Sunday Evening Worship Service

Go back to your seats. Remain standing. Grab your Bibles. Grab your tablets. Just don't throw them down like Moses. What a tremendous word we heard today. Tremendous spirit. Thankful for fathers. Thankful for godly men in my life. God knew I needed all the help I could possibly get. He put all sorts of godly men in my life that I'm thankful for. Bishop Walls, Bishop Wilson, Tim Gil, John Voscus, Bishop Mcool, Pastor Mcool, Pastor Anthony. God knew I need a lot of help. And I'm thankful for fathers of faith in my life. Aren't you thankful for men of God in your life that have taught you the word of the Lord and shepherded your soul? Amen. And we're going to talk about that briefly tonight. Romans chapter number four. Romans chapter number four. Read a few verses here in this chapter. Giving honor to all of our pastors, our leadership, the saints of this great church. Wonderful father's day. Amen. Wonderful father's day. We're going to talk about fathers. But we talk about fathers and we had Mother's Day last month and we talk about these principles and precepts that are found in scripture for concerning mothers and fathers. Don't let that make you feel like you're excluded for something if you're not a father, you're not a mother because all of us are children of God, right? So we can all learn something from scripture. We take the principles and the precepts and apply it to our hearts. So Romans chapter number four beginning at verse number 11 speaking of Abraham and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised that he might be the father of all them that believe. though they be not circumcised, that righteousness might be imputed also unto them. Verse number 12, and the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but this is what I want to draw from, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham. For sake of time, jump down to verse 16. And therefore it is of faith that it might be by grace to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed, not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all. I want to preach for a few moments on fathers of faithfulness. I say fathers because it's father's day and this is what Paul was using as an example. But all of us can receive something from this word and apply it to our lives tonight. So why don't you put your Bibles down? Why don't you lift up your hands, lift up your heart, and ask the Lord to speak to you today? Lord, we're so thankful for this Lord's day, this Father's Day, celebrating the dads and men in our life and worshiping you, our heavenly father. Lord, I pray that you would help us to receive something from your word this evening. Lord, whether we're fathers or not, I pray that you would help us to receive some principle from your word, some precept, some promise from your word that we can grow and mature from. Lord, I pray blessings upon your people tonight in the name of Jesus we pray. And everyone said, "Amen." One more time, would you clap your hands to Jesus for all that he's done for us today? You can be seated. Since YouTube's inception to the internet, I remember my first time going to YouTube and watching that and being amazed at videos that you could watch uh from the privacy of your own home and seeing those things and then it's become this avalanche that don't just watch it on your uh desktop computer any longer. You can watch YouTube on your phone or wherever you have internet access. What's amazing about YouTube is you can learn to do just about anything on YouTube. I'm going to try to cook something, fix something, anything. I usually go to YouTube first, see if I can find somebody doing that thing that I want to learn from. According to the US Census Bureau, a third of American children live in fatherless homes. Some sociologists have gone as far as to say that the absence of a father in the child's life is the greatest social problem facing our country today. And certainly it would be absurd to consider YouTube as an adequate alternative to an actual father or a father figure in your life. But many fatherless children turn to YouTube to learn to do simple things. Many things that many of us take for granted. How to change a tire, how to tie a tie or how to balance a checkbook. However, YouTube and other sites like that will never be there to pat you on the back. YouTube will never be there to straighten your tie or tighten your oil filter. YouTube will never be there to pray for you or to shepherd you. You can watch all sorts of videos and learn, but I want you to understand that the thing that you need in your life is somebody who can show you the way of faith. somebody who could model and exemplify faith in your life. Now, that does not mean that a mother can't do that. I am certainly standing here today because I had a mother of faith and I've had spiritual fathers in my life who have helped me. And so you may not have that in your life or you may not feel like you can be that, but I want you to know that God wants everybody in this room to be confident in who they are, to walk in faith, and to follow the Lord to the best of your ability, whether you have that example in your life or not. You can be that for somebody else. >> You can be the person that that you can be the dad somebody needs. You can be the mom that somebody needs. you can be the person that they need in their life to show them how to walk by faith and not by sight. And so when when Paul is writing to the church in Rome and he gives the example or the foundation of faith and the role of faith in salvation, he uses Abraham as the ultimate example. And we're introduced to Abraham in Genesis chapter number 12. It is the the record. It's one of the most important chapters and important points in scriptural history where God calls Abraham. So, if you'll go there with me to Genesis chapter number 12, I want to read just a few verses there. Uh, verses 1-3. And the Lord said to Abram, "Get thee out of thy country and from thy kindred and from thy father's house. Unto a land I will show thee. I will make of thee a great nation. and I will bless thee, and I will make thy name great. Thou shalt be a blessing, and I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that cursseeth thee, and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. So, here's what God tells him to do. Three things. Go from your country, go from your family, and leave your father's house. Three things. But I want you to count here the promises that God gives Abraham. I will make of you a great nation. I will bless you. I will make your name great. I will be a You will be a blessing. Bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you. All families of the earth will be blessed because of you. We have double the promise compared to the sacrifice. God is going to give more than what Abraham will give up. I'm gonna say it again. God is going to give more than what Abraham is going to sacrifice. People ask us this, "What am I going to have to give up to be a Christian?" It's not what do you have to give up, it's what you are going to gain. >> We might have to sacrifice a few things, but the promises and the blessings far outweigh the sacrifice any of us will ever have to give. I'm telling you tonight that God wants to bless you. God wants to make your name great. God wants to multiply you. God wants to use you. God wants to expand your life and expand your influence. And just a little bit of sacrifice can go a long way in God's kingdom. Somebody say amen. I want to look at three things briefly tonight to be a person of faith or leaving a legacy of faith or a father of faithfulness. Three things Abraham lived set apart. Number two, Abraham lived by faith and sacrifice. And number three, Abraham lived as an example. When God called Abraham, he called him out of the land of the Calaldanss, the of the Caldes. And this is an important moment because Joshua says in chapter 24:2, he says that Abraham and his fathers worshiped other gods. These were not these were not believers. These were uh these were not men of faith, so to speak. Yes, they came from the god the the the god-fearing line of Seth and uh from Noah and Shem all the way down. But by this moment that God calls Abraham, he and his father are idolattors. There's nothing really inherently good about Abraham that God sees in him to call him out. It's not because there's something that Abraham has done or he has said or has lived that God called him. It was all of God's grace that he called Abraham out of the of the Caldes. I want you to understand THAT WHEN GOD CALLS you and he calls me and he calls us, it's not because of something we've done or because we're worthy or deserving of it. Every day I go to pray, I say this, Lord, I'm not worthy of these things. I'm not entitled to these things. I'm only here by the grace of God. We need to remind ourselves that it was God's grace that brought us out of the world. and it was God's mercy. We didn't get what we deserve. That he called us out of darkness and into his marvelous light. IT WASN'T BECAUSE THERE'S SOMETHING GOOD IN ME OR good in you. I'm telling you, it was God's grace that he brought us out. WE WHO ARE NOT A PEOPLE are now a people. WHY? BECAUSE GOD'S GRACE BECAUSE HE'S good and he loves us. I want to tell somebody this, too. It hit me a few moments ago. Abraham was 75 years old when God called him out of the Caldes. 75 years old. You know what that tells me? It's not too late for you. It's not too late for you. You may have lived your WHOLE LIFE WITHOUT GOD. I've come to tell somebody, it's not too late. If you will hear his call tonight, if you will hear his voice tonight, if you will leave where you are to follow him, great things are ahead of you. It doesn't matter if you're a teenager or if you're in the in the in the in THE THE DUSK OF YOUR LIFE AT THE END OF YOUR LIFE. I'M TELLING YOU, GOD CAN USE YOU NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE. Someone say amen. Doesn't matter where you start. It's how you finish. Doesn't matter where you start in the race. If you're early or you're late, as long as you get in the race and finish it, that's what matters. Nothing good in Abraham that God sees. It's simply God's grace that he brings him out and begins to speak to him. Even though he's an idoltor, even though he's worshiping other gods and his father is worshiping other gods, God calls Abraham to follow him. God gives him promises to put in his heart and into his life that God sees something in him that perhaps others don't see in Abraham or Abraham doesn't see in himself. I want you to understand it's still God's grace. It's still God's grace. Remind yourself, it's still God's grace that I'm here. It's not because I'm doing anything good because I fall AND I FAIL. I'VE got warts and I've got wrinkles. But I want you to KNOW IT'S STILL GOD'S GRACE. IT was grace 20 YEARS AGO AND IT'S still grace and it's going to be grace 20 years from now if God so terries. And this is what God tells him. Got to leave your old ways. Got to leave the old things behind. If you're going to be a father of faith, if you're going to be a person of faith, you're going to have to leave the old ways. Men, brothers, just because you had an idolatrous father and your family doesn't doesn't serve God like the way you think they they should, does not mean that you have to follow in their footsteps. You can break generational habits. You can you can stop the shortcomings and the cycles that plague your family history if you'll simply hear God's call and say, "I'll go wherever you want me to go. I'll do whatever you want me to do. Lord, I'm following you." Sometimes you're going to have to leave the familiar so you can walk in faith. Too many men feel as if they have to behave and live as their fathers and grandfathers did. If they were honory, cruel, and mean, that means that they have to do the same. God is calling us men to break the habits and pitfalls of sin and worldliness in our life so we can be separate. If we're going to walk with God, we're going to have to leave the old ways behind. Come on. you. Abraham's doomed to live like terara his father did if he doesn't leave the of the cales. There's some things you're going to have to leave behind. THERE'S SOME OLD HABITS and some old generational things and some and some addictions in your life you're going to have to leave and say I'm not doing that. I'm not behaving that way. I'M NOT TALKING THAT WAY. I've quoted it before. I want to say IT AGAIN. JOSHUA SAID, "AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSE, it begins with me before it goes to we. IT'S GOT TO START IN YOUR HEART. I'M NOT GOING BACK TO THAT. I'M NOT staying where I used to be. I don't have to continue down that path. I'm going to leave. There are not enough self-help books, not enough YouTube videos, inspirational seminars for you to attend to break the bonds of sin. But if you'll put your faith in Jesus and if you'll follow after him by faith, you'll see that God can do great things in you despite your upbringing, despite where you came from. I I'm appreciative of this. I'm I'm third generation Pentecostal or I'm 16th generation Pentecostal. I'm so glad. But you know what? Somebody has to be the first. >> Come on. If you're not second or third, why don't you be the first? Say, "Hey, IT'S GOING TO START WITH ME. IT'S GOING TO START IN MY LIFE. IT'S GOING TO START IN MY FAMILY. YOU DON'T HAVE TO YOU don't have to be born here. You don't have to be raised in this and graduate FROM OUR SCHOOL. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS PUT YOUR FAITH IN JESUS. ALL YOU'VE GOT TO DO IS REPENT OF YOUR SINS AND BE BURIED WITH CHRIST AND BAPTISM AND RECEIVE THE SPIRIT. I'M TELLING YOU, IT CAN START WITH YOU. YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE SECOND GENERATION OR THIRD. YOU CAN BE THE FIRST. >> Come on, somebody. Starts with you. >> Abraham had to leave. had to leave some family had to leave some family behind. Now, this wasn't this wasn't God telling him to be dishonoring or disrespectful to his family. No, this was about leaving the comforts of familiarity and and leaving the dependence upon family. Abraham was going to have to follow God by faith and depend on God's providence to take care of him and his family. NO DOUBT. NO DOUBT THERE ARE THOSE PEOPLE in your life who will challenge your faith. Yeah, there are many who have to make the difficult decision to leave family members behind. It never fails when we teach Bible studies, somebody gets converted. It's happened more times than I can count. So as soon as somebody decides to get baptized in Jesus name, brothers, uncles, grandpas who've never attended a church in 25 years all of a sudden become bishops and pastors and theologians trying to talk you out of doing something. They live like heathens, but all of a sudden you start talking about Jesus name baptism and receiving the Holy Ghost, speaking with other tongues. All of a sudden they've got an argument. They want a debate. Sometimes you're going to have to leave behind some unbelieving family members. We love you. We respect you. I hope YOU MAKE IT. BUT AS for me, I'm serving the scriptures, not family creeds. Oh, Jesus. Lord, help me right now. I' I've seen it happen, too. I've seen it happen more times than I can count. Somebody will get they will get they will get right here to the line to Jesus name baptism the Holy Ghost they'll seek after him and all of a sudden me starts calling now you know we go to the uh denominal church and we've gone here for 30 years and it's colder than a refrigerator in here you wouldn't leave me mo and peaw behind would you come on Abraham am. >> ARE YOU GOING TO STAY IN THAT COLD CHURCH? ARE YOU GOING TO STAY IN THAT DEAD CREED AND CATECHISM? OR ARE YOU GOING TO FOLLOW AFTER GOD AND SAY, "LORD, I WHEREVER YOU WANT ME TO BE, THAT'S WHAT I'LL BE. BUT I'VE GOT TO THERE'S SOME THINGS I'M GOING TO HAVE TO FORSAKE. AND IF I HAVE TO LOSE SOME RELATIONSHIPS AND I HAVE TO LOSE SOME FAMILIARITY AND SOME COME ON, SOMEBODY. THERE'S GOING TO BE SOME TIMES WHEN I HAVE TO BREAK AWAY AND SAY, "I'M LIVING FOR THE LORD. I'M NOT LIVING FOR YOU. IT'S NOT GOING TO BE YOUR CREED THAT GETS ME INTO HEAVEN, BUT IT'S MY OBEDIENCE TO THE WORD OF GOD. I WISH somebody would clap their hands on the Lord. Oh yes. He's going to have to leave some wealth behind, too. There they were wealthy people, Abraham and his family. He's leaving the inheritance of leaving the inheritance of of of Tira, his father, for an inheritance that he can't see for a blessing he can't touch. My Lord have mercy. You're going to leave the the family business. You're going to leave the inheritance. I'm I'm sorry, Paul. I I've got to go. There's something God's calling me to. I'm looking for a city whose builder and maker IS GOD. I I KNOW I can't I know you can't see it right now and I can't see it right now. I can't explain it, but there's something happening inside of me AND I'VE GOT TO FOLLOW AFTER THE VOICE of God FOR MY LIFE. I KNOW IT MIGHT LOOK FOOLISH to you, BUT THE THINGS OF GOD ALWAYS LOOK FOOLISH TO THOSE WHO are not believing and who ARE PERISHING. BUT I'VE COME TO TELL SOMEBODY TONIGHT THAT THERE ARE BLESSINGS. THERE ARE THERE'S AN INHERITANCE for you. WE ARE HES JESUS. I WANT TO BE SEATED WITH HIM IN HEAVENLY PLACES. THIS WORLD IS NOT MY HOME. I'M JUST A PASSING THROUGH AND MY BLESSING AND MY TREASURE IS LAID UP SOMEWHERE. >> COME ON, SOMEBODY. I MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO EXPLAIN IT, BUT THERE'S BLESSING FOR YOU. I MAY NOT BE ABLE TO ARTICULATE IT FOR YOU, BUT THERE'S A BLESSING FOR YOU. Leaving fortunes to become faithful. Not saying you're going to be poor. Not saying you're not going to be blessed. Abraham was way, way wealthier spiritually, monetarily after he broke away from Tra. My Lord have mercy. You don't know what God's got for you. Sometimes we're asking God to show show you the show you the plan, show you the blueprint. Show there is no blueprint. It's faith. It's faith. I've talked about it before. Drew Drew Mopin preached at chapel few few weeks ago here at ACS. He talked about the blueprint and I got up afterwards. We had some blueprints from bishop's office. You know there this building was not in the blueprints when God called them to come start a church and a school in Knoxville. This wasn't this this they could have dreamed it. Yeah, I'm not saying that. But God didn't say, "Hey, here's a here's a here's a sanctuary that's going to be paid off. Not going to owe one dime for a building that sees 12 to,400 people. There's going to be acres here with a school and there's going to be rooms and there's going to be ways to there's going to be a Spanish church and there's going TO BE CHURCHES BUILT OVER IN THE PHILIPPINES AND IN AFRICA. AND GOD DIDN'T SHOW HIM ALL THAT, BUT IT WAS BY FAITH THAT HE CAME TO KNOXVILLE. I'M TELLING YOU, THERE'S BLESSINGS UNTOLD FOR YOU WHEN YOU WALK BY FAITH AND NOT BY SIGHT. WOULD YOU SAY, "LORD, JUST TAKE ME. SHOW ME THE WAY. SHOW ME WHAT I GOT TO DO." HE MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO SHOW YOU AND EXPLAIN EVERYTHING, BUT THERE'S SOME BLESSINGS IN YOUR LIFE IF YOU'LL FOLLOW HIM. NOT BLINDLY, BUT BELIEVING THAT HE'S ABLE TO DO EXCEEDING ABUNDANTLY. ABOVE ALL, we're able to ask a thing. Somebody clap your hands under the Lord tonight. Oh yes. He's got to leave with the w the the wilderness of the world behind. Going to have to leave the earth of the Caldes. Going to have to leave all that idolatry and heathenism behind. You know, we've if we're going to be people of faith, fathers of faith, we can't allow the world to influence our families. We live in the world, but our citizenship is in heaven. We're just exiles and sojourers here in this world. And what God's telling Abraham is, you're going to have to be holy. You're going to have to be separate from the things of this world. You're not going to worship like everybody else worships. You're not going to live like everybody else lives. Dads, fathers, if you're going to be a father of faith, you're going to lead your family by faith, then you need to be the example of consecration and separation. I'm not talking about being isolated. I'm talking about being insulated. Holiness is not bondage. Holiness is freedom. Come on now. Holiness is not bondage. Holiness is freedom. It's freedom. We don't need to be acclimated to this world. We don't need to get comfortable here in this world. We need to keep walking by faith believing that we're looking for a city whose builder and maker is God. Be separate. We live by a different law. We have a different lifestyle. We have a different language. We speak a different language. Why? We're speaking the language of faith. Abraham. Number two, Abraham lived by faith and sacrifice. If you look at the story of Abraham, there's mountain peaks of achievement and valleys of disappointment. Had to set himself apart from his nephew Lot and allow Lot to experience the consequences of his choices. Abraham built altars and worshiped. He dig he would dig wells and he would expand his his uh his his his place and his blessings and his name and be blessed. But he also lied and wilted when he needed to be courageous. When he should have trusted God, he listened to the doubting voice of his wife Sarah. We see Abraham falling flat on his face in failure, yet always restored to the path of faith. I want you to understand, a life of faith isn't lived without its failures and its flaws. Listen to me now. God calls us to walk by faith and not perfection. I'm gonna say it again. God calls us to walk by faith and not perfection. Too many feel that if they aren't perfect, then there's no use in trying at all. That's not faith in God. That's faith in you. If I don't live this perfectly, that's not what he's asking. He's asking you to live this faithfully. And faithfully sometimes means you fall flat on your face. faithfully means that Monday's coming. Not every day Sunday. All right. Sometimes you're going to have to learn how to walk by faith even in the in the dark times, in the cold times, not just at camp meeting and conferences. Can I just say this? Conferences aren't real life. I love conferences. I appreciate conferences. I love all of that. But conferences aren't real life. Camp meeting is not real life. Mon tomorrow morning is real life. That's real life. And if you can walk by faith on Monday morning just as much as you run and and jump on Friday night of camp meeting, YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE IT. I WANT YOU TO KNOW I'M thankful for the I'm faithful for the mountain tops, but I'm also thankful for the times IN THE VALLEYS. WHY? BECAUSE HE'S FAITHFUL UP THERE, JUST AS HE'S FAITHFUL DOWN HERE. AND IF I'LL JUST GET MYSELF BACK UP AND KEEP WALKING, THERE'S ANOTHER MOUNTAIN. THERE'S ANOTHER BLESSING. THERE'S ANOTHER HIGH SOMEWHERE. THERE'S ANOTHER VISITATION. IF I'LL JUST keep being faithful. Almost done. Here's how to be a father or a person of faithfulness. Romans 4:18 through22. Let me just kind of give you this. Here's how to be a person of faith. Where do I start? How do I do this? Who against hope believed in hope that he might become the father of many nations. According to that which was spoken, so shall thy seed be. Not being weak in faith, he considered not his own body. now dead. He was about to be a hundred years old. Neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb. He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God, being fully persuaded, fully persuaded that what God had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore, it was imputed to him for righteousness. Here's how to be a father of faithfulness or a person of faithfulness. In hope, he get he believed in hope. Even when the circumstances said you don't need to believe, he believed. He wasn't weak in faith. He didn't stagger with unbelief at God's promises. He was strong in faith. Gave glory to God and was fully persuaded. And you can summarize this in one way. The righteous shall live by faith. I may not be able to see it. I may not be able to understand it, but I'm going to have hope. I'M GOING TO HAVE FAITH. I'M GOING to believe in God. I'm going to trust in God. I'm not going to stagger. I'm not going to look AT MY CIRCUMSTANCES AND SAY, "OH, NO. HE CAN'T DO IT. I'M JUST GOING TO KEEP MYSELF GOING AND BELIEVING that he's faithful to do what he has promised." >> Musicians, get ready. I'm almost done. Last one here. He lived as an example. As an example. Now, this is what I was thinking. I was looking over my notes tonight for service and I thought about this. Paul used Abraham as an example for the believers in Rome. Some 2,000 years later, Abraham is the example of faith. He's the father of faith. This was Paul's point. I got to thinking about that for a second. Abraham didn't know the believers in Rome. That's like 6,000 years later. He doesn't He doesn't even know you or me. And Paul's saying, he's the example. Here's what I thought before service. I wrote this down. Abraham's example of faith was Isaac, just a little boy, just a son. He He has no idea that his life is going to be used as an example of faith and godliness and worship and sacrifice thousands of years later. All he knows is I've got this this son named Isaac and here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to live it before him. Some of us listen to me now. Listen to me. Some of us want to be the example for the world. We want the platform. We want the spotlight. We want the influence. We're looking for an audience, a crowd. And the greatest example of faithfulness that you could ever give is in your home. You see, we want to make we want to influence everybody on social media and not influence our own kids. >> We want to influence everybody else in the world. We want to I WANT WE WANT TO I'M I'M I'M FOR MISSIONS. I love missions. We give to missions. I'M ALL FOR MISSIONS. I serve in world missions. I appreciate that. But the greatest mission field that we've got is right here. It's it's right there. That's mine right there. It's that mine. She's coming up. THAT'S MINE RIGHT. IF I listen, if I win the world and I lose THOSE TWO, I'VE LOST EVERYTHING. COME ON, SOMEBODY HEAR ME RIGHT NOW. IF YOU RE IF YOU WIN EVERYBODY ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND YOU INFLUENCE EVERYBODY on social media AND YOUR KIDS ARE LOST, YOU HAVE LOST. Stand to your feet. I'M TELLING YOU THE GREATEST EXAMPLE. I'M NOT SAYING WE SHOULDN'T BE AN INFLUENCE EVERYWHERE WE GO. I'M TELLING YOU THE GREATEST influence is going to be the people that you live with. That's the greatest. Abraham doesn't doesn't see believers in Rome. He doesn't see believers in Knoxville, Tennessee. He sees Isaac. And this is what he tells Isaac. Isaac, I'm going to show you how to dig a well. Come with me. Come here, Isaac. This is how you dig a well. Isaac's probably thinking, "Why would I ever need to dig a well? You're doing it for me, Dad." Right? But there's going to be a day when Abraham's dead. And Isaac's thirsty after the Holy Ghost. And he went back to the wells that Abraham, his dad, had dug and he looked at his servants and said, "Hey, can I show you something? This is what my dad showed me. How to dig a well." Now, he did it very primitively, but I I know we've got some new tools and some new methods, but if we can just get to that water, >> and not only that, Abraham Isaac, come here. Come here, son. That's how you dig a well. Let me show you how to build an altar. Our God is not like the gods of the Caldes. Our God is not like these heathen gods. Here's how we worship our God. We worship our God with with altars and a sacrifice. We offer a sacrifice unto him. This is what we're going to do. We're going to build and you know, I I get to go to a lot of places. I'm privileged to go to a lot of places and and minister and and to preach and I'm so appreciative of that. But you know what I love about First Apostolic Church of Knoxville is seeing some dads come down front and worship with their kids. I love seeing our dads and our our men come down. They're not sitting in the back with their arms folded. Like I see a lot of places I see a lot of men coming down here saying, "This is how we worship, son. This is how we worship, family. This is how we do it AROUND HERE." COME ON, SOMEBODY. I'M NOT GOING TO LET SOMEBODY ELSE SHOW YOU HOW TO DO IT. I'M GOING TO EXEMPLIFY IT FOR YOU. I'M GOING TO SHOW YOU HOW WE DO IT. IT'S NOT JUST DIGGING WELLS, BUT IT'S WORSHIPING. And I show you how to worship. And when Isaac digs a well, the next thing he does, he builds altars. I'm going to show you how to build an altar. This is how dad did it. God have mercy. Jacob, there's going to be a day when you're going to need to know how to build an altar. Let me show you. There's going to be a day when you're going to have to have an experience with God. Jacob, you can't live off of my experience just as I can't live off my dad's experience. You're going to have to have your own experience, Jacob. And where did we find Jacob? When he's alone, he's building altars. And when he's getting ready to go back and see Esau, who he deceived, he's building an altar. Why? Because that's what Isaac showed him how to do. That's what Abraham had showed Isaac. The greatest legacy, the greatest legacy is a legacy of worship. It's a legacy of consecration and dedication and devotion. You're not doing it for the crowds. We got cameras around here, man. Where's Jackson Milstead? Where's Jackson at? Man, Jackson, I told told Brother Press, I mean, I said Jackson was getting some shots tonight. I mean, he was getting some shots. There was one shot that he got of his dad worshiping and I seen that blue Bible right there. I thought, man, that look really good. His dad up here singing and playing. I I I think I'm I'm thankful for all these cameras and we're able to do all of this. This is amazing. That's We're not up here worshiping to be on camera. I'm not up here. If you have no cameras in this room, I'm going to worship because the greatest eyes that can see us are not the eyes that are watching us on YouTube and Facebook. The greatest eyes that can see us worship is our kids. I'm telling you, the greatest the greatest eye, the greatest camera we got is our own family. Come on, dad. Come on, mom. You need to be DOWN HERE SHOWING THEM HOW TO DO IT. WHY? BECAUSE THERE GOING TO BE A DAY WHERE THEY'RE GOING TO NEED TO KNOW HOW TO DO IT THEMSELVES. I WONDER IF SOMEBODY would come to AN ALTAR AND SAY, "I'M GOING TO BE AN EXAMPLE. IT STARTS WITH ME. IT BEGINS WITH ME. I WANT TO LIVE THAT WAY. I MIGHT be I I may not be perfect." He's not looking for perfection. He's looking for faith. He's just looking for somebody to follow him as they begin to sing. I wonder if someone to say, "I want to be that. I want to be that, oh God. I want to be the example." Maybe I'm not a father. Maybe I'm not a mother. But I want to be an example to somebody that this is how you serve the Lord. This is how you serve the Lord. >> He will never fail. >> The greatest blessings, >> the greatest inheritance, >> the greatest treasure is serving the Lord. >> Oh yes, >> come on. It begins with me. >> It begins with me. >> Oh yes. I trust in God, >> my savior. >> Myior one who will never >> He will never fail. >> Come on. I MIGHT FAIL, BUT HE'S NEVER GOING TO FAIL. >> I trust in God. Oh, my savior. You're the one. >> Oh, you will never fail. >> He's not going to fail. >> He will never fail. >> I saw the Lord's face. >> I saw the Lord. >> I was seeking the Lord >> and he heard and he answered. >> I saw the Lord and he heard and he answered. >> I sought the Lord. I saw the Lord and he heard >> and he answered >> that's why that's why I touched my eyes. >> That's why I >> Oh, I saw the Lord and he heard and he answered. I saw the Lord and he heard and he answered. I sought the Lord and he heard and he answered. >> That's why I trusted. That's why I trust in God. My savior, the one who will never f I want to say it again cuz this is what I feel in my spirit. Brother Nate, I'm behind. I didn't start soon enough. I'm too late, too old. I've done too much. That is a lie from hell. You can start now. But I've tried and I messed up. Then start now. Brother Nate, my kids are grown and I didn't live that before them. Start now. They need to see what grace looks like. They need to see what starting over looks like. They need to see what forgiveness looks like. And here's how you do it, family. I know I've not done it perfectly. I know I've not done it the way that others have done it. But today, we're going to start living for the Lord. I'm going to start over again if that's all right. I'm going to pray. I'm going to I'm going to get in the word. We're going to go to the church together. I'm not sending you to church. I'm I'm taking you to church. We're going together as a family. And if YOU'LL DO THAT, IF YOU'LL BE HONEST AND SAY, "LISTEN, I'VE NOT DONE IT THE way I needed to do it, but today we're starting over. Today, WE'RE GOING TO TRY AGAIN. I FAILED. I made a mistake, but today I'm starting. If Abraham can DO IT AT 75, WHAT CAN GOD DO AT 45? AND WHAT CAN GOD DO AT 55? WHAT CAN GOD DO AT 25?" BUT YOU GOT TO START SOMETIME. I WANT YOU TO LIFT UP your hand and say, "Lord, you're not looking for perfection. You're looking for faith. You're not looking for perfection. You're looking for faith.