Sunday Evening Worship Service

well lord bless you i'm gonna let you move to your seats we greet you this sunday evening in the precious name of jesus oh what a privilege it is to be back at first apostolic church on sunday night just before thanksgiving what an awesome opportunity it is to be in the house of the lord as we continue to give thanks for his word that we heard today for our church family for our natural family for all that god is doing for us for all his blessings it is so good to be back in the house of the lord again i join with the voice of pastor whitley in welcoming all of our guests that this is your first time to be at first apostolic church we're so honored that you chose to worship with us tonight to all of our church family who get to come home this time of year who live in other places again uh we're so glad to have you home and i'm i'm most of all glad to see the additions to your families uh i i couldn't help but today as i i began uh mentioning the hudsons and the bakers uh i had to uh just uh look that there's been an addition god has blessed you and that's still i count that part of my grandkids here first apostolic church that god is just blessing us thank you all for being here and so happy you made it your choice oh we're going to have a great time at national youth convention beginning wednesday night there will be no service here but again i would remind you we're going to have a great time in the lord at national youth convention wednesday night thursday thursday night friday and friday night and i don't need to re-announce everything but oh we're gonna have a time next weekend as well so you make your plans to be at code orange revival would you indulge me just a little while as we get into the word of the lord i'm i'm excited about what the lord has for us tonight i hope you will join in in finding that excitement not because of who's speaking but the word that's going forth i'm thankful for the word that we have the opportunity to be in tonight i want to read you a couple of verses of scripture i want you to turn to the book of proverbs the 22nd chapter proverbs 22 [Music] and i want to read two verses proverbs 22 we're going to read beginning at verse number 12 and we'll read two verses proverbs 22 12. the eyes of the lord preserve knowledge and he overthroweth the words of the transgressor but notice verse 13. verse 13 says the slowfall man saith there is a lion without i shall be slain in the streets [Music] i want to preach to you for a few minutes tonight on this subject there is a lion outside there is a lion outside but i want to read you one more passage of scripture before we pray first peter 5 8 says be sober be vigilant for your adversary the devil as a roaring lion walketh about seeking whom he may devour who resist steadfastly in the faith knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world there's a lion outside what are we going to do about it let's pray savior i love you god i thank you for your word i thank you for the opportunity to bring your word to this wonderful congregation lord i pray that you would anoint our words i pray that you would speak to us through your word tonight lord we thank you for this opportunity in the name of jesus we pray amen our text said the slowful man saith there's a lion without in the lord is a lion outside i shall be slain in the streets the slothful man is doing what he's making an excuse to stay at the house the slope for man has already come to the decision i've got to have some reason to stay home and not get out and do what i really ought to do so he makes an excuse he said there's a lion outside if i go out i'm gonna be slain in the street an excuse defined is the attempt to lessen the blame attached to a fault or an offense to seek to defend or justify to alibi to justify to have pretext or rationalization verse 13 identified the ultimate slowfall man making an excuse in our everyday lives there are commitments that we make which because of changing circumstances there are legitimate reasons that change our commitments but there is also a difference in having a reason and making an excuse one of the greatest goals a student attending apostolic christian school or frankly any school can have is to have the goal of having perfect attendance a good attendance record does not in and of itself create intellect but it will usually contribute to just being there all the time and it is a discipline that teaches discipline to be there schools also have attendance policies and absence policy and invariably there will be reasons that some students can't be at school and have 100 attendance records but in addition to having reasons there are some that just make excuses for not being at school i found a list of some excuses and excuse notes that some have given for not being at school i would say before i read the first one the first thing you need to do is learn how to spell excuse if you're going to make one for the first one i read says my child is under a doctor's care and should not take pe today please execute him learn to spell excuse in these days of whether i vaccinate or i don't vaccinate i found another that said please excuse lisa for being absent she was sick and i had her shot still another one said please excuse roland from p.e for the next few days yesterday he fell out of a tree and misplaced his hip well mighty might go back to the tree and look for it you know john has been absent because he had two teeth taken out of his face please excuse him still one more said dear school please excuse johnny for being absent on january 28th 29th 30th 31st 32nd and 33rd what kind of calendar do they have but at least nobody gave the excuse i couldn't get to school because there was a lion outside and i was afraid he was going to eat me up but our scripture text said the slowful man slowful means to be lazy a disinclination to action or labor spiritually apathetic or inactive that's what slowfall means it said the slowful man makes up an excuse he always uses the devil as his excuse for not doing a work for god i'm going to blame it on the devil because what did the scripture said be sober be vigilant your adversary the devil as a roaring lion i heard him while ago some of you seemed a bit aghast was that not an amazing sound you heard it's quite ominous and simply stated in the spiritual sense that's what the enemy is doing the enemy is bolstering himself and making his brags and boasts as a roaring line he's going about to and fro seeking whom he may eat up with sin i've got news for you it's time to stop making excuses for staying at the house and staying home it's time for the people of god to start a resistance movement he said whom resists steadfastly in the faith knowing the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world look folks we don't know what it's like to have it bad somebody call you a couple of names you old holy roller you and some of us will fall out you're one of those pentecostals i had a fella the other day was doing some work for me and i told him that i pastored first apostolic church he said what kind of church is that and i said that's a pentecostal church he said you don't handle snakes do you first thing you ask me i said sure we do i said i believe in that christmas snake handling with a ho ho-ho you'll get that after a while but some of us we're so tender we're afraid that the enemy is going to say something about us and hurt our feelings hear me there are people of god around this world that are fearing for their life but they're still preaching the jesus name apostolic message they're still baptizing folks in jesus name when their own government may take their life for doing so they're taking bibles in the word of god to others around the world hear me we've got to have a resistance movement to the enemy [Applause] but it's too easy to be slowful for some never able to go out and meet the enemy in battle always spiritually inactive media folks i didn't give you this passage of scripture ecclesiastes 10 18 says by much slow fullness the building decayeth and through the idleness of hands of the house of hands the house droppeth through why do we keep talking about receiving offerings to keep advancing our facility we're not wanting to brag we've got the best facility around this is just a way that we're trying to look for every opportunity to reach the lost in our community one thing's going to appeal to one something's going to appeal to something that somebody else but all the time we're wanting to get the jesus name message to our school kid to our child care center to those who will come through those doors with need that's why we have all of these different groups that you hear meeting all these folks that i can't call the names anymore there's so many 51 saints pastor lopez brother perez had 51 saints 13 new was that right brother perez 13 first-time attenders today in the pia outreach that's you first apostolic church he could have said huh i [Applause] i'll date myself i told brother blevins i'd date myself i used to say if somebody wasn't there somebody that's normally faithful there's an issue i said that i know they're not sitting home watching again smoke brother perez sister chris y'all could have been sitting home watching gunsmoke today said no we've had sunday school this morning you know what we're going to do we're going to have an outreach this afternoon because we're reaching the spanish-speaking community in knoxville we're going to pastor those folks we're going to lead them in we're going to preach them the apostolic message we're going to why why do we have uh from basketball coaches to school teachers to child care teachers to folks who come over here on saturday give up their saturday morning when they could cover up their head and say i i want 50 more winks they're picking up trash in the yard so the church looks good why are there musicians and singers and technicians that'll come and give of themselves why are there i don't know if brother sherwin harvey's ever got to have an easter suit because he's always wearing an escher's coat and he does that without hesitation why because we're greeting and me brother glenn sister dawn you wait this is thanksgiving week by next weekend this place will be transformed with decorations because we are celebrating our savior's birth we're not celebrating santa and reindeer but we are celebrating our savior's birth and we want this whole community now come on in we're celebrating [Applause] what are we doing this is a resistance movement we're resisting the enemy that would come against us we refuse to be slowful you see jesus identified those who had excuses in luke 9 57 he said and it came to pass that as they went in the way a certain man said to him lord i will follow thee wherever thou goest and jesus said unto him foxes have hole and birds of the air have nests but the son of man hath nowhere to lay and said oh you mean we're not going to be staying at the holiday inn express are we it's not always going to be a beautiful experience if you're going to follow jesus and he said to another follow me and he said lord suffer me first to go and bury my father he created a family crisis if you study middle eastern culture this was a common excuse when you didn't want to do something i go go bear the dead they couldn't argue with the funeral jesus said to him let the dead bury the dead but go there and preach the kingdom of god another also said lord i will follow thee but let me first go bid them farewell which are at home in my house i've got a little homesickness god's called me to minister but i i kind of like staying at the house and so i'm going to make an excuse i'm going to tell everybody bye first he wasn't coming back he said no man having put his hand to the plow and looking back is fit for the kingdom of god we need to stop looking for shoulda woulda coulda and start following jesus the slowful man will develop excuses not to leave the house luke 14 23 said and the lord said in the servant go out into the highways and hedges compel them to come in that my house may be filled in the english standard version of this same passage let me read you the way it reads it said he said unto the man who had invited him when you go or when you give a dinner or banquet do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich persons lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid we're not ministering to see what we can get out of people we're ministering to give them the gospel he said but when you give a feast invite the poor the crippled the lame the blind and you will be blessed because they cannot repay you for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just you know i've seen a few that that like to proclaim what a great witness are they are they're fishers of men but they can never catch any panfish it's a whale or nothing they they witness to some famous person sometimes you're gonna invite some folks that's got the stench of sin on you if you're doing god's will you're going to have some folks that's got issues the church is going to have folks coming through these doors that's got issues brother whitley so aptly told us today we've got what they need it's no time to blame it on some lion outside it goes on to read when one of those who reclined at the table with him heard these things they said in him blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of god and he said to him a man once gave a great banquet invited many and at the time of the banquet he sent his servants to say to those who had been invited come for everything is now ready but they all alike begin to make excuses the first said to him i've bought a field and i must go out and see it please let me be excused from your dinner another said i have bought five yoke of ox and i go to examine them please have me be excused another said i have married a wife and therefore i cannot don't blame your spouse for you not doing a work for god boy i could stay there and preach a while but i'd probably start meddling so the servant came and reported these things to the master then the master of the house became angry and said to the servant go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city and bring in the poor and the crippling blind in the lane and the servant said sir what you have commanded has been done and still there is room and the master said to the servant go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in that my house may be filled for i tell you none of these men who are invited shall taste my banquet let me tell you god has spread a table for us here in knoxville to win the lost but we've got to bring them in we've got to minister to them if we become so lethargic that we're making excuses why we can't do something for god oh god let me put my swathfulness away and see what i can do in your kingdom [Applause] another passage folks i study after i send you notes you don't have this either ecclesiastes 11 4 said he that exerteth the wind shall not sow and he that regardeth the clouds shall not rape you can't plant a field and reap the harvest as you're always looking scout well i'm afraid it may be too bad today to plant wind may blow too hard my seed may go someplace if we're always making excuses why we can't do something for god rather than saying god i'm going to go through the adversity if the wind's blowing i'll do my best to get the seed in the ground if the clouds look like it's going to rain we're still going to harvest a crop we're going to step out by faith and do some things but too many times we justify job 9 20 said if i justify myself my own mouth shall condemn me if i say i am perfect it shall also prove me perverse god's children aren't slowfall lazy nor full of fear they are ready to go in the streets and face the line consequently the word of god has many natural examples of victories over lions need i say more than to mention daniel scripture said in daniel 6 then this daniel was preferred above the president's and princes because of an excellent spirit was in him and the king thought to set him over the whole realm let me point this out let me give us all this aside if we're going to be good witnesses we will have an excellent spirit let that marinate down in your soul just a minute if you go around with an old grumpy attitude in your nature whatever you've got this world ain't going to want it if you're a grump about everything there's some folks you cannot do business dealings with them because they just know you're out to beat them they're so suspicious i know some of you think i've quit preaching and started meddling now but let me tell you have an excellent spirit there's nothing wrong with accountability in business it must be there's a difference in faith and a felony you know but with that said don't go around so suspicious of everybody if you'll have a right spirit and you'll be kind you'll get a whole lot more done and you will become an influence daniel long before his spiritual influence was manifest he had an excellent spirit in him verse 4 of daniel 6 said then the presidents and the princes sought to find occasion against daniel concerning the king man a guy that's this well-liked he's got to be up to something he's sneaky he's doing something they started looking we're going to watch his life are you comfortable with folks watching your life daniel concerning the king and they could not they could not find anything it says they could find none occasion or fault for as he was faithful neither was there any error or fault found in him then said these men we shall not find any occasion against this daniel except we find it against him concerning the law of god they couldn't find any reason so they made up laws now i'm not here to tell you that there's not going to be some laws that are made up to restrict what we do we're seeing it all the time we're losing our freedoms we're losing our religious freedom never mistake verse 7 said and all all the presidents of the kingdom and the governors and the princes and the councils and the captains have consulted together to establish a royal statute to make a firm decree that whosoever shall ask a petition of any god or man for thirty days save thee o king he shall be cast into a den of lions oh this is not a permanent thing we're just going to try this out for 30 days and they framed it in such a way it was giving honor to the king king this is only a temporary thing would you sign this we're just one to honor you we don't any want anyone bowing down to any god or anything except you for 30 days they wrote a law to make daniel guilty now when daniel knew that the writing was signed he went into his house and his windows being opened in his chamber toward jerusalem he kneeled upon his knees three times a day and said i can't get out of the house there's a lion in the street oh no he kneeled up on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his god as he did a four times he changed nothing in his routine he was already a praying man and when they passed the law against it he stayed being a praying man [Applause] you see if you'll set some patterns in your life before the laws are passed then there will be no doubt what you need to do after the laws are passed then these men assembled and found daniel praying making supplication before his god verse 16 then the king commanded they brought daniel and cast him into the den of lions now the king spake and said unto daniel thy god whom thou serve us continually he will deliver thee [Music] king was opened but i don't think the king had a lot of faith but scripture says it this way then the king rose very early in the morning when haste to the denzel the den of lions and when he came to the den he cried out with a lamentable voice unto daniel the king was expecting bad news he was crying for daniel but all he thought he would hear was what we heard at the beginning of the message and the king spake and said daniel oh daniel servant of the living god is thy god whom now servants continually able to deliver thee from the lions and can you imagine the moments that seemed like ours can you imagine the dreaded anticipation that the king had for this friendship that he had developed by law had been forced and had been coerced into passing this law he's listening as he's cried for daniel then daniel then said daniel under the king o king live forever if it was in today's vernacular he said i'm right here my god hath sent his angel and hath shut the lion's mouth that they have not hurt me let me tell you we're not staying in the house because we're afraid of lions we've got a god who's has angels who knows how to say shut your mouth devil some of us are needing to pray the angel of god to come down and be a witnessing agent when the devil's been whispering things in our ear to say devil shut your mouth i close it up you're not going to do i'm not even going to let you roar [Applause] i got a feeling i a lion would have a hard time roaring if he didn't have his mouth open mm-hmm [Music] doesn't sound quite as ominous if he can't open his mouth the angel of god shut the mouth of the lion oh there are other examples you remember when david began to have to lobby for the opportunity to go out and fight goliath he'd come to saul and saul said man you can go out against have you have you seen this guy have you seen this giant he said you know you're too young young folks the world's going to tell you you're too young to do anything in the kingdom of god you need to stay in the house the devil's a lion out there and he's gonna gobble you up he was saying david you're too young you're ill-equipped you can't do this and david had a testimony let me tell you if you're going to do a work for god you're going to have a testimony you're going to have a testimony of things that god did for you that seemed quite menial at the time but all the time when david was on the backside of the desert and all he had was sheep to play his heart to all he had was sheep as his congregation and cheap as his subjects david would not use that time without look david didn't start out being king young people hear me the ministries that god has in your future you're not going to start out where you're going to be you're going to find yourself singing and playing music for a few sheeps sometimes you may start out teaching some little kids in a sunday school class if you do it do your best job you don't know what god's preparing you for too many folks want to start out being the king [Applause] that david had developed a testimony and he had the lobby to get to fight goliath he said thy servant kept his father's sheep and there came a lion and a bear and took a lamb out of the flock and went out after him and smote him and delivered it out of his mouth now i want you to re-examine this oh we've heard this many times but david for the first time if you examine it is now given the details of the event because the lion attacked this lamb that he had and david went out and attacked the lion and he took the lamb out of the lion's mouth and you know what happened it said he arose against me never mistake when you start trying to be a prayer warrior praying for others the devil will attack you when you try start trying to minister to others the devil will attack you and notice what he said when he arose against me i caught him by his beard and smote him and slew him i got him by his chin whiskers and turned his lights out what i did let me tell you the enemy better know when he starts messing with us he's got a tussle coming i'm going to grab him by the chin whiskers and i'm going to take him out if possible if he knocks my teeth out i'm going to try to gum him to death whatever it takes i'm going to resist the devil why because i know look if you can't whip a lion in a bear you're not going to get to fight a giant sometimes you're not going to fight start out being a giant killer sometimes it's going to be in your everyday today vocation that you're going to find yourself in mortal combat over what you believe and who you are he slew the lion he slew the bear and he told the king he said don't let your heart fail just as sure as god delivered me from the lion and delivered me from the bear he'll deliver me from the hands of the philistine and at that point saul said go get him i'm here to tell you we've got a bunch of go-getters i'm not worried about some lion on the outside one other biblical example that i'll mention quickly was that of been a ayah one of david's mighty men because in first chronicles 11 22 it says beneniah the son of jehoia the son of a valiant man of kebsiel who had done many acts he slew to lion like men of moab also he went down and slew a lion in a pit in a snowy day he wasn't even slow for when he was snowing he wasn't afraid to go to war when the circumstances were less than ideal he went down in a pit and slew a lion on a snowy day sometimes our conditions will be less than perfect but what do we do we say god you've given me the ability you've given me the power listen we're not afraid of the lion on the outside we're making no excuses if i might give you a simple story of animal personification let me tell you a story that i've told some of you before the story goes that there was a roaring lion who as he was in the jungle came up to the zebra and said zebra who's the king of the jungle and the zebra said oh you are a great lion he went to the giraffe and said giraffe who's king of the jungle the giraffe said oh you are a great lion he went to the antelope and said who's king of the jungle and the antelope said oh you are great lion but then this roaring lion happened to see a bull elephant and he walked up to him and said bull elephant who's the king of the jungle the bull elephant ignored his first request so he asked with a deeper roar and a more ominous tone i said who's king of the jungle to which the bull elephant turned to him grabbed him with his trunk slammed him back and forth on the ground two or three times and threw him up in the tallest tree to which the beaten and battered broken line was heard whimpering as he tumbled from the tree he didn't have to get mad just because he didn't know the answer to the question listen we've got the answer to every question it's jesus they sang tonight satan roars like a lion seeking whom he may devour but i know the one i know the one who has all power you see i'm thankful that acts 1 and 8 said you shall receive power after that the holy ghost is come upon you and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in jerusalem in all judea and in samaria and unto the uttermost parts of the earth let me tell you satan may be walking around roaring but he's a lying lion he's not in charge praise team musicians make your way up here our first scripture said he's walking around he's our adversary as a roaring lion seeking whom he made it said resist him steadfastly john 8 44. i won't read it all but speaking of those who lived the life of the devil he said you're of your father the devil you do his lusts it said when he speaks when the devil talks to you he's lying why because he is a liar and the father of it he is a lying lion just can't tell the truth the devil's been telling you you're not going to make it he's lying if he's been trying to stop you and scare you you have nothing to be afraid of in fact in the animal kingdom especially among carnivores there exists a hierarchy of those who travel in particular in pacts and in prides they have something that's called the alpha leader who establishes their leadership through victory in confrontation known normally as the alpha male you see it's not about who can roar the loudest it's about the one who can be victorious in battle anybody can have a big mouth but can you win can you be victorious in battle because they sang we win we win in the name of jesus we win he's the alpha male the lion may proclaim that revelation 1 8 said i am alpha and omega the beginning the end saith the lord which is which was which is to come the almighty let me tell you about the real lion we're not afraid of the lion lion we're following the real lion for the revelation the fifth chapter stand with me said and i saw at the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside seals of the seven seals and i saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice who is worthy to open the book and to loose the seals thereof john's vision of who would have the power of deliverance he said no man in heaven nor in earth neither under the earth was able to open the book neither to look thereon and i wept much because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book neither to look thereon and one of the elders said unto me weep not you've been getting threatening signals from outside don't you hunker down and say there's a line outside say devil look out we're fixing to come outside we're going to step outside these walls devil you better look out because it said we not behold the lion of the tribe of judah the root of david has prevailed to open the book to loose the seven seals thereof satan is trying to be the light he's not really the lion we're following the line of judah the sea and the root of david you can follow the bloodline where jesus was born how it came from the bloodline of david yet the scripture said he was the root of david why because in the beginning he was in the in the end he will he said i am alpha and i am omega the beginning and the end the first the last let me tell you that's why we're proclaiming today that jesus is our lord we are winners when we follow him we're in charge when we follow him listen let the devil take any form he wants to he's a lion lion i won't read it all but you can read about it for yourself the psalmist tells us about he tries to take the the form of the serpent he tries to take the form of the lion he tries to take the form of the dragon it doesn't matter what position he tries to take we win we win we win why in the name of jesus we win i came to tell somebody tonight if you've been feeling like giving up and sitting down don't you do it don't hunker down in the house you're a winner in jesus name if you've been feeling like oh i'm depressed and i gotta quit don't you do it don't quit we win in jesus name could we just a moment lift our hands and love him could we proclaim that we are winners in christ come on right where you are you know what you've been facing i'm talking to somebody right now the enemy's been trying to tell you to give up and quit right now it's your time for breakthrough i wonder if somebody would step out proclaiming i'm a winner in jesus name it matters not your circumstance i don't care what your bank account says you're a winner you're a winner in jesus coming progress would you proclaim that we win we win he comes to steal your victory and he comes to steal your joy but [Applause] i know is [Music] now your body may be sick and you're hurting deep inside but we will [Music] wounded and there's tears in your eyes but we [Music] will the accuser of the brethren tries to haunt you with your past but i know who holds my future he's the first is fighting for us [Applause] cause the whole world is fighting for us oh cause he is our victory he is [Applause] we [Music] is the name of jesus we were [Music] like [Music] in the name of jesus victory [Music] [Applause] [Music] hallelujah [Applause] in the name of jesus [Music] is [Applause] [Music] is we lost jesus [Music] he is jesus again [Music] [Applause] hmm [Applause] i'm going from this place with no excuses no excuses for winners no excuses you're a winner no matter your circumstance you're a winner we win we win yes lord yes lord yes lord hallelujah [Applause] [Music] [Applause] in jesus name right now victory victory victory breakthrough breakthrough in jesus name in jesus name hey [Music] [Applause] hallelujah glory glory go from this place exciting god's going to do work at national youth convention he's going to do a work in code orange revival whatever we have need of he's gonna supply no matter your situation you're a winner he's with you all i can tell you is you can't come back unless i let you go you greet each other as you see fit in the name of jesus we win you're dismissed in jesus name shake hands and be friendly