Wednesday Night Schedule | Christmas Eve Service| Senior Pastor Kenneth Carpenter

if you would remain standing with me and go to the book of Matthew chapter 16 and going to start reading at verse 13. Praise team tonight. Thank you so much for leading us into the presence of God through song. And I never want to ever take the praise team for for uh we're just granite tonight. I thank them for the hard work that they do to prepare all the songs this evening. So good to see such an such an awesome crowd here tonight. Wow, what a great crowd here on this midweek uh midweek service. So good to to see everybody tonight. And then I greet those that uh are online work worshiping with us tonight from from anywhere from here in Mville to Madagascar. I mean, it could just be around the world that they're I read all of the uh I read a lot of times I go back and read the comments of people that are uh watching and worshiping and I mean it's Paris, France. It's a London, England. It's uh somewhere in Africa. It's just just all over all the world and even sometimes it's from Friendsville, Tennessee. People just watching from from all over. Again, Pastor Nolan said something about the U spectacular. I had a phenomenal pastor was here Sunday night that told me was leaving church and he said, "I'm going to tell you." He said, "I'm about to become apostolic." I said, "Come on over. Come come on over." And just a tremendous just a tremendous time. Hey, we got a gift for everybody this coming Sunday. You don't want to you don't want to miss out. You got we got a gift uh for every person that'll be in church with us this coming Sunday. And then, you know, a week from tonight is is uh Christmas Eve. And we're going to have be having a special candlelight service Christmas Eve. I want you to tell your family that that service is going to last somewhere between 45 minutes to an hour. All right? So that way you can kind of put the ham over the side of the table. You can kind of cease for just a little bit. Come on to the house of God. I just believe that these are times that we can sew seeds. People are going to be more open to come to church with you in times like this right here. And uh so invite your family. They're in invite your family and then a week from uh tonight Christmas Eve, we'll be here and we'll be celebrating the light of the world. Amen. One last thing I want to say wave of praise. Uh there's a lot of work going on at the new training center and uh you you'll notice the front is off now and I guess that training center is very biblical. It has to decrease that it might increase. All right. So they've taken the front they've taken the front off of it and I want to say this. I want to publicly thank uh all of the volunteer workers that have been going down and volunteering your time. And I also want to thank Sugarland Construction, Brother Randy Cogdale. I was informed today that when he pulled the permit on that building, the permit was $2,000 to pull the permit. And him and his wife made just a donation, just a gift to the church. I thank God. That's how we do it. I'm I'm going to tell you that's brother Perry that's that's how that's how a bunch of poor people who are rich in faith build such wonderful buildings. We don't have in it what most people would have in it because we have wonderful people that will give and that will work and I do thank everybody. I do thank everybody for that. All right. Matthew chapter 16 verse number 13. When Jesus ca came into the coast of Cesaria Philippi, he asked his disciples saying, "Whom do men say that I, the son of man, am?" And they said, "Some say that thou art John the Baptist, some Elias, and others Jeremas, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, but whom say ye that I am? Simon Peter answered and said, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus answered and said unto him, "Blessed art thou, Simon Barjonah, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock, everybody say this rock. >> Upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. One more verse of scripture. The book of James, chapter number two. The book of James, chapter number two, and verse number 19. James chapter 2 and verse 19. Thou believest that there is one God. Thou doest well. The devils also believe and tremble. You have a prayer request tonight. Would you just raise your hand? Father, the name of Jesus Christ, I thank you tonight for your word. Thank you, Lord, for your word reveals your will. Your word reveals your identity. God, your word reveals everything that we need to know about going to heaven and about taking souls with us to heaven. God, I pray over all the needs of this local church, God. Lord, I pray over all the prayer requests that have come in, all the people, Lord, like Sister Paula Solomon that had surgery this week, Lord. And God, the different ones that are recovering from surgery, God, the different ones that are battling sickness, Lord, I pray over them right now. God, I speak peace in the name of Jesus over the troubled hearts of those. God will give you praise and honor and glory. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. Won't you give the Lord a big hand of praise before you're seated? Come on, praise him like you mean it. Praise him like you love him. And as I heard at youth conference, pray clap your hands like the devil's head is in between them. Amen. Yeah, you may be seated. Young people have a way of violently praising God, don't they? I I heard that at youth conference. Said, "Praise, clap your hands like the devil's head is in between there." Boy, I got the clap of my hands real real hard. Upon this rock, I will build my church. That's the title that I'd like to use tonight for the Bible study. My church. Everybody say that with me. >> My church. Just a brief going over the text again. Jesus comes to a place called Cesaria Philippi. I believe he came there for a reason. Cesaria Philippi was a place that housed the temples of false gods. Cesaria Philippi was a was a place that uh had all kinds of temples to all kinds of demonic false pagan gods. It would be here that Jesus would stop and it's possible that they were on the crest of a hill overlooking the different um idols and different places. It was there that he would turn to his disciples and he would say, "Who do men say that I, the son of man, am? Who do they say that? Who who do they say that I am? What's what's their opinion of me? Who who do they say that I am?" And well, they started and they started with John the Baptist and said some believe that you're John the Baptist come back from the dead and then others somebody else said well they say that you're Elijah and and some say that you're Jeremiah and some say that you're just one of the prophets. So, so we see very clearly, don't we, that among those outside of the disciples of Jesus, there was a there was a number of different opinions outside of the disciples of Jesus. They were not unified. They they were not unified in who Jesus his identity. You're Isaiah. You're you're you're Jeremiah. You're John the Baptist. You're you're one of the prophets. But then he turned to them and he said, "But who do you say that I am? Who do you say?" And it would be it would be the Apostle Peter that would break the silence. It would be the Apostle Peter that would speak out. I believe he spoke out boldly. He said, "Thou art the Christ, the son of the living God. You You are Israel's long awaited Messiah. You are the yokebreaker. You are the holy one of God. You are the flesh, the son, the flesh of the living God. That's who you are. Jesus then said to him, "Blessed art thou Simon Barjonah." Calls him who he is and who his father is. He says, "Blessed are you Simon Barjonah." Blessed are you. And that word there, this is just just don't read over it real quickly because there is tremendous benefits. There are eternal benefits in knowing the true identity of Jesus Christ. There are eternal benefits in knowing his true identity, not the opinions of man. I want the true identity. And so he starts off by saying blessed art thou Simon Barjonah. That word blessed there means it means to be fortunate. It means to be fortunate. It means to be favored. Um it actually means also to be to be well off. To be well off. Now we know we we use that term well off to describe somebody that has a lot of money. They'll say, "Well, man, I'm going to tell you they're they are well they are well off. man, I I want you to know that that man is well off and they're describing that he's that that that he or she has got a lot of money. But but you know something, when you have the true revelation of who Jesus Christ is, it can truly be said about you, I'm well off. I'm well off. You see, tonight, the only thing that we should be concerned is to have our foot on the rock and our mind made up. The thing that we should be concerned about more tonight than anything else in this world is that we're going to make heaven our home. We're going to make heaven our home. We're going to we we are going to walk the streets of gold. We're going to make because I really believe that church can become more about what we're going through and not about what we're going to. When it becomes only because of what I'm going to, I got to have a coach. I got to have a life coach. I got to have a pickme up sermon. I got to have something. I got to have a high sugar energy drink to get me through the week. But when you got your foot on the rock and you got your mind made up, I'm going to make it all the way home. Can I get a witness tonight? I'm going to hear him say, don't you want to hear him say, I'm going to hear him say, shout it with me. Well done, thou good and faithful servant. That's that's that's really all that matters. Blessed art thou highly favored, well off thou, Simon Barjonah, for flesh and blood hath not revealed this to you. Now, that flesh and blood is he's he's saying nobody taught you the identity of who I am. No, no, no man you down and got in your ear and in your mind and told you. You You didn't receive a revelation in your mind. you receive a revelation in your heart. And he said, "Blessed art thou, Simon Barjonah, for flesh and blood have not revealed this." Now, let's underline that. If you you read in your Bible, you can't understand who Jesus is except it be revealed to you. And the only way it can be revealed to you is for you to have a hunger of the true identity of who is Jesus Christ. Now, to have a hunger, if you're looking to go along with the crowd, you will never hunger after the true identity of Jesus Christ because you're more concerned with being popular than being right. If you're looking at the number and saying, "Well, a great number of people believe this is his identity." It doesn't matter if the whole world believes a false identity of Jesus Christ. It doesn't matter the numbers. All the thing that matters is the true identity of Jesus Christ. And it can only be gained through a revelation or through a through a hunger. The the hunger here in revelation. Everything we receive from God is by revelation. All right? And this is the great explanation. This is the great answer for how people can see spiritual things one year and not see them the next. because it is predicated upon hunger. If you're hungry, you will see it. If you lose your hunger, you begin to get all blurred and you you don't see what you once seen and and what you once walked out of and what you once laid down. Have you seen people that got a revelation of holiness and laid down things in their life? I I mean, they just laid down things and and they just they just put them down, but years later they go back and they pick them back up. Was God right then and wrong now? Or wrong then and right now? No. It's that the heart is deceitfully wicked. And you've lost that revelation. You've lost that beautiful revelation of who he is. Upon this rock, upon this revelation, upon the revelation of the identity of Jesus Christ, the church is being built. Now, pastor, can't you make a big deal about this? Well, let's see. How a big deal is it? Do you know the only thing that's predetermined on the earth to go to heaven is the church? All right. The only thing that's on earth right now that has been predetermined of God that's going to go to heaven is the church. Now, we must decide if we're going to be a part of that church that he said upon this rock, I will build my church. I will build my church upon this rock. So now we we we we come to this this revelation upon this rock I will build my church. Now let's go back and throw some doctrine that is in error out. The church isn't built upon the Apostle Peter which a major worldwide religion right now teaches that their leader whom they call a pope is where the church is being built. The church was not being built. Jesus was not saying Peter upon you will I build my church but it was upon the revelation that Peter had of the true identity of Jesus Christ. He said upon my identity I'm going to build my church. See it doesn't matter. Go out and build a house. And you builders, this is almost this is almost ridiculous for me to use this example. Doesn't matter the brick you put on that house. Doesn't matter the wood you put in that house. It doesn't matter fixtures that cost $5,000 a fixture. It doesn't matter the plumbing. It doesn't matter if you got heated floors in the bathroom or not. It doesn't matter what size garage it is. If it has a faulty foundation, it's all coming down. Do you realize that the true identity of Jesus Christ is the foundation of the church? If we don't have the true identity of Jesus Christ, it doesn't matter how big we are. It doesn't matter what we're doing in our community. It doesn't have matter how many uh uh empty mouths we're feeding. It doesn't matter how many coats we're giving away at winter. It doesn't matter how many compassion care packages, which all of that is well and good, but minus the true identity of Jesus Christ. And it's all gonna come down one day because God didn't call the church. God didn't call us to clothe our community. God didn't call us to feed our community. God called us to preach his word to our community. God called us to be the church. That's what we are here tonight in Marville, Tennessee. We are the church of this city. We are the lighthouse of this city. We cannot back up. We cannot shut up. We cannot set down. We cannot think we've arrived. the same thing that we started with. Why did the church start? The church didn't start. Bundarwood didn't come here years ago to start just another church. There were just another church all over Blunt County. But they said there needs to be an apostolic church. Why does it have to be apostolic? Why is being apostolic so important? Because the apostles knew the true identity of who Jesus Christ is. They they knew that identity. And sad to say today that most churches have accepted, and this is where we got to roll up our sleeves and go to work. Most churches have accepted an erroneous doctrine of the identity of Jesus Christ. He's not a second person. He He He is not a second person. He is not even the eternal son. Nowhere in the Bible does it refer to Jesus Christ as a second person. Nowhere in the Bible does it refer to him as being the eternal son. You see this world has different views of Jesus Christ. Let me read to you some things here. Jesus Christ, a historical figure from the first century of Judea, is interpreted differently across religions. While Christianity centers on him as divine, other traditions range from reverence as a prophet or teacher to rejection of his claimed status as God. The view of Christianity, Jesus is the son of God. That's correct. The second person of the Trinity. Incorrect. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Fully God, fully man. That is correct. He is the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament. Born of a Virgin Mary, performed miracles, died on the cross for humanity's sins, resurrected, ascended to heaven. His death and resurrection offer salvation of eternal life. Most of that is true, but one simple statement slid in there. The second person that is an erroneous doctrine that is an incorrect doctrine of the identity of Jesus Christ the religion of Islam. Jesus is a major prophet and messenger of God. The Messiah born of the Virgin Mary performed miracles speaking as an infant. They say healing and will return at the end of times. He is not divine, not the son of God and did not die on a cross. It was an illusion. He survived. He survived and traveled east to India and there he died of natural causes in India. This is Islam's religion. Judaism. Jesus is generally viewed as a historical Jewish teacher or rabbi who lived in the first century but not the Messiah as he did not fulfill messianic prophecies. He did not restore world peace. He did not rebuild the temple nor the in gathering of exiles. Claims of his divinity are seen as incompatible with monotheism one god. They they they reject that. Some historical Jewish texts portray portray him negatively as a false prophet and some in Judaism have even said Jesus was a sorcerer. Hinduism another world religion. There is no uni there is no unified view due to Hinduism's diversity. Many see Jesus as a holy man a wise teacher and avatar an in incarnation of God similar to Krishna. His teachings of love and compassion align with Hindu ethics, although they reject him as God. And I could go on and on and on and talk to you about world religions, but what good is it? You just simply know that they don't line up with the Bible. But I'm glad to be a Bible believer tonight. I'm glad to be a Bible believer tonight because I've got my foot on the rock and I've got my mind made up and it is our job to fill our city with what's referred to as the apostles doctrine. Can I get some help tonight? >> Can we fill this city with the apostles doctrine? One baptism at a time. Can we fill this city with the apostles doctrine? One Holy Ghost baptism at a time. Can we fill this city with apostolic doctrine one family in one neighborhood at a time because that's the ministry of the church to fill Maryville with the apostles doctrine. Nowhere in scripture nowhere in scripture is Jesus called the eternal son. Nowhere in scripture is he referred to as the preexisting Christ or the second person. You'll hear people this time of year say Jesus came to earth. No, he didn't. God came to earth. God came to earth. Jesus that we know that we preach about the babe in the manger, the 12-year-old boy in the temple, the 30 year old man that started preaching that Jesus, that son of man did not begin his existence until conceived of the Holy Ghost in the womb of Mary. There is no second person. There is no pre-existing Christ. There is none of that. He is God, Jehovah, manifest to us in the flesh. Son of man, humanity, son of God, deity. And I'm glad tonight to have my foot on the rock and to have my mind made up. I will tell you nowhere in the Bible is is it referred to as eternal father and nowhere in the Bible is it referred to as eternal son. The only place between using father son and holy ghost is the word eternal attached to it's never attached to father it's never attached to son. We find in Hebrews 9:14, "How much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternal spirit offer himself without spot to God to purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living to serve the living God?" You see, the reason it's not referred to as the eternal father is because father refers to his works of creation. It refers to Genesis 1:1. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. And so, even the earth had a beginning. And because it had a beginning, he is referred to as the father of creation. But the earth is not eternal. And even Jesus Christ, and we're going to read about it in a few moments, over and over again, he is referred to as the only begotten of the father. And while I'm on that point right now, that's why that's why pastors a little nervous about different translations of the Bible. People that are having different translation. Well, this is an easier to read. It's a proven thing that words are being taken out of the King James Bible. Well, you say, "Well, you know, the thous and the these I I I get that point. that would make it easier to read in the English. But they're also re removing words like the only begotten of the father and they replace it to the one of a kind of the father or the most unique one of the father. That's not the same word as begotten >> because they have a qu those that are trying to continually prop up. And if you think that I preach a lot about the oneness, just listen. Well, I don't guess I want to say tell you that. Well, a lot of major a lot of major ministries are always promoting the Trinity. They're making it they're making it a part they're making it a part of their of of of what they're saying. They're they they promote that, but they realize they've got a problem. And this is where they've had to say, "Well, it's a mystery. It's just a mystery. We can't really explain it. Matter of fact, I heard one person say it was it was put on a little thing that says that that to to u to not believe the trinity, you lose your you lose your soul. If you don't believe the trinity, you'll lose your soul. But to try to understand it, you'll lose your mind. And so it's a mystery. Yeah, it is a mystery. That that that's that's correct. And it's described, if you could go ahead and put this scripture up in first uh Timothy chapter 3 and verse number 16. I I believe it is described, it is described here as saying, "Great is the mystery." Uh 1 Timothy 3:16, please. Great is the mystery of godliness and without controversy. You know what that word means? Debating and without debating. Great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh. Who was that? Jesus. Justified in the spirit, seen of angels, preached under the Gentiles, received on in the world, received up in the glory. So, they they they they understand there's a there there's a problem because you can't have a pre-existing Christ and have a Christ in Bethlehem. So they know they've got and there's even talk and I and I really got off my notes here but but but I kind of eased on them sometime there even in some of the Bible uh cemeteries I mean seminaries that they have across uh America today uh there they've got classes matter of fact Dallas Seminary Dallas Seminary has a class called progressive revelation progressive revelation what is this class this is the class that describes to you beliefs that the church has today that are not found in the Bible. It's beliefs that that that are not found in the Bible. And they referred to the doctrine of the Trinity as a progressive revelation that no, Paul didn't know that and and they didn't know all that. This was later. This was this was later a progressing of of of a revelation. You You know, it's interesting to note that the Mormon religion started when Joseph Smith had an angel come down, so-called angel in upstate New York. An angel appeared to him. He was out plowing in his field. To some of you that think water baptism and speaking in tongues is odd, being an apostolic, try being a Mormon. Joseph Smith is out plowing in a field one day. His plow hits these golden tablets. These golden tablets come up. He sets down under a tree. The golden tablets have some writing on it. He can't read the writing. And uh the angel Moroni shows up with a pair of glasses and says, "Here, Jojo, put these on." and he put them on and he read that and thus we have we have the Mormon we have the Mormon church today. The the religion of Islam is the product of an angel that appeared to Muhammad and begin to tell Muhammad what he should do and what he should teach. But when it comes to us, the Apostle Paul says, "Though an angel or any other creature, preach any other doctrine, any other gospel unto you than what you we have preached, let him be accursed." And I say again, if an angel come and preach any, aren't you thankful right now to be established on the true, oh, it ought to make you get up on your feet. It ought to make you love God from the bottom of your heart. I got my foot on the rock and I've got my mind. Never calls him eternal father, never calls him eternal son. Only refers to him as the eternal spirit. Because there was a time God was not a creator and there was a time that God was not begotten. There was a time that that Jesus Christ is the only begotten beginning begotten of the father. But there's never been a time that God's not been spirit. He is He is the eternal. He is the eternal spirit. He is referred to He is referred to as son of man hundreds of times. He's referred to as son of God. What's the difference? When it's called the son of man, it's referring to his humanity. When he's called the son of God, it's referring to his fully being deity. Son of man fasted 40 days and 40 nights. Son of man was afterward a hunger. Son of man slept in the back of a boat. Son of man cried at the tomb of his friend called Lazarus. Son of man thirsted and sat on a well. Son of man cried with thirst from the cross and said, "I thirst." But as a son of God, he fed a multitude. As a son of God, he spoke his friend's name at the grave. And his friend that was dead came forth bound hand and foot, resurrected back to life. As the son of man, he was crucified. As the son of God, he rose again. Thank God for the true identity of who Jesus is. Why I become why I become a man. 1 Timothy 2 and 3. 1 Timothy 2 and 3. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our savior who will have all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. Please look closely at verse five. For there is how many gods? One God and one mediator between God and men, the what? >> The the what? >> The man Christ Jesus. There's only one mediator between unholy man and holy God, and that is the man Christ Jesus. What did the man do? Verse six, who gave himself a ransom for all to be testified in due time. You say, "Well, Bill Carpenter, one God and one mediator. That's two." You're correct. Good on your math. But two what? Not two persons. Oh, no. God is a spirit. Jesus is the person fused together in one. And I like the word infused but not confused together in one. Jesus breaks it down and tells you what it was in John 14:6. Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. Look at these words here, church. No man cometh unto the father but what? But by me. You can't get to the father except through me. Now just hold that thought for a moment. Just hold that thought for a moment. Why did God need a body? Here's the answer. Because we needed redemption. We needed redemption. That's why God needed a body. We find this so beautifully written in Hebrews chapter 10 verse number four. I believe that you'll see this very clearly. Hebrews chapter 10 verse number four. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, "Sacrifice and offerings thou wouldst not, but a body, but a body thou hast prepared me. In burnt offerings and sins and sacrifices for sins, thou had no pleasure. You had no pleasure in what the Old Testament was doing. Then said I, low means that word there lo means to look. Lo, I come in the volume of the book. It is written of me to do thy will, oh God. He said, look in the book. Look in the volume of the book. It's written. That's why you need a Bible. That's why you need to develop and cultivate a desire and a love for the word. And I I've got this scripture way off and I don't think I'll get to it tonight, but the Bible talks about the Antichrist in the book of Thessalonians. And it says the Antichrist will come. He will come with lying, deceiving wonders. He will deceive with lying wonders. And then it says that many here will be taken in the deceiving deceiving of unrighteousness. In other words, the Antichrist is going to somehow deceive you that unrighteousness is the way of good living. That unrighteousness is the way that you should live. He's deceiving you. And I I'm going go ahead and tell you sin will deceive you. It will bind you and it will blind you and it will kill you. Sin is all deceiving. It deceives you. It promises you freedom and puts you in bondage, young man. It promises you joy and causes you great grief and great guilt. Sin is deceiving. But then the the the the scripture goes on to say that they're caught up in the deceivableness of unrighteousness. Why? because they received not a love for the truth. This is where we got to shake ourselves up, church. We got to shake ourselves up. We got to have a love for the truth. >> When the one God teaching in an apostolic church puts you to sleep, there's something wrong with you. And when it puts the whole church to sleep, there's something wrong with the whole church because it's the truth. I said it's the truth. >> I said it's the truth. It's the truth of God's word. It's what we're built on. We're no more than any other church in this town. If we don't preach the right foundation and the right identity of Jesus Christ, we're no different than anybody else. because they received not a love for the truth. Therefore, God shall send them strong delusion that they would believe a lie and be damned. They didn't receive a love for the truth. What is the truth? Jesus said in John chapter 17, "Thy word, oh God, is truth." Shake yourself, church, if you don't have a Bible, buy a Bible. This be a good time at Christmas time to buy all your kids Bibles. Bibles. Bibles. They got to have Bibles. Thank God it's on your phone. Thank God it's on your tablet. But you need to have something that is solely dedicated as your Bible, as the word of God. Something you can write in, something you can study, because this is going to be the book that's going to save us from the deceitfulness of unrighteousness. This is going to be that book. This is going to be that book. Don't you love God tonight? Don't you love him? In the volume of the book, it is written of me. In the volume of the book, have you read? In the volume of the book, it is written of me. Go with me quickly to John chapter 1 and verse number one. John chapter 1 and verse number one. In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. The word there WRD's logos thought plan the idea concept not person. Not person. In the beginning was the word. The word's not a person yet. I said the word's not a person yet. Just like a contractor, Carl Perry can drive up in front of a lot with a roll of blueprints in his hands and an empty lot. The house is in the his hand in the plan in the logos in the plan, but the house isn't there yet. And guess what? He has built contractors. He has built a contractor's built his own house. He pulled up on a lot had the plans in his hands and the plans was I'm going to live in that house. And God almighty in the beginning was the word plans. And the plans was with God >> the contractor and the plan was God. The plan was the contractor who is spirit. The God who is spirit is going to become the plan. That's why he said it's written of me in the volume of the book. A body hast thou prepared for me. You take no pleasure in the sacrifices of bulls and goats, but a body you Oh, don't you see that tonight? Isn't that beautiful tonight? that that God had that plan. >> In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him and without him was not anything made that was made. Don't say that Jesus Christ made the earth. He didn't make the earth. The man wasn't here yet. He was with the plan, but the plan had been spoken yet. All things were made by him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the light was the light of men. The light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. Let's stop here for a moment. We got to thank God for John because God had a plan, but God needed a forerunner man. God needed a man that would tell about the plan. Oh, appreciate the man. Appreciate the word of God. Oh, don't let the devil drive a wedge between you and the man because the man is the forerunner. He's trying to tell you, get your foot on the rock and your mind made up. Your house is burning down. Your cars are going to burn up. Every material things that you're wasting your soul over is all going to go up in flames one day. And the only thing that's going to last is what you did, Lord Jesus Christ. I got my foot on the rock and I got my mind made up. And it was a man. It was a man sent from God whose name was John. The same came for a witness to bear witness of the light that all men through him might believe. He was not that light but was sent to bear witness of that light. That was the true light, which lightth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not, but as many as received him. To them gave he power to become the sons of God, to them that believe on his name, which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. Here it is. And the word was made flesh and dwelt among us. That word dwelt there means tabernacled. Means the tabernacle. It also means to sit. It means the tabernacle. It means to sit. And the word was made flesh and tabernacled or sit among us. That's why in the Old Testament uh tabernacle, it was God's plan. He said, "Make me a tab, make me a tabernacle. Make me a place that I may dwell. And guess where he dwelt? He dwelt in a place that he could sit down. Where did he dwell? Not at the altar, not at the brazen altar, not at the brazen labor, not at the candlestick. Do you know where he dwelt? He dwelt above the mercy seat because it was God's will to be seated. It was God's will to be seated back among men. And then he died on a cross. He ascended and went to heaven. told them to go back to Jerusalem. And I I do think there's a connection here. Told them to go back to Jerusalem and wait until they be filled with the power of on high. And when the day of Pentecost came, they were in one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind. It filled all the house where they were. >> I think there's a I think I think I'm on something. And it it filled all the house where there was sitting. And there appeared unto them tongues of fire. tongues of clothing tongues of like as a fire and it >> and they were all filled. You see, I'm so glad that he tabernacled 25 20,000 years ago. But oh God, I'm so glad he still tabernacles among us right now. When a person repents of their sin and a person is waterbaptized in the only saving name and a person receives the gift of the Holy Ghost, God comes down and says, "I'm on a tabernacle with you." The word was made flesh and dwelt among us. We beheld his glory. The glory as the only. We beheld. We saw his glory as the only begotten of the father full of grace and truth. John bare witness of him and cried, saying, "This was he of whom I spake. He that cometh after me is preferred before me, for he was before me. And of his fullness and of his fullness and of his fullness have we all all we received grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. Look at verse 18. Please look at it closely. No man has seen God at any time. The only begotten son which is in the bosom of the father. He hath declared him. Can I tell you? You said, "Well, in the Bible it says he this one saw God." That they saw a manifestation of God. But no man has saw the raw spirit of one dwelling in a light which no man can approach into. But when God became flesh, we beheld his glory. I'm so thankful tonight that I know and you know who Jesus is. How we ought to feel spiritually privileged tonight but not halty that unto us has been revealed such a wonderful plan of salvation. >> But with that privilege comes great responsibility. Everybody ought to know. Everybody ought to know. Everybody ought to know who Jesus is. Well, what what what would it what would it matter? Because if they don't find out who Jesus is, if they don't find out who Jesus is, they'll get baptized in a way that has no name, and neither is their salvation in any other. For there's no other name, not title. There's no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. But oh, if I can show them through the word of God who Jesus is, they're going to line up and be baptized in that wonderful lifechanging name of Jesus Christ. Would you would you just worship with me for a moment right now? Would you just worship? If you're glad that you know who he is, would you just worship with him right now? I'm just so thankful. Oh, I'm just so thankful that I know who he is. I'm I'm just so thankful right now tonight that I know. Come on. Are Are you thankful? Are you Are you thankful that you know who he is right now? I I'm so thankful that I know who he is. I'm so thankful. You know, in closing tonight, there was a statement that Jesus used on different occasions that drove the religious people insanely, insanely angry, insanely angry. This anger that they had happened when Jesus would make a statement and say something like John 8:24, I said therefore unto you that you shall die in your sins. For if you believe not that I am he, you shall die in your sins. Look at that with me, good church. Look at that with me, good people. And could anybody argue with me tonight that I'm making too much of a do of the identity of Jesus Christ? If he would say, "Unless you believe that I am he, you will die." What? In your sins? What does that mean? That means you're eternal, eternally lost in hell. You'll die in your sins. That's what that means. Unless you believe that I am he. You will die in your sins. You talk about anger. Teeth gritting anger. Did you hear him say, "I am he," that blasphemer, that carpenter son claiming to be the son of God. Listen to him blasphe. He's claiming to be the incarnation of Jehovah. It's a time when he was talking to them again and they were bragging about being Abraham's descendants. We are Abraham's descendants. They brag. But in John 8:56, listen to what Jesus said. John 8:56, "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day, and he saw it and was glad." Then said the Jews unto him, "Thou art not yet 50 years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?" You claim that Abraham rejoiced to see your day. You're not even 50. And are you saying thou hast seen Abraham? Here's the answer. But Jesus said unto them, verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was, I am. Why did that get them? Well, the I believe the next verse will tell you how mad they got. Then took they up stones to cast at him, but he hid himself went out through the temple going through the midst of them and so passed by. That's how mad they got. He's claiming to be the God of in the burning bush when Moses said, "God, tell me your name." Now, see, this would tell you right here that God is not the name of God. All right? God is like a title of president. That's not his name. What president is it? And Moses said, 'God, when I go to Israel and I tell them, the God of your fathers have appeared to me, they're going to want to know what your name is. He said, 'You just tell them this. You tell them I am. That I am. And that became the title of the eternal that became the name of the eternal God in the burning bush. And when Jesus said, "I am," they knew exactly what he was saying. But let me close with this. Let me close with this. He said,"Abraham rejoiced to see my day." And he saw it. But when did Abraham see Jesus day? He saw it in typology when God told Abraham to take his son Isaac to Mount Mariah, the same mountain range that Calvary would be on. And God told Abraham to take his son there and offer him up for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains. But here's where I want you to see something and I hope it'll bless you. The Bible said that Abraham has so much faith in the promises of God. God had promised that through Isaac would come an innumerable number of seed. And now God says, "Go offer him up as a burnt offering." And Abraham had so much faith in the promises of God that the Bible said in the book of Hebrews that he believed that God would be able from the ashes to raise up seed unto Abraham. Now here's what's amazing about this brother Mayo. This is amazing about Abraham took his son took his son to offer him up and was going to go through with it. You you've read the Bible, right? The only thing that stopped Abraham from cut cutting his boy's throat was God. >> He stretched his knife out, was ready to plunge it, and God stopped it. But he walked all the way up that mountain with faith in a God that said, "If I have to go through with this and I have to char his body to nothing but ashes, I believe that God will from the ashes raise up seed unto Isaac." Raise up. raise up seed. Now, here's the thing. He believed in a resurrection. You study this out. He believed in a resurrection. And at that time in history, there was no record of anyone ever being resurrected. So, he believed in something that he had never seen come to pass before. You see, we can have faith in a financial miracle because I know Johnny over there got a financial miracle or Susie over here got a financial miracle. Or I can have faith in a God that a healing because I know this one's got a healing and that's got a healing. But how about when I'm faced with a situation that I don't know anybody that has ever been delivered from what I've been going through. But that's where faith in that one God comes in because God is able. God is able. Let me see. Got up just for a moment. I just want to send you that with home with that. You can't separate in the sacrifice giving the offerer from the offering. The offerer and the offering are one and the same. Abraham had the faith and Isaac had the obedience. God had the power and the man Christ Jesus was obedient unto him in all his ways because on the way up to that mountain, remember the remember it said Abraham rejoiced to see my day and he saw it on the way up the mountain did it not happen. Father, yes, son. Father, here's the wood. Here's the fire. Where is the sacrifice? Father, Genesis, I believe it is 22. 22 and verse number eight. Father, here's a wood. Here's a fire. Here's the knife. But where's the sacrifice? And Abraham said, "My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering." And so they went, both of them together. Can I tell you that if we can get our children to buy in that God provided himself a lamb, it won't matter how painful this society breathes in on them. They'll walk to the top of that mountain with their father and be willing to lay their life down because my son, God, and this this is God is going to become the lamb. God is going to become. Now, God's going to give us a substitute. It could later be said there'll be a ram caught by the thickets, but God, this is prophetic. God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering. I'm so glad that I know who Jesus is tonight. And I want all of you all to know it this evening. Would you stand with me? I I want all of you to know who Jesus is tonight. And those of you that know who he is and have known who he is longer than I've been in this world, I want us to always love and cultivate that there is one God and his name is Jesus Christ. Let's just worship for a moment. Father, we love you tonight. Father, we thank you tonight. Oh, Father, you're the one and living God. Oh, you're the God of creation. You're the God of redemption. You're the God of regeneration inside of us right now. Oh God, I thank you, Lord, that I know who you are. I thank you, Lord, that I know who you are, God. God, I want to always know the importance that unless we believe that I am He, we'll die in our sins. Oh God, you became flesh. God, you died on that cross. Lord, you're the sooncoming king. Oh God, help us to be able to share it. Lord, help us, God, to share with our co-workers. Lord, help us to see doors opening, God. Lord, to share with our co-workers and our families and our friends. Lord, you're one and I love you, God. I praise you right now. Oh, let's just lift our hands right now and praise him that we know who he is. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, God. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, God. I'm I'm glad that I know who he is. I'm glad that I know who he is. I'm glad that I know who he is tonight. I'm glad that I know who he is tonight. Thank you for your tremendous undivided attention tonight. Thank you for your love and respect for the word of God. Please don't forget Sunday's coming. We got a gift for every for every one of you. And there's no coal we're going to put in your stocking. We got a good gift for everybody here Sunday. Shake hands, hug next, love one another. See you Sunday morning. It's coming down.