Sunday Morning Worship Service

Well, Lord bless you. You may move to your seats. We greet you in the precious name of Jesus. And we say welcome to each and every one of you. So glad to have you here on this wonderful Sunday morning. Pastor Anthony has already named names, but let me collectively say to every guest who is here, we're honored to have you worshiping with us, and we want you to feel the welcome of First Apostolic Church, uh this is uh in our nation in particular, this is a long holiday weekend. And I I uh uh did a little reading here a while back about Labor Day. And I found out that uh uh Labor Day was actually first uh signed in as a holiday uh in the late uh 1800s by one of our presidents. I believe it was Grover Cleveland signed uh a uh a document that this would be a holiday celebrating the laborers in our country. And the main reason he did it, it was to pacify a uh a movement to strike by workers who uh felt like they were doing too much work. So I guess the way we celebrate labor is we take a day off. Uh which is quite ironic, I guess. But I'm glad to have everybody able to be in the house of the Lord. And you didn't forget about being here. Of course, laboring is mentioned in scripture. Uh John the Revelator, he was told to write about your labors ceasing. But if you read the whole verse, it said uh the dead in Christ would cease from their labors. Well, I came in this morning, there's no dead in Christ in the house. This was a lively place, and I'm glad to be in this house, folks, doing the labors of worshiping the Lord. Aren't you thankful to be in a place that you have the freedom to worship? Aren't you glad to be in a nation that we have the freedom to worship and praise Jesus? Thank you again for being with us this morning. I do give honor to all of our leaders and workers here at First Apostolic Church. Give honor to Bishop and Sister Mcool, to our pastoral staff, to all of the saints of First Apostolic Church. Thank you for uh being here. And oh, today is a special day uh this afternoon. It's quite unusual that we do not have evening service, but we're going to have a time of fellowship beginning at five o'clock. And I encourage everyone uh to be here and we encourage everyone to invite family and guests. This is an apostolic event. I encourage you uh to so no one would be embarrassed if you invite a guest that they would understand that we are modest in our apparel when we have a an event like this. We have a good time. So, please remember that. I want us to get into the word of the Lord this morning. And I I hope that uh we can find something uh this day that the Lord would keep us reminded of the privileges that we have of serving him. Calling your attention to the book of Psalms the 4th chapter. We're going to read a few verses in Psalms 4 beginning with verse number one. Psalms 4:1 we read, "Hear me when I call, oh God of my righteousness. Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress. Have mercy upon me and hear my prayer. Oh ye sons of men, how long will you turn my glory into shame? How long will ye love vanity and seek after leasing sot? But know, please notice verse number three, for this is where we'll dwell a bit. But know that the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for himself. The Lord will hear when I call unto him. For a few moments this morning, I would speak to you on this subject. Set apart for the Lord. Set apart for the Lord. Let's pray. Savior, I love you. I'm grateful to be in your house and I thank you for the privilege of bringing your word to this wonderful congregation of believers and saints. Lord, I do pray that if there's one individual under the sound of my voice who has not yet been set apart to be godly in you, that you would touch their hearts, that they would be obedient to your word. Lord, that they would receive your salvation that you have so freely for them. God, let every one of us once again realize the privilege that we have of knowing you and knowing who you are. Lord, for all this, we're grateful and thankful. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen. And amen. The Psalmist makes a few statements in these first three verses of chapter 4 that I would uh enlarge on just a bit. First of all, he makes this statement three times in the three verses. He first says, "Hear me when I call." He's he's getting the Lord's attention. Now, God knows all and sees all, but in his flesh and humanity, the psalmist is uh is making sure I'm about to make a request, and I want to make sure you hear me. Now, I if you want to understand that in our flesh, all you husbands in particular, listen up right now. When your wife says, "Did you hear me?" I hope you were listening. And don't lie about it if you didn't because she will say, "Well, what did I say?" BUT PSALM HAS SAID, "HEAR ME." When I called, oh God of my righteousness, thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress. You made me bigger than MY PROBLEM. YOU ENLARGED me when I was in distress. AND THEN HE CALLS ON GOD'S MERCY. And he says, "HEAR MY PRAYER." HE HE SAID, "LORD, REALLY, I WANT LORD, I I WANT YOU TO REALLY LISTEN to what I'm saying." Then down in verse three, he makes this statement. He said, "But know that the Lord HATH SET APART HIM THAT IS GODLY FOR HIMSELF. THE LORD WILL HEAR." Here he is again dwelling on that idea that the Lord is going to really hear because with hearing what he's really saying, "Lord, understand my situation." Don't let it just be some verbiage that goes in as we say, one ear and out the other. But in some spiritual sense, he's saying, "Lord, I I want you to really understand what I'm asking for." He said, "THE LORD WILL HEAR when I call unto him." In retail sales, there are certain items that are sometimes seasonal and whether actual or artificially created in retail, they will refer to these things as hot items. uh it's it will be either a toy or some commodity that uh retail sellers are putting on the market. And I've even had a few times the chance to see some item be so valuable that they'll actually have a a sticker across the delivery boxes that when they arrive in the uh uh the delivery area before they put them out on display in the retail, IT IT WILL SAY HOT ITEM ON IT. IS TO let the store stalkers and the managers even know that this item is very very important. Consequently, these items many times are either of short supply or there has been an artificial demand created by the one who is manufacturing that item. you know, they will uh uh I have to refer back once again to my uncle Bob's famous statement that he used to make when he was selling his uh CDs and tapes out of the back of his vehicle. He would get up in church, he'd sing a few songs, and then he would say, "Uh, if you would like to get a copy of my CD," he would hold it up. He said, "I have a LIMITED SUPPLY of these with me." And he said, "When I sell that LIMITED SUPPLY, I have more of that limited supply in the trunk of my car." Sometimes retail artificially creates a demand for something. Now, I'll age myself by putting a little list together. You know, I when they when they introduce a little a a new iPhone, they they put it on the market and there'll be folks lined up outside all the Apple stores that they've got to have the newest iPhone. But I go back when it wasn't a commodity near as u uh useful as that. But I remember well when Sister Ashley wanted her first Cabbage Patch doll. >> I'm telling you what, you had to be tough to shop for a Cabbage Patch doll back then. >> If you went into Kmart, if anybody remembers that place, >> it was more than a blue light special. You You almost needed elbow pads on to get through the crowd. it. I I I remember so well Sister Janet Sprdlin. She had some kind of connection. I don't know, Aunt Janet. I I don't know if you're in the house today, but she had some kind of connection and she she was able to secure a a cabbage patch doll for us. And uh I mean, it was SUCH A RARE HOT COMMODITY. I mean, it was special TO GET A CABBAGE PATCH DOLL, but less my son, Brother Anthony, feel left out and feel like that I've forgotten him. I also remember the Power Ranger craze. >> See, I'm preaching where some of y'all used to live. >> But you could get the red ranger and you could get the yellow ranger and you could get the pink ranger. But if you ever found the Green Ranger, oh my goodness, uh, Sister Cheryl Garcia, it was then, Sister Cheryl Bales. Now, Sister Cheryl, she got inside information again at Kmart. You remember that, Sister Cheryl? And she had two boys and knew I had a voice, so she had to secure three for us. And that's what she did. IT WAS A HOT COMMODITY. BUT WE ALSO FOUND OUT that in these things, now let's not leave anybody out. Yes, there's been Beanie Babies for some of you folks, Air Jordans, and then even a second generation of certain Air Jordans. You had to have Can I get an amen that you've looked for squishies at Target? And yes, even some OF SOME OF YOU FOLKS HAVE LOOKED FOR SPECIAL Stanley cooler mugs because they were hard to find. Well, we also found out that there were folks who worked in retail who got those advanced notices that some of these hot items were coming in. Now, stay with me. I I am going to get back in the word of the Lord eventually. But these folks that worked in these retail stores, some of them when something rare came in, they would set it aside for themselves. It never made it to the retail floor. Maybe it was under a counter or hidden behind boxes in the supply room. But when it was time to buy, some of those who were employed there had set them aside for themselves. Well, with this earthly example in mind, scripture said to know that the Lord HATH SET ASIDE THE GODLY for himself. I'm here to tell you in this house, IF YOU'RE GODLY, GOD WANTS YOU FOR HIMSELF. IF YOU'RE A GODLY PERSON, ISN'T IT AWESOME TO BE KNOWN THAT GOD WANTS YOU FOR HIMSELF? GOD'S GOT A PURPOSE FOR YOU. GOD WANTS TO SET THE GODLY ASIDE FOR HIMSELF. RIGHT >> NOW, let me take our earthly examples a little farther because some of those rare commodities, especially in the quote collectible category, folks wanted to buy them and then put them away on a shelf. Listen, I never could figure that out. uh toys that you couldn't take out of the package and play with. I I I know I understand car collectors saying, "Well, this car is a collector's item. It's got low mileage." But, you know, gun collectors, oh, this gun's never been fired. Well, what good is that? TH THIS KNIFE HAS NEVER BEEN SHARPENED. WELL, GREAT. How do you know it'll work? YOU SEE, GOD DOES NOT SET US ASIDE TO PUT US ON A SHELF JUST TO BE COLLECTED. BUT HE WANTS THE GODLY FOLKS TO HIMSELF SO HE CAN USE THEM IN HIS KINGDOM FOR HIS PURPOSE. GOD WANTS TO SET YOU ASIDE, BUT HE'S NOT GOING TO SET YOU ASIDE TO PUT YOU ON A SHELF. HE SAID, "I I WANT YOU TO SERVE MY PURPOSE." In fact, Romans 8:28, most of us can quote it, but it says, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God AND TO THEM WHO ARE CALLED ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE. HE SET ME ASIDE. HE SET ME APART. IF I'LL BE GODLY, HE WANTS ME FOR HIMSELF SO HE CAN USE ME." You see the ESV of verse three reads this way. It said, "Know that the Lord has set apart his faithful servants for himself. The Lord hears when I call on him." You see, when he sets us aside, there's a a special privilege of being set aside for God. The psalmist in one instance said, "Keep me as the apple of thy eye under the shadow of thy wing." That's he's going to HE'S GOING TO HIDE US. Another place in Psalms, he says, "For in the time OF TROUBLE, HE SHALL HIDE ME in his pavilion. In the secret place of his tabernacle shall he hide me. HE SHALL SET ME UPON A ROCK." LET ME TELL YOU, WHEN GOD FINDS somebody that's godly, SOMETIMES HE SETS THEM ASIDE RIGHT IN plain view of everybody else, but they're hid in the pavilion, IN THE SANCTUARY. YOU SEE, I want to be hid in the house. >> I WANT TO BE GODLY AND HID IN HIS HOUSE FOR HIS PURPOSE AND FOR HIS USE. But our text in Psalms 4 goes on for verse four and verse five gives us some of the characteristics of the godly. I mean that that word godly is to be like God. But what are some of the characteristics of a godly person that God would sit would set aside for himself? Well, let's look at verse four. Here's what he says. He says, "Stand in all and sin not. Commune with your own heart upon your bed and be still. OFFER THE SACRIFICES OF righteousness and put your trust IN THE LORD." THERE'S FIVE attributes of the godly that I would talk about for just a minute. For you see that first term that says stand in awe. The term awe means a feeling of reverential respect mitched with fear or wonder. Now that does not mean we go around shaking and quaking in fear of God. But that means having the reverential respect for God, for who he is, for his all powerful way. There's several scriptures that would remind us if we're going to be godly that we should still stand in awe of God. Proverbs 1:7 says, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction." Do you run into foolish folks nowadays? They don't want any instructions. They know it all. They've got it figured out. both spiritually and in this world. They will not take instructions. They do not want knowledge in their life. Proverbs 9:10 says, "But the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the holy is understanding." This is an attribute of being godly. Now, some get a bit mixed up understanding the difference in wisdom and knowledge. The dictionary def definitions are as follows. WISDOM IS THE QUALITY OF having experience, knowledge and good judgment. The quality of being wise. But knowledge itself means facts, information and skills acquired by a person through experience or education, the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject. In other words, simply stated, wisdom is knowledge applied. But maybe you're like me and I need a bit more of an illustration. So, let me give you one that I heard a long time ago. The story goes that there were two laborers digging a ditch in the hot sun. They looked up and their foreman was sitting under a shade tree drinking ice water. One of the laborers spoke to the other and said, "Hey, how come he's getting paid more than us to sit there in the shade and drink ice water while we're out here in the sun doing all this work?" The other said, "I don't know, but I'll go ask him." So, he got out of the ditch. He walked around to the shade tree and he went up to the foreman. HE SAID, "SIR, WHY IS IT YOU GET TO sit here and do what you're doing while we're working and you get paid more than we do?" And the foreman said, "It's simple as this." HE SAID, "I HAVE WISDOM, KNOWLEDGE, and experience." The laborer said, "Well, explain that to me." He said, "Okay." He said, "Real easy." So the laborer stood up and he put his hand right up against the shade tree and he said now he said I want you to punch that my hand right here just as hard as you can. I want your your hardest lick. So the laborer rared back AND SWUNG WITH ALL ITS MIGHT and at the last moment the foreman moved his hand and you guessed it he bloodied his knuckle on the shade tree. He said, "You understand?" He said, "You know, I believe I do." So, he went back to THE DITCH AND HIS FELLOW LABORER SAID, "UH, WELL, did he explain it to you?" He said, "He did." He said, "What? WHAT WAS HIS EXPLANATION?" HE SAID, "HE'S GOT WISDOM, KNOWLEDGE, and experience." HE SAID, "WELL, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?" HE SAID, "UH, get my hand." SOMETIMES IT TAKES SOME OF US LONGER THAN OTHERS TO UNDERSTAND WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE IN CHRIST APPLIED. SOMETIMES WE HAVE TO LEARN SOME HARD LESSONS TO REALIZE WHAT IT REALLY MEANS TO BE GODLY. I WANT TO HAVE THE FEAR OF THE LORD IN MY LIFE. PROVERBS 83 8:13 SAID, "THE FEAR OF THE LORD IS TO HATE EVIL, PRIDE, AND ARROGANCY. And the evil day, AND THE FRAWARD MOUTH DO I HATE. PROVERBS 10:27 SAYS, "THE FEAR OF THE LORD PROLONGTH DAYS. YOU'LL LIVE LONGER, but the years OF THE WICKED SHALL BE SHORTENED." PROVERBS 14:26 SAYS, "In the fear OF THE LORD IS STRONG CONFIDENCE, AND HIS CHILDREN SHALL HAVE A PLACE OF REFUGE. THE FEAR OF THE LORD IS A FOUNTAIN OF LIFE TO DEPART FROM THE SNARES OF DEATH." I WANT TO STAND IN AWE WITH REVERENTIAL RESPECT OF THE LORD. I NEVER WANT TO LOSE MY REVERENCE AND MY FEAR OF THE POWER of God in my life. >> But then the second attribute was simply this. He said, "Stop sinning." Well, Mcool, do you have any deep theological interpretation of that? YEAH. IT MEANS QUIT DOING SINFUL THINGS. >> Is is that DEEP ENOUGH FOR US ALL? STOP SINNING IS WHAT HE SAID. ROMANS 6:17 SAYS, "BUT GOD BE THANKED that ye were the servants of sin, but you HAVE OBEYED FROM THE HEART THAT FORM OF DOCTRINE WHICH WAS DELIVERED YOU BEING THEN MADE FREE FROM SIN. Ye become the servants of righteousness." It may be Labor Day weekend, but somebody may need to declare their spiritual independence today. He went on to say in Romans, I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh. For as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to the iniquity unto iniquity. Even so now yield your members servants TO RIGHTEOUSNESS UNTO HOLINESS. GODLY PEOPLE WILL STOP SINNING AND be holy before the Lord. For when YOU WERE THE SERVANTS OF SIN, YOU WERE FREE FROM RIGHTEOUSNESS. But what fruit had you then in those things whereof you are ashamed? For the end of the those things is death. But now being made free from sin, become the servants to God. Ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end of everlasting life. You know this passage. For the wages of sin IS DEATH, BUT THE GIFT OF GOD is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. I'm here to TELL YOU TODAY, IF YOU'LL STOP SINNING, IF YOU'LL DEVELOP A REVERENTIAL RESPECT FOR GOD AND STOP SINNING, YOU'RE HAVING THE attributes of the godly. And then he made this statement. He said, "Commune with your own heart upon your bed and be still." Commune means to communicate intimately. There are times we need to talk to the Lord and there's other times we need to talk to oursel. He said commune with your own heart. There are times that every one of us need to take time to find a place of recalibrating how we're thinking what we're doing. Sometimes we need to take a deep breath and back up and breathe before we run our mouth. Sometimes before we tell somebody else off, we might need to talk to oursel and tell oursel off that we need to keep our mouth shut. Amen. >> He said, "Commune with your own heart upon your bed and be still." There's some times in this busy life that we live that frankly we do not take the time to find those moments of soulless and quiet to reflect on our own attitudes, our own spiritual condition. Yes, we need to be on our knees at prayer time and talking to the Lord. We need to lift our hands and our hearts and our voices and worship at praise time. But there's times we need to communicate with oursel and make sure that we're doing what the godly would do. Isaiah 28:12 said to whom he said, "This is the rest wherewith you may cause the weary to rest." This is the refreshing. We need to be refreshed sometimes in ourselves. He went on to say, "Offer the sacrifice of righteousness and put your trust in the Lord." That's the last two attributes we'll talk about for a moment. Offer the sacrifice. Rather, notice it does not say sacrifice singular. It says sacrifices of righteousness plural. There's more than one sacrifice of righteousness. Let me note a few for us. Hebrews 13:15 says, "By him, therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually." That is the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to his name. Now, let me pause there. We sometimes in the Pentecostal movement mix up and count shouting and dancing as being the same thing. There is a difference. We we should know what dancing is. Dancing in the Lord. David danced unto the Lord. But shouting is not dancing. Shouting is opening your mouth and saying something. Do you shout TO THE LORD BECAUSE HE'S HARD OF HEARING? NO. But he's not nervous either. >> He knows when we vehemently lift. You know when when Jesus went to the tomb of Lazarus, the Bible said he spake with a LOUD VOICE SAYING, "LAZARUS, COME FORTH." >> It was something DONE FOR EMPHASIS. SOMETIMES FOR OUR OWN SPIRITUAL WELL-BEING, WE need to know how TO LIFT OUR VOICES AND SPEAK SOME THINGS BEFORE GOD. WE NEED TO SPEAK VICTORY. WE NEED TO SPEAK DELIVERANCE. We need to SPEAK TO HIS POWER AND TO HIS AUTHORITY. OH, BROTHER COOL. AM I AM I PRAYING THAT WAY SO SOMEBODY ELSE WILL HEAR ME? YEAH. I WANT THE DEVIL to hear what I'm saying. >> I WANT THE ENEMY TO HEAR WHAT I'M SAYING. DEVIL, THIS ONE'S FOR YOU. JESUS, I LOVE YOU. DEVIL, THIS WAS HERE FOR YOU. JESUS, I PRAISE YOU. SOMETIMES I'VE GIVEN PRAISE TO THE LORD, BUT I NEED THE DEVIL TO HEAR WHAT I'M SAYING AS WELL. >> He said there there's a sacrifice of praise to God continue the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. Listen, before you pray what you need, too many of us, our prayers start out, "Dear Lord, give me, give me, give me, give me, give me, give me, give me." When it ought to be, "Lord, I thank you. Lord, I thank you. Lord, I thank you." When you start counting your blessings, suddenly your gimmies don't seem to be so big and suddenly you feel like you're above those things. WHAT DID HE SAY EARLIER? SAID HE'LL ENLARGE ME ABOVE MY ISSUE. He went on to say in verse 16, "But to do good and to communicate, forget not, FOR WITH SUCH SACRIFICES GOD is well pleased." Another one of those deep theological hidden meanings. What does it mean to do good? Means you do good. You do good things. You strive not to be evil, not to be contrary, but you strive to do good in the kingdom and in within and without and to communicate. It is a sacrifice for most of us to communicate. I don't care how fast you can type with two thumbs. There's more arguments, more drama created nowadays because folks fail to communicate properly. Just because you can type in all caps does not mean that folks are going to understand you're upset about something. Furthermore, if we keep a lot more things to ourselves, >> it's Labor Day. I know some of y'all can't wait till picnic time. Well, we're we're almost there. Stay with me just a little longer, but some of us would do good if we need to vent to type us up a great big venting couple of three paragraphs, read it back to ourselves, and then delete it instead of posting it. And frankly, please don't be offended. I don't care what you had for lunch yesterday. I don't need a picture of it. I don't need to comment on it. And furthermore, I DON'T CARE FOR YOU TO KNOW WHAT I HAD FOR LUNCH YESTERDAY. And I'm not going to tell you on social media. Now, I know you think I'm trivializing some things that are dear to many, but if we aren't careful, we will miscommunicate what's most important in our life. If you got to post something, how long has it been since you posted something about the goodness of Jesus? >> HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN SINCE YOU'VE GIVEN TESTIMONY TO JUST HOW GREAT GOD IS BEFORE YOU GET ALL UPSET AND GET YOUR PHONE OUT AND FIND YOUR POST AND TELL THIS WORLD WHAT YOU THINK OF HIM? WHY DON'T YOU POST SOMETHING ABOUT THE GOODNESS OF JESUS? HOW HE BROUGHT YOU OUT, HOW HE'S DELIVERED TO YOU, HOW HE SAVED YOUR FAMILY, HOW HE PROVIDED FOR YOU. IF YOU GOT TO PUT SOMETHING OUT, PUT SOMETHING GOOD. COMMUNICATE THE GOODNESS OF GOD. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE ATTRIBUTES OF THE GODLY TODAY. >> I WANT TO BE SET ASIDE FOR THE LORD. MAN, HEBREWS, you're talking about different sacrifices. THE SACRIFICE OF PRAISE, GIVING the fruits of our lips, doing good and communicating. And so help ME. YOU KNOW WHAT HE GOES ON TO NEXT? HE SAYS, "OBEY them that have the real love and submit yourself." The sacrifice of obedience and submission. I don't want anybody telling me what to do. I got news for you. Somebody is going to tell you what to do. Someone is going to give you instruction that either you obey it or you will pay the penalty. And for heaven, help us. Let spiritual guidance, the word of the Lord, being obedient to his word, being obedient to the salvation message. Oh, you don't understand this. This is what the denominal world says. This is the tradition I was raised in. Are you going to obey tradition or you going to obey the word? It's just as simple as Peter said, "Repent, be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ FOR THE REMISSION OF SIN AND YOU SHALL RECEIVE the gift of the Holy Ghost." That That's what you're supposed to obey. That's what you're supposed to do. He goes on to say, "There's a penalty for being disobedient and not submitting." He said, "Those who have rule over you. They watch for your soul." This lets me know this is spiritual instruction that you should be obedient to. And then verse 18, he said, "Pray for us." It's a sacrifice to pray. >> I'm telling you, it's a sacrifice to pray. There's other things that will become a distraction if you aren't careful. When it's time to pray, you got time for everything else, but prayer time will get distracted and get interrupted. He said, "PRAY FOR US, FOR WE TRUST WE HAVE GOOD CONSCIENCE AND ALL THINGS willing to live honestly." Let's talk about the sacrifice of honesty. I don't care how much you can run. I don't care how much you can huck a buck in church. If you're dishonest, you're not doing the right thing and you're not pleasing to God. are not being godly. I I listen I discourage church family from getting in business with each other unless you both are completely honest. Because you know there's some folks that'll come to church and they'll act like they're a Christian, but there'll be a debt beat. You know what debt beat means? That means you beat your debts. >> You need to pay your debts. Go back to shouting and dancing. I I can get into that more. Listen, your godly walk doesn't stop when you leave those doors. >> When we go out in this world, we need to be of honesty, integrity of the highest form. We need to represent God. If we're GOING TO BE CALLED GODLY PEOPLE, IT'S MORE than just speaking with tongues and saying, "I've been baptized in Jesus name." YOU'LL PAY YOUR DEBTS. YOU'LL BE HONEST IN YOUR WORD. YOUR WORD MEANS what it SAYS IT MEANS. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT GODLY ATTRIBUTES today so we can be set apart. He said, "I beseech you the rather to do this that I may be restored to you the sooner sacrifice of praise, doing good, to communicate, to obey and submit, to pray, to live honestly, to the last attribute, those were sacrifices." The last attribute that he named in verse five of our text in Psalms 4, he said, "Put your trust in the Lord. What does that mean to put your trust in the Lord? That means you need to trust the Lord more than anything else. Psalms 118:8 said, "It is better to trust in the Lord and to put your confidence in man." It's better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in the princes. Princes are royalty in government. Now, which do you trust more, the Lord or the government? Don't Don't anybody answer. No hands raised. I see you. I may get you back with me. You may run before it's over. But do you trust the Lord more than you do man and mankind? Proverbs 3:5 said, "Trust in the Lord with all thy heart and lean not into thine understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy path." You have to acknowledge the Lord in those non-spiritual things. There is a difference in believing God will do something and trusting God will do something. Let me give you another one of those earthy examples. The story goes that there was a highwire performer who was about to walk across a deep gorge on a high wire. And to make it even more difficult, he was going to push a wheelbarrow on that highwire across that gorge. So the crowd gathered to watch and see if he could do it. And before he started across on the wire, he said, "HOW MANY FOLKS BELIEVE I CAN DO THIS?" And everybody that believed he could do it raised their hands. HE SAID, "HOW MANY FOLKS TRUST I CAN DO THIS?" THIS AND SOMEBODY YELLED AT SAID, "WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?" HE SAID, "IF YOU BELIEVE, you're going to watch. If you trust, you'll get in the wheelbarrow." IT'S ONE THING TO SAY YOU BELIEVE GOD. BUT DO YOU TRUST GOD? DO YOU PUT EVERY ARE YOU WILLING TO GET IN HIS WHEELBARROW AND STEP OUT BY FAITH AND TRUST HIM? I'M HERE TO TELL YOU, THE GODLY FOLKS KNOW HOW TO TRUST GOD WHEN IT SEEMS IMPOSSIBLE, WHEN IT SEEMS APPAREL. I WANT TO TRUST GOD MORE THAN ANYTHING MAN CAN DO. >> Isaiah said, "Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help and stay on horses and trust in chariots because they are many in horses because they are very strong, but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the Lord." I want to be found standing in awe. Stand with me. I'm going to be st found standing in awe. I want to do my best to sin not. I want to be able to commune with the Lord and with myself. I want to give this plural sacrifices of righteousness. And finally, I want to trust in the Lord. Malachi said it this way in Malachi 3:16. Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another. Well, we fellowship together and the Lord hearkened and heard it. I promise you, the psalmist said, "Hear me. Hear me. He will hear." The Lord knows when we fellowship together and hears as we trust in him. Then they that fear the Lord spake often one to another. And the Lord hearkened and heard it. And a book of remembrance was written before him, for them. There's some actions of our lives that are being cataloged. There's a book of remembrance for them that feared the Lord, that thought upon his name. What do I allow my mind to dwell on? And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts. In that day when I make up my jewels, THAT'S WHAT THAT'S WHAT'S PRECIOUS TO HIM. THE GODLY IS WHAT'S PRECIOUS TO HIM. I will spare them as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. Then shall ye return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not. Verse six of our original text said, "There be many that say, who will show us any good? Lord, lift up the light of thy countenance upon us." If you're in this house today, I challenge you to look inside yourself for just a moment and would you ask yourself some questions? Would God set me aside? Would the Lord set me aside as his godly, as his chosen? Would he set me apart from this world? Now, does that mean we will never have trials and troubles? Of course not. But it does mean that we will not face those things alone. Hope she won't mind me addressing her just a bit. I don't mean to do this to embarrass or reveal any But boss family's been facing a couple of trials. We got some bad news about Thomas that he was going to have to face a difficult procedure. Some tests were going to have to be run. And on top of all of that, just making their way down the highway, minding their own business, involved in a traffic accident. I told Sister Lena this morning, I said, "Sister Lena, y'all must be doing an awful lot making the devil awful man. I'm here to tell you, we're going to face some things sometimes >> and we're going to go through TRIALS AND TESTS, BUT THAT does not mean that you're being punished. God still sets aside the godly. God still takes the godly and he makes us bigger than the situations. You see, if I heard the story right, brother brother Whitley was trying to find Thomas at Elevate service on Friday morning. He was already back working doing what he does, working in the technology part of having our elevate service. He wasn't sitting home having a pity party. Said, "I'm going to be He learned that somewhere. He learned that from his family, their faithfulness. And our kids need to be learning faithfulness from each and every one of us. >> We our our fellow saints and another generation need to be finding the godly that's been set aside. Amen. >> If you want to be set aside for the Lord and you want to be set apart for the Lord, I wonder if we could step out from where we are this morning. Come around this altar for a season of prayer, saying, "God, whatever I need to do, I want to look at me today." If you're in this house and you've never repented of your sins, come with us. I you haven't been baptized, we'll baptize you in Jesus name. But if you want to be set apart for the Lord, would you come for a season of prayer and a season of looking down inside your own self saying, "God, I want to be used of you. I want to be the child that you'd have me be. Lord, I stand in awe. Lord, I want to be your servant completely. I want to fear you with that reverential respect. I want to stop the sinning ways. I want to have the sacrifices of righteousness. I want to trust in you. Could we lift our hands in our hearts and love the Lord together as they lead us in song? Savior, I love you. Savior, I love you. God, I come before you today thankful for the opportunity to be counted upon the godly. Lord, would you reserve me for your purpose, God? >> Let me commune with myself. >> Lord, let me offer the sacrifice of righteousness to be pleasing to you, God. Let me trust in you and reserve it. I trust you. I trust your will. I trust your way. Hallelujah. >> Sing it. Take my heart. Take my life as a living. Oh my. Oh my. Lord, I give myself away. I give myself away. Hallelujah. >> Give myself away. I give myself away. >> My life is not my own. >> You I belong to you. I belong. I myself give myself to you. Hey. Yeah. >> >> My life is not my own. To you I belong. I give myself I give myself to you. Life is not my life is not my own. To you I belong. I give myself I give myself to you. Yeah. Heat. I give myself away. Give myself away so you can use me. Give myself away. give myself away so you can use. >> Now, would you lift your hands and praise unto the Lord? Lift your heart and your voice unto the Lord. Jesus, I give you all that I am. Lord, I pledge to you to live the life of the godly. Lord, I want to be used of you for whatever purpose you have in my life. I'm grateful. I'm thankful. I love you this day. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Lord bless you. First Apostolic Church. One final time to all of our guests. Thank you for worshiping with us. Please come back and be with us anytime. Today, this afternoon is a special time of fellowship. Encourage everyone to be here. 5:00 believe they said you bring your own lawn chairs. And uh there are food trucks trucks that you can uh purchase food uh should you choose to. And I think there's a snow cone truck. going to have a good time of fellowship. You greet your brothers and sisters. You're dismissed in Jesus name.