Weak But Yet Anointed | Senior Pastor Kenneth Carpenter

you have your bible i'd like to invite your attention to the second book of samuel chapter number three and verse number 38 second samuel chapter number three and verse number 38. while you're looking for that i'm so delighted to see a great number of guests with us on this july the 4th weekend and some that are from out of town and some as our two precious ladies right up the street and we're so thankful to have to have you here at first apostolic church uh we have a great day planned for you at the sevierville campus at two o'clock we have the evangelistic family brother and sister weir and their family they're gonna be bringing the word and singing we're gonna have a great time at two o'clock in sevierville and then we're gonna bring the weir family back with us tonight here and you're going to hear some good singing from brother and sister we are and their family they're all just so extremely talented and we love them we love them so dearly and then tonight we're going to treat you with none other than brother jeremy lang we're glad to have brother jeremy laying in the house with us and uh he is he is the intimidator of every preacher that gets up and says the hebrew word means this or the greek word says that because he really knows what that hebrew word means and what that greek word uh i was telling somebody i knew a little greek he owned a restaurant over in knoxville that's as far as i go all right so we'll be having that in the evening service and then this is the icing on the cake we are so privileged to have the salinas family all the way from santiago chile going to be here for several weeks with us we can't tell you how delighted honored that we are to make an impact upon the country of chile they're going to be here he is brother salinas knows a little english and his purpose to be here is to sharpen his english skills so that when he goes back that he can be he could be bilingual there and he knows a little english and i know zilch spanish all right so do what so most familiar did i say it right so most familia and that means we are family we are family amen so most familia okay and to all of you that are watching from chile this morning so most familiar to you in jesus amen hallelujah jesus yes sister carpenter was ministering in chile and she got up and she said that so most families and and and man that place just erupted i didn't know what she was saying and i didn't know sis carpenter was starting some kind of i mean they got really with it i mean and they said she's just i asked the interpreters she's just told everybody we are family and we are family aren't we we are family brother naomi it is so good to have you home from the philippines our resident missionary to the philippines and brother and amy we just uh i know i know that there's three women that are excited to have you home your wife your daughter and your mother-in-law all right you know you got to be a good husband when your mother-in-law is glad to see you all right somebody said behind every successful man is a surprise mother-in-law amen well let's get busy preaching isn't jesus wonderful isn't jesus wonderful this morning ii samuel 3 38 and the king said unto his servants know ye not that there is a prince and a great man fallen this day in israel and i am weak i am this day weak could you say that with me the word week david said i am this day weak though anointed though anointed i am this day weak though anointed king and these men the sons of zeruah be too hard for me the lord shall reward the doer of evil according to his wickedness just for a few moments i don't believe it's going to be a bible study it's going to be more preaching but this has grabbed my attention and i want to minister on this weak but yet anointed weak but yet anointed if you place your bibles down let's pray right now father i love you today thank you for the privilege and the honor of being set free thank you lord for the beautiful revelation of your name thank you lord for the infilling of the holy ghost thank you god that we know who you are thank you lord that we worship you this morning in spirit and truth thank you lord for your word that is our compass thank you god for your word open our minds today god that we may behold great treasures out of your word that the spirit of revelation be in this house will give you praise and honor and glory in jesus name we pray would you give the lord a hand to praise as you're being seated right now come on give him the best hand you've given him all morning hallelujah thank you lord you're so good to us jesus you're so good to us lord oh jesus you've been our salvation you've been our healing you may be seated in jesus name friday night i was privileged to be asked to speak at the funeral of bishop boharis on the front row was his son james that is the pastor now of the church the lord began to deal with my heart how weak james must be feeling how weak brother james harris must be feeling because he has lost his father how weak brother weir i believe you could relate to that what a precious father that you had in the gospel and i looked at him all right let me go back as i was meditating on what i was going to say i i couldn't help but be drawn to this scripture i am weak this day yet i am anointed i am weak but yet i am anointed those two ingredients are exactly what god is looking for weak but yet anointed let me give you just briefly the background of the text so we can kind of understand what david's talking about saul israel's first king has died david is in a transition period to where he has been anointed king but he has not yet officially been inaugurated as the king israel and judah are divided israel and judah are divided brother is fighting brother there are those that are still fighting for the house of saul as a matter of fact chapter three of second samuel begins by saying there was war between the house of david and there was war between the house of saul there was war between these two houses and it says but david waxed or grew stronger and stronger while the house of saul grew or waxed weak and weak so saul had a captain by the name of abner and david had a captain by the name of joab joab had two brothers they were all the sons of a woman by the name of zeruah joab was the captain for david and abner was the captain for saul and we're told that abner and saul got together and the only explanation that we've got is they were trying to really settle who was the king by who could defeat the most men and so they they kind of took up sides and they they they uh abner saul's captain sent out a bunch of men and joab david's captain sent out a bunch of men and i have the number exactly right of how many of the men that were slain from david's camp it was 20 men 20 men lost their lives that day when the when the battle was over there were 20 fallen soldiers on david's side while on saul's side there was 360 that were fallen dead of course you can kind of see where the house of david is growing stronger and stronger and the house of saul is growing weak and weaker but joab had a brother a hazel and the bible simply says about a haziel that he was as fast on his feet as a wild deer he was he was an extremely fast runner well that day when that when they got into that battle and they decided that they would retreat and of course when they retreated both sides were running they were running to get back to their country or their their territory and uh uh abner saul's captain he took off running and i guess if you kind of look at it through this if uh you're being beaten you've got 360 men dead and david's only got 20 men dead i would say that you've taken a quite a a a beating that day so abner wants to live to fight another day abner decides i'm going to get out of here i want to live to fight another day and so abner takes off running a haziel a spots abner and hazel in his mind is beginning to think i would love to take the armor of the fallen soldier abner back i would i would i would i would love to take the the the the that armor back to david that saul's captain abner has been slain and so ahaziel being as fast as a wild deer he takes off after abner abner is running for his life and he hears the uh the uh the foot footprints or foot uh uh steps of a man behind him and he doesn't want to get distracted and he keeps veering over his shoulder and he notices that it is a hazy hell and abner says to a haziel he says a haziel turn aside to the left or the right and take someone else's armor for why should i kill you this day and have a problem looking your brother in the eye in other words abner is very confident that while a haziel may be fast on his feet he's not a good fighter so he's trying to he's trying to get him to understand i don't want to kill you i don't want to take your life i can spin around in one moment and in your life he tells him the second time turn aside hazel i i i don't want i don't want to take your life take another soldier's armor but not mine well evidently haziel was determined to take abner's armor abner has to make a decision this distraction is slowing me down i could stop there and preach a while sometimes we need to curse our distractions because they're slowing us down the enemy that wants our lives is sure going to overtake us if we're always looking behind us if we're always and finally yes make a decision you are slowing me down and so if you could if you could see this with me abner takes the end the sharp end of his spear and the bible says that abner with one thrust back thrust his spear up under the fifth rib of hazel and a hazy hill falls dead we know that the bible says that as joab hazel's brother and their side come to that spot they come to the spot where hazel is dead and they stand there that day that one death that one death caused them to stop we know that that abner walked all night long to get back to his territory and joab and his side walked all night long to get back to their territory a few months went by and abner abner sees that we are ever losing ground and so abner does something that i would applaud him for if you can't beat them join them you can't meet them join them and so abner decides that he makes a trip to hebron he makes a trip to see david while he is there at hebron he says to david david i understand that that you're israel's king and david if you will protect my life david i will i will go through all the regions of israel the places that i have influence and i will turn the hearts of the people towards you because most certainly david you you are you are the anointed you are the anointed king and uh david david agreed to abner and they made a covenant that day that abner would come to david's side and fight david's battles and turn the kingdom to israel abner leaves leaves hebron that day that's a city and abner goes back and as abner is leaving just enough space of time joab was coming back from a battle that's a hazy else brother joab was coming back from a battle and and joab did not see abner but as joab got in the city someone said to joab said did you know that abner was here today now can you imagine all of the anger that was pent up as a matter of fact lord lord help me not to get sidetracked here but joab it names his mother it names his mother he is a son of zeruah the word zerua means bitterness and wounded bitterness and wounded you you know i i don't know if there's anyone here today with a herd or a wound but please don't ever make zerua your mother because bitterness will cause you to seek nothing but revenge nothing but revenge abner screams out in agony what david you did what david you're so foolish don't you know david abner just came to spy out everything david don't you understand abner's not our friend and then the bible says that joab did something that david was not aware of joab deceivingly sent a messenger after abner and the messenger simply said david wants you to return to hebron and so abner gets the letter and returns back to hebron only to walk up to the gate of hebron and as he walks up to the gate he looks to the left side of the gate and behold who is standing there it's none other than joab joab pretend feigned himself that he was offering a handshake to abner he was fainting as if as if he was offering a hand or to hug him but what abner was not aware of joab had a dagger behind his back and just as abner had slain a haziel up under the fifth rib the bible says that joab stuck abner under the fifth rib and he died word comes into the town to david david joab has killed abner and david began to cry with a bitter cry he began to cry with a bitter cry and not only that david even attended the funeral of abner david followed the casket of abner david even spoke he even did a eulogy at abner's funeral doesn't sound really a good eulogy but it described the death he said abner died like a fool would die his hands were not bound his feet were not bound he went like someone not knowing that there was harm that was there now the bible says that when all israel saw how david acted that they gained a newborn respect for david and the bible says for they knew that the death of abner was not david's plan they knew that you know you know as children of god today we ought to do everything that we can to let people know that we're not for revenge we're people of peace y'all do everything that you know you we ought to do everything as a church to let this city this community know we have redemption upon our minds we're not a judgmental group we're not we're not doomsday people we're people looking for the lord to come we're people looking to give redemption where people that in other words david wanted everybody to know i had nothing to do with this then he simply made the statement i am weak this day i've been weakened yet i'm anointed david was an old testament typology of jesus christ there are more old testament typologies of jesus christ than david than any other character as a matter of fact a title that jesus christ wore all through his ministry while here on this earth was jesus thou son of david so i began to think about this verse of scripture weak but yet anointed and i began to think about jesus christ i came to the scripture of first corinthians chapter 1 and verse number 18 first corinthians 1 and 18 where paul said for the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness but unto us which are saved it is the power of god the preaching of the cross do we understand this morning the cross has a message there is a message about the cross the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness absurdities ridiculous not worth my time the preaching of the cross to those that are lost it's a foolish thing it's an absurdity you really believe that a man hung on a cross and died you really believe that they laid him in a tomb and three days later he came back to life ascended into heaven you really believe that absurdities foolishness for you to waste your life there the preaching of the cross when the preaching of the cross to some that are perishing is nothing but foolishness but unto us any yeses in the house i said unto us any us is here you know those two little boys that walked by that u.s post office and one little boy looked up the other and said what'd that mean u.s post office he said were you big dummy that means that's us is post office hey man that's that's us is post office but unto us got any of us is in the house but unto us it is the power of god under salvation you see when you take the cross you put the cross in one or two categories you just either hear the message of the cross is foolishness absurdities not going to waste my time on that or you look at the cross and say that's the power of god that was the power of god that changed my life that was the power of god that i can look back to and know that i know that i know that i know that i'm saved because somebody preached to me the power of the cross i like what spurgeon had to say about this i like what spurgeon had to say about it about perishing and those that are saved he said it is certain that a blind man is no judge of colors a deaf man is no judge of sound and a man who has never been quickened into spiritual life can have no judgment as to spiritual things a blind man cannot be a judge of colors a deaf man cannot be a judge of sound and a perishing individual should not influence a believer on how they should live what do they know about it they've never had their eyes open what do they know about it they've never had their ears open i am glad today through the preaching of the cross go to verse 19. for it is written i will destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent listen to god he says i'm going to destroy the wisdom of this world i am going to destroy the wisdom of the wise come on folks don't we see this today as we look around at the world around us don't we see today that two plus two doesn't equal four in a lot of their schools don't we know today that they're schools that no one gets a failing grade because everybody's answer is right cannot tell whether they're male or female god humans got humans acting like animals what are they what's that movement fares furries thank you freeze it's people that dress up like animals and live like they've been living like animals for some time but now they're dressing up like animals all right as a matter of fact recently and i say recently you get older recently maybe a few years ago at the uh opera land hotel in nashville we were they were putting the sound systems and hanging the speakers and they had a machine that put plastic on the floor so that they could uh put ladders and and and um all kind of machinery that they were needing to hang the speakers and they said oh we bought a new machine that comes in and puts plastic down just lays plastic down said we had to buy it said we just had no furry convention here and said they came and sat on the floor and said they urinated like animals on our floor and said we had to go buy this piece of equipment so that they wouldn't they wouldn't run the flooring here in this place can i tell you that we are witnessing god utterly destroying the wisdom of this world can we say today please don't look to washington for your direction pray for washington let me get let me let's get this straight the bible tells us to pray pray for washington pray for all of our elected leaders but please don't ever look for them don't ever let them be your hope don't ever let them be your hope god says for i will destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent where is the wise god says where is the scribe where is the disputer of this world have not god made foolish the wisdom of this world for after that in the wisdom of god the world by wisdom knew not god let me stop there for a moment when you were born god gave you wisdom to know him god gave you the ingredients to know him every person has a measure of faith inside of them but it just depends what you allow that wisdom or that measure of faith to become for after verse 21 for after that in the wisdom of god the world by wisdom knew not god it pleased god it pleased god by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe for the jews require a sign a miracle and the greeks seek after wisdom some kind of intellectual reasoning that can be brought out the jews were saying give us a sign give us a miraculous sign while the greeks were stroking their beards and saying give us some kind of reasoning some some kind of intellectual reasoning to believe upon god and god said i will give you neither i'm not going to give you a sign neither am i going to give you some intellectual reasoning look at verse 23 this is what we get this is what we get verse 23 but we preach christ crucified now there can't be a more oxymoron than putting those two words together christ crucified that's an oxymoron that's like us saying jumbo shrimp all right christ means deliverer messiah waymaker christ means miracle worker christ means ruling king christ crucified means humiliation means death it means shame it was the most humiliating death an individual could ever go through why in the world you put those two words together because god says i'm going to make foolishness out of the wisdom of this world the world is looking for some plan that they understand the world is looking for some intellectual plan or some razzle dazzle miracle that they can understand and god says i'm going to put two words together i'm going to put christ crucified together i'm going to put christ on a cross and when somebody will preach christ on a cross i'll let my miracle working power come down in the midst thereof christ on a cross has set a drug addict free christ on a cross has forgiven many people of their sin christ on a cross has put a lunatic in their right mind christ on a cross come on give him some praise right now give him some praise in this room christ on a cross christ on a cross come on praise him right now christ christ on the cross but we preach christ we preach christ but we preach christ crucified it was a bible college it had a beautiful archway into the courtyard of the bible college they had inscribed on these this archway we preach christ crucified over time someone planted some ivy the ivy began to grow until one day the ivy had covered up the word crucified and it simply says we preach christ and so you can preach christ as a miracle worker you can preach christ as a great teacher but it's not like preaching christ crucified sometime later the ivy grew over christ and that just left them with we preach we preach self-motivation we preach find your destiny we preach believe in yourself but over time the ivy covered up preach and all that was left was we and all you ever heard was a society of where we go have our fellowship i'm glad to be in a church that we preach christ crucified but we preached christ crucified unto the jews a stumbling block under the under the greek's foolishness look at that it was so close to the jews they stumbled right over it it was right there you're not the messiah you're not him jesus just plainly said well that book you got tucked up under your arm said just open up that book and read for these are they which testified me they had jesus write in their bible but they stumbled over him the greeks the greeks you're not educated the greeks it's nothing but foolishness but unto them verse 24 but unto them which are called both jews and greeks don't you see this today christ the power of god would you say that with me christ the power of god and the wisdom of god because the foolishness of god is wiser than man and the weakness of god is stronger than man god omnipotent omniscient god almighty god when did you ever become weak almighty god when were you ever weak and he echoes back across heaven and says when i became a man when i became a man i not only took on sin but i took on human weakness i would enter into a body that would know what it was like to hunger i would take on a body that would know what it was like to get weary i would take on i would take on weakness but let's read it again because the foolishness of god is wiser than man and the weakness of god is stronger than man how strong was man well asked samson the bible said samson lay judges 16 13. let's see how strong samson was sampson laid till midnight arose at midnight took the doors of the gate of the city and the two posts and went with them bar and all and put them upon his shoulder and carried them up to the top of a hill that is before hebron he took the host city gates put them on his shoulders carried them several miles that's got to be one more he-man that's got to be one more strong man i can't do that and i don't think anybody in this room can do that he was a he-man of course he had a she weakness but he was a he-man if you don't think that's strong let's look at ii samuel 23 8 somebody say praise the lord these be the names of the mighty men whom david had second samuel 23 8 the tacmo night that sat in the seat sheep among the captains the same was adino the as knight he lift up his spear against 800 men whom he slew at once and i want to tell you something at his evermore one rambo that is ever more one sealed team member raise your spear not against eight man that'd be some of his hate right it'd be something brother wherever it is 80. i'm talking about 800 and one more man now i i don't know i was going to give you these in order but but but but let's get out of the bible and see these guys that actually lift weights you've got a picture i i sent a couple pictures of guys that live look at that wow how about the next fellow how about the next fella whoo but the bible says the weakness of god is stronger and samson is stronger than a dino is stronger than that guy would you show me how much stronger our jesus is give me if you got the next picture would you give me that that's how strong he is god when in the world did you ever become weak when i became a man but when i became a man i'll show you how strong i am i'll not only carry gates i'll let them i'll let them take my life i'll lay it down and in three days it took 16 soldiers to put that stone by the door but i'll roll the stone away that's the weakness of god i'm talking about the preaching come on give him praise honor and glory the preaching of the cross will deliver you the preaching of the cross will set you free the preaching of the cross will be your midnight comforter the preaching of the cross will see you through any valley over any mountain the preaching of the cross well just for time's sake revelation 1 and 18 i am he that liveth and was dead and behold i am alive forevermore amen and have the keys of hell and death strong strong a weakness of god the weakness of god stronger than man and the wisdom of god the wisdom or the excuse me the foolishness of god verse 25 but the foolishness of god is wiser than men the foolishness god when did you ever enter into something with the appearance of foolishness well it entered in the same time when i when i became weak because i attached a message to that cross i attached a message to it and inside the message of the cross is the foolishness and it's wiser than man well how wise could man be how wise could man be first kings 3 23 let's let's let's interview the wisest man the bible said that solomon was the wisest man first kings chapter 3 and verse 23 he's still there say amen how about some others got more uses in the house us then said the king the one saith this is my son that liveth and thy son is dead and another saith nay but thy son is the dead and my son is the living of course what this was two harlots came to solomon and of course this was way before 180 1 800 who's your daddy this was way before blood tests and all of that and um they come and they both said we live in one house sleep in one bed we both had sons born about the same time and and um this woman rolled over on her son and smothered him he's dead the living baby's mine and the dead baby is hers and the other harlot spoke up and said no the living babies mine and the dead babies hers back and forth how do you settle this how do you settle it the king said bring me a sword they brought a sword before the king and the king said divide the living child in two give half to one and the half to the other then spake the woman whose the living son was and to the king for her bowels yearned upon her son and she said oh my lord give her the living child and in no wise slay it but the other said let it be neither mine nor vine but divide it then the king answered and said give her the living child and in no wise slay it she is the mother thereof and all israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged and they feared the king for they saw that the wisdom of god was upon him to do judgment that's pretty good isn't it now it's a whole lot easier to sit back there and really not pay attention to the virtu story because you've read the story you already know how it's going to end but i think you'd be singing a different tune today if you're standing there on that day pretty amazing they came to jesus he came to jesus trying to trap him trying to get him in trouble with the government mark 12 17. who do we pay taxes to jesus answered and said unto them render unto caesar the things that are caesar's and to god the things that are god's and they marveled at him again sounds easy but if you'd been there that day it would have been a revelation you see today let me just simply tell you i am not anti-education we have members here that teach at the university of tennessee we have members here that teach in the public schools we have highly educated uh individuals here today so i am not i am not anti although i do not consider myself educated in that realm i am not anti-education i am anti-education when you try to make that your salvation proverbs 9 and 10 for the fear of the lord is the beginning of wisdom and the knowledge of the holy is understanding the greatest degreed education you can have is a god diploma the greatest education you can have is a god diploma and those you know what's amazing those that are extremely educated and teach in ut and all these other places that attend church here they're a manners this morning because that's just their occupation they understand that's not their salvation nobody is set free by a diploma from maryville high school nobody is set free by a diploma from pellissippi state nobody is set free it's good that you got it but it won't set you free but get a knowledge of the holy god get a knowledge of god and you'll begin to be set free you'll begin to live a life of joy and peace come on we got to praise him just for a moment we got to praise him for just a moment oh let me travel on luke chapter 6 verse 47 i hope you hear this luke chapter 6 verse 47 jesus said whosoever cometh to me and heareth my sayings and do it them i will show you to whom he is like he is like a man which built his house which built a house and digged deep and laid the foundation on a rock when the flood arose and the stream beat vehemently upon that house and could not shake it for it was founded upon a rock that he that heareth and doeth not is like a man that without a foundation built a house upon the earth against which the stream did beat vehemently and immediately it failed and the ruin of that house was great how do you dig a foundation down to the rock between you and the rock is dirt earth you've got to remove the earth to get on the rock our flesh is earth we've got to remove the flesh to get on the rock our mind will say it's it's foolishness but somehow we got to see it as the great power of god our mind will say i just don't understand how you can hear about the preaching of the cross and something began to swell up in my belly something begins to swell up in my soul i've got a hot salty tear that wants to run down my face this morning i'll tell you what that is the more we can get the earth out of our lives the more we're gonna build upon that rock we're gonna get the earth out of our life pleasure will not help you entertainment will not help you more vacations will not help you a greater ride at disney world will not help you 10 more dollars on the hour will not help you a new mate will not help you better kids will not help you you got to get the earth out and get on the rock musicians would you please come go back to first corinthians 1 and 26 first corinthians 1 and 26 for you see your calling for you see for ye see your calling brethren how that not many wise men after the flesh not many mighty not many noble or popular are called oh i tell you what wouldn't it be something bro carpenter if if we could get a movie star converted yeah they need to be converted wouldn't it be something if we got a high-level political figure saved yeah they need to be saved but don't you ever think we need their endorsement see that that's the issue this gospel doesn't need an endorsement it just needs to be preached we don't need a high level political officer to get the holy ghost and get baptized and say oh man that's going to make y'all look good no we've been looking good for 2 000 years somebody just needs to preach it there is power in the preaching of the cross i am weak this day but i am anointed he said just look around maybe see just look around paul said just look around look at your calling there's not many wives didn't say we didn't have any it just said we didn't have many all right not many wives of course that's in reference to the opposite of the foolishness of god not many mighty not many noble are called but god had chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise i believe on that day when goliath looked out there at that little stripling of a boy i believe goliath was laxed i believe what little ruddy little boy david probably had one hair twig sticking up in the back like an antenna might have had a few pimples across his chin he just a little kid i see you like one really him really you better watch laughing because that little kid's gonna come across that hill in just a minute and you're gonna hear the buzzing of his slingshot and you won't even know what hits you that rock's going to hit you right between your eyes it's going to knock you out but it's not going to kill you the next thing that you'll probably feel is the bare foot of that little boy on your chest and his other foot putting your chin back up and he doesn't even use his own sword because he don't have one he reaches down and gets your very own and cuts your head off with it reaches down takes his little fingers and gets the head of goliath walks back into saul's tent where he's shivering because he's afraid of goliath and he says is this what you're looking for can i tell you today don't count yourself out because you deem yourself as foolish or weak you're just the right material god's looking for this morning you're just the right per oh i'm nobody i i i'm all messed up i i'm so weak i'm so vulnerable can i tell you you're just the very one that he's looking for this morning he wants let me finish it god has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty based things of the world things that are despised yeah have god chosen yea things which are not to bring to not things which are look at verse 29 that no flesh should glory in his presence no flesh the message of the cross would you just lift your voices right now could we just bring our minds in because i'm about to open this altar up today to those that are weak those that need to touch this morning those that god is looking for this morning oh come on church just a little louder in your prayer if you would come on just lift your voices up saints of god i need your prayer this morning i i need you to create an environment in this room that no flesh should glory in his presence no flesh no flesh paul would later say in galatians 6 and 4 but god forbid that i should glory saving the cross of our lord jesus christ by whom the world is crucified unto me and i under the world he said paul said i don't have any place to glory and you talk about education paul was highly educated but he said well i want a glory brag boast i'm not going to brag and boast about my education i'm not going to brag and boast today i'm the pastor of this church i'm going to brag on this building today i'm going to brag on the grandeur of this building thank you all that come and do and say what a beautiful place it is and that it is but i'm not bragging on this building what a wonderful 150 voice choir that gets up but i'm not bragging on that choir i'm not bragging on anything except one thing i'm going to brag on the cross of jesus christ i'm going to preach christ crucified because beautiful buildings have never redeemed anybody well-trained choirs have never touched anybody we just want it to be the backdrop to tell you that christ is crucified out of the deepest humiliation god can reach down and pull you out i'm so humiliated i'm so publicly embarrassed so was he that he can reach down this morning and pull you up out come on stand with me this morning christ christ crucified christ crucified galatians 2 and 20. i am crucified with christ i am crucified with christ how was your crucified paul romans 6 and 1 what shall we say then shall we continue in sin that grace may abound god forbid how shall we that are dead to sin that's crucifixion how shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein know you not that so many of us as were baptized into jesus christ was baptized into his death therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death that like as christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the father even so we also should walk in newness of life for if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death we shall also be in the likeness of his resurrection knowing this that our old man is crucified with him that the body of sin might be destroyed that henceforth we should not serve sin how do we crucify ourselves acts 2 38 then peter said unto them repent that's death repent that's death you've got to decide today i'm dying out to this i want the power of the cross is there any hope in this was there any hope in the cross sure well you you mean i i i i you you've got to die out you've got to die out to the life you're living you have to decide right here right now this morning i'm done i've made a mess of my life i've made the wrong decisions i've been in the wrong mind but today somebody preached to me about the power and the message of the cross my eyes are open what do i do next repent die die god die die die and be baptized every one of you in the name of jesus christ for the remission of sins what is that burial anything that dies needs to be buried that's what water baptism is all about how we crucified with christ we're buried he died on a cross we die in this altar this morning he died on a cross we come to this altar and say god on this sunday morning july the 3rd 2022 i die lord jesus i've made a mess of my life i am miserable i've tried to smoke it down drink it down cosmetic it down i've tried to vacation it down i've tried multiple mates i am a miserable wreck but i hear the preaching of the cross this morning what did they do with jesus what did they do with jesus he died they took him down from the cross were they taking the tomb we take people from an altar of repentance to the water it's not joining the church that is such a cheap thing of baptism it's not joining this local church it's not even saying i'm a follower of christ it's saying i've died out to my sins and i'm going to be buried in the only name that can forgive me of those sins i'm going to be buried but that's not the end of it that's not how that ends and you shall receive the gift of the holy ghost that's resurrection christ died repentance he was buried water baptism he rose on the third day spirit baptism he rose never to die again that's the message of the cross bow your heads with me all over this building please in the name of the lord jesus christ oh i feel the holy ghost right now oh every head is bowed every eye is closed nobody looking around the altars are open right now but there's a man here this morning there's a man here man that may be several you're tired you're tired you're just so tired life is a weariness to you you regret the day you were ever born in your mind you have done so much wrong that you could never get a new start i want you to know today the devil is a liar i want you to know today that this is what you've been looking for i want you to know sir that you are just a few feet away you are one decision away from your life being changed this morning you are one decision away from your life being changed i don't have the power of your decision god doesn't have the power of your decision it is in your hands sir would you release yourself from the back of that pew and would you step out into the aisle and would you begin to make yourself way down to this altar right now to kneel in this altar and say god i need the crucified christ this morning i need the crucified christ this morning please come please come god is dealing with you you are one decision away there is a woman here today there is a person here today you are weary with your life you may have even contemplated suicide you may have even tried to take your life life is not worth living your shame you've been humiliated you believe you can never get your reputation back the devil is a liar this morning you can get it back today you're one decision away you're you're about some of you are only about 40 feet away from walking into a new life this morning walking in pray church pray church pray pray church here they come this morning come on here they come this morning here they come this morning come on please come please come this morning please come it's the preaching of the cross it's the preaching of the cross the name of jesus please come this morning please come this morning pray church pray church go into intercessory prayer right now pray church i am weak but you're about to get anointed i am weak but you're about to get anointed the anointing is flowing in this altar the anointing is flowing in shelter i am weak but i'm anointed i am weak but i'm anointed come on church come on church come on church come on church come on church come on church please help me church please help me church don't don't just stand there like you don't know what's going this is life and death right now this is life and death right now hallelujah oh come on come on move up as close to the altar as you can come on church family let's all gather in oh god oh god i love you god almighty god oh god in the name it's not a mountain too tall there's not a problem so smart that jesus can resolve in time he'll get involved our god he cares about us there's our god he cares about us oh is is away yes i don't want to interrupt this this alter service right now but we're standing here right now there are those that have brought their weaknesses there's an anointing in this altar right now please church hear me if you're weak this morning this is the last place you want to put a mask on if you're weak this morning put a mask on when you go to work tomorrow but for god's sake don't have it on right now there is an anointing in this altar and that anointing is just looking for weakness it's just looking for weakness today but if you got your mask on the anointing just goes over you it's not going to mess with pride jesus walks up jesus walks up to a triple man and he says what would you want me to do some have said wouldn't it obvious me i want to be healed jesus don't you know the obvious what are you asking is there something i can do for you look at the man he's a and jesus says yeah but i want to see if he's got a mask on because crippled people can wear pretty mass us church people that have fought hell some of you've been up all night long fighting with the adversary this ain't the time to put a mask on this is the time to take it off come on get your hands lifted you want heaven to help you get your hands lifted get your mouth open get your heart open come on singers put your hand over on somebody right now put your hand over on somebody like that right now put your hand over on somebody pray for them right now oh yes create that's it that's it that's right that's it lay your hand he's a savior he's a deliverer he's a healer he's a marriage counselor he's a psychiatrist sure now but i got the anointing i'm gonna wait on youtube i'm now oh theme ghost is yeah i'm going away i'm not sure church family i want you just to reach your hands we have one here that's singing for the holy ghost we have at least one over here singing the holy ghost we've got another one here let's just reach your hands through this altar area or turn around to somebody crossed by value that's seeking for the spirit of god to fill them come on the anointing wants to fill the power of god wants to fill he's looking for an open and empty vessel a repentant vessel to fill with the spirit yes holy ghost for right now in jesus name let your power feel let your power feel let there be a holy ghost ocean power that fills your life right now your life will never be the same again your life will never be the same again i'm gonna wait on youtube oh the pastor preached about us here in this place i feel the strength i feel the strength of the lord in his house yes oh thank you for your power thank you for your word oh come on if you're praying this continue to pray come on i hear praises going up i hear prayers going up i hear people seeking the lord go ahead let it take place that's what the altar is all about the altar is a weekly process that we go through saying god i'm here once again god i need your presence in my life once again god i'm coming lord this is self-inventory once again i want to live for you and consecrate my life to you once again oh hallelujah thank you jesus come on let's close your eyes real tight hallelujah right before we end this service today i just believe come on whatever you came for it's yours and i believe you've received it in jesus name and if you haven't oh keep on seeking for it oh thank you jesus thank you jesus for your word god thank you for the preached word oh we preached christ crucified in this house oh i'm so thankful god you're crucified oh my god your death your bail your resurrection is what gives us power and what gives us hope jesus today god we thank you for it oh god we thank you for it oh thank you jesus hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah oh what a beautiful presence of the lord is in this place come on one more time just before we dismiss to lift our pants to heaven he's here oh thank you lord for the guests that if in this house today lord god we have so many guests there lord loved ones family members from out of town that have made this their place of worship god won't you bless them today oh god you blessed our families lord god you brought us together to celebrate freedom lord and i believe you've given us so much more than that today oh god there's a there's a spirit in this place of freedom and i feel it and lord we thank you for it god we bless your name today father lord as we leave this place lord god bring us back lord tonight once again lord i give you praise to give you honor and lord god to celebrate who you are and what you've done in our lives lord i bless your name today in jesus name clap your hands unto the lord and give him praise if you're thankful for the word