes a time that you have to answer a fool according to their F you have to let the fool know that there is an answer all night long the drunken party rolled on and Abigail said not one thing to her fool husband nebal but the Bible says in the morning when the wine was gone out of nabal and nabal was well and sober and I add this just for the storyline sake Abigail had been up all day and all night preparing food she had rode hard and heavy to go meet David she had possibly me missed an entire night of sleep she probably didn't look as Sprite as she's always looked in the morning and there's possibility that her fool husband nebal said something like this you don't look so good this morning sweetheart you don't look like you you you kind of look like a mess your hair's not combed like like it ought to be and your eyes are bloodshot and you kind of look like you've had a rough night and now it's time to answer him she said nebal you better believe I've had a rough night she said had I not had I not saddled donkeys and got Bread and Wine and Food and sent down over the over the hill there were 400 men of angry David coming and they were going to kill every man that's in this house and nebal had it not been for me by now you would would be a dead man and the Bible says that God struck him can I tell you the foolish things of Our Lives we need to allow God to strike them there are times to answer a fool and there are times to let God answer the fool when she told nebal that for whatever reason the Bible says that his heart became a stone possibly studying this he had a struggle he had a stroke and he lived for 10 days past the time that he had a stroke and then he died the rest I'll just throw in I'll just throw in for good measure now nabal the fool is dead David David God was going to take care of the fool in your life don't mess your testimony up David by trying to reason with this fool news drifted back back into David's Camp David did you hear that nabal is dead David wasn't much of a compassionate man because when they told David that nabal was dead this is the words that come out of his mouth blessed be thou of God oh Hallelujah the fool is dead I'm not advocating your husband or your wife tonight I'm advocating tonight that all of us at times are are stalked by fools in our lives and we need to allow God to silence the voices of the fools that get into our life and when God does we need to give a shout of praise and glory and honor David said oh praise be thou unto God and he sent and he communed with David and to make a long story short David communed with her so much that David sent to her and David took her to wife now let me symbolize the scriptures tonight let me quickly now tell you that David represents David represents the Lord in his unseen goodness to us can I tell every one of us tonight God has been good to all of us so well I don't know listen there's more that you don't know that God has been good to you I said there's more than you don't know that God has been good to you how about that lump in your body that they said was cancer and all of a sudden it is gone how about that way out of no way that God made how about that unexpected change of plans how about that man how about that man I don't know him but I'd like to tell him it was God how about that man that had that seat on that plane that was right beside that door that blew open the man had a seat right beside brother Perry the man had a seat right beside that door on that plane that blew open had a seat right beside it but he says for a reason that he doesn't even know that he just didn't want to make that trip and he cancelled out that trip can I tell you sir that was God how about the people at 911 and there's many people that have the testimony that got up that morning to go to work in the towers but they just s simply had a feeling that they wanted to take the day off I know there was thousands that died but I'm telling you God has done more for you and me that we don't know that we ought to be thankful not just for what we can count on one hand for what he's done God is an unseen help in our lives he doesn't have to do anything for me to praise him when he shows up on Sunday night he doesn't have to heal my body he doesn't have to give me a holy ghost dad he's done more for me I just got to give him some praise I just got to give him some Glory David represents the Lord in his unseen goodness to us let me tell you how good God is Luke chapter 6 and verse number 35 Luke chapter 6 verse number 35 Jesus said but love your enemies do good to them do good and lend hoping for nothing again for your reward shall be great now follow this now and you shall be called the children of the highest for he that's God for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil can I tell you how good God is God is good to those that are unthankful can I tell you how good God is he's even good to those that are evil and I submit to you tonight if God would be good to the unthankful what would he do for the thankful thank ful if God will do be good to the evil what will he do for the righteous I got news for you tonight we got more for us than we got against us we've got a God that we Embrace tonight that says I'm even good for people that never say thank you Jesus I'm good to people I'm good to people that never recognize that it's me well let's follow along second Timothy chapter one chapter 3 and verse number one talking about the time we live in right now this know also that in the last days perilous time shall come for men shall be lovers this is our day for men shall be lovers of their own selves Covetous boasters proud blasphemers disobedient to parents what's the next word what's going to Mark The End of Time unthankful Unholy without natural affection truce Breakers false accusers incontinent Fierce despisers of those that despisers of those that are good can I tell you God's been good to us we need to give him praise let me tell you I can't really preach to you tonight because for about a half hour or so you gave everything you had to tell God you're a good God you're a great God you're an awesome God but just by chance you didn't praise him tonight I got to preach to you for just a moment every time God does does something good we ought to give give him a volunteer praise every time God gives something does something good we shouldn't wait up we shouldn't have to be led to worship we shouldn't have to be felt led to praise we shouldn't have to go on a fast to praise we shouldn't have to have a prayer meeting to praise if God has been good to you you need to give God praise God brought the children of Israel God brought the children of Israel out of bondage and in Exodus chapter 14 and verse 27 he brought them through the Red Sea Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea and the Sea returned to its strength when the morning appeared and the Egyptians fled against it and the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the Sea and the waters returned and covered the Chariots and the Horsemen and all the host of pharaoh that came into the sea after them there remained not so much as one of them but the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the Sea and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand and on their left thus the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the seashore and Israel saw that great work which the Lord did upon the Egyptians and the people fear the lord and believe the Lord and his servant Moses but turn to chapter 15 verse number one if God does something good for you you don't have to pray about it you don't have to have a chill bump nor your favorite song you ought to praise the Lord it ought to be automatic God does something good you ought to praise the Lord God touches your life you ought to praise the Lord you say well what is good when he wakes you up in the morning the first word out of your mouth ought to be thank you Lord for another day thank you God for another day I just think that we ought to get more prais minded if you get to work without having a fender bender y'all to say praise the Lord if you have a fender bender on the way to work yall to say God it could have been worse you ought to praise His name come on praise him for a moment right now praise him only a fool doesn't praise him only a neighbor doesn't recognize the goodness of God Jesus the son of David has visited First Apostolic tonight saying I want a little gratitude I just want a little gratitude can I get a little praise come on praise him tonight Jesus the son of David comes to our church on Wednesday and Sunday morning and Sunday night and he just says I've been watching out over you I just want a little praise Exodus chapter 15 verse number one then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord and spake saying I will sing unto the Lord for he ha triumphed gloriously the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea the Lord is my strength and my song and has become my salvation he is my God I will prepare for him a habitation my father's God I will exalt him the Lord is a man of war this is all a song the Lord is his name Pharaoh's chariots and his host have he cast into the sea his chosen captains also are drowned found in the Red Sea the Moses the leader the leader started the praise you can't be a leader whether it's a church or a department or a home you can't be a leader if you're not a praiser you got to be a praiser and I will not let my wife out praise me I will not let my wife out worship me that is not God's order it is God's order for the leader come on men come on men come on men Jesus the son of David has come you're very foolish you're very foolish to talk about my car my money my house my boat my four-wheeler my gun my golf clubs my my 401k my my you're foolish to do that you got to say the lord gave this to me the Lord get in that car tonight and say the lord gave me this car I know some of you think that's foolish but you can have my car or you can have the Lord's car and I'd rather have the Lord's car I'd rather have this a lord yes come on Jesus the son of David is coming tonight it's not my house it's the house the lord gave me it's not my clothes can I tell you that we'll begin to lead worship if we'll begin to lead worship Pastor if we'll begin to lead worship departmental leader if we begin to lead worship husband man of the house it'll break out Moses and the leaders Exodus 15 1-4 led the worship but Exodus chapter 15 verse 20 it got into women and in verse 20 and Mariam the prophetess the sister of Mo sister of Aaron took a TL or a tambourine in her hand and all the women went out after her with tambourines and dances and maram answered them who's them the men sing ye to the Lord for he had triumphed gloriously the horse and his rider hath he thrown in to the sea I wonder how we could eradicate marriage trouble if a man got to praising God and sooner or later the wife got to praising God I wonder how we could get control of our children if the dad started praising God and the mama started praising God and the kids started praise him God oh come on tonight Praise Him Jesus the son of David has come well brother car I got the Holy Ghost I got baptized and I I it's just not my personality to do all that no I don't believe that number one you choose what to move your emotions you had a man set and I'm not after Hunters tonight but you let a man set with his arms folded and that's just not that's just not his that's not his thing to do that kind of you know that kind of stuff that's just that's just not me but let him nail what would be an unbelievable deer to kill Zach 10 point let him drop a 10o that's how many points they got on their antlers I can't believe y'all don't know that let him drop it and let him drop it in its tracks let him shoot it a few hundred miles away and let that Bambi drop in its track you'll see emotion you let that man that has his arms folded but he's got golf clubs in the trunk of his car tonight you let him get out tomorrow on the golf course and you let him hit a hole in one he will see some emotions there I'm not I'm not bashing Hunters I just think you ought to have more emotion neall over a God that can do more for you than a mounted deer in your office instead of bragging about oh you ought to seen me when I got that one you ought to have your children walk in the office and you ought to say right there's my son he's a preacher of the Gospel right there's my daughter right there if you if you if you are not praising you are living far beneath your privileges in God and I'll show it to you there were 10 lepers who prayed all 10 of them prayed Lord Jesus cleanse us of our leprosy Luke 17:15 10 of of them he said go show yourself to the priest all 10 of them were cleansed were cleansed they prayed all 10 of them prayed and all 10 of them received an answer to their prayer and they were cleansed in verse 15 and one of them when he saw that he was was healed turned back and with a loud voice glorified God nine said we prayed and got an answer we're out of here but one said I was part of the 10 and I got an answer but it's time to praise him it's time to worship Him and in verse 19 Jesus said and he said unto him arise and go thy way thy faith fath hath made thee hope you can pray and settle for a cleansing or you can worship and get to be made whole you can pray and get an answer or you can pray and praise and be made whole Paul and Silas in the prison acts 16:25 at midnight Paul and Silas prayed comma not prayed period prayed comma and sing praises unto God and the prisoners heard them I submit to you tonight that God will answer a prayer but he'll do more when you couple praise with that prayer he will do more for you when you couple praise with that prayer Psalms 6 one Psalms 116 verse number 12 Psalms 116 verse number 12 what shall I Render unto the Lord for all his his benefits to me what will I give God for how good he's been to me what will I render to him and he answers I will take the cup of Salvation and call upon the name of the Lord I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people it goes on and on and on and tells you how that a praiser a praiser is a person that is thankful he thankful to God nebal nebal you're dead now you're somewhere in a grave but what you were unthankful married your wife what you were unthankful for inherited all that you left behind you see a person like nabal a person like nabal never benefits in life a person like nabal never profits in life they never last long they never last long because they're simply not thankful for what God has done and I'm I'm gonna go through a list of things here that I've written down I am thankful for the word of God I love God's word you better love God's word you better read God's word why John 12:48 John 12:48 Jesus said he that rejecteth me and receiveth not my words hath one that judgeth him the word that I have spoken unto you the same name shall judge him in the last day look at me folks look at me look at your pastor tonight please you're going to meet this word in judgment you better read it you better read it when it comes to your salvation you better read it you better know that you know that you know not because somebody told you you were saved not because you felt good uh not because you felt good you better be able to open up your Bible and say right here's the reason I repented right here's the reason I got baptized in Jesus name right here's the reason I prayed until I was filled with the baptism of the Holy Ghost and spoke in another language right here's the reason I believe there's only one God right here's the reason I believe in the Holiness of which without no man will see the Lord right here Revelation Revelation chapter 20 ver verse number 11 please look at this please look at this Revelation 20 and verse number 11 and I saw a great white throne and him that sat on it from whose face the Earth and all and the heaven fled away and there was no place for them and I saw the dead small and great stand before God and the books please please look at that that is plural that is plural books and the books were open and another book singular was opened which is the singular book which is The Book of Life and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books plural according to their Works according to how they responded whatever dispensation they lived in they're responsible for what's in the book at the white Throne judgment it's the book that stands before them they are judged according to how they responded to the book verse 13 the sea gave up the dead which were in it death and Hell delivered up the dead which were in them and they were judged every man according to their Works death and hell were cast into the Lake of Fire this is the second death and whosoever was not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the Lake of Fire you better study the book you better get a Bible and a notepad and a pencil and when you come to church if it all possible shut your cell phone off and you better set on the edge of your Pew thank youall may be seated tonight you better set on on the edge of your Pew why how important is it I'm going to face this book in judgment I'm going to face this book at the white Throne judgment I better know that I know that I know let me tell you right now I am thankful I am not a nebal tonight I am not a nebal tonight I am thankful for my father in The Gospel I am thankful for my father in the faith Bishop Billy Mc and sister Betty MC his wife I am thankful for them no person needs to ever grow to the place I don't care most of you out rank me tonight education of my wise all right most of you outrank me I graduate ating from the 12th grade of high school we've got people here that are doctors and graduates of universities and colleges and I I I praise you for that but you'll never get in college what you need to get in the house of God you need to be thankful you are a fool not to be thankful for the word of God oh God thank you thank you thank you thank you Pastor M thank you that you taught me the wonders of the godhead thank you that you taught me baptism in Jesus name thank you that you put in me a dogmatic Spirit about being faithful to the house of God thank you thank you thank you thank you it altered my life thank you it altered my life thank you when we would get in from a choir trip you listen this is what I this is what we were bought this is what some of us were brought up on we would get on a choir trip we had a a youth choir called the youth action singers and there were nights we would go places on Saturday and sing and sometimes we didn't get back into the Knoxville church till 4:30 and 5 o'clock Sunday morning and we always got the same lecture before we got off that bus he would say it would be Unthinkable for us to travel all over and yet sleep in in the morning this is where we give God a sacrifice of praise and it didn't matter we got home at 5:00 in the morning he expected us to be back at the house of God at 10:00 that next morning for Sunday school ah he wasn't let me tell you something I'm not warped by that I'm not scarred by that I I don't regret any of that I don't regret I don't regret one Sunday night I don't regret one Sunday night I was talking why I should have been listening to him I was talking to Deon Wilson sitting beside me we were having a long conversation while brother M was teaching and all of a sudden Dion wasn't answering to me no more and I couldn't figure out why ain't you talking to me and I looked up and brother M was looking down and he said these words are you through and I said I'm not scarred that didn't scarred me that man didn't do that to scarred me that man was trying to tell me son you better be listening to the word you better be listening to the word and I'm nothing for you to example tonight but if you want to be like your pastor you better get this down inside of your heart oh come on somebody ought to praise him right now Lan run up here for a minute run up here for a minute you may be seated he come through the lobby one night no some shirt he looked at me he said Kenneth rain it looks like you need a haircut and he put my hair behind my ears and he walked off going man didn't do that I didn't run home and say mama you could embarass me tonight in front of all my friends oh that mean old preacher he wasn't have mean old preacher you he a mean old preacher he loved me enough to call me out that's right I knew I should have had a haircut he loved me enough to call me out listen a man that let you get by with anything a man that has lowered the standards of what we've been raised on that ain't love that ain't love he's trying to make it easy give me a man give me a man that'll say hey I missed you this morning where were you at hey I miss you Wednesday night I'm not trying oh my God I'm not trying to embarrass you I'm trying to get something inside of you don't be a fool don't be a fool don't be a fool the Unseen hand of God while you're working all day Wednesday you're working all day Wednesday There's a man of God somewhere that's laboring over scripture there's a man of God in a prayer room somewhere praying God give me a word tonight give me a word for your children give me a word what I think I'll stay home watch television you can either stay home and watch a rerun or or come to church and have the fresh bread of God delivered to you you can either stay home and recoup your your flesh or you can come on to the house of God and let God don't don't don't don't don't be a fool I thank God I'm going to tell you if any of you run across my Bishop my pastor I wish you tell him thank you thank you because had it was would it not for you we wouldn't have our pastor that just we thankful for a pastor let me go on thank you first impression team thank you for the people that welcome our guest thank you nursery workers God the Unseen Heroes of this church that sat in classrooms with little ones and keep them entertained while we can sit in this room and not be distracted by The Cry or the rattling of a bottle or whatever give the nursery workers a hand and if you've not signed up for nursery in a while stop praying about being a missionary if you can't go across a hallway and do a work for God I don't think God's going to send you across the sea to do a work for God thank you to every youth program thank you for strong tower Thank You For Kids Quest thank you thank you thank you Sunday school is exciting around here our kids are waking us up saying I got to go to church you listen listen if you've got a child that wants to go to church you ought to get on your feet right now and say thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you we're not dragging our kids to church you may be seated hey thank you strong tower thank you ACA daycare thank you ACA school thank you my wife and I were walking the mall the other morning trying to get our 10,000 steps in we were walking the mall brother the sards I saw a woman I saw one about 50 ft she kept looking at us and I thought I believe this woman some wants to say something to us and as we come walking she came running out of the corner she was in and she starts saying I love you folks I just love you folks I just love you folks she said my my grandchildren were in your daycare she said it was only a money it was only a money thing we wanted to keep them in the school but it was a money thing that we couldn't send them but said I had a conversation with my daughter the other night we've got to get our children my grandchildren out of the public school now I'm not bashing the local public schools but they're only doing what Nashville is telling them to do and the liberal Godless movement of our nation is changing us one school at a time they're having to teach things across the road I've got testimonies of teachers that are going to resign because it's violating their conscience what they're told that they have to teach thank God for a CH a come on I don't think you're with me tonight I said thank God thank God thank God God gave us ACA God gave us Strong Tower God gave us kids quest God gave us all this thank you thank you that woman you may be SE for just a moment but that woman got a hold of me and sister carp and kept us for the better part of 40 minutes of which I was glad I was tired of walking anyway she kept us and guess what guess what we got a Bible study with that woman and her husband we're going to teach her a Bible study can I tell you had it not been for ACA we would have never known that woman but because of ACA thank God for our choir I don't think we I don't really think we know how to appreciate our choir the way we're living in a day that choirs are a thing of the past choirs are too much of a headache too much of a headache to have a choir and so they'll only get a choir going they'll only get a choir going Ever every anniversary service or some kind of special service do you realize you hear from your choir on Sunday morning and you hear from your choir on Sunday night and do you know that that would not be possible if there wasn't about 200 plus people that want to have a choir thank you you know why there's little 10 year olds 11 year olds and 12 year olds that are counting down the day till they turn 13 why is that such a big number I get to join the choir I get to get in the choir I thank you Faithful choir members thank you Faithful members thank you Faithful members haven't told you in a long time thank you Faithful members thank you folks thank you folks thank you thank you thank you but my end of my sermon tonight the end of my sermon tonight is I want to thank him for his Mercy to me thank you for Mercy thank you for Mercy oh God thank you for Mercy brother Caron I was baptized that's good brother Caron I spoke in tongues that's good but you look up here at me while they're getting ready to come in to sing look up here at me look up here at this 5' 7 inch greeny preacher right now when you get to heaven it's only because Mercy Mercy you can powder your little self up you can clean your little self up you can comb your hair and you can look like you got it all together that all of us at one time or another have had to say God I need your mercy I need your mercy God I need your mercy in my life God my kids need your mercy come on stand with me right now Mercy come on I want you to begin to thank God for Mercy right now you don't deserve to be forgiven you don't deserve to be forgiven I don't care how many tears you shed I don't care how long you pray and moan you you don't deserve Mercy you see Mercy is an attribute of God that he extends it to you all because he is God come on thank you for Mercy right now thank you for Mercy give me just a little bit of that song