Sunday Evening Worship Service

I'm going to let you move to your seats, but please keep this spirit of worship and praise. This is deliverance atmosphere. This is where you get your needs met, your prayers answered, your problems solved. I'm thankful to be in the presence of Almighty God. So good to see every one of you here on this Sunday night. What a marvelous crowd of folks. I know many are traveling and journeying, but I'm so glad you made it your choice to be in the house of the Lord right here at home at First Apostolic Church. I want to take in just a few moments to remind everyone uh of upcoming events and of utmost importance. I would remind our church family this coming Friday evening and Friday night will be a special special event. This will be the celebration of life and the homecom homegoing service of Sister Eve Hudson. And I know our church family, I know you will be here for that special event, that special service. The family will be receiving friends on Friday evening from 5 until 7 and then the celebration of life service will be here uh at 7:00. And uh I know the Hudson family's wishes for we've talked and I know what Sister Eve's wishes would be as well. and that would be for us to have church and that's what we're going to do. That would be the best way she would want us to honor her. So I encourage all of our church family to be here this that's this coming Friday evening from 5 to 7 visitation 7 o'clock the celebration of life service. The aternment will be on Saturday and there'll be more details as we proceed. And then I would remind everyone again, Pastor Whitley's already announced, but please be ready spiritually for camp meeting and also be here physically for camp meeting. We're going to have a great time of the Lord. Service will begin on Wednesday night the 15th. Brother Whitley has already given you the schedule and our speakers. We're excited. I do always keep us reminded all hands on deck. Uh we are welcoming guests. Uh, I need every usher. In fact, we need additional ushers that will volunteer to help us in the night services. We usually have a uh uh very large crowd and we'll need some help seating folks. And uh I would uh ask any of you brothers uh that can help us uh on our ushering staff, of course, our greeters and our security staff will be on duty as well. all of our technicians, uh, audio, video, all of the workers that work there, >> >> uh, the choir will be singing, Sister Ashley will be giving you more instructions concerning that. And, uh, it's going to be a special time, and I encourage everyone, please be here for those series of services. We're going to have a great, great time in the Lord. giving honor uh to Bishop and Sister Mcool, to all of our ministers and pastors or our pastoral staff and all of our ministers and elders, I should say, the leaders of our church family. Thank you for your continued uh support and thank you for blessing us with your work. All the saints of God, thank you for your faithfulness in being in the house of the Lord on this holiday weekend. I want to call your attention to a passage of scripture found in the book of 1st Samuel the 24th chapter. 1st Samuel the 24th chapter. I would also uh say to a guest that we have joining us tonight. Uh I I'm so glad we have uh church family that happen to live in Colorado. But we're glad to have y'all with us tonight. We love you dearly. Uh, and uh, we uh, uh, uh, we didn't know when y'all made all your plans to come be here, God was still working his time as well, even with Sister E. But we're honored to have you folks with us. We love y'all dearly. Uh, 1st Samuel the 24th chapter. Going to read a few verses beginning with verse number one. 1st Samuel 24, beginning with verse number one. And it came to pass when Saul was returned from following the Philistines that it was told him, saying, "Behold, David is in the wilderness of Inai." Now, pause and notice Saul's attention is divided. He's been pursuing the Philistines, but he also has enmity at David. So, he's also pursuing David. Then Saul took 3,000 chosen men out of all Israel and went to seek David and his men up on the rocks of the wild goats. He came to the sheep coats by the way where there was a cave. Saul went in to cover his feet. He was going to get a little rest and probably in the heat of the day get in the cave where it might be a bit cooler. And David and his men remained in the sides of the cave, the very one he was seeking, the one he was hunting. David and his men were already hiding in this cave. And the men of David said unto him, "Behold the day of which the Lord said unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine hands, that thou mayest do to him, as it shall seem good unto thee." Then David arose and he cut off the skirt of Saul's robe privately. Came to pass afterward that David's heart smoteed him because he had cut off cut off Saul's skirt. And he said unto his men, "The Lord forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the Lord's anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seen his anointed of the Lord." So David stayed his servants with these words and suffered them not to rise against Saul. But Saul rose up out of the cave and went on his way. And David also rose afterward and went out of the cave and cried after Saul, saying, "My Lord the King." And when Saul looked behind him, David stooped with his face to the earth and bowed himself. For a few moments tonight, I'd speak to you on this subject. A submissive king. A submissive king. Let's pray. Lord Jesus, I thank you for your word, for your precious presence that we feel here even now. Lord, for the praise that has gone up, Lord, for the mercy, for the strength, for the comfort that we feel in this house when we're in your presence. Now, Lord, I pray that your word would minister mightily to us tonight. Lord, let it speak to our hearts. Give us guidance, direction for all we would do. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen. And amen. a submissive king. To give you a bit of background, David was at a point in his life that he had faced a most difficult set of circumstances. his mentor, his king. Yes, his father-in-law, the grandfather of his children, his best friend, Jonathan's father. Saul, because of envy and jealousy, had attacked him, rejected him, and now was doing his best to take David's life. the one who had first given David the go-ahhead to slay Goliath in defense of God's people now because of jealousy was seeking David to destroy him. David's world had to be upside down. And in our text, we read that David now has the ultimate opportunity to destroy Saul and do away with the unjust vengeance that was seeking him. But I suggest to you that somewhere deep down in David's upbringing and his very moral fiber, someone had instilled in him the traits of being in submission and subjection. these traits would overcome his baser nature to take Saul's life. In fact, at the urging of his men who were also with him hiding in the cave, they said, "LOOK, GOD'S PROVIDED A WAY for you to get ultimate victory and vengeance." And David was in conflict with his own conscience at that point. Had he not been likely, he would have just gone ahead and pulled his sword and taken Saul's life. But even then, he was conflicted. So he took a momentto. He cut the skirt of King Saul. And the Bible said when he did it, immediately his heart was smitten. his conscience began to bother him. He told his men, he said, "I shouldn't have done this." He said, "No matter what Saul has done, no matter the vengeance that Saul seeks, who am I to lay my hand on God's anointed?" We know the story of David and that David would later become king. But at this point in time, I really believe that David was proving to God just what kind of heart he had. For David would later be referred to as a man after God's own heart. You see, kings aren't known for bowing down to others. Yet David, when Saul would leave the cave, would cry out to him and bow down before Saul. David would soon be anointed king officially. But God had already rejected Saul and David was in the bloodline now to be king. but because of his submissive spirit and his respect for the position of the king as well as Saul the man himself. David bowed himself to Saul. Is it any wonder that David would be responsible in the Psalmist after he had committed catastrophic sins plural in his life for these words to be pinned in Psalms 51:9? Hide thy face from my sins and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, oh God, and renew a right spirit in me. Cast me not away from thy presence, and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me THE JOY OF THY SALVATION, and uphold me with thy free hand." David someway somehow was able to retain his submissive spirit even when he became king. That term submission defined is the condition of being humble, compliant, submissive, an act of submitting to the authority or the control of another. To be in subjection means owing obedience or allegiance to the power or dominion of another. To bring under control, to subjugate, to make as oneself cooperative to the discipline and control of a superior. If you think about it, David's sins in comparison to Saul's sins were much greater. David committed adultery. David trying to cover his sin would devise a scheme of lies and before it was over would plot a murderous plan to kill Uriah. David would commit some of the most dastardly sins possible. Yet God would find a way to restore him. On the other hand, Saul comparatively by human standards and man's standards, his sins didn't seem quite so bad. He just was a little bit by man's standards just a little rebellious. For he had been told to utterly destroy the Amalachites. But Saul instead in victory would take King Ag, the king of the Amalachites hostage and make him the subject of ridicule and display and march him through the streets because of the victory. They would take the best cattle of uh all of the Amalachites and would try to convert it to be used for their purposes rather than utterly destroy as the man of God, the prophet of God Samuel had told him to do. So why would God accept the dastardly sins of David yet reject Saul? I submit to you it was the difference in having a submissive spirit and having a rebellious spirit. For you see in 1st Samuel 15:30 this is the way Saul reacted to his sin. Remember we just read that David's answer was create in me a clean heart renew a right spirit in me. Da David had not run from his sin. He had not made excuse but he was just asking God to forgive him and restore him. But here was Saul's approach when approached by Samuel his prophet. He said in verse 30, "I have sinned yet honor me now." Think about that. Look at those words. I have sinned yet honor me now. I pray thee before the elders of my people, BEFORE ISRAEL, AND TURN AGAIN WITH ME, THAT I MAY WORSHIP the Lord thy God. IN OTHER WORDS, I don't want anybody to know what I've done. YEAH, I MESSED UP, BUT SO WHAT? I STILL WANT MY HONOR. Could I ask everybody in the house tonight? Scripture tells us that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. >> There are none of us WHO ARE SINLESS. BUT HOW DO WE REACT? AND HOW HAVE WE REACTED? WHAT IS OUR SPIRIT LIKE WHEN WE KNOW WE'VE DONE WRONG AND WE COME BEFORE GOD? DO WE HAVE A REPENTANT SPIRIT? OR DO WE SAY, "YEAH, I DID IT, BUT I WANT MY HONOR. DON'T EMBARRASS ME. I DON'T WANT THE ELDERS TO KNOW. I don't want the people to know about my sin." Saul was never able to place himself in subjection or submission to spiritual leadership after he had sinned. I submit to you, we all need to look at ourselves. When we've made a mistake, when we've done wrong and we know that we have messed up, we need to be able to go to an altar of repentance. Say, "God, I'm sorry. unequivocally I give myself to you. I am not worried about what anybody else thinks, but oh God, would you create in me a clean heart? Oh, I'm not making allowances for willful sin. But please understand the spirit in which we operate many times will let us know for you. You see, by man's standards, what David did was much worse than what Saul did. But scripture tells us that rebellion is as of the sin of witchcraft. That's dabbling with the devil. When you have a rebellious spirit of flesh in you against spiritual leadership, preacher, you're trying to elevate what you say. You know, I'm trying to elevate what the word of the Lord says and the authority of the word of the God. You better listen to the preached word, the taught word in your life. When it convicts your heart, do you respond to it by saying, "God, I want to be clean." OR DO YOU SAY, "I DON'T BELIEVE THAT STUFF. THAT DON'T apply to me. I I just don't THINK I NEED TO follow that mess." You see, the day would come God would take care of the situation with Saul. Yes, from that day on the Bible tells us that Saul no longer pursued David. But we also find that God had also rejected Saul as leader. And eventually Saul and all of his sons would be slain in battle. It would be an Amalachite, ironically enough, who would bring the news of Saul's demise to David. And David would eventually bear the responsibility of being the king. Now, David, scripture tells us, became cautious. In fact, 1 Coronicles 12:2 says it this way. David was getting ready to choose his own close-knit army, his mighty men, if you will. And it says this in 1 Coronicles 12:1. Now these are they that came to David to Ziglag while he while yet kept himself close because of Saul the son of Kish. David was very cautious who he would allow in his inner circle because he had been affected by Saul's betrayal. The jealousy that d had driven him into exile and driven him into the cave had likely caused him to lose his innocent loyalty, his patriotism to his king and could have even affected and made him doubt his very god. He could not possibly understand how his victory over Goliath had involved evolved rather in such a personal disappointment. He's now amassing an army of mighty men. He's anointed king of Israel. How can David be become king without being suspicious, paranoid, distrustful, cynical around about everyone that's around him. I submit to you the way he could prevent these things from happening was because he still had a submissive and and a subject spirit unto God. In fact, if you read in 1 Coronicles, it's beautiful the way it's worded. It said in verse two, he starts choosing these warriors. It said, "They were armed with bows and could use both the right hand and the left hand and hurling stones and shooting arrows out of a bow, even of Saul's brethren of Benjamin." HE WENT BACK TO THE BLOODLINE of Saul. AND I'M TALKING about these guys were warriors. They were ambidextrous. They uh one guy said they were amphibious. Uh they could throw rocks with their right hand or their left hand. They they were skilled warriors. And I want you TO NOTICE BECAUSE DAVID HAD KEPT A submissive spirit. He had a spirit of subjection rather than a haughty king attitude. Now it says, "And the children of Issar," this is in the 32nd verse, "which were men that," notice this, "had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do." The heads of them were 200, and all their brethren were at their commandment. He picked men that had the same heart as he did. They understood the times. He had 200 who were men of authority. And their brethren listened to the commandments that they gave. And of Zebulun, such as WENT FORTH TO BATTLE, EXPERTS in war, with all instruments OF WAR, 50,000 WHICH COULD keep rank that they were not of double heart. Now, I want you to notice these things. If we are to be the church that God has called us to be, we must understand the times that we're living in. >> If we don't understand the times that we live in, we will not be as effective as God wants us to be. Now, let me let me explain the doctrine. The Jesus name apostolic doctrine and message will never change. Jesus said, "I'm the same yesterday, today, and forever." So the that's not what I'M TALKING ABOUT. BUT OUR methods sometimes MUST CHANGE WITH THE TIMES FOR US TO BE the most effective in reaching the lost. >> As some folks here in East Tennessee says, let me explain. Let me explain it to you. Let me give you some examples. You see, Bishop Mcool, I heard him in a panel discussion many years ago. They had him on a panel and they said, "Aside from the apostolic message," he said, THEY ASKED HIM, "WHAT ARE some examples and advice that you would give to people for having a successful church?" He said, "Oh, that's easy." HE SAID, "KEEP YOUR LIGHTS BRIGHT, your PA set loud, and your water fountain spurting high." And then he began explaining. He explained that he didn't like to go up to a church and there were two or three lights that hadn't been placed and they were dark. Now, understand, we've probably got more lights in this building we've ever had in our life because the times have changed. Now, uh, we we'll have lights on. We'll have lights on. There'll be blue lights and red lights and green lights and all that. Now, that's not apostolic go, but we have had to do some things with the time. WE USED TO NOT HAVE SCREENS. YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW WHO THE FIRST PERSON I SAW USE A SCREEN IN CHURCH? It was Bishop. It just happened to be on an overhead projector. I remember when he used to teach Bible, we had a we had a Bible stand that it took four men and a strong boy to move. It was huge. And it had a little cutout insert in it. And he had a overhead projector that he put down in that and he would write scriptures and give illustrations AND THEY'D PUT IT UP ON THE WALL. NOW, in that day, that was effective. That was cutting edge. BUT YOU KNOW, AS THE TIMES have changed, yeah, we put up some screens. Oh my god, they they've gone whirly. There screens in the church. >> There was A DAY ON THE BACK OF EVERY ONE OF THESE PEWS, THERE WOULD BE A CHURCH HIMNEL. And you knew what page about every one of the 10 favorite songs were camping in Canaan. What page was that, Sister Jamie? See, she remembers. Everybody will be happy over there. Man, those are good songs. But, you know, times have changed. That we we we've we've moved on. Now, I'm not throwing rocks at those things. THOSE THINGS HAD TO BE. THAT'S OUR FOUNDATION. THAT'S WHERE WE CAME FROM. BUT HEAVEN HELP US WHEN WE FIND OURSELVES THAT WE GOT TO STICK IT NEUTRAL. AND BLESS GOD, IF WE DON'T DO IT EXACTLY THIS WAY, WE'RE NOT HAVING A MOVE OF GOD. THEY KNEW WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN THE TIMES. THEY SAID, "WE WE GOT TO HAVE SOME GUYS THAT CAN THROW ROCKS WITH BOTH HANDS. THEY THEY CAN THROW A SPEAR. THEY CAN PULL A BOW AT THE BEST OF THEM. THERE'S A DIFFERENT ENEMY THAT WE'RE FIGHTING WITH THERE. WE'RE FACING THINGS TODAY THAT WEREN'T FACED IN A PREVIOUS GENERATION. AND IF WE AREN'T CAREFUL, WE'LL FIND OURSELVES SO ATTACHED TO MY TIME. >> I promise you, we still got the lights bright. We still keep the PA set loud. Bishop told the plumber, he said, "Take that water fountain and make it shoot up where it hits you in the ear and then turn it back just a little bit." He said, "I hate to go into a place where you got to suck the water out of the water fountain. This is A PLACE OF PLENTY. UNLOCK ALL THE DOORS. >> DON'T GO UP AND HAVE TO PLAY ANY MINI MODE TO QUICK SEE WHICH DOORS UNLOCKED. THAT WE'RE NOT GOING TO WEAR THE HINGES OUT. Who you learning stuff like that from? Go to Walmart. SEE IF THEY DON'T unlock all the doors. HEY, SEE IF THEY DON'T WANT IT. THEY WANT YOU TO BE ABLE TO GET IN. THEY DON'T WANT you to get out too quick till you filled up your buggy. YOU SEE, WE WANT THIS. NOW, SURE, WE'VE GOT SECURITY STAFF THAT THAT THEY LOCK THE DOORS at the proper time and they DO ALL THOSE THINGS, BUT LET ME TELL YOU, WE'VE GOT TO BE AWARE OF THE TIMES THAT WE'RE LIVING IN. WE'VE GOT TO KNOW, WE GOT TO KNOW THE ENEMY THAT WE'RE FACING, AND WE'VE GOT TO MEET THAT CHALLENGE WITH EVERY OPPORTUNITY THAT GOD GIVES US. WE'VE GOT ANOTHER GENERATION OF MIGHTY MEN AND WOMEN THAT ARE COMING ON. WE'VE GOT YOUNG FOLKS THAT CAN SING LIKE NOBODY HAS EVER BEEN ABLE TO SING BEFORE. THEY CAN PLAY MUSIC. THEY >> DOES SOMEBODY HEAR THE PREACHER IN THE HOUSE TONIGHT? THEY THEY THEY KNEW WHAT WAS GOING ON. THEY WERE AWARE OF THE TIMES. IT said they KNEW HOW TO TAKE INSTRUCTIONS. IT SAID THEY COULD keep rank and they were not double heart of a double heart. >> Now what keep rank means if you look at a little bit of military history the way many of the armies approached war at that time they were in rank and rows. And for them TO BE SUCCESSFUL WITH A MIGHTY army when they came up against another enemy, THE VICTORIOUS ARMIES were the ones that could hold their rank and hold their row AND NOT BREAK APART. BECAUSE IF THEY STARTED BREAKING APART, THERE WAS A WEAKNESS IN THE line and FOLKS WOULD START SCATTERING. THEY'D START RUNNING. WHEN THEY STARTED DOING THEIR OWN THING, >> their heart wasn't all the same. >> You know, I I won't do things my way. I I I don't I don't agree with all this. THEY KNEW HOW TO KEEP RANK. IT SAID, "AND THEY WERE NOT OF A DOUBLE HEART." HEAR ME. IN THIS HOUSE, WE'VE GOT TO HAVE THE SAME HEART AS CHRIST. YOU NEED TO LISTEN TO THE PREACHED WORD OF GOD. WE'RE STILL SOUL WINNERS. WHEN WE'RE SERVING FOOD OUT HERE TO THE LESS FORTUNATE, WE'RE WINNING SOULS. WHEN WE GOT KIDS PLAYING BALL AROUND HERE, WE'RE STILL HAVING CHURCH. >> WE'RE STILL WITNESSING. WE'RE PROVIDING A MEANS TO KEEP THEM IN, KEEP THEM INVOLVED. We >> No. >> What do they say? In the interest of complete disclosure, I've never seen anybody get the Holy Ghost at one of our basketball games. I haven't. I've seen a few folks needed to pray through again. But you know what I have seen? I've seen young kids that were in interested in playing ball and nothing else. And they come to school and got to keep the grades up to play ball. And then before long they they get to come to elevate chapel service. And they keep coming. THEN ONE DAY THE POWER OF THE HOLY GHOST falls in one of those services. AND SOME OF THOSE THAT SAME BUNCH THAT THEY JUST CAME AROUND, THEY THOUGHT THEY WERE JUST GOING TO COME AND PLAY BALL. SUDDENLY, I SEE THEM UP HERE SINGING THE CHOIR. I see them ushering. I SEE THEM OPERATING A CAMERA. WHY? WE WE GOT TO BE AWARE OF THE TIMES. WE GOT TO KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON AROUND US. WE GOT TO USE EVERYTHING THAT GOD PUTS AT OUR DISPOSAL TO WIN THE LOST. >> OH, HALLELUJAH. >> They could keep rank. We truly live in perilous times. Now is no time for anybody to go off trying to do your own thing. We must take our expertise in the battle against sin and not break break rank and be have singleness of heart. Romans 8:27 says, "And he that searchth the heart knoweth what's in the mind of the spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God." And we know, I hear so many folks quote this passage of scripture, but leave off the first statement. I hear folks say, "All things work together for good to them who love God." And it it does say that, but they leave off the first part. But we know we know sometimes when things don't seem to be working so well, you know what you need to say? I still know. But we know that all things work together for good to them that love God and to who are CALLED ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE. BROTHER KEVIN, I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY WE lose a LADY THIS EARLY. BUT WE KNOW, we know because we trust. We know that all things are going TO WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD TO THEM. I KNOW SHE LOVED GOD. I KNOW YOU LOVE God according to his purpose. You see, David, because he had a submissive spirit, in turn would recruit those who had a submissive spirit to put a mighty army to defend God's people. But you see, our ultimate example of a spirit of subject subjection is not even found in David. I want to read to you just a bit. Pause with me. If if you get nothing else out of this message, you can say you heard a lot of word tonight. Okay? Luke 2:41. Now, his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the Passover. This is speaking of Jesus' parents. And when he was 12 years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast. Jesus mom and dad kept with the customs there. All customs are not bad. Sometimes we feel like uh that if you use the word custom or or anything like that that's no customs were good when in proper perspective. When they had fulfilled the days as they returned the child Jesus terried behind in Jerusalem and Joseph and his mother knew it not. The common thought is in that day that the men traveled together and the women traveled together. the women and children and likely Joseph thought Jesus was with Mary and likely Mary thought Jesus was with Joseph but they supposed him to have been in the company and went a day's journey and they sought him among their kim folks and acquaintances and when they found him not they turned back again to Jerusalem seeking him boy when you lose one of your children you're talking about panic thinking. Brother Anony's not here, so I won't talk much about him, but we were in a department store many years ago. Some of you have heard this story, but for the few that don't, just remember this if you ever need any leverage on brother Anthony. We were in a department store, Burlington Coat Factory that was out west. And that store was huge back then. And they had rounders and rounders and rounders all through the building of clothing. And Anthony was just a little old toddler, maybe four, four years old, something like that. And he was with us. They were we were looking through the clothes and all of a sudden I heard Jamie say, "Anthony, Anthony." No response. Anthony, no response. We began panicking. There were people all in this huge store and we're looking Anthony. No response. I ran immediately the front front. I literally ran through that store and I ran to the front and I got to the service desk was up there. I said, "We can't find my four-year-old. He's in the building." And what's his name? I told him, "His name is Anthony." They got on the uh the intercom. Anthony, if anyone sees a young man four years old, please bring him to the front of the store. You talking about panicking? We were we were whatever dithers are, we were in double dithers, whatever that is. And just as I got back to the back, Sister Jamie was trying to think like Anthony. That's dangerous to do, by the way. And I saw her squat down like this. And she looked under one of those rounders. There were two little legs that back in there. And Anthony had decided it would be a good thing to hide from mom and dad and not answer. Well, before I could get there, Sister Jamie had explained the way to him more perfectly is all I can say. I I think he's still afraid, a little bit afraid to shop in some of those stores. Man, it's bad when you lose one of your children. But can you imagine how bad it would be to lose Jesus? When they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem seeking him. It came TO PASS AFTER THREE days they found him in the temple sitting in the midst of the doctors both hearing them and asking them questions. And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers. But I want you to notice ver verse 48. And when they saw him, they were amazed. His mother said unto him, "SON, WHY HAST THOU thus dealt with us? Behold, thy father, and I have sought thee with sorrowing." That's kind of what sister Jaime said to Anthony, but it was a little more forceful. And Jesus said to them, "How is it that you saw me? was not that I must be about my father's business? And they speaking of Joseph and Mary understood not the saying which he spake unto them. Joseph rather Jesus told Joseph and Mary you know I I'm doing the work of my heavenly father. But I want you to notice what verse 51 says. and he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was subject unto them. Now let that sink in. Jesus even fulfilling his fleshly responsibility was still subject to his parents. And because he was, it says, "But his mother kept all these sayings in her." She didn't really at that point even understand what he meant by I must be about my father's business. But because of his attitude, somebody hear me tonight. We want we want to be like Jesus. Yeah. I I I want to go into the SYNAGOGUE AND WHIP all the money changers. I want to cast out devils. I I want to heal blind eyes. Do you want to be in subjection? Do you want to have a spirit of subjection? And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man. I submit to you for Jesus to be that perfect sacrifice, even though he was fulfilling the will of the father, there was a time he had to be subject in all things to his parents. Kids, you need to learn that. Moms and dads, we need to teach our children first by being an example and teach them the proper way of being subject to authority, being subject to those that have rule over them. For you see, as Jesus progressed in his life, got a little bit older, we find in John 2, in the third day, there was a marriage in Canaa, Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there, and both Jesus was called and his disciples to the marriage. Now, he's already got his followers now. He's he's a grown dude, if you will. And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus said unto him, "They have no wine." And Jesus SAID UNTO HER,"WOMAN, WHAT HAVE I to do with thee, mine hour is not yet come." Jesus was not being disrespectful. His mother said to the servants, "Whatever he saith unto you, do it." Now, what did Jesus mean when he said, "Mine hour is not yet come?" I submit to you that it could possibly be that Jesus in his humanity did not intend turning water to wine to be his first miracle. YET, BECAUSE HE WAS SUBJECT to his mother, he would change his timeline to be submissive and be a submissive example to all. The noted Bible commentator Adam Clark said it this way. My time for work in a miracle is not yet fully come. What I do, I do when necessary and not before. I submit to you that he was subject to his mom to the point of changing his timeline for a miracle to take place. You see, he was one, if you read the rest of the story, and I'll paraphrase rather than reading it all. When he turned the water to wine, the governor of the feast said, "Most folks give the first wine out first and then after folks are drunken with wine." Understand, we're dealing with a different culture and a different day. He said, "Now you've saved the best for last." In fact, John 2:1 said, "The beginning of miracles did Jesus in Canaan of Galilee and manifested forth his glory, and his disciples believed on him." Oh, I want to be like Jesus. want to cast out devils, heal the sick, call the I I WOULD JUST LOVE TO BE ABLE TO TALK TO THE RELIGIOUS elite and SAY, "YOU BUNCH OF WHITE AND SEEERS, YOU BUNCH OF SNAKES. I'd love to be ABLE TO SPEAK TO 5,000 AND THEN FEED THEM, but do you want to have a submissive spirit?" I ask myself that question. If I want to be like Jesus, can I have a submissive spirit? Philippians 2:5 said, "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, whom being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in the fashion AS A MAN, HE humbled himself and became obedient unto death, EVEN THE DEATH OF THE CROSS. JESUS WOULD BECOME OBEDIENT TO HUMAN suffering and death. Oh, his flesh wared with him. He prayed in the garden, "If it be thy will, Father, let this cup pass from me." But that was not it. instead he would become our sacrifice. Praise team musicians, get ready. Romans 12 says it this way to us if we want to be like Jesus. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service, and be not conformed to the world, but be you transformed by the renewing of your mind. You see, just as David asked for a renewing and a clean heart, you will know that you are becoming like Christ when you have your mind renewed to think like him and be like him. You see, scripture is full of submission statements. Hebrews 13:17 says, "Obey them that have the rule over you. And submit yourselves, for they watch for your soul, as they must give account that they may do it with joy, not with grief, for that's unprofitable for you." James 4:7 says, "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he'll flee from you." 1 Peter 2 says, "Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake." You know what that means? We ought to be a law-abiding citizens. I certainly don't think that we should ever find ourselves blindly following governmental mandates that would violate the word of God. But I also think civil law that keeps us as a civilized nation is our responsibility as Christians, servants of God, to follow those things. He said, "Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether it be to the King as supreme or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of them that do well." You see, the headlines that we make should not be over our breaking the law. The headlines that we make should be us letting God's law guide us and love and lead others to him. He said, "For so is the will of God that with welloing you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men. as free, not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. Stand with me. On and on. Titus went on to say, "Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work, to speak evil of no man." Maybe I need to update scripture. I'm not going to add to or take from, but maybe that ought to say to speak evil of no man, to tweet evil of no man, to post evil of no man. to be no brawlers. We're not looking for a fight. We're looking for faith, but gentle, showing all meekness unto all men. For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lust and pleasures, living in malice, envy, hateful, hating one another. And sounds what my sounds like what my driver's license look like before I serve God. But after the kindness of the love of God, our savior toward man appeared. Not by THE WORKS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS BY WHICH WE HAVE DONE, BUT ACCORDING TO HIS MERCY, he saved us. How did he save us? By just believing? No. Here's some scripture. How How are you saved? According to his mercy, HE SAVED US. HOW? BY THE WASHING OF REGENERATION AND the renewing OF THE HOLY GHOST. YOU NEED THE HOLY GHOST TO RENEW YOUR LIFE. YOU REPENT OF YOUR SINS. YOU GET BAPTIZED IN HIS NAME. HE THAT BELIEVETH AND IS BAPTIZED SHALL BE SAVED. THE RENEWING OF THE HOLY GHOST IN YOU fulfills that saving power which is shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our savior. that being justified by his grace, we should be hes according to the hope of eternal life. More submission scriptures. Likewise, ye younger. First Peter 5:5. Submit yourselves unto your elders. Yay. All of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility. For God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble. We ought to learn how to talk to each other. Some folks automatically when they approach someone else. They approach in anger, accusatory, mad. You can always push the nuke button. Won't you start out humbly first? I was taught a long time ago, keep your words sweet. You may have to eat them. Submitting yourselves, Ephesians, one to another in the fear of God. And I close with this. So if you have a submissive king, it's important to understand the example we've heard that we can know the submissive king and still be subject to him. for that same Jesus that we were talking about that was submissive as a child, submissive as a young adult, submissive to the cross. Philippians said it this way about him. Wherefore God hath highly exalted him, and given him a name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow of things in heaven and things in earth, and things under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of the Father. You see, the submissive king gets the crown. James said, "Blessed is the man that endureth temptation, for when he has tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord had promised to him that love him." Finally, Jesus said, and I close with this, "Praise him. Come out and get ready to sing." He said, "Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life." If we're submissive to his will, if we keep a spirit like David had, like Jesus was our example, before the authority of the word, before the preached and taught word that God so wonderfully and freely gives us, we're promised a crown of life. If you're in this house tonight, I wonder if we could step out from our seats and make our way around the altar and say, "God, let my spirit be in submission to you, Lord. Whatever you would have me do, whatever you have me to be, I want to be in submission to you. If you've never repented of your sin, come repenting. If you haven't been baptized in his name, we'll baptize you tonight in the name of Jesus. Come and be filled with the Holy Ghost. If you don't have the Holy Ghost, let's have a season of prayer together right now. >> Hallelujah. Hallelujah. >> And he did. He will. >> Yeah. And he did. He will again see where he lives. He will again change when and they did. And he told the world come alive and they did. He really told the song roll away. And they did. He will again. Let it go. And he did. He will again. And again. And again. >> >> again. That's a miracle. >> God, let me submit my will. >> Let me take my fleshly will and submit it to you tonight. >> God, let me be submitted to your spirit and to your will. Here it comes. So get ready for another chain with a break. And again, he will again come alive. And he did. He will again if he told the son away. And he did. He will again. And if you told the bra, let him go. And again, you will again and again. >> Again, again >> and again and again. >> Well, now would you give the Lord praise right now? Hallelujah. Can we go from this pl place saying father I submit to your will I submit to your power lord I want to be obedient to your word lord let me receive the word with love lord those things that correct me Lord let them change me to be in your image to think like you to be like you to follow your word God be with us in strength and power God I thank Thank you for your power and authority for all this. We're grateful and thankful in the name of Jesus we pray. Amen. First Apostolic Church, I love you. Go from this place expecting a great time to the Lord. Wednesday night worship in the word. Don't forget the memorial homegoing service for Sister Eve on Friday evening. You're dismissed in Jesus name.