What Are You Doing With Your Life? | Senior Pastor Kenneth Carpenter

Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised. If you would turn with me in your Bibles to the book of Genesis, chapter number 25 and verse number 23. So good to be back home this evening and the house of the Lord. And it's so good to hear the great reports that we had over the weekend uh of people being filled with the Holy Ghost and people being baptized in Jesus' name and people getting healed and all kind of good reports came out of the weekend and I thank I thank God for that. I told someone, I said, 'I can tell I'm getting older. I don't get any invitations to preach youth camps anymore. Um, I used to get invitations preach youth camps and youth conference and on and on and seems now that I get invitations to do anniversary services and I get introduced something like this. You know, Dad, he's been gone now for several years, and he always told me, "Stay close to Brother Carpenter." We're glad to have him this morning. All right. And so, uh, I guess that's how I guess that's how things things go. But it's so good to be back home. And, uh, so good to have Chase and Sarah Condan back home with us tonight along with their beautiful baby boy that they've got. I look forward. I'm Don't you leave here tonight, Chase, without me putting the old pastoral blessing upon that baby. Amen. It's so good to see them. And um God is good tonight. God is good. I'll tell you, I don't have a Bible study lesson on my mind tonight. I'm I'm I'm feeling more of a an evangelistic service right now. >> You know, God can fill with the Holy Ghost on a Wednesday night. >> Do you know sinners can be convicted of their sins on a Wednesday night? People can get baptized on Wednesday night. >> You don't believe that? Ask brother and sister couch. They got baptized last Wednesday or Wednesday night a week ago. And we thank God. We thank God for that. Good things can happen tonight in the house of the Lord. Genesis chapter 25 verse number 23. And the Lord said unto her, "Two nations are in thy womb. Two manner of people shall be separated from thy boughels. One people shall be stronger than the other people, and the elder shall serve the younger. And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb. The first came out red all over like a hairy garment. They called his name Esau. And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold of Esau's healed, and his name was called Jacob. Isaac was three score years old when she bare them. The boys grew, and Isaac was a cunning hunter, or Esau was a cunning hunter, man of the field. Jacob was a plain man dwelling in tents. Isaac loved Esau because he did eat of his venison. It's a strange reason to love your kid, right? But Rebecca loved Jacob. Jacob saw pottage or made a pot of beans. Esau come from the field and he was thanked. Esau said to Jacob, "Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage, for I am faint." Therefore was his name called Edom. Edom means red. It's a strange way to get a name. Jacob said, "Sell me this day thy birthright." Esau said, "Behold, I am at the point to die, and what profit shall this birthright do to me?" Jacob said, "Swear to me this day?" He swore unto him. And he sold his birthight unto Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentils, and he did eat and drink and rose up and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright. Tonight for a few moments with the help of God, I want to preach on this. It's a question form. What are you doing with your life? What are you doing? I believe everyone should ask themselves that question tonight. What are you doing with your life? Before we do the preaching tonight, let's go to God in prayer. If you have a need, would you raise your hand right now? This church has several needs that we have tonight. Father, in the name of Jesus, God, you know every need of First Apostolic Church. God, you know every sickness that needs to be healed. God, you know every situation, every circumstance. God, you know every trouble. You know everything, God, that we need tonight. Lord, every name, God, that is mentioned, every name, God, that scrolls across the screen. Lord, I lift up brother Slinker tonight in prayer that you would continue to touch him. And Lord, I ask you, God, that you would move upon those that are sick and afflicted in their bodies, God. That there would be healing, God, and there would be your comfort and there would be your strength, God. And most of all, Lord, through our trials and our tests, through our valleys, Lord, in our dark days, just let us feel your spirit, God. Let your presence ever be nigh to us. Now Lord, tonight for a few moments, would you anoint your servant that I may speak powerfully your word this evening that your word would go deep into the heart of a man, woman, boy or girl that's here tonight that you would touch them, God in Jesus mighty name we pray. Amen and amen. God bless you. Thank you for standing for the word of God tonight. What are you doing? What are you doing with your life? To basically sum up the life of Esau, it's simply that he sold his future for the immediate satisfaction of his flesh. He sold his future for an immediate satisfaction of his flesh. Esau's choice would affect him from that day and on. As a matter of fact, the choice that Esau made to sell his birthright would not only affect his life, it would affect his descendants for generations to come. We understand as I read the text tonight that Esau and Jacob are twins. Before they were ever born, God knew the destiny of both Esau and of both Jacob. The Bible tells us of his birth that when he was born that he came out red all over like a hairy garment. Therefore, they called his name Esau. We understand that he was named after his appearance. He was named after what they saw when Esau when Esau was born. They saw him and they named him after his appearance. His brother Jacob would be born next his when Jacob was born. The Bible says that he reached and he got the heel of his brother Esau. He was reaching for the heel. Thus, Jacob's name has to do with his actions. This name Jacob can mean heel grabber. Uh it it ties into his action. When we put these two births together, the birth of Esau and the birth of Jacob, we find that Esau was named according to his appearance and that Jacob was named according to his actions. Time would go on. The Bible would record in just a few short verses that the occupation of Esau would be that Esau would become a hunter, a wise, a skillful, a master hunter. He would become a a man of the field to such an extent that he would bring his father venison. He would bring his father meat. And his father took great pleasure in what what his son Esau would bring him. And the Bible says, and we may not understand it, but uh the Bible says that Isaac loved Esau because he did eat of his venison. And I made the comment during the reading of the text, that's a strange reason to love a child because of what the child was doing. But nonetheless, the Bible puts this in and plants it here. It simply says that Jacob was a plain man dwelling in tents. Now what this means is on the surface you wouldn't think of plain as a dull man or just someone that there wasn't any kind of characteristics. It meant that he dwelt in the tents of the men that would teach about the God of Israel, the God Jehovah. He he found himself he found himself curious about what the old men had to say about Jehovah God. He probably heard the stories of the flood. He probably heard the stories of creation. and he he stayed around where the word of God and the stories of God were being told. The story goes on and I keep saying a few short verses. It just crams it all in that Esau went out to the field to hunt and evidently on this day or days Esau was not very successful. He became so hungry and so thirsty that the sense of smell would lead him back home. back home to which he came upon Jacob, his brother, and Jacob was cooking a big pot of red beans. It was there that it was there that Esau asked Jacob said, "Feed me. Feed me with this. I I've got to have this. I've got to have this red pottage for I am faint." Matter of fact, Esau was saying that he was at the point of death. He was at the the point to die. It was there that the Bible says in that verse end of verse 30 that because Esau requested the red pottage. It says, "Therefore was his name called Edom." His name was called Edom or Red. Now you will find through the word of God that uh this word Edom becomes the name of his descendants. It becomes the name of all of the the the men, the family that came out of the loins of Esau. They became known as the the Elummites. It was there that Jacob said to Esau, "Sell me this day your birthright. Sell me this day." And without going into a lot of study on the birthright, the birthright belonged to the firstborn son of the family. We read where the birthright would include double the inheritance. If you were the firstborn son, you got twice the inheritance of any other of your siblings. Not only that, you were responsible for spiritual leadership. You were responsible to lead the family in the ways of God. Along with the birthright, along with the birthright was a blessing that would be bestowed. We may uh off the cuff we may just haphazardly say the Lord bless you. But in the Bible days that wasn't taken that wasn't taken lightly. When that father dying would lay his hand upon the head of that firstborn and he would begin to pronounce the blessings of God. Jehovah God. He would begin to to to pronounce a blessing of rain and a blessing of sunshine and blessing of the fields being producing and all of the blessings. And it was a a a real thing that they they literally felt that there was a blessing from God that was transferred through the hand of the dying father upon the head of the firstborn. It's no light thing here. And so Jacob says to him, Jacob says, "Sell me this day your birthright. Go ahead and sell me today the birthright." Esau would uh respond by saying, "I am at the point to die. I am at the point of death. What prophet would the birthright do to me?" And Jacob said, "Swear to me this day." and he swore unto him. And after he swore that the birthright would be his, Jacob handed him a bowl of lentils with a morsel with a morsel of meat inside. The Bible says that it Esau would take the bowl of lentils and there he would eat and he would drink and he would go his way. And then at the end of verse 34, it describes something very important. It says, "Thus Esau despised his birthright." In other words, he walked away that day showing no remorse for what he done. He walked away that day. His flesh was satisfied. His belly was full. He walked away that day with little to no regard for what he had done. Little or no regard. But the day would come years later when his blind dying father Isaac would call him in the room in Genesis 27. He would call him in the room and he would say to Esau, "I am about to die, Esau. I want you to make me some of your venison. I want you to make me some of your venison. And when you make me some of that meat, that savory meat, and when you make that for me, I'm going to lay my hand upon you, and I'm going to impart the blessings of God, Jehovah, upon you. Esau would immediately leave to go to the field to look for venison. But what he didn't realize, what he didn't realize that his mother, his mother Rebecca, she heard what Isaac had said. And when she heard those words, she went quickly and found Jacob. She told Jacob, "You've got to listen to me and follow every detail. You've got to follow every detail. You've got to go in and you have got to pretend. You have got to fame yourself. You have got to disguise yourself." that you are Esau. You've got to go into your blind dying father and you have got to fain. You have got to you have got to deceive him to believe that you are actually Esau. And Jacob said, "Mother, mother, Esau is a hairy man and I am a smooth man." And he said, "My father will no doubt feel of me, and I will be a deceiver, and he shall put a curse upon me, and not a blessing." But she had everything covered. She brought some goat skins and put them on the hands of Jacob. She brought some goat skins and some of the garments of Esau and put them upon upon Jacob. And Jacob goes into his dying blind father, Isaac. But there was something up there that day when Jacob came into the presence of Esau. Rebecca having made the venison. It was then that Isaac said uh he said it is it is the feel of Jacob. It is the feel of Esau. You you feel like Esau. You smell like the field uh uh that he would hunt in. that said the voice is that the voice is that of Jacob and the voice is not Esau. And once again he would tell him I am I am Esau and there Esau there Isaac blind would be begin to lay his hand upon the head of Jacob thinking it was Esau and there he would begin to give the blessing and he would begin to bless the field and bless the the harvest and he would begin to bless all. And no sooner had he ended blessing Jacob that Jacob leaves the room with the blessing of God. Let me stop here and make a note. Isn't it amazing that Esau would sell his future for food? And isn't it amazing that under deception his father would give a blessing away with food involved? That's interesting. Could it be possible today as the proverb says in the Bible, the fathers have eaten sour grapes and put the children's teeth on edge? You see, what am I doing with my life? What am I doing with my life? I have to understand that what I am living and how I am living and what I am doing with my life not only affects me, it affects all the descendants that come out of my loins. It affects all of them. The decisions that I make affects all of them. It's no sooner had Jacob left. No sooner had Jacob left, Esau comes in with his venison. And there terrified, Isaac begins to shake. And Isaac begins to tremble. And he says, "I've already give a blessing. I've already blessed somebody that was here." And Esau knows that it was Jacob. And Esau cries out, "Just give me just give me a blessing. Just give me a blessing." and and Isaac imparts some blessing to him, but it was nowhere near the blessing that he gave to Jacob. Time goes on, I could tell you about Esau going to kill Jacob. Esau was so enraged with bitterness and he was so enraged with with revenge. Esau vowed that when father dies and we've mourned a few days for father, I'll hunt. I'm a hunter. I'll hunt Jacob down and I'll take Jacob's life and I'll take the blessing. And we know that he we know the story says that Jacob took off under the instruction of his mother. And it was there that he went to that place called Bethl. And it was there that God would tell Jacob that I'm going to be the God the God that was the God of Abraham, your grandfather, and the God of your father Isaac. and I'm going to I'm going to also be your God. And I want to tell you something, friend. Jacob was far from perfect. But God has always honored not perfect people, but God honors hungry people. We're all far from perfect. As a matter of fact, last week on vacation, I bought a article of clothing that had nothing to do with Disney. I I saw a sweatshirt in a mall and I said, 'I want to buy that sweatshirt. It's a Charlie Brown sweatshirt and it simply says on it to Lucy. Lucy, there's nobody perfect. And I said, I want that sweatshirt right there because the truth of the matter is I see it as a witnessing tool because there's nobody in this world perfect. But God is always looking for hungry people. You may be here tonight and you may be a Jacob. There's a lot of tales that could be told, but because you're here in this apostolic church tonight is an indication that you're hungry for something. And God has always blessed the hungry. Could you put your hands together? If you're hungry, could you put your hands together if you're hungry? I'm going to tell you, if you're hungry for God, you don't have time to be bitter. If you're hungry for God, you don't have time to be revengeful. If you're hungry for God, you don't have time for a lot of fleshly things because you're simply hungry for God. Jacob would be hungry for God. And we know that Jacob's name was changed to Israel. And and uh the story goes on. Both Jacob and and Esau both die, but their descendants live on. their descendants live on. It would be hundreds of years later that the descendants of Jacob that are known as the children of Israel, it would take place that God would visit them, bring them out of Egypt led by a pillar of cloud leading them to the promised land. It's now in Numbers chapter 20 verse number 14. Sister Carpenter, it's hundreds of years later. It's hundreds of years later. This is why it's important that you need to ask yourself, what am I doing with my life? It's hundreds of years later. The man that wrestled with God and said, "I will not let you go until you bless me. I will not let you go until you you bless me." I read a a little thing on social media the other day, a preacher friend in Louisiana. He said, 'You know you're raising your children right with God when you're wrestling with your little boy and you got him down on the floor and you say, "Are you ready to tap out and the little boy says, "I won't let you go till you bless me." Amen. He said, you know, you're really teaching your children, right? Been a long time. Jacob's dead. Been a long time, but now his descendants are known as the children of Israel. Been a long time. Esau has been in the grave a long time, but now his descendants are known as the children of Eden of Edom. And in numbers 20 and verse number 14, the children of Israel, the children of Edom, children of Jacob, the children of Esau meet Moses sent messengers from Kadesh unto the king of Edom. Thus saith thy brother Israel. Now look at that. They remember that we're brothers. They remember that we're brothers. Can I tell you something today that when you're hungry for God and you go after God, God will help you always remember the good stuff and forget about the bad. I want that to sink in for you. I want that to sink in for a moment. You'll be hungry for God. God will help you remember good things that happened in your past and not the bad things that happened in your past. >> Oh, had they had been at odds, oh yes, you better believe it. But when Moses sends word to the king of Edom, he says, "Thus saith thy brother." That sounds warm, doesn't it? Thus saith thy brother Israel, "Thou knowest all the travail that hath befallen us." He's referring to 430 years in Egyptian bondage. How our fathers went down into Egypt, and how we have dwelt in Egypt a long time, and the Egyptians vexed us and our fathers. And when we cried unto the Lord, he heard our voice, and sent an angel, and hath brought us forth out of Egypt, and behold, we are in Kadesh, a city in the uttermost part of thy border. Let us pass, I pray thee, through thy country. We will not pass through thy fields, or through thy vineyards, and neither will we drink of the water of thy wells. We will go by the king's highway and we will not turn to the right hand or to the left until we have passed thy borders. Look at the respect he's giving. Thousands of people are going to come through the land of Edom. And it is the children of Israel, Moses, that sends word to the king of Edom saying, just grant us permission to come through your land. We promise you we'll not go through fields and take your fruit. We'll not go through vineyards and take your grapes. We'll not even stop and drink water from your wells all we want. It'll be much easier on us if we can simply go through the land of Edom. If we can just go through your the land, it'll be so much easier on us. You know, that sounds to me understandable. That sounds like a reasonable thing. He didn't say, "Let us go through your land and we're going to we're going to we're going to uh we're going to take all the food out of your fields." He didn't say, "Let us go through your land. We're going to drink all the water out of your wells. He He didn't say, "Let us go through. It's going to cost you a lot for us to go through." No, no, no. It's not going to cost you anything. We just want to go through your land. We're paying you the respect of asking to go through the land. But here's the response. And Edom said unto him, "Thou shalt not pass by me, lest I come out against thee with the sword." Sounds like to me that somebody has not been living with good memories in mind. because I could have taken you through the story. You do know that in the Bible in the book of Genesis that Jacob and Esau reconciled to each other, brother Wells, they reconciled that. Jacob, the hillgrabber, and Esau, the one that sold his birthright, they reconciled to each other. As a matter of fact, Jacob brought a great large amount of gifts animals to Esau. And Esau wouldn't take them. He said, he said, "I have enough, my brethren." And they argued for a minute about please take this. No, I I I have enough. But they got they got reconciled. Isn't it amazing? Sometimes that the people that the hurt happened to get reconciled. But if the descendants keep it going, they open that wound up over and over and over. I'm preaching tonight on what are you doing with your life? I'm going to tell you one thing I want to do with my life. I want to do nothing but show the sunny side of God. I want to show the blessings of God. I want to show the goodness of God. I want to talk about revival, not revenge. I want to talk I want to talk about the bread of heaven, not the bitterness of hell. I want to because why? I've got some descendants coming on after me that need to know the goodness of God. >> No, we will not let you pass by me, lest I come out against thee with a sword. The children of Israel said unto him, "We will go by the by by the highway, and if I or my cattle drink any water, then I will pay for it. I will I will only without doing anything else go through on my feet." In other words, he said, "If if if an animal would drink some water, we will gladly pay you." Verse 20. And he said, "Thou shalt not go through." Edom came out against him with much people and with a strong hand. Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his border. Wherefore Israel turned away from him. Guess what happened to a generation? Do we not hear the sound of something that happened to the seed of Abraham? What was the what was the wording? I will bless them that bless you and I will curse him that cursth thee. Don't you realize, Edom, that you've got an opportunity to receive a blessing? Don't you realize, Edom, that right before your eyes is an opportunity to be uh to be a blessing and to receive a blessing from God, don't you realize who this is? But can I tell you tonight, when you allow the spirit of an Edomite to live inside of you, you can look blessings right in the eye and walk away from them and pay them no mind. But oh, tonight I just feel there's somebody here on a Wednesday night. Been feeling this all day in preparation. There's somebody here on a Wednesday night that's going to turn the Edomite turn it around and God's going to bring a blessing into your life because you're saying to the Edomite, "You're not ruling me any longer." That's been dead for a long time. That didn't even involve me. I've just been believing a bunch of hearsay. It's time that we get it together and say, "Edomite, no more in my family. No more in my family." But you know something, it doesn't matter. Listen to me now. It doesn't matter how you treat me, but it matters how I treat you. Now let that sink in. Doesn't matter how people treat you. You hear me tonight? Come on, Edomite. You hear me tonight? It doesn't matter how people treat you because there there everybody's got their own will. And there's one thing that God will never do. God will never override your will because he said, "Whosoever will." You got to submit your will to God. God is not going to make somebody forgive you. God is not going to make somebody love you. God is not going to make someone see your value unless they open up on their own accord. It'll never happen. You can't do what God won't do. But it doesn't matter what you think of me, but it matters what I think of you. It doesn't matter what you say about me, but it matters to me what I say about you. I don't want to live in the Edomite generation. I don't want to have a son that's an Edomite and a grandson that's an Edomite and a great grandson that's an Edidomite. I want to what what are you doing with your life? I want to let revival flow. I want to let God flow through me. I want to let the blessings of God flow through me. I wish somebody praise the Lord real good right now. Wish somebody praise the Lord real good right now. But you don't know what they're doing to me. You don't know what they said to me. You don't know. You don't know. Well, let's see what God said about it. Let's see what God said about it. Deuteronomy chapter 23 verse number 7. This is written to the children of Israel. Deuteronomy 23 verse number 7. Look at this closely. Thou shalt not abhore, hate, despise an Edomite, for he is thy brother. Thou shalt not abhore, hate, despise an Egyptian because he because thou was a stranger in his land. That's amazing right there. God doesn't say, you know what, you need to forgive Esau that he was going to kill your papy. You need to forgive Esau that he said thus and thus. God doesn't say that. God plays the one note of truth. He says, don't hate him. Don't despise him. Why? He's your brother. But you don't know what he's done. Doesn't matter what he's done to you. It ma Oh Lord have mercy. It matters what you do to him. >> Always remember he's your brother. He said always remember. Now now let's go to 430 years of rape and beating. We're talking about the pyramids. Brother Salers came out of the prayer room today and brother Kenneth Allen was here. our our regional northern regional assistant superintendent was here and we got to talking about the pyramids and and brother Salard said something that was really it's it's really the way it happened. Millions of millions of Hebrews were building those pyramids and when one of them would fall dead, they just drag him over and bury him in the sand, bring another one in. They had little care. They had little care for them and and they were they were just they were just accounted as nothing. that were accounted as nothing. But God says, look at this again. Glue your eyes on this verse. Thou shalt not abhore, hate, despise an Adidleite, for he is thy brother. Thou shalt not abhore, hate, despise an Egyptian because thou was a stranger in his land. God said, "You got to remember, I know you had 400 and some odd years of slavery, but they invited you to Egypt when there was a famine in your land. Remember?" Remember, brother Mayo, you had nothing to eat. You were starving to death. And Joseph invited you and Pharaoh gave you land and go and for a short period of time, you were treated right. for a short period of time they did you good. Isn't it amazing that God wants us to play the note of what somebody did good for us and not on the note that somebody did bad. But I'm going to tell you where we're at today. We can have 400 and some odd years of good, but we can have one bad year and we turn it all around. We just we just won't give somebody another chance. 430 years of this good, then we'll just turn it all around. God, if I'm going to get into what am I doing with my life? If I'm not trying to get more of God in my life, I am miserably and you are too, wasting your life. Material things are not going to make us happy. New clothing, new houses, new this or new that's not going to material things are not going to make you happy. The only thing that's going to make you whole and contented is to get more and more and more and more and more of God. That's all you got to live your life. I just want more of God. I know I got the Holy Ghost almost almost 50 years ago now, but I just want more and more and more and more of God. Not satisfied. I just got to get more and more and more and more. He said, "You treat that Egyptian right because you were a stranger in his land." But let's read verse eight, brother Hammond. Deuteronomy chapter 23 and verse number eight. He said, "Don't hate the Egyptian. Don't hate the Edomite. He was your brother. Don't hate the Egyptian. You were a stranger in his land." And look at verse eight. The children that are begotten of them, who's them? and Egyptians. The children that's begotten of the ones that hurt you. The children that's begotten of the Edomite. The children of the ones that would not let you go through the land. Those children, what am I? What am I to do to them? The children that are begotten of them shall enter into the congregation of the Lord in their third generation. What in the world does that mean? Sometimes it's going to take time to get the old Edomite spirit out. Sometimes it's going to take time to get the old Egyptian spirit out. I'm sorry. You can be waterbaptized, spiritfilled, and you you you you can make a lot of changes in your life overnight, but there's one thing that's going to take time. It's going to take time to wash the Egyptian spirit out of you. you can bring me out of the world in a moment of time, but it's going to take a lifetime to bring the world out of me. And he said, you know what? You let the Egyptian come among you, and you let the you let the Edomite come among you, and about the third generation, and and shouldn't this be the way we feel? Shouldn't we be looking at our children and our grandchildren and wanting greater spiritual hunger in them that we had in us? I told my son the other day, Brother Ericson, I told him the other day, I said, "You're preaching way better than I did at your age." He said, "Oh, Dad, you're trying to make me feel good." I said, "No, no, no." And then his mother interrupted me. She said, "No, no, no, no. You're a much better preacher than what he was. You didn't have to be so happy hoppy poppy about it." But you know what? Isn't that what we want for our children? >> First, second, and third generation. First generation gets a little washing. The second generation gets a little washing. The first generation comes out of the world wasn't a virgin. Neither one of them was a virgin. The first generation come out of the world, they're messed up on drugs. They're messed up on alcohol. They're messed up on everything, but they get in church and they have children. And that second generation says, "My daddy can talk about being drunk, but I've never been drunk. My daddy can talk Oh my god. My daddy can talk about a cigarette, but I've never had a cigarette. My daddy, but Oh, Lord. Come on. I'm tell What are you doing with your life? What are you doing with your life? Stay in the church. Stay in the church. Are you hurt? Stay in the church. Why? It's going to wash out of you. He said, "Let them be am Let them be among you. They shall enter the congregation of the Lord in the third generation." I think I hear something else. For the promise is unto you >> and to your children and to those that are far off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. We ought to look at our children. Our children ought to be having either the same faithful church attendants or better church attendance. Our children ought to be more hungry for God than we were. That's that how that keeps that's that's how that keeps going because look look at this. If you let this thing die in your family somewhere in that lineage, it has to start all back over again. We ought to be so determined tonight. It's not going to die on my watch. Every father in this room tonight ought to have a holy grid above him. He's not going to die on my watch. Not going to die in my generation. Not going to He's not going to die. Not going to die in my watch. The spirit of Edomite lives on. Matthew 2 verse number one and two. Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, man, this is thousands of years later. This is thousands of years later after Jacob and Esau. Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem. They came wise men. Let me read that again. Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from from the east to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is he that is born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east and have come to worship him. Verse seven. Then Herod, everybody say, then Herod. >> Then Herod, when he had privately called the wise men, inquired of them diligently, what time did the star appear? He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go search diligently for the young child, and when you have found him, bring me word again that I may come and worship him also." Verse 12. And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country a different way. Okay, now let me just go ahead and tell you, you figured it out by now. Herod is a descendant of Esau. Herod is an Edomite. And an Edomite knows only one king. King self. That's all an Edidomite knows. An Edidomite lives the moment for what he can get out of it. An Edidomite has no regard for the action now affecting the future later. Herod is an Edomite and Herod is the king. He's the ruler and Herod hears that there's a king of the Jews that has been born. He privately called the wise men together and under the guise of hunger for worship. He says, "What time did you see the star about two years ago?" He said, "Go and find him. And when you have found him, you have found him, bring me word that I may come and worship him also." And let me tell you, church, this Edomite had no intention of worshiping Jesus. He had one thing on his mind, and that was to kill him. He wanted to kill him because he was the king and he threatened the king of Herod. He threatened this Edomite. The wise men see the star. You know the story. They enter into the house where the child was, the two-year-old child was, and there they worshiped him. But they spent the night in the house and they had a dream from God. And God told them to not return to Herod, but to go into your country and leave by another way. And in verse 16 of the same chapter, then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coast thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet saying in Remma there was a voice heard lamentation, weeping, and great mourning. Rachel weeping for her children and would not be comforted because they were not. But but when Herod was dead, let me stop there for a moment. Can you imagine that? And I only have the stories historian. I only have a historian's account of this. But they said in this, it's not in the Bible. It's just a historian's account that Herod gathered all of the mothers of Israel together, all of the mothers of Bethlehem together, all the mothers together, especially the mothers that had children the age of two and under. The historian says that Herod put a large banqueting hall together. He put it under the guise that he was going to honor the mothers. The mothers when they got there to that large banqueting hall, they were asked to leave their child in the hand of a caregiver and the child will be taken care of and when you're done drinking and eating, you can come out and get your children. The historian says that when the mothers came out that they found their children with their throat slashed and they were stacked like you would stack winter firewood. They were stacked there and those mothers began to weep and they fulfilled they fulfilled the prophecy of Jeremiah that there would be great weeping in the land. How are you so cruel? How are you so cruel, Herod? Why are you so cruel? And how are you so cruel? Because it's years and years of what have you done with your life? It's years and years of this of this growing planting of the bitterness that was had. But the Bible says, "But when Herod was dead," that's what we got to preach tonight. We got to put the death to the Edomite tonight. Because the Edomite is not after you. He's not after your heartbeat. He's not after your brain waves. Can I tell you the devil, the Edomite, is after your soul. That's what he's after tonight. He will not rest content until he has your soul in the palm of his hand. But I believe that I'm preaching to a group of hungry people tonight that are saying, "The Edomite, you're not going to have me. I'm going to be quick to forgive. I'm going to be fast to love. I'm going to be fast to give a second chance to. I'm going to be somebody that says, "I'm not going to dwell on the negative. I'm not going to dwell on the hurt. I'm going to dwell on the healing. I'm not going to dwell on being done bad. I'm gonna dwell on being done good because I don't want the eomite spirit to get alive inside of me. Can I give you a little homework tonight? Go home and start reading Hebrews chapter 12 verse number five. It climaxes it climaxes 12 and five. Read the whole rest of the chapter. Let me tell you what it climaxes. It climaxes by saying, "Search yourself to see if there be any root of bitterness." That's what it says. It climaxes. Search yourself to see if there be any root of bitterness. Can I tell you something tonight? You haven't forgiven people that when you think about them or see them, it upsets you emotionally. You have not been to the cross. You know that you have went to the cross and had the blood shed when you can see them and think about them and yes even think about the offense but the revenge isn't there because people listen to me please people that hurt you need Jesus. >> That's about half of you believe that. >> I said people that hurt you need Jesus. >> That's who they need. And if I'm not enough, if I can't get the Edomite spirit out of me, they're never going to see Jesus. But if I can get the Edomite spirit out of me, they can see Jesus in me. Look diligently. The whole chapter, the whole chapter it climaxes in looking diligently lest there be a root of bitterness springing up and thereby now watch the wording thereby many be defiled. It talks about one root but a multitude being defiled. It talks about one thing that happened between Esau and Jacob, >> but an entire nation becomes known as >> You see, you got to realize when that one little root of bitterness springs up, it's after your son. You got to realize when that one little root of bitterness springs up, it's after your daughter. It's got to re You got to realize them little grandb babies, I see moms and dads and grandparents all over this room tonight holding grandchildren in their hands. I got news for you. An edomite spirit wants to get them out of this church quicker than anything. You got to say, "I can't get bitter. I can't stay bitter. I I can't be that kind of person. I got to get that one root up." And then, isn't this amazing? Isn't this amazing? It says, "Lest you become like Esau who for one morsel of bread." Esau, unless you become like him, cause him a fornicator. Calls him two things in in Hebrews. Hebrews calls Esau two things. A fornicator and a profane person. A fornicator is somebody that cannot wait. They want to satisfy their flesh right now. A fornicator is not after a relationship. They're after gratification. >> It's all they're after. They're not after growing old with you. They're not after they're not after a happy life with you. They want gratification. That's all they want. They want the moment. That described Esau. But what else described Esau? It calls him a profane person. When you dig into the root word of the word profane, you find somebody. It literally means to walk upon and tread upon things that are holy. To walk upon and tread upon things that are holy. That's why the Bible says, "Do not cast your pearl before the swine." Why would you Why would you not cast your pearl? Because the swine doesn't know the value of the pearl. And the swine will trample them under their feet and come and rent you. So, I want you to know tonight, I want you to know tonight that I don't want to be I don't want to be a natural fornicator and I don't want to be a spiritual fornicator. I want to be in a relationship. That's why we took his name on last week in baptism because I'm into a relationship. I want to take his name on. I want to get his spirit inside of me. I want to grow old with Jesus. Are y'all hearing me tonight? I want to grow old with Jesus. I I want I thank God I I had him in my teenage years, but I want to grow old with Jesus. I want to grow old knowing that he's faithful, knowing that he's sweet. I want to grow old Study that. I marked that on my sermon about study that this name will be foreign to a lot of you. But if it wasn't for the name for these names, if it wasn't for these names, there's several of their descendants that would not be here. The names that I'm about to read, that I'm about to announce to you, have grandchildren and great grandchildren in this church right now. I I'll mention the names. Some of you will know them and some of you won't. The vast majority of you won't. Troy and Ruby Prophet, a husband and wife that loved God and they loved this great apostolic church. I came here three years after this church was started. But Troy and Ruby Prophet either are founding members or they got here immediately after it was started. I can remember preaching some revivals and there was Troy and Ruby Prophet. I can remember there Brother Prophet seemed to wear a little sweater. He always kind of had a little sweater on. Every now and then he'd be in a suit, but most of the time I remember him in a sweater. Brother and sister Prophet owned and operated On Knox Pond. There they loved God week in and week out. They were faithful on Wednesday night. They were faithful on Sunday morning. They were faithful on Sunday night because of them several of their grandchildren. I please I won't mention I won't mention names tonight because there's so many and you know I don't want to miss any of them because I don't have enough friends as is and I don't need to come to church and make enemies. So I'll just say their family. They're family. They were so faithful to God. They were so they were so faithful um and so giving. and was so giving and so faithful in worship. And um they've long since been here. They're both in a cemetery, preach both of their funerals, but their grandchildren, their great grandchildren are here. As a matter of fact, if you could give me this on the stream, great grandson sent me this today. Frank means kitchen assemblies of the Lord Jesus Christ local license. Look down in that lefthand corner. Who is that general superintendent? Look at that. How fancy he signs his name. Don't you like my handwriting? Not. Look at there. Getting his local license with the Assemblies of the Lord Jesus Christ. Going to be a church planter. Gonna be a pastor someday. List for God. Serves God. Matter of fact, Troy and Ruby Prophet's grandchildren and daughter go to brother Tim Hammond's church down in Watkinsville, Georgia. And there he is now. Frank, his greatgrandson. Frankie means kitchen. just given his local license in the Assemblies of the Lord Jesus Christ. You think that Troy and Ruby prophet when they drove that little old car up in front of that Galla building over on Mcinley and Monroe Street, that little old building over there and they walked in and just a handful of people and there and they they bragged they got a lot of their grandkids coming moving from Georgia because they they had one thing to tell them. They said, "We got a good little preacher. You need to come here. They never dreamed. They're somewhere in a graveyard right now. >> But what they did for God lives on. What are you doing with your life? I don't know about you, but I can answer for me as from me in my house. >> I want this to happen to my great great great grandson. If Jesus terries is coming, I want somebody I want somebody to preach. I want somebody to do greater things than I've ever thought about doing. I want somebody to do greater things, bigger things, more things than what I'm doing. And I hope sometime if Jesus carries his coming that somewhere on a Wednesday night, somebody will put something up and say, "You know what? That's Brother Carter's great great great great grandson right there. What are you doing with your life? Would you stand with me right now? What are you doing?" Keep that on the screen. Would you keep that on the screen? What are you doing with your life? What kind of a legacy are you leaving behind? What are you doing with your life? Can I tell you something that never dies? Hear me now. Look up here at me, please. Can I tell you something that never dies? Your prayers. >> Your prayers never die. I believe that we have seen prodals come home that are the product of dead people's prayers. They prayed it while they were alive and those prayers are safely tucked away in the throne room of heaven. They're there and God releases them and God touches them. Well, let me tell you. Let me tell you. Oh, Lord have mercy. Let me tell you about a wicked, vile, perverted Israel king. He's wicked. He's vile. There's nothing about his life that anybody would say God gave him mercy because of what he did. But God told the prophet, I'm going to give him mercy. And he mentions it this way. according to the sure mercies of David. What? Yeah, he's a descendant of David. He came out of David's loins. Well, wait, wait a minute, God. Wait a minute, God. David's been dead for 750 years. God says it doesn't matter because one day with me is as a thousand years. Time is irrelevant to me. You see, when I saw that man polluted in his sin, I saw that wicked king. Sure, I should have suffer. I should have got the death angel to come and kick him down. But I couldn't help but look beyond him and I saw his great great great great great great grandfather piling up nails and saying keep these nails for the house of God. I see a great great great great great grandfather bringing silver and gold in and saying Mr. treasure. Save these up cuz one day somebody's going to build God a house. And I want this to be I see Troy and Ruby Prophet get out of their car. God, I can see them like it was yesterday. I can see them coming in the church there at McGilly Street. I can see them with a tithe and envelope in their hand. I can see them dropping it in their hand. As a matter of fact, let me tell you this. As a matter of fact, that concrete floor up on the hill was raising the money to buy the concrete for that slab up there. It was Troy Prophet on Mcinley Street that raised his finger one morning. We take up an offer and I was getting $50 and $75 and Troy Prophet raised his finger and he said, "I give you one." And I'm thinking, I don't embarrass him, but I don't think it's $1 Prophet wants to give. I said, "Thank you, brother prophet, for $100 this morning." He said, "No, no, no. $1,000." Never received a $1,000 offering before. I was happy about it. I was delighted about it. I couldn't believe that. $1,000, you know. Could it be that God looks down? Where was Frank Mean's kitchen supposed to be? Could it be that when Satan was all over him trying to take him into the world that God looked down and said, "I see a grandfather. I see a I see an old man, an old woman waddling the way into a church. I see somebody. What are you doing with your life? Can't think of a better way tonight to simply close this service with two minutes to go tonight by simply saying, "I'm going to go to the altar and I'm going to begin to worship God tonight. If I've got an Adidomite spirit in me, I'm taking it out tonight, forgiving anybody and I'm forgiving everybody. Holding malice toward no one. Praying for my enemies to despitefully use me. Praying that God will use them. praying that God will help them. Praying that God will speak to them. Who'll join me in this altar tonight? Come on. Won't you pack in real close? What are you doing with your life? What are you doing with your life? Oh, one day I'm going to go to the altar. Oh. Oh, one day I'm going to get up there and praise God. But not tonight. Not tonight. You don't know if you got tomorrow to live. You better get here tonight. You better make a deposit of prayer right now. Tonight. I don't want to scare you, but this could be the last service you're ever in right now. I don't want to put you on a guilt trip, but this could be the last time you're in an altar right now. Come on, praise him with me. Come on. Come on. It's time. It's time to forgive. Come on. It's time to forgive. It's time to let the Holy Ghost wash you with his spirit. It's time to let the Lord direct your attention. It's time to let the Lord direct your decisions. It's time to dethrone the Edomite. It's time for Herod to die because the child Jesus has got to be raised. It's time. Come on, praise him right now. Yeah. Yeah. Lord, I love you right now, God. Oh, I love you right now. What's going to be said about you? >> Oh yes, Lord. I love you, God. I love you, God. I love you, God. I love you, God. Oh, I love you, God. I love you, God. I love you, God. I love you, God. Oh. Oh, I forgive right now, Lord. I forgive. I release. I release right now, God, Lord, to those that cannot forgive themselves right now. Would you help them, Lord? Would you help them to realize their righteousness is not greater than yours? Would you help them tonight to forgive themselves? Come on, forgive yourself tonight through the blood of Jesus, through the name of Jesus, through the power of God. If you will cry out, he'll touch you right now. If >> you'll cry out, he'll touch you right now. >> Oh yes, God. Oh yes, God. Oh yes, God. Come on, if you'll cry out, he'll touch you right now. It's been a long time since some of you had joy. Been a long time since some of you have had peace. Been a long time since some of you just laughed and enjoyed life and enjoyed the things. >> Oh, I love you, Lord. Right now, I love you, God. I love you, God. Put your hand over on somebody and pray with them right now. In the name of the Lord, we rebuke every edomite spirit. It shall not go. We We kill it right now. We kill the edomite spirit right now. I will not in Jesus name allow it to go from generation to generation. I kill it right now. I put it to death right now. Come on. It doesn't need to poison your daughter any longer. It doesn't need to poison your son any longer. It doesn't need to poison your grandchildren any longer. It's a new day. It's time that the evil might has to die. There is an >> Oh yes, Lord. Oh yes, Lord. Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord. >> Oh, go ahead. Go ahead. Go ahead. Go ahead. >> Come on. Let's break out in singing right now. Let's break out in singing right now. >> The Edomite is going to die. The Enomite's going to die in me. >> The Edomite's going to die. >> That man is my brother. That woman is my sister. >> My enemy is my brother. My enemy is my sister. >> Oh, they they have the anointing. >> I will not ignore the evil might. There is no one like you. >> Oh yes, God beside you. Open our mind and show me. I say who you are and fill me with your heart and lead me to go all around my life upon your love. It is our foundation and I will put my trust in you alone and I will not be my I will be and I will not be holy. There is no one like you. There is one beside you. Open up my eyes in wonder and show me who you are and fill me with your heart. >> What are you doing with your life? >> What are you doing with your life? What are you doing with your life? Every one of us tonight ought to be as aspiring to see what we saw on the screen tonight. Matter of fact, brother Sister Holden, I preach for Sister Holden's grandfather, Brother Reinhardt. That's why every time I get up here around the altar and I see Kingston up here around the altar, your papa's been gone for some time now. I just feel like putting my hand on Kingston, praying for him. Your dad, your granddad was good to me. Was good. He was good to me. I just feel like that's something I could do. And I'm going to tell you something. I believe in the law of what you give is what you get. >> I hope when my descendants are up around the altar that some preacher will come lay their hand on them >> many years ago. A man named Charles Manders. Charles Manders had a tire shop and uh he loved giving he loved giving evangelists work to do. So during the day when I was evangelizing during the day I stayed at brother Mander's house and during the day I got $5. $5 for every tire that I changed there in the garage. So I'd make me some pretty good money changing them tires. But one night, Brother Mander said, "I got a friend, pastor friend down here in Watkinsville. I'm gonna carry you down there and preach for him. Carried me and put me in a truck. Take me down. He took me down to Watkinsville. Never been there before. It was just a little spot, little four four-way stop. There was a little brick Pentecostal church. I walked in that night. To the left was the drums on the left. To the left said a young man playing the drums. Little did I know that years later that young man that was playing the drums was going to grow up and become the pastor of that church by the name of Tim Hammond. And little did I know that I'd marry Penny Bennett. We'd have one daughter named Lauren and they'd have one son named Zach. And little did we know that through the process of time they'd come together. So, every time I see one of my grandsons, that's your grandfather's greatgrandsons, I just want to lay my hand on them. Everybody ought to want this. Brother, Brother Lee, your grandfather was so good to me. He was so good to me. Gave me a job. He was so good to me. So every time I can get your Teddy and them up in the altar and lay my I just feel like I'm doing something to say to a generation. Thank you. Come on, go home tonight. What are you doing with your life? Don't spend it making money. Don't spend it trying to get a bigger car and a bigger house and more comfortable bed, more comfortable clothes. Don't do that. Spend it leaving a legacy behind that somewhere someday this will be preached about you. And then we know on that great day in heaven when we're gathered around the throne of God and all of this has been revealed, won't we have a time when we get over yonder, won't we? Won't we sing and shout? Won't we dance about when we get over yonder? Come on, just lift your hands up to give him praise one more time. See you Sunday morning at family weekend.