Sunday Evening Worship Service

this wonderful day this day of independence we celebrate i'm so thankful for the saints of god i'm thankful for freedom are you thankful for freedom today amen amen two angels unlock the door to an enclosed check-in counter ready to begin a new merciful morning as they walked in together they noticed on their death stacks of files and folders these two angels were tasked with admitting people into heaven to the left of the two angels check-in counters to the gates of pearl with another angel guarding it like some sort of heavenly bouncer angels are ministering spirits sent out to render service for the sake of those who inherit salvation angels those servants of god desire to know the experience that redeem humanity feel furthermore angels neither marry or bear children nor do they know god as father there's much that angels do not understand or experience that humanity has the privilege to know the two angels stood behind their desks looking at all the files and appointments for the day the two of them had been working behind that counter ever since jesus the son of man had gave his life on calvary and was resurrected from the dead they had met with countless individuals under the old covenant who made heaven the eternal home but there was nothing like meeting those who had been redeemed by the blood of the lamb of god in the lobby a myriad of people waited for their name to be called for their appointment and admittance into heaven some stood while others sat some were anxious while others seemed confident the first angel looked at the other and said it's going to be an interesting day lots of appointments to get through the pearly gates the second angel replied interesting indeed by the looks of these files it seems the man has put a lot of work into these people the second angel picked up a manila file folder looked at the name on the inside and called out zaccus a few moments passed and the angel again called out zacchaeus a quivering voice came from beneath the angel's counter window i'm zacchaeus the angel peered through the window and looked down to see a wee little man looking up at him zacchaeus again said with the whimper i'm zacchaeus the second angel leaned back over the counter to take another look at zacchaeus's file an older gentleman in the lobby seeing zacchaeus's plight rushed over and handed him a step stool from under the children's water fountain zacchaeus stepped up on the stool and bashfully said thank you that's better isn't it says here you're from jericho such a fascinating place exclaimed the second angel the first angel slipped off his reading glasses and interrupted to say i remember jericho the day the israelites marched around the city walls made for good entertainment zacchaeus not knowing if he should join in the conversation or not said that was before my time were you there the second angel looked at zacchaeus and just gave him a nod and went back to reading the file looks like you're a chief tax collector with a penchant for demanding more than was required that true zacchaeus nodded sheepishly not liked too much either the second angel continued the first angel whispered under his breath i'd bet not now looking up from the file the second angel asks where did you meet the man jericho i met jesus when he was coming through jericho as you can see mr angel i'm not very tall and the people uh don't like me too well wouldn't let me see him zacchaeus quickly replied uh-huh a second angel said with the nod and then what happened zacchaeus zacchaeus looked down shuffled his feet as if embarrassed by his height and lack of popularity and by the looks of it even the angels didn't appear to like him that much well zacchaeus began i climbed a sycamore tree to see jesus then he's seen me me the man seen me i have been overlooked my entire life and when rome offered me the job to tax fellow jews i jumped at the chance i wanted to get back at them you know i wanted people to recognize me but instead they started to despise me so to make matters worse i taxed them beyond the necessary tax in order to enrich myself i thought if i had more money and more possessions than everyone would notice they just hated me more so when jesus seen me in the tree it was like i had finally received the attention i so longed and desired but the man didn't just see me mr angel he asked to come to my house and have a meal so zacchaeus started to get excited he continued those who hated me for what i had done hated me even more when they realized jesus was coming to my house my house it was there i decided to repent and give half of my possessions to the poor to those who i previously defrauded i would give them four times as much the first angel walked over and glared over the second angel's shoulders to scrutinize zacchaeus file the first angel in a quizzing manner asked and why should we let you through these pearly gates zacchaeus took a moment and said with the man said to me today salvation has come to this house because he too is a son of abraham for the son of man has come to seek and to save that which was lost mr angels the man told me i could come the two angels looked at each other and told the angel guarding the pearly gates let zacchaeus of jericho in zacchaeus quickly jumped off the step stool passed through the gates and in an instance the wee little man ran on the streets of gold towards a figure of a man in the distance well stamped is zacchaeus file the first angel proclaimed the second angel took out a large stamp stain with the red ink but said forgiven and marked zachus's file as the pearly gates closed the first angel slipped his reading glasses back on placed his hand on the shoulder of the second angel and said what a bad start to the day who's next a large file folder sat on the counter it was much larger than that of zacchaeus the first angel picked up the overweight folder opened it and shook his head page after page was filled with darkness and destruction curiously the second angel started to read the folder with astonishment legion of the gadarenes the first angel called out from the counter window a handsome man began shuffling through the lobby excuse me excuse me i beg your pardon i believe they called my name the handsome and well-groomed man walked up and stood at the counter window the two angels looked at each other as if confused the second angel looked down the fire folder looked up at the handsome man again repeating this over and over again there must be a mistake sir we called for legion of the gadarenes with a smile that could light up any room the handsome man replied that's me i'm i'm legion of the gadarenes actually my real name is paul teal but you can just call me legion the angels were astonished how could this be the same man from the file there must be some sort of mix-up you are the man who lived in the tombs the second angel asked the handsome man quickly answered yes that's me looking over his reading glasses the first angel asked you were possessed with an innumerable amount of demons that's me the handsome man replied says here that you like to hang out in the tombs naked seems strange the first angel said with a bit of awkwardness now blushing the handsome man exclaimed oh no that's in my file too the second angel stared at legion's stature and said that's not all mr legion you scared the town's people by cutting yourself howling and screaming then even try to put they even try to put you in chains and fetters but you would just break them mr legion i just have to say you look nothing like what your file describes the underwriter describes you as a scary naked man capable of breaking change he likes to hang out in tombs and on top of that a multitude of devils had taken possession of your body i'm interested to know a little more of your story mr legion well as you can read in my lengthy file i had done a lot of bad things i lived a life much scarier than that i made poor decisions hung out with the wrong crowd exposed my mind and soul to devilish things i didn't grow up in the tombs mr angel i i grew up in a loving home i grew up on a good part of town i just i just will you know how it goes you give sin an inch and then it will take you a mile the very people who you who i used to hang out with ended up being the ones who tried to time me up and tame me some of the people who influenced me to do awful things were buried in those very tombs i guess i just figured i was doomed to live there and be buried there too i lost all control of my life the devil destroyed my family and my reputation i became an embarrassment to my parents i was simply a hopeless and broken man the handsome man who had once been smiling from year to year was now beginning to get choked up he cleared his voice and continued like i said my name isn't legion i had a legion of devils living in me i began to call myself legion because that's what everyone knew me as the man with the thousand devils my identity was wrapped up in my failures and my sin again my given name is palpio which fittingly means deliverance of jehovah without mind being called legion it just gives me a reason to tell everyone about the man and what he did for me the second angel inquired what did the man do for you legion's face lit up again the first angel still couldn't believe this was the same man from the file he freed me replied legion he liberated me from all those demons i don't need more chains he he set me free jesus just set me free from all those demons set me free from my addictions he set me free from my bad decisions all the man had to do was speak a word and i was free what a word he spoke to such power and love in his words all i could do was just worship him legion continued everyone was a maid of the transformation the man cleaned me up and well as you can see he clothed me i was no longer screaming and the once bleeding self-inflicted wounds were now healed i was a new man i don't look like or act like i used to the man freed me the first angel asked his last question why should you be allowed behind these gates legion smiled once more as the final tear that he would ever shed dripped from his face the man told me i could come the second angel looked at the angel guarding the gates gave him a nod legion ran so fast he nearly knocked over the guardian angel in the distance the handsome man seen a familiar face he ran towards the man who had word he had worshipped on the shores of the gatherings but now the handsome man would worship him for an innumerable amount of lifetimes shaking his head with a slight grin the first angel said to the second stamp that file forgiven my friend who's next on the schedule the second angel picked up the next file looked inside and read the record of a woman who had been married five times well this should be provocative so the second angel handing the file over to the first well i wonder how the man dealt with this case the first angel leaned out the window and called out woman from samaria head started turning in the lobby several women started to point at themselves inquiring if it was they who the angel beckoned one woman spoke up um there's several samaritan women here could you be more specific the angel sighed and hesitantly said a samaritan woman who's been married five times previously a tender voiced woman sheepishly said that's me she quickly put down her water purifying magazine stood up and headed toward the angel's counter the first angel pushed his glasses up on his nose and greeted the woman the woman was striking an appearance the first angel looked over the samaritan woman's file and asked you know how sacred marriage is to the creator ma'am a samaritan woman trying to sneak a peek at her own file on the angel's hen said yes i do i i know how sacred marriage is to the creator he intended marriage to be between one man and one woman for one lifetime unfortunately i didn't always know that and didn't take marriage serious enough i got involved with some pretty bad men being a samaritan i'm not fully jewish or gentile i come from a long line of bad relationships where marriage wasn't valued or appreciated i just fell into this cycle of wrongdoings in my family you see you probably don't understand this but i just i just longed for something deep i just wanted true love the first angel didn't understand but he desired to know more about it there was something created in humans that angels didn't have and that was love with each other in love with their creator mr angel you okay the samaritan woman asked the first angel looked for a moment as if he was daydreaming yes continue my dear the woman continued every relationship i got into failed me i never found and a husband what i longed for i had a thirst for something deeper so i would just jump from one relationship to another always ending up in the same broken cycle i quickly got a reputation around town tell me how did you meet the man this asked the second angel funny story i used to hate going to fetch water from the local well when all the other towns people did i felt so ashamed of my life i'd gone through five broken marriages and ended up living with another man who wasn't my husband i didn't want to hear the remarks and the accusations so one day i went to the well when no one else would be around but there sitting on the well was the man he asked me for a drink of water but what i found at the well was what i was looking for my entire life the second angel interrupted and what was that living water replied the samaritan woman looking as if she had just found hidden treasure she continued jesus told me all the things that i had ever done that's what i knew he was the messiah he gave me everything i longed for the first angel spoke up and said you didn't just break the sacredness of marriage once you broke it five times on your way to the sixth now tell me why should you be allowed behind these pearly gates yes i broke that sacred vow many times but the man i had been looking my entire life for forgave me and told me that i could come the first angel smiled and nodded at the angel guarding the gates let the samaritan woman in just beyond the gates was the man who she had met at the well forgiven her and gave her living water she ran and worshiped him you're telling me the man can forgive someone who broke the law of marriage no wonder she's worshiping like she is said the second angel has he stamped her file forgiven the first angel picked up the next file and looked with astonishment are you kidding me this has got to be incorrect look at this the second angel grabbed the file from the hand of the first angel they looked at each other in wonderment and said in harmony the thief on the cross immediately in the waiting room a rough looking man with a sin-hardened leathery face stepped forward he looked around at everyone's wide eyes staring at him he seemed just as confused as the angels and the others in the lobby the first angel looked at the thief as he approached the counter window and said with the puzzled look you're one of the thieves from calvary right you could say that the thief replied the second angel speed reading through the thief's file flipping over every page trying to find anything remotely redeeming said a lifetime of stealing cheating lying manipulating and sin i don't know what you're doing here the first angel put up his hand as if to stop the second angel from saying anything more weren't you and your fellow criminal just cussing and cursing jesus the first angel asked the thief still looking over his shoulder at the days and confused people awaiting their appointments in the lobby said yes that's me i apologize wait is there something wrong here did i did i did i miss something we're just trying to figure out a few things mr thief just trying to make sure you're at the right place said the first angel you know the man said not long ago he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep but climbs up some other way he's a thief and a robber the second angel asked but there's a little bit of sarcasm no i didn't hear him say that what's he mean by sheepfold i didn't get to hear all of his teachings our interaction was very brief painfully brief if you know what i mean the thief answered with just a little bit of concern in his voice now the second angel still dumbfounded asked what do you know about the man not much just that i believed him to be the son of god the thief responded while looking down the clouds beginning to hover over his feet do you know anything about justification by faith sanctification baptism surely you know something about baptism grill the second angel no sir don't know anything about those things unfortunately i'm just a thief condemned to die for my sins listen i'm not proud of what i had done as you can read there in my file i did a lot of bad things stole lied hurt some people while i was at it i never went to the local synagogue i didn't make friends with religious folks actually they they looked down their nose at me when they would see me in public come to think of it i didn't know any other way to live i get arrested be punished then set free recently i got caught up with some insurrectionists one guy's name i think was barabbas or something someone took his place and he was set free after we got arrested come to find out it was the man on the middle cross why would he take someone's place why wasn't he angry why wasn't he cursing rome and all those religious people who mocked him never seen anybody like him before then i mocked him my heart broke that pain in my heart was far worse than the nails in my hands and my feet sirs i i don't know anything else about him than that right there but that was enough for me to believe i simply asked him to remember me whenever he got to his kingdom i wish i knew more about him i i wish i would have had a meal with him like that short fellow you let in a while ago i wish i would have had a drink of water with him like that beautiful samaritan woman all i know is that i was crucified with him i was guilty and he was innocent i deserve death not him the thief stopped talking as his head dropped and the final tear he would ever cry dropped from his leathery face the room was silent it was as if everyone knew exactly what the thief was talking about they knew what it was like to be guilty of sin the first angel asked why should we let you in these gates the thief lifted up his head and said the man on the middle cross said i could come immediately the pearly gates open and there stood the man who had forgiven the thief the thief ran from the counter window to the gates and embraced the man from the middle cross who told him today you will be with me in paradise the second angel picked up the ink stained stem and marked the thief's file forgiven the two angels began to rejoice as they watched yet another forgiven sinner given access to heaven the lobby once done silent let out a roar of praise to the man who can forgive any and all types of sin would you stand with me today beloved jesus can forgive you it matters not if you're a blue-collar thief a sin-hardened criminal or one who has exposed their life to evil or even someone who has broken god's commands and covenants he can forgive you [Music] what's it take it takes faith to believe that the man christ jesus can forgive you and give you access to eternal life people wonder and they think can he forgive someone like me can he love someone like me that's just four cases from the bible different backgrounds [Music] different sin but it's all the same love and grace of jesus christ would you lift up your hands all over the auditorium this evening i want you to pray the prayer [Music] lord forgive me forgive me if you can forgive those those in the bible who've lived lives far different than myself you can forgive me maybe you you need to repent of your sins it's all about asking forgiveness all you have to do is say lord forgive me of my sins it's believing that he can forgive you of your sins it's believing that he can give you eternal life it's not based upon your righteousness or your good doing or your or your good works it's based upon what he's done for you giving his life at calvary being raised from the dead believing that he can forgive you but not only that it's being buried with him in baptism you don't have to walk through an entire bible study you don't need to know all the bible from genesis to revelation to come to faith in christ all you've got to do is believe that he can forgive me he can forgive he wants to save me he gave his life for me no matter where i am he wants to he wants to be buried with me in baptism washing away a life of a lifetime of sin can be washed away in just one moment but brothers and sisters there's more than that it's the spirit of the living god living inside of you helping you to walk day by day by day in faith would you lift up your hands one more time they're going to start singing and if you would like to come to this halter this evening if you'd like to come if you want if you want to find forgiveness for your soul if you want to find redemption for your soul it's found in jesus christ all you've got to do is ask all you got to do is come to him and one of these days we're going to be met and all we're going to be able to say in those pearly gates is he told me that i could come he told me i'm not worthy i'm not worthy of it but he told me that i could come [Music] to believe [Music] you're restoring me peace [Music] in mercy i am clean there's nothing to dirty that you can't make worthy [Music] well the holy ghost is here right now the holy ghost is here right now come on if you need redemption if you need forgiveness it's here come on [Music] come on [Music] [Music] [Music] come on he can make it clean [Applause] yes [Applause] [Music] oh [Music] [Applause] come on lift up your hands lift up your hands [Applause] [Applause] there's nothing to dirty that you can't make worthy clean i'm cleaning [Music] me [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] if you [Applause] [Music] me do [Music] [Music] yes [Applause] he told me i could come he told me that i could come [Music]