Vision 2022 | Senior Pastor Kenneth Carpenter

please remain standing with me as you turn to proverbs chapter number 29 and verse number 18. proverbs chapter 29 verse number 18. i have absolutely no doubt in my mind not a shadow of doubt that god has ordained me to bring this word this morning i have no doubt in my mind there's too many things connecting here today there's too many things connecting there's too many confirmations that i have received this morning the service the message will end today about our vision our vision and it deals with it deals with children and i didn't know this was going to happen we've got a baby dedication and then we've got a young young person a young child to be baptized today and i just see that as a connection i see that as a connection but not only that there's a man here today there's a brother here today brother patrick and um god has used brother patrick he is an extremely successful businessman in the state of michigan he has blessed this church unbelievably unbelievable uh with gifts god has blessed him he he is not one that gives he is not a phariseeical giver but you know we should not allow a phariseecal giver to downplay somebody that really wants to give and god has blessed him unbelievably i did not i told him when he came through the the the line giving his offering this morning i looked up at him in shock and i said brother patrick i i didn't know you were here this morning he owns a large paving asphalt business in michigan he was going to do all the asphalt here but the permits to move his machinery down here were just too costly but he has blessed our church he is blessed first apostolic church only he god and probably the secretary of this church knows what he is blessed so mentioning the parking lot beginning the service not knowing not knowing that he would be here today and i and i really battled that i thought oh man i hope that he didn't think i you know i don't know does the devil play with your mind question your motives am i the only one in this room that he and i just thought i'm not going to go through this whole sermon brother perry battling i'm just going to get up and tell it just kind of like that get up get up get up get up at it grab more tell it tell it tell it tell it tell it right proverbs 29 and verse number 18 god's in this house pray for brother art schnitzer he's in africa today he's going to be teaching for the next two weeks i think he told me and i may have he's either staying there 60 days teaching on the godhead or he's 60 hours at a bible college teaching on the godhead either one's a winner right so pray for both schnitzer today where there is no vision the people perish but he that keepeth the law happy is he father i ask you today to anoint my lips of clay with your spirit lord these are special people you've brought us together god for this great end-time harvest lord you have something special going on in this church father i'm so thankful to be a part of it i ask today that you would anoint our ears and on our eyes today god help us in the spirit to see wonderful things from your word lord i thank you god for the baptism that will take place and for the baby dedication that will take place but i thank you lord for the visions that will be birthed in the next few moments in jesus name we pray amen you may be seated where there is no vision the people perish it's an interesting verse because perish perish has a different word than what we have said throughout the years we've got to have a vision or the people will perish there will be no people but several different translations several different translations bring out the true meaning of this proverb one translation says where there is no vision the people cast off restraints the people cast off restraints one version says without prophetic vision people abandon restraint about every translation you will read has to do with vision and restraint vision and restraint a person by the name of terry foye said this if you don't have a vision for your body you will eat anything no restraint if you don't have a vision don't get quiet on me now if you don't have a vision for your finances you will spend it all no restraint if you don't have a vision for your life you will do anything no restraint it's interesting that word there without a vision the people will cast off restraints we must understand that restraint here is talking about military garments it's actually speaking about a soldier being harnessed or restrained in his body to carry to carry the armor this word restraint finds itself attached to another word in the bible which is the word harnessed the word harnessed it's interesting in genesis chapter 60 excuse me genesis chapter 46 and verse number two watch closely here genesis 46 and verse number 2 and god spake unto israel in the visions of the night god spake to israel in the visions of the night saying jacob jacob now stop for a moment let's let's talk about this why does it say that god spoke to israel but when it goes on he says jacob jacob god speaks to a nation israel 12 tribes he speaks to a nation of israel but then he speaks to one man by the name of jacob it's because the vision that jacob would have would not only affect and benefit his life but the vision that he would have would affect an entire nation i think about this for a moment what god is able to do with you today in the way of a vision can affect your entire household can affect your entire family it can affect sons and daughters spouses it can affect grandchildren great grandchildren aunts and uncles grandparents when one person jacob can get a vision it can turn out to touch all of israel oh israel jacob jacob and he said here am i and he said i am god the god of thy father fear not to go down into egypt for i will make of thee a great nation he says now jacob i don't want you to fear this process some people don't take a vision seriously because they know a vision has to do with process and god is saying to jacob i'm going to take you down to egypt i'm going to take you into a process and you're not going to enjoy this process but it is in this process he's giving him the vision because remember he spoke to him in the visions of the night i am giving you a vision of what i am going to do with you dial the clock ahead 435 years we find ourselves in exodus chapter 13 and verse number 18. 435 years four centuries and 35 years later the bible says that god fulfilled his word o israel o jacob and the bible says but god led the people about through the way of the wilderness of the red sea and the children of israel went up harnessed out of the land of egypt the difference was somewhere between god speaking to jacob and 435 years later god put a harness upon israel god god harnessed them it's part of the vision you cannot have a you cannot have a vision without a harness if you're going to have a vision you see to have a vision means you know there's a process a vision is not a dream a dream is just something you want to happen but you don't have any abc steps to get there you just hope your life turns around you just hope that your family gets in church you just hope that that addiction is broken you just hope that things turn around in your marriage that's just a dream i've not come to preach a dream this morning i've come to preach a vision this morning because the difference between a dream and a vision is a vision has steps of process to bring to pass what you see today god can save your family you do not have a family member that's that is that god is unable to save heal and deliver you do not have a circumstance in your life that god cannot step into and make all things new but there is a process we see visions all through the bible zechariah the father of john the baptist had a vision of an angel and the angel told him of the birth of john jesus was transfigured his transfiguration is described as a vision to the disciples the women who came to visit jesus tomb had a vision of an angel stephen saw a vision of jesus when they stoned him ananias experienced a vision telling saul to be baptized peter had a vision of cornelius in his house peter had a vision that he would be released of an angel from prison john had visions on the aisle called patmos paul had a revelation of jesus christ which was a vision on the road to damascus paul had a vision of a man of macedonia saying come over and help us paul had an encouraging vision of an angel on a ship to tell him that all the souls were going to be saved i just believe today that god would like to burst some visions in this place of some people that need him to touch them can you say amen god had a vision for israel god had a vision for israel again 435 years please understand something time is irrelevant to god well you don't know how long i've been this way it's irrelevant to god too many people use time to discourage them well i've been this way all my life well it's time for us to change isn't it what better day to change than right now what better day to stop dreaming and stop start having a vision than right now 435 years we find ourselves in genesis 15 we find ourselves in genesis 15 verse number 1. go there with me please genesis chapter 15 and verse number one after these things the word of the lord came into abram who would later be abraham in a what is that after these things the lord came unto abraham in a vision but i'm going to tell you i'm more interested not in this word vision for the donny i'm not i'm not interested in this word vision right now as much as i am that little phrase that says after these things after these things the word of the lord came into abram and when i read that i stopped and i said what things she says after these things i want to know what things well you have to go back to chapter 14. and there's several things that have happened in chapter 14 number one abraham fought a battle he fought a battle number one abraham fought number two abraham one and number three abraham connected with the source of his victory say it again he fought a battle he won a battle he connected with the source of his victory the source of his victory was a man that was a typology of jesus christ he was a king and a priest called melchizedek and when abraham came back from the slaughter of the kings he fought he won he come he comes to melchizedek and there he gives melchizedek he gives melchizedek tithing of all melchizedek gives him wine and bread which is typology of communion and he gives him tithe and all now let me tell you something if you're going to have a vision you got to roll up your sleeves and fight dreams are for sissies visions are for real men and women of god dreams is for facebook visions is for where you live if you're going to have a vision just get ready to fight if you if you've got a dream of your son being delivered it's just a dream what's the process do you have a set time that you pray for him well i prayed for him 10 years ago you know what they sometimes we got to pray daily daily daily daily well how long am i going to pray until they get delivered that's how long i'm going to pray well what if you die and he's not delivered my body is dead but my prayer lives on what you process keep praying for your children a dream just simply says i wish he would be delivered i wish she would be delivered i wish our marriage would work out i wish i could become empowered by the holy ghost but a vision says i'm ready to roll up my sleeves and if you will fight for the cause of jesus christ i'm telling you right here right now flat-footed you will win not if maybe but if the wind blows right if things fall in the right place if you fight for the cause of jesus christ you will win and then you've got to connect to the source of your victory too many people can never get out of the hole they're in because of the people that continually pull them down back down in the hole you've heard the story of hunting for crabs on the beach you don't have to put a lid on the bucket you don't have to put a lid on a bucket of crabs well say they'll crawl out oh no they won't the other crabs in the bucket will pull them down they may scale up a little bit but there's another crap that's why you have to change your company sometimes you're going to dream you get a lot of people you can dream with gloom despair and agony on me you you get a lot of people that can just tell you how bad it is but if you really want to be a visionary you've got to cut yourself off of those that are pulling you all the way back back down and you've got to connect yourself with some people of faith verse number 2 chapter 15 verse number two he had a vision god gave him a vision and the vision was god saying fear not abram i'm your shield i'm your protector and i am thy exceeding great reward reward reward listen to abram in verse number two and abram said lord god what will thou give me seeing i go childless and the steward of my house is this eleazar of damascus now this is where a lot of us get sometimes we believe god's word but we kind of have an issue understanding while it's not happened to us he said in other words if i could give you the kenny carpenter version he said yeah yeah yeah yeah god i hear you i hear you god i am your exceeding great word yeah yeah yeah i hear you god but what do i have i don't have an heir the only thing close to an heir is a servant named eliezer that i bought from damascus verse 3. and abram said behold to me thou has given no seed lowborn low one born in my house is my heir he's trying to tell god to accept this and behold the word of the lord came unto him saying this shall not be thine heir but he that shall come forth out of thy own vows shall be thine heir and he god brought him abraham fourth abroad he took him he i believe he got him out of the tent he got him out of the tent and said look now toward heaven you know you know a lot of times dreamers look down visionaries look up he said i want you to look now toward heaven i want you to look now toward heaven and tell the stars if they'll be able to number them and he said so shall thy seed be took him outside cody and he said he said abram i've heard you yeah yeah yeah god i've heard this stuff before he said i want you to look at the stars number one i want you to number watch this now i want you to number what i've already named the bible says he's named all the stars blows your mind he said just a number what i have already named see just just just tell me the number and if you can tell me the number then you're going to know how many descendants will come out of thy bowels shall be thine air that verse four the bowels the king james version doesn't really do that word right that bowels there is reproductive organs of a man the the the loins of a man he said you don't know putting your faith in me what you're capable of producing oh thank god you don't know what's in you right now because you've not mixed your life with god you really don't know you've mixed your life with all kinds of just low thinking in your life and you've become a prisoner you've become a prisoner to your upbringing you've become a prisoner to society but somehow on a sunday morning in an apostolic church with the presence and the power of god moving through this place god wants to get inside of your heart and give you a vision of what he can do through through you and what he can do in your life he brought him out he said look now toward heaven tell the stars if thou be able to number them and he said so thou s so shall thy seed be look at verse six and abraham and he believed in the lord and he counted it to him for righteousness here's where we get the foundation of believing he didn't understand it but somehow he just simply came to this word he came to this word if you said it i i don't know the i don't know how but because you said it makes it true i i don't know how listen this is the power this is the power of god's word you're not going to understand it but if god says it it's already true well i i don't i don't understand i don't understand how telling god i'm sorry for my sin does it you don't have to understand if god says i'll forgive you if you ask and repent it's already done well i don't understand how going up here and getting wet in water has to do with my sin you don't have to understand it god's already said that's for the remission of your sin well i don't understand why god i don't understand why god this tongue moving it just don't it just don't make any sense to me number one let's get everything out on the table god is god he sets the standard not you not me not denominations god sets the standard let's just i'll talk about it right now god could have said when you get the holy ghost god could have said when you get the holy ghost a sign that you've got the holy ghost is your big toe i'll do a 360. and you know what if that was a sign people would be saying that don't make any sense to me it don't have to make any sense to you because the foundation of faith is not in our human understanding it's in believing in the power of god's word this 80-something year old man stepped out of his tent he's probably got arthritis in his knees and his elbows and his shoulders and god said your stoop shoulder look up and he looks up and he says stop talking about eleazar stop talking about a slave having a child in your home and that's that child belongs to you he says start numbering the stars up there abraham and if you can number them all that's how many errors is going to come out of your loins abraham and all of a sudden he had a god moment he just simply said god if you said it i simply believe that's going to come to pass that's a god moment in your life when you believe that god is able to give you power that god is able to fill you with his spirit god is able to heal you god is able to deliver you god is able to make a way when there seems to be no way all we need to do is believe it today come on give me my hand and praise right now and watch this so shall thou see be he believed in the lord and the lord counted it for to him for righteousness and he said unto him god says i am the lord that brought thee out of er of the counties to give thee this land to inherit and abraham said and he said lord god whereby shall i know that i shall inherit it this is not doubt this is not doubt god how am i gonna know it he's not doubting this man's got a vision he's mixed it with faith and now he's just simply saying show me the process god he's not doubting he's not doubted there's a difference between doubt and asking for the process it was zachariah that doubted the angel that him and elizabeth would have a child and because he doubted he says something like how would this be and because it was doubt he was unable to speak until john the baptist was born but the same mary mary asked the angel how will this be seeing i know not a man she's not asking in doubt she's wanting to know the process and the angel said the holy ghost is going to come on you the power of the highest is going to overshadow you and that holy thing that is born of thee shall be called the son of god so now abraham is not doubting when he says god would you just simply tell me how whereby shall i know that i shall inherit i want to know what the process is i've got the vision i want to know what the process is and he said god said unto him take a heifer of three years old and a she-go to three years old and a ram of three years old and a turtle dove and a young pigeon and he took unto him all these and divided them in the midst and lay each piece one against the other the birds but the birds he divided not now you know what he said you won't know how he said you won't know how you're going to get the land sacrifice some people want their vision you'll never have your vision fulfilled without sacrifice did not god did god brother mayford not give us a word upon the heel did god not give us the word upon the heel and the word was the word was this begin to give to missions as never before because my coming is soon and i will take care of the new auditorium now you talk about not making any sense sister sarah we're getting to church two hours early to get a seat y'all remember that we couldn't ice the building down enough there were people that passed out because of the heat in the building chairs everywhere and all of a sudden god says i want you to begin to give dimensions than ever before i understood god if you said tell my people to give so we can have more space as a matter of fact we were doing good that little vision that little man-made plans i had of raising a million dollars in five years which was far-fetched we had to sacrifice to do that a million dollars in five years to add on to the back of the church up up on the hill but god said i've got another plan and thankful god's other plan right can i tell you we had a vision of what god would do but in between the vision and this auditorium was a lot of sacrifice the vision of your of deliverance the deliver the vision you got to have a vision you got to have a vision of your family being born again you've got to see it in your mind vision it in your mind they're going to walk into church now that's not just going to happen you've got to you've got to call them and call them i don't know how many years i wish brother nolan was in here but brother john fowler lost his way a few years ago and became a prodigal but sister bryant about every saturday nolan would call his uncle john and say uncle john will you come to church tomorrow and and john would say and i really believe john meant it i don't think john i don't think john was being dishonest you see we the reason we need to have prayer over our prodigals because i believe there's two days hell gets on them with everything he's got saturday evening and and wednesday afternoon because he comes to their mind that used to they would be in the house of god on sunday and it'd be in the house of god on wednesday night and the devil i believe when nolan would call john repeatedly i believe john really meant it i'm going to come to church in the morning now i'm telling you he didn't invite him one time five times ten times it went on for a couple of years and i i'm telling you he went on for a couple of years but all of a sudden all of a sudden one sunday morning john fowler walks himself back in to the house of god we just when was heaven church over here in the gymnasium and god refills him with the holy ghost and i had john come up and handed him the microphone to testify helmet was there that morning and john cut loose to preaching because listen in between the vision of john coming home and john coming home was a lot of prayer was a lot of invitation it was a lot of sacrifice come on i told you dreamers is for sissies visionaries is for real men and women men and women that would not will not be denied i'm here to tell you i'm after a revival and i will not be denied i'm after lives being changed and i will not be denied there's not a man so hard-headed that god can't fill him with the holy ghost i will not i wish somebody joined me today i wish somebody would shout out i will not be denied i will not be denied rhonda carp understand right now stand right now remember what you're looking at yeah we're looking at rhonda carpet i know you're not you're looking at a few years of not eating on wednesday that's the vision you're looking at a few years of her of her baby sister you like how i said that honey baby sister you're looking at a few years of a baby sister saying i have a vision of rhonda coming home i have a vision of rhonda there's no listen you knew they would listen the benny the bennetts are the easiest people to preach under conviction they just cry when they get in the presence of god she just come to church on her pink harley davidson and cry i mean her her mascara master tattoo she'd just cry and cried cry until god kept hitting that heart until rhonda got in this church and got filled with the holy ghost baptized in jesus name she's a great soul winner right now and oh by the way ronda has picked it up too i i saw a little text between the two of them the other day they're fasting on wednesday because we're not going to stop till all the bennetts are in this church living for god and serving god come on do you want to dream about it or do you want to have a vision that's going to happen come on marcy david's coming home come on i'm talking about having a vision right now if you don't have a vision for your body you'll eat anything if you don't have a vision for your money you'll spend it all if you don't have a vision for your life you'll do anything vision would y'all let me preach a little longer this morning he said you won't know how abraham sacrifice that's how abraham is sacrificed he said put all these animals out cost him something and the bible says in verse 11 and when the fowl came down upon the carcass i'm going to tell you the devil is called a foul in the bible you get ready to have a vision you get ready for satan to fight you you only have a dream you know what the devil's doing he's at your cradle going lullaby lullaby sleep tight my little christian don't call them to church don't invite them when you see them in the mall go to sleep my little friend pray very vague prayers that they'll come in but never go to where they're at do all of this hush my little baby you wanna be a visionary a visionary says yeah i know since i've been praying for my family they got put in jail yeah i know since i got put in family one's done oh deed oh yeah i know since i've done this this has happened it seems like things are getting things are getting worse since i've been praying don't you understand they are because the fowl the enemy knows he's in trouble they hold meetings in hell and they begin to say hey i've got rhonda carpenter i've got her on drugs i've got her drinking i've just about got her to take her life but her baby sister is fasting her baby sister and when i'm going around her with my demonic spirit angels are coming in the room and saying some oh my god come on who'll be next who'll be the next penny carpenter that'll say i'm not dreaming about my family val came down he had to shoo him away he had to fight he had to fight him away and the bible says when he shooed the foul way he fought them away that he said this and when the sun was going down a deep sleep fell upon abram and lo a horror of great darkness fell upon him wow you see this visionary stuff again dreamers dreaming is for sissies when you're a visionary there's some darkness that comes upon you you know why you're fighting hell you're fighting hell for your children satan you can't have my family matter of fact i'm gonna go ahead and tell him right now because somebody says the devil don't come to church you're just mistaken go ahead and tell him right now you're not having my family you're not having our marriage every little bird we get under our saddle we're going to get it out because god meant for us to tough it out god meant for us to be an example to our generation my family when i see my children becoming a little cold on god you better look out devil i'm rolling up my sleeves you're not going to have my family you're not going to have my gran hey i look across here and don't see my grandchildren praising god i'm going to start i'm not god enemy you're not going to have my family come on baby get your hands up come on i saw you the other night not with your hands up papa's going to tell you get your hands up and praise god because i don't just have a dream that my grandchildren are going to stay in church i've got a vision that my grandchildren are going to stay in church a dream i do nothing a vision i look over and say hey hey we're just having a move of god and you didn't have your hands up baby you gotta you listen you'll lose out with god if you don't pray come on parents come on come on look around here in church make sure your sons your daughters your grandchildren are worshiping god and if they're not go talk to them don't embarrass them though don't embarrass them and you know what maybe at church is not a time for you to go and bear don't embarrass them no that that that'll do more harm than good i got something better than that take them out to their favorite restaurant for lunch take them down to if they're young enough take them down to mcdonald's let them play on the playground a little bit and then set them down and say hey papa noticed papa noticed that the other night was having a good service you you you wouldn't really praise the lord like you should i promise you they'll they'll open up a lot better to you doing that than they will you marching all the way across 18 pews pulling them up here and getting everybody around them they're just standing there they're disconnected i'm sorry i'm just going to be honest with you they're disconnected they don't need an experience they need a relationship so we're going to stay down here and pray that they talk in tongues i i get it i understand it but what they really need is to get in a relationship with jesus christ and while you get in a relationship with jesus christ buy them a bible study the bible with them pray with them help them ah some of you don't think i got to meddling down you never have your isaac until you have an altar you'll never have your isaac until you have a sacrifice and just let me go on down let me go on down verse 13 and he's and he said unto abram no no of assurity that thy sea shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs and shall serve them and they shall afflict them for 400 years he's telling abraham about being harnessed in egypt and also that nation whom they serve will i judge and afterward they shall come out with great substance you see 400 years before that you know we preached that little message about them coming out of egypt with all the jewels that wasn't something new that didn't just hap that wasn't just a thought off god's cuff he just thought hey they're coming out of egypt this night i just let's go ahead and throw a little gold in the street 435 years before it happened god said i replant it they going to give you gold silver and everything else i already planned it can't understand something god has already got some awesome plans for your life god has got some awesome plans for all of us today oh don't you want to find it don't you want to don't you want to be a visionary today and not a dreamer i want to find it well let me i could well no let me read the rest of this because this really plays in good he says you're going down to egypt you're going to be there 400 years verse 17 and it came to pass when the sun went down and it was dark behold a smoking furnace and a burning lamp passed between the two pieces two of the things that's going to help you get your vision furnace represents process and lamp represents guidance on your way to get your vision is going to be processed things in us this morning that our vision cannot come to fruition until it's burnt out of us a furnace is the heat that gets material and brings it to the surface there's things in some of us today there's things in us today that we need the furnace and in the midst of the furnace god says look at this lamp here this is where i'm going to guide you this is where i'm going to lead you in the same day verse 18 in the same day the lord made a covenant with abraham saying unto thy seed have i given this land from the river of egypt unto the great river of the the river euphrates the canites and the uh and it goes ahead and he lists 1920 21. it's all verses that tell what he's going to give them now you know what we want we want the land first if i can just get my land first i'll get an altar i just want my child here at church if i can get them here i'll start fasting i'm sorry it doesn't work that way you don't get your land of promise until you have got an altar of sacrifice and again mama again daddy listen to me today pray on back in don't leave it up to me don't don't leave it up to me i can pray for your children as a whole but it was never meant to be that i carry all the passion listen dad there's nobody that loves that boy like you i love him as a soul in this church you love him come on i know i'm shocking some of you today i i love him as a boy in this church but you love him that's your son for heaven's sake come on mama i love your girl because she's a young girl in this church but come on mama you the one that birthed her you're the one that can have passion over her you know if i do if i am a respecter persons i'm going to point my attention to that little girl that doesn't have a mama here this morning i'm going to point my attention toward that boy that doesn't have a daddy here this morning but they've we've got them here i'm not upset i'm just burdened i'm just burdened well so i i don't know if it's god's will for me now tell me about a vision tell me about a vision brother carpenter you're coming to a close you're coming to close tell me about a vision well you've already got it you've already got it so what you got a vision when god filled you with the holy ghost because acts 2 and 17 says and it shall come to pass in the last days saith god i will pour out of my spirit upon all flesh your sons and your daughters shall prophesy your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams can i tell you all this prophesying visions and dreams have to do with what the holy ghost is going to do look at the three categories of people sons and daughters young men old men all age groups i'm not just preaching to the youth this morning i'm preaching to the middle aged people come on i'm preaching to the elderly people or let me tell you it's the world that has made old a bad word there's nothing wrong with being an old man but our wall street fifth avenue marketing has made old something that we need to run away from we need to be forever 21 we need to be forever this can i tell you i stand against that culture just like i've been preaching holiness on wednesday night the culture that makes being old a bad word is the wrong culture old people can dynamically be used of the hand of god come on praise him with me well social security yeah what about social security i'm more concerned with salvation what about social security social security shouldn't be the your finish line in life oh i've got social security i'm quitting now that's just a phase in another area of your life you older people we older people today god can use us older people the bible said when the holy ghost comes us older people are going to have dreams and we're going to connect you with the visions of the young people that's why in the apostolic church there is no generational gap around here why it's all the holy ghost the little one that will be baptized today the infant that's going to be dedicated today it's all one in the same to the glory of god vision vision vision let me tell you something if you have a vision you have to look at this world and ask yourself the question does that fit my vision i have a vision i'm going to live for god i'm going to heaven hell is real and heaven is real and the rapture is at any moment and you think things got out of control when coveted hit you ain't seen nothing yet baby but i'm getting out of here i've got a vision of living for god attitudes i'm gonna say does that fit in my vision music entertainment does that fit in my vision let's just let's just let's break it down let's all just break it down all right let's just let's just break it down all right and just let's just be real for a moment i'll be real i'll be transparent all right it's no excuse it's absolutely no excuse covet knocked us all off our schedules and i'm carrying about 20 none of your business pounds more right now all right 20 oh yeah and i got a suit in my closet that i used to be able to wear now i can do one of two things with that suit i can give it away to goodwill or i can get back in it give it away visionary says if i put it on i can take it off if i put it on boy it's quiet i hear people's timex is ticking right now if i put it on one meal at a time i'm gonna take it off one minute let me let me just look at the ceiling if i put it on one pound at a time i'm going to take it off one pound at a time that suit is in my closet and with the help of god and a lot of determination i'm going to wear that suit again and it's going to fit but you know what's got to happen no prayer line no oil no instantaneous falling in the floor and losing 20-something it's going to have to be a plan and every restaurant i sit down at i'm going to look at a menu and i'm going to have to say that don't fit my plan that's not in my vision fried chicken over a waffle with a side order of death by chocolate that's not in my vision do you have some steamed broccoli do you have some grilled chicken no oil please and don't let it be bigger than my hand now we're all laughing but it's the god's honest truth if i'm gonna get back in that suit i gotta have a different vision and my everyday activity has got to dictate to me i gotta say that's not in my vision that's not in my vision you turn the radio on and they start glorifying rape and they start glorifying all kind of fornication you have to say that's not in my vision that's that that's not in my vision that's that that's not in my vision you start running around with somebody and they're trashing the church and they're bashing the last two bible studies on holiness you've got to say get out of the car that's not in my vision that's not in my vision won't you stand right now why don't they go ahead sis carpenter help us get ready for baptism and we're going to do this and we're going to have a baby vacation just just matter of fact come on come on come on come on baby dedication come on come on come on you still with me today you you think you think you could stand a little bit i mean after all we do stand for worship don't we there'd be anything wrong standing for the word for just a few moments when you die don't nobody run the aisles now when you die they will put a tombstone on your grave that tombstone will record your name your date of birth and the day of your death and it may have a scripture it's going to tell about time day of your birth and day of your death everybody say time time some people say you ever heard this you can say amen if you've heard it i don't have time for church service and i sure don't have time for three church services i don't have time for bible reading i don't have time for daily connecting with god through private devotion to prayer you do have time you you do have time it's just what your vision is for your life i need church i need church it's the best listen i i don't understand i hear i i hear this and i'm pastor here i'm pastor and sometimes i get a little flat because i'm a superintendent of organization and sometimes people take what i say here and they want to take it or this listen save the emails all right this is for the church here this is for church but churches that are doing away with their sunday evening service sometimes they'll say well nobody comes well i'd build a fire and have them come everybody wants to everybody wants to know what's on fire or they'll say i want my fam i want my members to have family time i guess my vision of family time is different than your vision of family time i don't know about you but i've got i've got saturday i'm gonna have some family time i don't think they're closing the mountains on saturday are they closing dollywood on saturday are restaurants closed on saturday so we got 24 hours called a saturday right how about you as long as i got breath in my body i view sunday night is some of the best family time what a great way to invite your what a great way to invite your family i know i'm having you all stand i know and i i thank you i thank you all so so very very much i thank you so very very sister carlton to come over here for a moment come on over here i'm i'm just flying today i'm just i'm as spiritually high as a kite right now okay because i'm gonna have vision i want to have vision you know why i preached holiness the last two brother salyers you know why i preached holiness the last two wednesday nights because i have a vision of what this church is going to look like that fits my vision that's my vision you see your time daily rebirth date of your death is what you did with your time it's what you did with your time young people i want you to listen to me just for a second you have so much potential i am pastoring listen to me now i am pastoring i've been pastoring here for almost 40 years and i don't know when i've ever had a youth group full of the potential that's in you it's so help me god you are special you're anointed many of you come out of families of hurt and confusion but that's the fertilizer that's making you who you are right now i wish i was educated enough to tell you you're blowing my mind you're blowing my mind i know that all of you are not going to be preachers i know all of you are not going to be missionaries i'm going to tell you my vision of you my vision is right here in this church are going to be future city officials in maryville and alcoa my vision is in the future of this church young men and young women are going to be some of the judges that sit at the courthouse in judge cases you're not all going to be preachers we don't need you all to be preachers my vision is you're going to be in the corporate world throughout this city your minds haven't been burnt up you're bright you're energetic you've been given a frame of how to care for people have that vision about your life the vision about your life is unbelievable there are there is head nurses in this youth group today there's movers and shakers in this youth group today young people would you just right now if you believe that would you lift up your hands right now and would you begin to give god some praise right now come on say i that's me that's me right now that's me he's talking about me he's talking about he's talking about me today come on parents if you believe this this morning oh god in the name of jesus in the name of jesus in the name of jesus jared and savannah pool i could not personally be more proud of a couple than i am of you a heartache of a pastor is for people not to serve god it's the deepest heartache that a man and his wife will ever face is to pour everything that you've got and to watch them walk away it's an indescribable pain it's an indescribable hurt but on the flip side of that coin jared and savannah is when we watch young people just like you grow up in the church live for god love god meet get married and have children it's the joy of all joy savannah you are such a good mama you are such a good mama you are you're such a good mama but you know what makes you a good mama hurt confusion and day's wondering will god ever do anything with me but here we are standing on this platform this sunday morning you're a worker in our daycare you're an anointed handmaiden of the lord you married a wonderful young man you married a wonderful young man he had to serve god because his mama would kill him all right he absolutely yes i remember one time your brother snuck off and went to the movies your brother snuck up and went to the movies and he just didn't hide all of his evidence because before he went in the house he threw the stub down in the bushes your mama found out about it when she called sister carpenter with what she was going to kill him with i we prayed the prayer of faith so you've had good parents jared you've had good parents and you're we're having some laughs at your expense today but but this was this what makes it so special see we have a vision [name redacted] let me have [name redacted] brother carl yes it's your grandson the pool says the position grandson we have a vision for him we have a vision we have a vision that he's going to live for god we don't have a dream he's going to live for god we have a vision he's going to live for god we don't have a dream that he's going to serve the lord one day we have got a vision that's got step by step by step he's going to be put in a nursery where women are going to be singing the sweet songs of jesus over him he's going to grow up in sunday school where they're going to be teaching him the word of god he's going to be faithful just like his mom and dad are faithful he's going to be put in the christian school he's probably going to get i'm not prophesying today but he's probably going to get the holy ghost in a school rush service that's our vision for him and your vision is to give him to god today to give him to god we do this symbolically we hand him over to first lady which two left-handed people here symbolically sister carpenter represents the church pastor erickson is going to come and anoint with oil that represents the holy ghost aren't you glad he's gonna be able to hear some bible studies on holiness he's not just gonna it's just not gonna be what you heard he's gonna hear it too he's gonna hear it too and we're all gonna have an example we're all gonna be an example to him i'm going to lay my hands on him today but would you stretch your hands out as if you too were going to lay hands god god we give [name redacted] back to you right now lord we thank you god for jared and savannah lord we thank you god for this family oh we thank you god for this family lord brother dylan's your brother poole come around help us pray right now come on come on jeremy help us pray right now oh help us pray right now oh mighty god mighty god almighty god god we dedicate this child to you right now lord we dedicate him to you right now lord oh god he shall jose god we dedicate these families to you right now lord in the name of jesus god god thank you for life lord thank you for life lord lord i thank you for life lord in a day one and count millions of babies never see the light of day god i thank you for savannah and jared i thank you lord for their desire to want a child and now their vision for that child lord you see what we've done today in jesus name jared and savannah in the presence of the lord jesus christ and the angels of heaven i charge you you will have more disappointments in life there will be more shakings but do not let anything shake you out of your faith with god and don't let anything shake you out of the house of god for now we're going to give [name redacted] back to you but we give him back as god's property thank the lord church family let's give the lord a big hand wonderful isn't this wonderful now we're going to have a baptism in just a second we're going to get a picture we give we give a bait we're going to give [name redacted] a bible today you know it's an amazing thing the state of tennessee the state of tennessee they will finance if you're put in the correctional a penitentiary in the state of tennessee the state of tennessee will finance to give you one thing when you enter they'll finance giving you a bible i submit we're about a generation too late we need to finance give them bibles when they go into k-5 that's when that's when we need to give them a bible if i don't be quiet we're going to be here tonight go ahead pastor nolan thank you lord thank you jesus this is [name redacted] today and he told his parents he said i've got to get baptized to wash all the bad things away that's the that's the wow we need to go down in the name of jesus christ today would you reach your hands forward and stretch them towards land and god we thank you for landing today lord we know god that you have plans for him lord good morning god this is the beginning god of a walk with you lord praise god you're gonna lead land and you're gonna guide him lord god you've got great plans for his life lord and we pray that you should go with him and protect him in the name of jesus christ this morning lord jesus let [name redacted] upon the profession of your faith and an obedience to the word of god i'll now indeed baptize you in the name of jesus christ for the remission of your sins and and thank the lord you've already received the gift of the holy ghost in jesus name jesus lord thank you lord god yes i give it it all i give it up love you now church just let me have your attention for just a couple more moments because this is this is i can't tell you how this is on my heart up in the media room i had asked for you to give me the picture of supreme court justice john roberts would you go ahead and put him on the screen the supreme court justice john roberts and youth i want you to listen to pastor for a moment supreme court justice john roberts was invited to speak at his son's ninth graduation service supreme court john roberts here's what he said it is his son's ninth graduation he says now the commencement commencement speakers will typically also wish you good luck and extend good wishes to you i will not do that and i'll tell you why from time to time and years to come i hope you will be treated unfairly so that you will come to know the value of justice i hope that you will suffer betrayal because that will teach you the importance of loyalty sorry to say but i hope you will be lonely from time to time so that will that you won't take friends for granted i wish you bad luck again from time to time so that you will be conscious of the role of chance in life and understand that your success is not completely deserved and that the failure of others is not completely deserved either and when you lose as you will from time to time i hope that every now and then your opponent now i want to share this with the aca teams i hope every now and then your opponent will gloat over your failure it is a way for you to understand the importance of sportsmanship i hope you'll be ignored so you'll know the importance of listening to others and i hope that you will have just enough pain to learn compassion whether i wish these things or not they're going to happen and whether you benefit from them or not will depend upon your ability to see the message in your misfortune i hope that you see your pain today as the great fertilizer that god's gonna make a mighty man and woman out of your life in jesus name haven't we had a good time in the house of the lord this afternoon haven't we had a great time today god bless your prayer meeting at 5 30. see you tonight