Why We Believe What We Believe (Part 7) | Senior Pastor Kenneth Carpenter

if you have your Bibles and would meet me in the book of Acts Chapter 13 Verse number 49 Acts chapter 13 verse 49 and I ask the church praise the Lord Church praise the Lord say praise the Lord Church praise the Lord I um I like Lively Church don't you I like I like Lively I like Lively Church Monday night I was privileged to be asked to speak um at mother acr's celebration of life service and um it was a wonderful time of reminiscing over the life of this great woman of God of course her husband Bishop GL Acres had passed away 36 years ago and they were Qui brother sinata the the bishop acres and mother Acres were quite a dynamic team there in North Carolina um matter of fact I I feel very privileged uh to come up and to catch the end to catch the end of the ministry of some of the greatest men of God in the apostolic movement uh Bishop akres was one of them and then there was brother uh JT pay I was privileged to catch the end of his ministry and hold a Revival for him and and U he um he worked me over every day about the Oneness of the godhead and he would debate he was quite a debater and um but they told the story about Bishop Acres um Monday night one of the one of his sons said that his dad got up one Wednesday night was was teaching was teaching and his dad just simply said I don't believe in quiet church and he said as a matter of fact I don't believe that you can be a Christian and be quiet right well evidently there was a woman there it was her first time and probably her last time to be there she stood up and she said preacher I'm a Christian and I am quiet and that quick Bishop Acer said well sit down and be quiet I'm glad I'm not a quiet Christian tonight aren't you I'm glad that I'm not quite this evening acts 13 verse number 49 and the word of the Lord was published throughout all the region but the Jews stirred up The Devout and honorable women and the chief men of the city and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas and expelled them out of their Coast but they shook off the dust of their feet against them and came to Iconium and the disciples were filled with joy the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Ghost why we believe what we believe father I love you tonight thank you for the privilege of ministering your word Thank You From My Sanctuary on Wednesday night thank you God for my brothers and sisters that also want to come to the sanctuary that we can magnify you together now Lord the next few moments help me to feed your sheep and God I'll give you the praise and the honor and the glory in Jesus name we all pray amen before you seated give him a great hand of Praise Make Some Noise not a quiet place not a quiet place the Bible teaches beyond the shadow of any doubt the wonderful experience of of receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost amen beyond the shadow of any doubt the Bible teaches this experience you can find it in the Bible the experience of receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost you can find it in Acts chapter 2 you can find it in Acts chapter 10 you can find it in Acts chapter 19 when the Holy Ghost fills the receiver they will speak with a Heavenly tongue or a language as the spirit gives them the ability to do so amen after you have spoken in the Heavenly language for the first time afterwards the Holy Ghost in you will at times pray through you with that same with that same tongue beyond the shadow of any doubt tonight in the week to come you will find that receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost with the initial evidence of speaking in a Heavenly language is a Biblical experience to have amen praise God for that but tonight the Holy Ghost has led me and captured in my mind a word that is associated with the Holy Ghost over and over and over again it's the word called Joy can you say that with me joy joy now I know when we think of joy we think of happy we think of cheer uh we think of U we think of a good mood we think think when we say Joy oh man they're happy or Joy oh man they're in a good mood or Joy man they they're cheerful inside but but yet when we study the Bible and the Bible begins to tell us about joy joy will affect your emotions yes it will Joy will affect your em affect your emotions but hear me and hear me good tonight Joy is not an emotion Joy is a state of mind that the believer is in in that regardless of what they're going through they have a frame of mind that God is in control now my note said and I doctored my note I I changed my note sister P because I I said that God is still in control but to say that God is still in control would be to would be to lean toward a thought that somewhere in our life God got out of control no God has never been out of control whether it's a good day or bad day day or night health or sickness life or death God has always been in control regardless of the backdrop of your life you hear me tonight and hear me well God has always been in control it's interesting here as we read the opening verses that I read to you the word of God got published God began uh the word of God the work of God be to spread and then persecution came they stirred up devout women and chief men of the city and they expelled Paul and Barnabas from the region they were in they expelled them and however that came about uh pushed them out expelled them let them know they were not welcome anyway they left that area they left that area and the the Bible said that they as they left that area they shook off the dust from their feet as a testimony against them and they came to another town but if you would put verse 52 back on the screen the Bible now says and the disciples although they had been rejected and rejection is never a good feeling amen it's never good to be it's never you never feel good to be rejected they would have been rejected and they had been expelled from the region but yet this verse 52 says and the disciples were filled with what and with the now I want us to as we as we go through this Bible study tonight I want you to see the correlation between joy and the Holy Ghost now I want to preface this I want to underline this tonight I will possibly get tonight to the initial evidence or outward sign that you have received the Holy Ghost but I think that we may be just a little bit negligent in teaching that there is joy that is associated with the Holy Ghost there is Joy there's a frame of mind that's associated with the Holy Ghost look with me in Romans chapter 14 and verse number 17 I'm going to read a lot of scripture and if some of you would like to have my notes tonight I'll get one of my techy son-in-laws to help me to give them to you tonight but Romans uh chapter 14 verse1 17 while I'm saying that are we glad to have sister Lauren Hammond back with us tonight amen verse 14 or Chapter 14 verse 17 for the kingdom of God is Not meat and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the isn't that isn't that something that that where Joy keeps coming up you see Paul was was U was having to help the church at Rome because they wanted to go back under and have the law and go back under the drinking the the the you know the drink offerings and the meat offerings and and he says no no no no no the kingdom of God is Not meat and drink the kingdom of God what the the kingdom of God is Not meat and drink but the kingdom of God is first righteousness that's the right standing that only Calvary only the shed blood of Jesus Christ is the foundation for our right standing with God it is righteousness and then that produces peace and then the Bible says joy in the Holy Ghost go to the next chapter Romans 15 and verse 13 Paul again brings this to light he says in verse 13 now the god of hope fill you with all what somebody say it with me with all what joy and peace in believing that you may abound in Hope through the power of the Holy Ghost now I I I promise you I believe in speaking in tongues I don't believe I really have to say this tonight but I maybe somebody new here somebody watching may think well I don't know if he's he's kind of sound like he don't believe in speaking in tongues I thank my God read your Bible I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all all right but yet the answer to every problem that we go through is not to pray until we speak in tongues the answer is we need to develop a mindset of joy in our minds that regardless of what's going on around us God is in control so so Paul is saying here the god of Hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing that you may abound in Hope through the power of the Holy Ghost it didn't stop with the church at Rome let's look at the church at thessalonica 1 the Thessalonians chapter 1 and verse number six 1 Thessalonians chapter 1 verse 6 listen to him talk to this church and you became followers of us and of the Lord Lord okay now you became followers of us and of the Lord having received the word in much Affliction look at that word Affliction and when we came preaching to you you all had a lot of Affliction but we preach to you you see people that are under Affliction need to be preached to right somebody said that we need to comfort The Afflicted and afflict the comfortable amen they were under heavy affliction and they needed the word preached to them under heavy Affliction but it was not just the word the Bible said having received the word in much Affliction with joy of the Holy Ghost he's balancing it out he's saying you got a lot of afflictions but you need to let the Holy Ghost give you the frame of mind that God is in control control I want to go to the Old Testament for a moment the book of Nehemiah chapter 8 and verse number 8 Nehemiah chapter 8 verse number 8 everybody just say Joy Jo say it like say it really like you're intense all right just joy joy joy joy joy God is in control the children of Israel had sinned God had brought them back out of captivity and they had rebuilt Jerusalem Nehemiah had rebuilt the walls and they had started worship back up but there had been a lot of years of neglect the people had well quite honestly they had neglected the ways of God they had neglected the word of God there was a lot of things that they were not doing that they should be doing it was a lot of things that they were doing that they shouldn't be doing and uh Nehemiah built the walls and it came a say that they needed more than just a building Nehemiah 8 verse number 8 says so they read in the book of in the book in the law of God distinctly and gave the sense and caused them to understand the reading that simply means that they spoke the word of God clearly and after they spoke the word of God clearly that they could hear then they begin to break it down and tell them what the word of God meant verse nine and Nehemiah which is the Tor shatha that's that just simply means he was the governor and Ezra the priest The Scribe and the Levites that taught the people said unto all the people this day is Holy unto the Lord your God mourn not nor weep for all the people wept when they heard the words of the Lord now they heard what they should be doing that they weren't doing they heard things they heard things that they were doing that they shouldn't and they they they heard these things and when they did the word smoked them in the heart their past everybody say past their cast smoked them in the heart and they begin to weep and they begin to mourn but God moved upon the Levites which were the ministers there and they said these words unto them verse 10 then he said unto them he said unto them or excuse me let me let me go back to verse uh part of verse n again they came they were weeping and they were mourning they they wept when they heard the word and then verse 10 then he said unto them go your way eat the fat drink the sweet send portions unto them from whom for whom nothing is prepared for this day is Holy unto our God uh unto our Lord neither be ye sorry for the joy of the Lord is your strength you see now and and by no means tonight am am I'm by no means tonight we are in a grieving mode here tonight we are in and we will be in a grieving mode for some time and a family will stay in a grieving mode so I I I'm I'm I'm I'm by no means making reference to the Holland Family tonight by by no means but there com a time when weeping and mourning over things that you can do nothing about weeping and mourning and again I want to exclude I've got to he my notes I am not saying the the the the Hollands they have got every reason to weep and they've got every reason to mourn but I I do know this about them tonight they're not mourning and weeping without hope they have hope in a resurrection now what I'm referring to tonight is we have things in our life that we are that that that that we have no control over you have things in your life that that are lived that you cannot go back and you cannot change it is not God's will for you to weep and mourn over things that you can't change it is God's will to change your present and your future but he doesn't do it with a broken Spirit he does it with the joy of the Lord they came to them and they said hey we know we preached to you and we told you the things that you were doing that you need to stop and we know that we told you there's things you're not doing you need to start and we know that you're living in a little bit of remorse right now but this is not a day to be mourning and this is not a day to be to be weeping for the joy of the Lord is your strength regardless of what's happened in your life to put the helmet on tonight to put the helmet on tonight and say God you are in control I will not allow things to detour me distract me deflate me I will live my life knowing that you are in control the joy of the Lord so the Levites look at verse 11 so the ites stealed all the people saying hold your peace for the day is Holy neither be ye grieved and all the people went their way boy these are good people here they sound like faac marille people here because they listen to the preacher listen look at what the people did and all the people went their way to eat and to drink and to send portions and to make great murf and to make great murf because they had understood the words that were declared unto them you know what great MTH is don't you it's happiness it's Joy somebody said we're going to stop crying and we're going to start mourning over the past and we're going to start rejoicing over what we've got we've got a wall around Jerusalem we've been brought out of captivity our God is the god that's never left us and never failed us we're going to start living our lives that way good people good people let's go back to the New Testament now Jesus is preparing the disciples brother Hammond he's he's preparing his disciples that they're going to see something in the next seven days that's going to shake their faith you have watched me walk on the water you have watched me multiply bread and fish you have watched me lock the jaws of every Pharisee that spoke against me but in the next seven days you're going to see something in me that's going to shake your faith you're going to watch them arrest me in the Garden of Gethsemane after that you're going to watch me be beaten at the whipping post you're going to watch me stagger up a Hill Called calvary or a Hill Called gatha you're going to watch me suffer bleed and die on a cross and you're going to watch me be wrapped up in linen Claws and laying in the Tomb everything about what what you're going to see is going to cause your faith to be shaken at the core but I got to tell you something in John 16:16 now you have this you have the background set listen to Jesus talk to his disciples a little while and you shall not see me again a little while and you shall see me because I go to the father then said some of his disciples among them elv what is this that he saith unto us a little while and you shall not see me and again a little while and you shall see me and because I go to the father they said therefore what is this that he saith a little while we cannot tell what he's saying in other words they're just simply saying what what do you mean what do you mean a little while and you're not going to see me and a little while you're going to see me again and I'm I'm going to what what are you talking about Jesus verse 19 now when now now Jesus knew that they were desirous to ask him and said unto him unto them do you inquire among yourselves that I said a little while and you shall not see me and again a little while and you shall see me verely verely I say unto you that ye shall weep and Lament but the world shall rejoice now just follow this he said there's coming a time you're going to weep and lament but the world is going to rejoice and ye shall be sorrowful but your sorrow shall be turned into Joy a woman when she is in travail has sorrow because her hour is come but as soon as she is delivered of the child she rememberthe anguish for joy that a man is Born Into the world and ye now therefore have sorrow but I will see you again and your heart shall rejoice and your joy oh underline this in your Bible and your joy and your joy no man taketh from you and your joy no man's going to take from you now let me tell you exactly what he was saying I'm about to go to Calvary I'm about to be crucified and buried in a tomb while you are Weeping over what you see and you are mourning over what you see the world is going to Rejoice because they think they have silenced The Miracle Worker the world the religious people are going to throw a party they're going to be happy that Messiah has been crucified they're going to Rejoice that he's been put to silence and all of that but said some things are going to turn around your sorrow is going to be turned into joy and he talks about something being birthed and you know what that something is the church the church and he says you're going to have to watch me go to Calvary because if there's no Calvary there's no Pentecost if there's no shedding of blood there is no outpouring of the Holy Ghost if there's no shedding of blood I cannot send the Holy Ghost to come inside of you but you're going to be sorrowful and you're going to be painful but your joy your your sorrow excuse me is going to turn turned into joy and then I like what he said and it's a joy that no man can take away from you can I tell you tonight there's one thing you can't take from me and that's my joy you can repossess you can do everything against one of us in here but there's one thing you can't take away from us you can't take away our joy the world is can give it to you and the world cannot take it away a man called Victor Franco was a survivor of the Holocaust he writes and tells about the Germans bringing the Jewish people out stripping them from their clothes removing from them all dignity taking their wedding bands from them having them stand out in the cold for hours to see how long they could last but he decided one day and this is what made him a this is what made him a Survivor it's what'll make you a Survivor he decided in his mind you can take my clothes you can take my wedding band you can you you you can absolutely control where I stand and how long I stand and how much food I eat and don't eat but you cannot judge how I will respond to it you cannot have control over the way that I will respond things come to us in life but if we've got the joy of the Lord upon us we stand back and we understand God you are in total control I may I may be weeping now but I've got a joy Crown upon my head because no man can take this Joy from me or from you and he's talking about he's talking about the Holy Holy Ghost the Holy Ghost First Peter chapter 1 verse number 6 and somebody say praise the Lord you see tonight I am not belittling tongues the initial sign that the Holy Ghost has taken up residence but I would like to help us out tonight to tell you that God wants to give you more than an outward sign that you got it God wants to put some Joy on the inside of your head that that it's connected to the Holy Ghost that's in God is God is in control First Peter chapter 1: 6 wherein you greatly Rejoice though now for a season listen to this now he said you greatly Rejoice though now for a season if need be ye are in heaviness through manifold Temptations now that word manifold means many different kinds Temptations mean trial okay now he says you've got rejoicing he said but you've also in a season now this is another thing you need to understand everything you see here tonight is temporal temporary everything you see is temporary it's temporal it's not permanent all right it's going to burn up one day it's going to burn up one day as a matter of fact face reality age changes all of us all right face that reality there's a change a continual change you can you can forever go to 21 but you're just deceiving yourself all right all right you you can try to maintain Youth and I know that's a big thing people want to stay young have at it neighbor just just have at it just I I do a little Pastor here tonight just stay holy just stay holy all right but you got to understand things are changing because it's temporal the only thing that's Eternal is the down payment that God put inside of you it's called the earnest Ephesians calls it the earnest of your salvation it's the down payment that God put inside of you what was that the baptism of the Holy Ghost that's the only thing that's Eternal in your life your car is not Eternal your body's not Eternal your house is not Eternal your bank account's not etal come on wake somebody up here tonight you're not Eternal the only thing that's Eternal is the Holy Ghost on on the inside of you you you you you don't you don't know I'm going through a trial I'm going through a trial you're going through a season but don't make it a lifetime it's only a lifetime if you keep it up I'm just going through a season that's all it is whatever you're going through tonight just look at it and say I'm just going through a season I believe I'm coming out of this Valley I believe I I believe I'm going to come out of this I believe the Sun is going to shine again I believe things are going to happen I'm just going through a season right now that's all I'm going through is a season right now how many would be honest with me not raise your hand you've already put your snow shovels up thank you thank you thank you why'd you put your snow shovels up cause it's spring that's that stuff I'm going to tell you I don't know if it's God here yet wh over in North Carolina Monday and Tuesday and already my car when I came out of the hotel my car is covered in that thing called pollen not snowflakes why because seasons change can I tell you in the name of Jesus tonight whatever you're going through it's just a season that's all it is it's just a season it's you know it's going it some folks are out of the Season they're out of the season but they still got the snow shovel in the garage they have to move it every time they go through the garage it's 97° outside and they're moving the snow shovel around so they can move around the garage can I tell you tonight you need to say it's just a season that's all it is just a season wherein verse number six wherein you greatly Rejoice though now for a season if need be you're in heaviness through manifold Temptation that the trial of your faith watch it now watch this now that the trial of your faith being much more precious than of gold that perish though it be tried with fire might be found under the praise and honor and Glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ wait a minute you're not going through God doesn't allow us to go through things just for the purpose of going through things God doesn't have a carnival God doesn't have a carnival that he puts us in the house of mirrors you ever you ever went to the carnival or or the circus and they got this booth set up called the it's the house of mirrors and you get in it you can't find your way up and there's me and I go down here and you just get lost in it God doesn't do that to his people if God put you in a trial God is simply sharpening you to be ready for his appearing it's not a waste of time if you miss Heaven you miss everything come on now if you miss Heaven you miss the trying of our faith what does Paul here say it's not brother Carpenter saying this tonight not this not brother Hammond saying this tonight that the trial of your faith being much more precious than of gold that perisheth though it be tried with fire might be found why am I going through this that it might be found unto praise and honor and Glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ God lets us go through a trial so we don't get so comfortable down here that we just want to stay down here we weren't made to stay down here we weren't made just stay down this is just a dressing room we are in rehearsal that's all that we're in tonight and if God lets a trial come into my life let it put me on my knees let it put me on my face let it cause me to get things out of my life that i' let come into my life but let me let me be ready for that appearing come on praise him with me right now hallu hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah oh wait a minute now verse eight he's not Paul's not done here or Peter's not done here listen to him talk whom having not seen ye love in whom though now you see him not yet believing ye Rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of Glory I've never seen Jesus Christ I've never seen him with my eyes I've never felt him with any with my hands but it's sure as I'm standing here tonight I believe that God overshadowed Mary and 2,000 years ago in a place in the Middle East God was birthed into this world through the womb of the Virgin Mary and through that birth he became the savior of the world through for from sin and I believe tonight that his word says that if we place our faith in him and obey the gospel that we become his sons and his daughters I've never seen him but I believe in him I have never touched him but I believe in him then not only that but my believing leads me to Rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of Glory the world has to go get drunk to Coke the world has to go get high to Coke the world has to become millionaires to be happy but that doesn't make them happy I'm standing here tonight and I'm joyous in my God joy unspeakable let's look at Galatians for a moment Galatians chapter 5 verse number 22 Galatians 5 and verse 22 and again I'm going to make reference the tongues being the initi the initial sign one has been filled with the Holy Ghost but let's look at some something else Galatians 5:22 but the fruit of the spirit but the fruit of the spirit but the fruit of the spirit thank God for the initial sign thank God for the initial sign we're going to pray for people we're going to pray for them to receive the Holy Ghost we're going to pray that they they have that initial sign but we're not going to stop right there because it's God's will for there to be fruit in your life God wants fruit in your life and fruit is the product of time fruit is the product of planting the right environment and I can go off right there too hey some folks get the Holy Ghost but don't stay in the right environment don't look for it to change your life if you don't stay in the right environment God put the seed in you but you got to stay in the climate that you got the Holy Ghost you come and get the Holy Ghost and you just go go out and you never come back to church and you never read your Bible and you never pray and you keep hanging out with your old friends that's not going to grow inside of you but come and get the Holy Ghost come and get baptized and stay in this atmosphere stay where the word is preached stay in the prayer room stay in the house of God and all of a sudden the fruit of the spirit is first what is it first love why would the first thing be love because God is love so it's not a strange thing tonight that the first fruit of the spirit the first thing that's listed there is love why God is love and God gives us a portion of himself and so we we have the fruit of the spirit we stay in the right atmosphere we stay in the right atmosphere we will become Godlike we will become a Christian we will become Christlike we will start praying for those that that persecute us we will start doing good and going the Second Mile we'll start blessing when they're cursing we'll start praying when they're persecuting well how do you do aren't you such a good little man that you can just pray for those that are pray get your hand off my filthy shoulder I'm not a good man I just got a good God on the inside of me that's all I got I got a I got a good God on the inside of me for in my flesh dwelleth no good thing but I got a good God on the inside of me and if I let oh my God I feel him right now if I let that good God begin to work I didn't really mean to say you stand up my fet up the shoulder I but the fruit of the spirit the fruit of the spirit's what church what's the second thing there it is there it is that frame of mind that frame of mind that controlled frame of mind that's going to be all right God is in control we're going to make it God is going to see us through this it's what you say to people people that have a cancer diagnosis given to them you say Rhonda it's going to be all right God's going to see us through this we're in the hand of God I'm going to tell you something I'm going to tell you something well everything going on can't you see everything going on do you not believe whose hand you're in that's where you got to live whose hand are you in whose hand are you in you believe you're in the hand of God Joy that's the hand of God go going over actually go go go go to Romans chapter 5 excuse me go to Romans chapter 5 verse number five Joy somebody say Joy Jo Joy Romans 5 and5 hope maketh not ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us when he gave us the Holy Ghost the love of God was shed abroad it was shed poured out on the inside on the inside of our heart and that's why that's why we can be in all kinds of situations and I want you to know tonight that the Old Testament Saints condemn me and they should condemn you tonight too how they had faith in God and didn't have the Holy Ghost Inside of them they never J job had never job had never heard the good news of the death burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ well what if he had have then he would have known that the worst thing that can happen to you God has already conquered the worst let me say it again the worst thing that could happen to you God has already conquered what's the worst thing death he's already conquered death he conquered death hell and the grave he rose we're in that season right now he rose on the third day Victorious over death hell in the grave but he's just not the Superstar of the show he turns around gives a message called The Gospel and says Whoever has the gospel if this Same Spirit dwell in your mortal body that dwelt in Christ it shall quick your mortal body and we shall have the same Resurrection now none of us want to die none of us want to die right and that's normal it's all right and none of us want to die none of us want to die but yet when death comes close to us and we see the reality of death we need not fear death because our God has already conquered the worst thing that could happen to us oh praise God oh praise God there will be a resurrection of the dead the dead in Christ will rise one day it's not a fable it's not a it's not a mother mother in a shoe it's not a Humpty Dumpty rhyme song that we get there will be a resurrection one day the dead in Christ will rise one day we will be caught up together in the clouds right now the world is rejoicing and it seems like that we're under we're under the the attack but God going to turn it around on that great getting up morning there will be a resurrection there will be a resurrection brother Fuller you're going to get a body you're going to get a body that you won't have to go get your blood tested ever so often to make sure your kidneys are functioning you're going to get a body that'll never grow old you'll get a body that'll never be diseased in Oh My My my M I got I feel the joy of the Lord falling fresh on me I feel the joy of the Lord delivering me I feel the joy of the Holy Ghost all over me listen it's more than just tongue talking it's a frame of mind that I live in that I come on give him some praise right now come on give him some praise right now I feel the joy of the Lord I feel the joy of the Lord Rejoice not against me oh my enemy I shall arise I shall arise just a season that's just a season that's all it is oh my my my my my job you condemn us job you condemn us you didn't even have the Holy Ghost listen to job job 19 job 19 and verse number 14 job 19 verse number 14 job you didn't even have the Holy Ghost let's listen to him now job says my kin folk have failed and my familiar friends have forgotten me they that dwell in my house and my Maids count me as a stranger I am an alien in their sight I called my servant and he gave me no answer I intreated him with my mouth my breath is strange to my wife I can relate to that one my breath is strange to my wife she handed me a breath me before I got up here tonight so help me God my breath is strange to my wife though I entreated though I intreated for the children's sake of my own body yay young children despise me I arose and they spake against me all my inward friends have the me and they whom I loved are turned against me my bone cleaveth to my skin and to My Flesh and I am escaped with the skin of my teeth have pity upon me have pity upon me oh Ye Ye my friends for the hand of God have touched me why do you persecute me as God and are not satisfied with my flesh now he just listed sister Franklin everything he's going through and how people turn their back on him and and and how people shunned him he said used to I'd walk into my house and my My Maids and my servants would greet me now they treat me like I'm an alien he said I I used to be able to tell my kids come here and they don't even listen to me anymore he said they just just just they've all looked at my situation and they just they just considered me cursed of God and then he comes to verse 23 it's time to it's time to make your Tombstone job that's right verse 23 job's talking about a tombstone oh that my words were now written oh that they were printed in a book that they were Graven with an iron pin and led in the rock forever now what he says here he says I'm about to say something that I wish somebody would write a book I'm about to say something sister Carpenter that I wish somebody get a chisle out and make a monument and write down these words job what would you want written in your book and what would you want written on your Tombstone well here it goes verse 25 for I know that my redeemer liveth and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the Earth and though after my skin worms destroy this body yet in my flesh I shall see God whom I shall see for myself my eyes Shall Behold and not another though my Reigns be consumed within me he said friend I listed a long list of things going wrong but what I want on my Tombstone is I know that my redeemer liveth and I know that there's coming a resurrection oh friend I'm not going to talk about my trouble and I'm not going to talk about your trouble I choose to talk about the God I choose to talk about the God that has it all joy I wish somebody holler out joy I wish somebody holler out joy Jo I wish somebody that needs you would hollered out tonight joy joy joy joy come on James tell me something tonight James all right I'll tell you James 1 and2 my brethren count it all joy when you fall into divers Temptations count it all joy come on David help me out Psalms 16:11 help me out help me out thou Wil show me the path of life in thy presence is fullness of joy and at thy right hand there are Pleasures forever more brother car I just don't know what to do I just don't know what decision to make I just don't know what I should do or what I should say I'm just in a place right now I don't know what to do what do you think I need to do I got the answer get and stay in his presence get and stay in his presence get and stay in his presence why because in his presence is fullness of joy sooner or later you're coming out of whatever you're in you are coming out you are coming out well let me let me wrap this up tonight we're not the only ones habca 3:1 17 boy it's so gloomy in hca's life right now it's so gloomy in his life let's see let's see what's going on in habca chap 3:1 17 although the Fig Tree shall not blossom been a bad year been a bad year for crops neither shall the fruit be in the vine bad year the labor of the olives shall fail the fields shall yield no meat the flock shall be cut off from the fold and there shall be no herd in the Stalls it is a bad how many remember 2008 s pent I see people up to 2008 making good money big money great money 2008 hit it went crazy man it plummeted it it plummeted people were all upside down do you know I don't care if there's another 2008 our joy doesn't come from Prosperity our joy doesn't come from Prosperity come on heca you got a bad field bad crops nothing in the herd look at Verse 18 why don't we read it together Verse 18 why don't we read it together yet what I'm going to do the best way to come out the best way to come out of a downswing is to learn how to rejoice in the Lord he said yet I will rejoice in the Lord I will joy in the god of my salvation look at verse 19 the Lord God is my strength and he will make my feet like H's feet and will set me up make me to walk upon my high places to the chief singer on my string instruments in other words he said turn this into a song turn it into a song and sing it turn it into a song and sing it you see tonight all of us at one time or another is going to go through trials and we're going to go through tests and I want you to stand with me right now we've got a precious soul that we're going to baptize tonight in the lovely name of Jesus Christ come on let's make some noise for that right now come on let's make some noise sister uh sister Julia sister Julia I believe God really wanted her in this church we met her on a sidewalk holding an American flag as they were bringing back the body of the Fallen officer a few weeks ago met her on the sidewalk at dun D in front of Dunkin Donuts on a Wednesday afternoon she said she was wanting to find a church to go to and that night Julia made her way here the First Apostolic church and she's been here ever since and she wants to be baptized tonight I want to read one last few passages of scripture found in Romans chapter 8 verse number 11 now you know excuse me verse number 31 Romans 8 and verse number 31 everybody look up here at me right quick now you know I love you don't you I hope you do but I got to tell you something tonight the only way that you can live a an overcoming life is to have an overcoming mind the only way the only way and again I've made some statements tonight that that that um maybe a spiritual critic could run with that everything you need is not always wrapped up in you speaking in tongues me say it again everything that you need everything you need oh my I I spoke in tongues tonight in the altar that's wonderful that's good you got connected with the spirit now put the mindset on put the mindset on put the Joy on say to yourself my God is in control my God has this it's it's just a season it's just a season because if you don't get that mindset you don't get that mindset here's what people do that rely on their connection with speaking in tongues and don't get the right mindset spiritual High spiritual low spiritual High spiritual low spiritual High spiritual low speaking in tongues boy I failed him tonight W yeah I failed him tonight that's good but you start going down you have a low and God says I don't want that in you I want you to have that spiritual High speaking in tongues oh yes but I want you to put that helmet on and I want you to live a Victorious life and I want you to understand that I came that you might have life and that you might have it more abundantly Romans chapter 8:31 what shall we say then to these things if God before us who can be against us he that spared not his own son but delivered him up for us all how shall he not with him also freely give us all things who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect it is God that justifieth who is he that condemneth it is Christ that died yay rather that is risen again who is even at the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for us who shall separate us from the love of Christ shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or NE Ness or Peril or sword as it is written all the for thy sake we are killed all the day long we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter nay nay he said that's a mindset we're killed all the day long but then he says nay in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us for I am persuaded I am am persuaded I am persuaded that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our lord come on let's rejoice in him right now I can make it God oh I can make it God I can make it let's gather up around the altar right now church I can make it I'm an overcomer I've got holy ghost power in me I've got a God holding me I've got a god watching out over me I've got a god whose name been called over me I can make it I've Got The Power no man can take it from me I've got this Joy I've got this Joy I've got this Joy come on Gather in this altar tonight I have got this Joy Joy I've got it tonight I've got this Joy let's sing tonight Joy morning morning every you tears morning Jo your you you turn morning turn morning morning sister Julia put a profession your faith obedience to the word of the Lord I do now indeed baptize you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost in Jesus name tears you Joy turning your morning into tears you morning tears morning tears your morning morning morning Jo Jo oh let's just lift our hands and voices right now come on give him a joyous praise come on give him a joyous praise oh give him a joyous praise oh give him a joyous praise oh give him a joyous praise come on give him give him a joyous praise you know you know there's times that we change the tone of our voice to match the situation right we bought this property here at this church and uh it was a big hay field and I was bringing brother Anthony Wilson down here to bring his tractor to mow this field and we just got a new car and my wife the last thing she said to me was honey please don't take our car across that field well I was trying to point until Anthony wherever the corners were and and it was so big I couldn't tell him exactly every corner so I said well let's just drive it somewhere and I can only surmise somebody decided to dig a hole back here in the back and we're driving across that field and all of a sudden the front end went down and the back end came up and I looked over to Anthony Wilson he said you've done it now we got his tractor and pulled me out took the big fiberglass front that was on it put it in the back went by Walmart got some flowers some candy so help me true story and I went in the house and I said honey I got to tast you something all right that's one thing but now when I've done something real good like bought her something real special I'll say honey come look what I've done come look out here in this car come on I took it got it all washed up come on I I got a different voice now I understand when we've done something wrong we have to go Lord Lord I I got oh I'm going to tell you something if the only thing you say in prayer is oh God oh God you change that there are times when you say oh God oh God but there should be times we come to him and say thank you Jesus thank you Lord Lord I got Victory thank you Lord now I want us to give God one of them Praises right now come on give him one of them Praises right now I'm going to make it I'm going to make it all the way home I'm going to make it God I'm going to make it Lord hallelujah Glory Glory Glory thank you thank you thank you thank you Jesus thank you Lord Lord I'm going to make it Lord I'm going to make it I'm going to make it remember that the next time you're praising God all right