God, Adam & The Garden | Rev Paul White

Hallelujah Jesus you've been faithful o God you're the faithful God you're the faithful God when I was good you were faithful when I was backslid and undone you were faithful when I had no confidence in myself you were faithful when friends and family turned away you were faithful when you had no reason to believe I could change in some people's eyes you were faithful you cannot out do the faithfulness of a loving wonderful saving God tonight and we are all here not because we're faithful so much is because he is faithful look at your neighbor if you want to say he is faithful amen thank you for the singing and playing it's such a wonderful job tonight amen leading us into the presence of the Lord Psalms 95 and 2 let us come before his presence with Thanksgiving and Make a Joyful Noise with Psalms Philippians 4 be careful for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving let your quest be made known unto God First Timothy 4 for every creature of God now this is for those of you who are going to have food tomorrow that you may not like okay turkey ham catfish possum whatever your family decides to serve the Bible has something about that in the spirit of Thanksgiving First Timothy for every creature of God is good and nothing to be refused if it be received with Thanksgiving yeah I'd rather have ham and turkey Psalms 100 enter into his gates with Thanksgiving and into his course with praise be thankful and bless his name we are on the eve of Thanksgiving this verse I really like Leviticus 22 and 29 I'll let you be seated in just a second Leviticus 22 and when ye will offer a sacrifice of Thanksgiving unto the Lord offer it at your will I think that's so cool he says when you decide to give a Thanksgiving offering to the Lord he says you don't have to wait for pastor to drag it out of you you don't have to wait for uh somebody to come by and tap you on the hand and tell you to praise the Lord he said offer your Thanksgiving at your will anytime you feel like it you might be washing dishes at the sink and start singing some of them old gospel hymns and before you know it you're dancing across the kitchen floor you might be driving down the road on the way to work and hear somebody begin to sing a song before you know it you have tears running down your eyes he might be lying in bed at night thinking about the goodness of God before you know it just begin to say thank the Lord in the middle of the night at your will give thanks the Bible said God said that he loves a cheerful cheerful Giver number six on my list of thanks First Chronicles oh give thanks to the Lord for he is good for his mercy endureth forever Psalms 97 rejoice in the Lord ye righteous and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness Psalms 119 at midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee because of thy righteous judgments Psalms 35 I will give thee thanks in the great congregation I will praise thee among much people and lastly first Thessalonians 5 the writer simply says in everything that's right give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you I think it'd be just good if you would just if you like just to clap your hands just lift your voice give God some praise thank you for what he's done how he saved you how he's delivered you how he's done things in your life beyond measure thank you Lord for your greatness thank you for your goodness thank you for your mercies oh God you're a faithful God you're a wonderful savior we bless your name tonight we magnify glorify your holy righteous name hey man look at your neighbor and say I'm going to give thanks amen I do give honor to Pastor and pastoral staff today amen for his kindness for allowing me to speak and I am humbled to be here not worthy of it but I am thankful for the goodness of the Lord amen if you would tonight I'm going to just give you just a little story I'm just going to speak just for a few moments tonight give you just a little bit of hope I hope give you just a little bit of Hope on the goodness of the grace of God tonight Genesis we're going to turn to the first book of the Bible Genesis chapter 2. I'm just going to read a couple verses in your hearing this evening Genesis chapter 2 verse 7 beginning and the Lord God formed man of the Dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the Breath of Life and Man became a living soul and the Lord God planted a garden Eastward in Eden and there he put man whom he had formed turning to John 18th chapter we'll turn to John 18 and verse 1. the Bible simply says it this way John 18 and 1 when Jesus has spoken these words he went forth with his disciples over the brook Kidron where was a garden and into the which he entered and his disciples tonight just for a few minutes I just want to talk to us about God Adam and a garden God Adam in the garden Lord Jesus we thank you for your spirit we thank you for your presence tonight we thank you God that you love us thank you for hope that you've given to us God you're faithful and tonight we give thanks unto you because you indeed are worthy of our praise and our Glory I'm thankful tonight God that you've met with us in this place tonight touch our hearts we pray in Jesus mighty mighty name amen I just want to start by simply saying God is Not only faithful but God is a god of Hope God is a God that gives hope he gives restoration he gives Second Chances God does not Delight in iniquity he does not Delight in people being lost he does not Delight in people messing their lives up but God Delights in restoration he Delights in forgiveness and he Delights in the opportunity to give us a second chance that's the kind of God we serve tonight and that is the kind of God I need tonight in my life so we serve a God who takes no pleasure the Bible said in the death of the wicked because he is a God that loves restoration and so understanding that we serve a God Like That we had as it was several weeks ago during service I was just worshiping with with the singing of praising and and some thoughts just begin to flow through my mind and uh about the goodness of God and and what God has been willing to go through for us what he's been willing to do for us what he has allowed his name to be drugged through allowed his body in his life to be drugged through just for the saving of us I began to think about how wonderful he was and as I began to think about that my mind went to two different places that we're going to touch upon for just a few minutes in this place tonight the first one we read in the Book of Genesis God in the beginning has created the heavens and the Earth God has formed all the beautiful things that we see the trees the plants the animals the Sun the moon the stars all the wonderful things that he has done in the Book of Genesis the first couple chapters and then we find as we close in we find him creating man out of all the things he created in the the world he spoke it but when it came to man he actually came down close to Earth and dug out of the ground that which he would use to form man and so man is now formed in the image and likeness of God and he's called Adam as he is the first man on planet Earth and we see as you read the story will not read it because it's much detail but we find the relationship between God and Adam begins to develop and the Bible lays out some of what God and Adam are doing together this is a place of Peace it is a place of beauty it is a place there is no sickness there is no sin therefore There Is No Death everything lives and continuously lives it is in this place in Eden in the Eastward part where God placed a garden and the Bible said that out of the ground he caused every tree to grow that was pleasant to the site and good for food the tree of life also in the midst of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil and a river went out from there feeding all of the land it was in this place where God and Adam began a relationship it was in this place that Adam had Dominion the Bible said that God brought all the beasts and the fowl to Adam to see what he would name them can you imagine you on the face of Earth and God drawing close to you and he begins to say all right begin to name these things and Adam says Hey God I saw a camel today God says Campbell what's that he said it's that big big thing over there with a big hump in his back oh okay that's a camel yeah that's a camel hey God you know what I saw today I saw a giraffe a giraffe well what is that oh it's that thing with a real long neck and uh spots and it's a giraffe oh it is how neat uh God I saw a dog today a dog what's that it's ruff ruff with barks you know it plays catch it's it's really cool he did a good job and God brought all the animals to Adam where he would name them it was in this place that God would cause Adam to go to a deep sleep and we know all of this he took the rib out from his side and created a woman a female and and Adam called her Eve and it was in this place where in the cool of the evening the voice of God would come into the garden where they were and God began to talk to them can you imagine eating the most perfect place eating a place of paradise a place where there was no death they did not know what death meant they did not know what weeds were they did not know what it was to sweat at the brow as the sun beat upon them while they worked it was a perfect Paradise where they walked and talked with God and there was Fellowship between man and God and it was a place where God would let them live forever if they wanted to it was called Eden the place by definition of pleasure it was a wonderful place where God and Adam would talk but we know the story unfortunately in that Garden there was a serpent that was more subtle than any other creature in the garden and he began to speak to Eve begin to talk to her and he began to let her look at the tree that was forbidden by God and she looked upon the fruit of that tree of the knowledge of good and evil and was seduced by the thought of what it would do for her and Adam willing to join her ate the fruit with her and it was at that moment when they felt something you had never felt before and that was separation from God up until that point there was no tearing at the altar up until that point there was no fasting for three days to try to get a word from God every night in the cool of the evening God hi Adam this is God every night every day it was continual Paradise it was relationship with the almighty Creator who created everything until that moment when they defied the law of God and sin separated they felt somebody had never felt before separation between man and God it was on this occasion when in the cool evening the voice of God came walking and when he would have met Adam he was nowhere to be found and when he would have looked to saw Eve she was not to be seen and for the first time the voice of God calls out a question to Adam at this and he says Adam where are you Adam where are you the Bible says Adam lifted up his head and says I'm here but I was afraid to be seen by you because I am naked and God says to Adam Adam who told you that you were naked did you eat from the fruit of the tree I commanded you not and then of course Adam looks to his wife and says God is the wife you gave me she's the one who took it first he looks at the lady Eve and says Eve what have you done and she says it was the serpent that beguiled me so in this beautiful utopian this beautiful garden where God and man taught wonder what language it was was it English Spanish Hebrew who knows we have no idea it was a language that only Adam and God spoke and he but they had that relationship but in that moment they heard God say words they had never dreamed before and that is when God says You must leave he cursed the ground because of Adam he told Eve she'll have children with pain and sorrow because of her sin and then he says one final thing to the serpent but before we get to what the serpent was told let us realize what that one moment has caused even today because of that one decision sin has carried on and on and on and today the reason why we have prayer requests and the reason we scroll names across the screen is because Adam and Eve felt separated from God and sin stepped in between that's why people have died of cancer that's why people have problems and divorces and disease and murder and Mayhem and crime and pain and sorrow all the direct result of Adam's separation from God because of sin sometimes people get angry and they ask the question how could God allow such and such to happen the sad truth of it is it's not that God allowed it to happen as much as it was the results of sin we can blame God and people do blame God God how could you be a loving God and allow this to happen the sad truth of the fact is it is because of the results of sin so we have here God and Adam in a garden Adam has fell and for the first time there was a feeling between God and Adam neither had felt before Adam felt separated from God and God felt separated from Adam Adam the one he loved the one he formed and created Out of the Dust of the Earth the one that he longed to talk with every day and be with and chuckled and laughed as he saw Adam give names to animals and creatures like an anteater or an antelope or a Bia moth or a mammoth a woolly mammoth God probably thought well that's a funny name Adam that's cute really neat there what do you want to call this tree this fruit this this apple and God delighted it in the presence of Adam but on this occasion and on this day in this Garden there was a separation between man and God but even as downcast Adam was even as heartbroken as God was even as full of Shame and sorrow Adam and Eve was God would not allow them to live that way continually the reason why God pushed Adam and Eve out of the garden was so there would be a remedy for them lest they eat of the tree of life and live in that Fallen condition forever so God out of his Mercy pushes Adam and Eve out of the garden puts a flaming sword that turned every Direction with a cherubim and said you will live outside of this Garden so there might be a Plan of Redemption for you but as they was on their way out a promise was given in Genesis chapter 3 God looks at the Wily's Serpent and with hatred in his eyes he says to the serpent I will put enmity between thee and the woman and between thy seed and her seed he shall bruise thy head and thou shalt bruise his heel that was a prophetic statement by almighty God telling the serpent one day there is going to rise a seat up that will not be tainted by sin will not be held swayed nor captive by your intimidations there will come one that will rise up he's going to put his foot on your head yes you will bruise his heel but he's going to crush your head and as Adam and Eve walked out of the garden there was a promise made by almighty God that said this separation shall not be always So Adam sinned and the Bible said Romans 5 wherefore as by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin and so death passed upon all men for that all have sinned the reason we have sinned today is because of one man's Disobedience to almighty God and from that time throughout the Old Testament there have been arising and falling of promises God promised there would come a deliverer and so men and women would come and they would be judges they would be Kings there would be prophets there would be lambs and goats and Bullocks that would be slain and blood would be shed all in the attempt to push sin ahead so man through the law that God gave would would try and strive to please God and throughout all the Old Testament man would live for God and then they would fail they would rise to Great Heights of glory and there would be great prophets and Kings but there would be Nations that would turn against him and he would have to deliver his people a time and time again what was that that was a Scarlet thread of evil going one way and parallel with that the blood that would cover them going side by side so as man and sin struggled there was a God who did not forget his promise I'm talking about God Adam and a garden so 4 000 years past that stage prophets have come and gone the law has been given and trespassed Moses Kings many have came and gone prophecies fulfilled and given and here we have traveled 4 000 years later from the Garden of Eden and we find ourselves back in a garden four thousand years past Eden we read in the Book of Matthew the 26th chapter the Lord is now came in the form of a man the almighty God the god of the Old Testament has now robed himself in flesh and the voice of God that walked in the garden has now taken on human flesh and human feet and has now walked into another Garden called Gethsemane four thousand years ago was the last time we heard the voice of man and God talking in a garden four thousand years ago the last time we heard God and man talk in the garden it was when God sorrowfully paid them to leave because of their sin and man departed heart broken and forlorn heavy with Despair and shame as four thousand years ago separation came between God and man but now four thousand years later the angels have already proclaimed Jesus would be born the prophets have foretold this occasion the angels have already shouted for Joy the birth and heralding of Messiah the star has already shown over bethlehem's manger Herod has already looked to forsake those that seek to please the the man Christ Jesus and now Jesus has healed the sick he's raised the dead he's done all these things imaginable as God robed in flesh but one thing he has not yet done and he's about to do and that is as a man walk into a garden Matthew 26 verse 36. then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane and saith unto the disciples sit ye here while I go and pray Yonder and he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee and began to be sorrowful and very heavy then saith he unto them my soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto death tarry ye here and watch with me and he went a little farther fell on his face and prayed saying oh my father if it be possible let this cup pass from me nevertheless not as I will but as thou wilt and he cometh unto the disciples and findeth them asleep and saith unto Peter what could you not watch with me one hour watch and pray that you enter not in Temptation the spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak he went away again the second time and prayed saying oh my father if this cup may not pass away from me except I drink it thy will be done and he came and found them asleep again for their eyes were heavy and he left them and went away again and prayed the third time saying the same words on this occasion we find Jesus and the disciples are now in a garden called Gethsemane Eden by definition Aramaic means pleasure Gethsemane was a garden that was around olive trees and by definition Gethsemane means the oil press two different types of gardens two different names with significance the first was a place of pleasure a place of paradise a place of No Death Gethsemane was a place where the oil would be pressed out of its sheathing the oil would be pressed out of the olives it was a place of pressure a place of pushing and a place of dispersion of what was inside and we find Jesus and his disciples walking into this place why is that so significant I believe it's because of this Jesus was about to climb on an old reggae tree he's just a few hours away from hanging there at Calvary and so before he would hang on calvary's Cross he would make sure that he would experience and feel everything that you and I might feel today and so the way he decided to do that was he was going to walk into a garden just like Adam had did 4 000 years earlier but on this occasion this man named Jesus would find himself feeling what he had never felt before from the time of creation until now God had experienced joy and laughter he had experienced disappointment he had experienced pleasure he knew what it was like to give blessings and knew it was like to give curses God understood how it was to fill all kinds of things from people he understood how it was to be betrayed he understood how it was to be called all kinds of names ridiculed despised and maybe even scorned but there was one thing he had never felt and that was separation from himself you may say what do you mean separation from himself well God is all together one God cannot deny himself there is none above him there is none beside him there is no other God like him the Bible says in in second Timothy Chapter two The Bible simply says if we believe not yet he abideth faithful he cannot deny himself so God is all together one God has always been who he is but always be who he is there is no shadow of turning in him there is no decrease nor increase of his being he is all together complete so therefore he is always sufficient he's always almighty God he didn't have a bad day he didn't get up late he didn't bump his toe he didn't say a cuss word when Matt one day when he got mad he's always been complete always been whole never a shadow of turning but there was one thing he did not feel until this time and that was separation from his own Majesty his own glory and his own power how was that that he could feel that way the way he could feel that way is when he was in the garden robed in flesh the voice of Eden now in the form of a man he would in this occasion and on the cross a few hours later he would feel what Adam felt four thousand years earlier and that was separation from the presence of God how was that possible the way that happened is the Bible said he who knew no sin became sin and whenever he was in in that garden and on that cross he became everything that you and I have ever been or done he committed no sin but every sin that was possible could be done was placed upon him and in that Garden when he cried and the Bible said his sweat became his great drops of blood he began to feel what it was Adam felt four thousand years earlier and that was separation from the majesty and power and presence of almighty God so on the cross when he hung suspended Between Heaven and Earth and sin was placed upon him and he cried out my God my God why hast Thou forsaken me he felt exactly the way Adam felt four thousand years or how can you verify that what do you mean brother why well let's look at it this way First Corinthians chapter 15 and 44 and so it is written the first man Adam was made a living Soul this the last Adam was made a quickening spirit the first man is of the earth Earthly the second man is the Lord From Heaven Jesus was called a lot of things in the Bible King Prophet Majesty Lord father but there was one title he was not called until he came into this situation and that was the last Adam he was the type and fulfillment of the first Adam the first Adam lost all his authority lost all of his connection with God he died spiritually and then he died physically he was separated from the power and presence from God but in this Garden the man Christ Jesus has taken upon him the form of Flesh and in this occasion the last Adam would do what the first Adam failed at and that is he would be a quickening spirit for us the first Adam was made a living Soul he was just like you and I he had breath he had feelings he had hurts he had happiness he had Joys but he was only a living soul that was not the same as the second Adam the second Adam the Bible said was a quickening spirit Adam walked out of that Garden forlorn and dead to God with sin but the second Adam or the last Adam he was in that Garden not dying of sin but he was getting ready to get rid of sin that he might live forever and that you and I might share in that life so Jesus Christ was willing to feel The Angst the hurt and the separation that you and I feel we're not much different than Adam all these thousands of years later we still have Humanity we still have good days and bad days we get our feelings hurt we have ups and downs but one thing that is different from us than from him a long time ago is that since that time there has been a second Adam or the Bible calls him the last Adam who not only felt our pain and our suffering and our hurt but he nailed it to a tree and he did what the first Adam could not do the first Adam could not go to where the tree of life was but when Jesus was on that cross he carried himself to a tree that he might give us life and so in this second Garden God robed in flesh Cries Out to his father Lord let this pass from me Lord let this go from me if any way possible and on the cross he cries out to God my God why hast Thou forsaken me two gardens one God is feeling separated from man but in this Garden God identifies as a man filling that very same separation that Adam felt two thousand years before so what does that mean for us today why is that important you might ask the reason why it's so important is because we serve a savior who has felt everything you can feel as far as Sin and disappointment how's that how's that possible it's because when he took upon him the sins of humanity with that came the guilt came the shame came the hurt the sorrow all of the things that we can deal with he felt that yet without sin that's why on the cross he felt the most desperate feeling a person could ever feel and that was God forsaken there is no more hopeless feeling than to feel that God has forsaken brother Mark Morgan you remember he came and preached for us a few months ago I heard him testify one time as he was preaching not here but he said that there was a season his life when he was having a great spiritual struggle he and he said that Satan himself came into where he was and he said that when when the devil Satan came in his room he said it was one specific feeling that he felt very strongly he said it wasn't fear he wasn't afraid he said the feeling that overwhelmed the entire room was hopelessness he said when the spirit of the devil got close what he felt was hopelessness and you know there really is all the devil has to offer he has no Redemptive plan tomorrow will not be better than it was yesterday there is no looking forward to a great ending to his life he is completely and utterly hopeless and whenever we are in our lives and we are struggling and we're going through situations whenever we can tell the devil is really on our back is when we begin to feel hopeless you ever been there when you start to feel like God there's no hope in this situation there's no hope in what I'm going through there's no hope for an answer you know what that is that's the devil getting close enough that we can feel what he feels so whenever the Devil comes to us and he ridicules and he comes to us and says well you have sinned or you have failed or you've made mistakes there's no need to pray there's no need to ask forgiveness there's no need to try again what that is that is the voice of hopelessness trying to seep his way into our hearts and into our minds that ought to give us some confidence to say hey devil the Bible says you're a liar and the father of all lies and since you have no hope I'm going to be thankful because I do have hope it may not look like I got a lot of Hope but there is Grace and there is Mercy for me why can't I say that because on the cross when Jesus was being crucified he felt hopelessness he said why do I feel God forsaken it's because sin has separated between him and the spirit if you will but God did that that he might feel what we feel that we might rejoice in his Joy of having life again for an atom all die even so in Christ shall all be made alive so the Bible said that God made Jesus to be sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him so two gardens one a man cries excuse me in one God cries out to a man who has lost the Covenant or relationship with him in a second Garden God as a man cries back to God feeling that separation that man has felt so tonight in this simple thoughts and illustration I've come to Simply tell you this whatever Garden you may be in you may be having a great time you may be having a great life you may have a lot of blessings or you may feel like you're in the oil press and life is weighing you down life is pushing the life out of you whatever situation you're in I want you to know there is a God who understands what you're going through that's as deep as I can get tonight there is a God who understands your hurts your feelings your frustrations your Joys your laughters there is a God that understands the feeling of being forlorn the feeling of loss the feeling of hurt but he is a God who is faithful he was the lamb in Gethsemane that did what the lamb and Eden could not do we understand that God killed an animal tripped of his coat and gave it to Adam and Eve as an atonement if you will for their sins but that lamb and all the bulls and goats to follow could never release man from sin all it could do was push sin ahead for a year so year after year the priests would slay the animals the people will bring their turtle doves and their pigeons year after year blood flowed like a river pushing man's sins ahead but on this occasion there was one lamb that was born to give his life for you and I and so in that Garden this lamb called Christ Jesus who was slain before the foundation of the world he was not here just to push our sins up for a season he was not here just to give us a Band-Aid for our problems but his blood was spotless blood his blood only needed to be shed one time and that blood can reach to the highest Mountain it can reach to the lowest Valley and no matter how dark our sin is that blood can still wash wide as snow I'm glad that that lamb hung on the cross and his blood was shed for you and I so therefore we don't have to live separated from him anymore because the blood of Jesus has made us who are far off nigh unto his presence he identified with us so we could identify with him Hebrews 4 puts it this way seeing then that we have a great high priest that is passed into the heavens Jesus the son of God let us hold fast to our profession for we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities but was in all points tempted like as we are yet without sin Let Us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find Grace to help in time of need I looked at that word boldly I looked it up I often think of it meaning I'm just going to walk in with with just I don't know not arrogance but you know just walk in just like I'm meant to be there but boldly not only talks about that but it means to come in with to come in with so the Bible is talking about Jesus the son of God to hold fast to our profession of faith that we might come in with unto the presence and place of Grace what that simply is saying is this God has made a place for us in his presence God has already beaten out a way for us to get into his presence so when we walk into that throne room we're walking with his presence or Walking With His blessings and because we're walking with him we can walk in confidence we can walk in boldness to say he walked this path before he walks his path with and because he is there I can be there because he is faithful I can make it if the musician will come this evening tonight this is my Thanksgiving message as I'm thankful that there was a god a man and a garden in the Garden of Eden there was a tree if you'd stand with me tonight there was a tree in the Garden of Eden called the Tree of Life Adam could not eat from it because he would possibly live an eternal state of separation from the Lord and though the garden went away and cannot be found and though Gethsemane is now quiet Jesus has done the work already we will not find any talk about the Tree of Life from The Book of Revelation all the way through the word of God for the most part in in definition of what it is until we turn to the Book of Revelation Revelation chapter 2 the writer says he that hath an ear let him hear what the spirit saith to the churches to him that overcometh will I give to eat of the Tree of Life which is in the midst of the Paradise of God Paradise Lost Genesis 2. Paradise regained revelation you and I have something to look forward to you and I have a tree of life that was for bad from man for the last several thousand years but in that place in the paradise of God in that place where No More Tears no more heartache no more pain no more shame condemnation no more pink slips no more layoffs no more swollen ankles you can fill in the blank no more burnt turkeys it's all going to be the paradise the Eden of God's presence and the great thing is we don't have to wait till that day because in the presence of the Lord is fullness of joy right now in the presence of God we live this isn't Paradise for the white uh it's it's in our inheritance the Bible's called this the earnest of our inheritance when you walk and talk with God and you feel peace that's just a little glimpse of what Paradise will be when you feel the glory of God's presence and you feel the guilt and shame leave as you repent and as you feel the Holy Ghost move and as you rejoice in his presence that's just a little leaf off the tree of life in Paradise so in the garden man and God was separated man lost that relationship but in the oil press of Gethsemane God walked in the second Adam or the last Adam and said I'm going to restore what was lost I'm going to restore a relationship so that in 2022 in the month of November on a Wednesday night there's going to be a people who says you know what because he did it I can do it because he paid the price for me there are waits for me another paradise another place where that tree of life will grow so tonight in this simple Thanksgiving thought I've just come to give you some hope that if you've made mistakes if you feel like you fell short if you've wondered if God loves you I'm here to remind you that in a garden called Gethsemane Jesus Christ allowed himself to suffer and then go to the Cross to feel everything that you and I would feel so we might fulfill everything he feels joy peace and love if you close your eyes with me tonight I'm just going to ask as they begin to play and continue to play is anyone just just for a moment tonight I just want to thank God that he was willing to robe himself in flesh come and give himself upon a cross that he might buy our Salvation anyone just thankful tonight that you're not who you used to be you're not where you used to be you're not doing what you used to do addict depressed suicidal the list could go on and on aren't you glad that there was a God that was willing to say not my will but thy will that he might give us hope and life and that more abundantly I just want to say thank you Lord for your grace thank you for your goodness and your mercy thank you Lord for being willing God to give yourself that I might have that life and have it more abundantly for the St the thief cometh not but for the steal to kill but you come to give us life and that more abundantly I'm thankful God tonight for your grace and your mercy and your loving kindness I bless your name tonight God thank you Jesus We Praise You Lord and you may ask how brother white can I participate in that life in Christ Jesus just for a moment let me say this the way to participate in that life with Christ in case you don't know is called the new birth experience wonderful Jesus lived he was crucified he was buried and he rose again we call it the death burial and Resurrection how do you participate in the Life of Christ simply put this way we repent of our sins we die to to the old person we ask God to forgive us we take the old man who used to be and we say God I don't want to be that person anymore please forgive me and the old way begins to die we repent and God begins to forgive us of our sins and then we are baptized in Jesus name and water just as Jesus was buried in the earth we are baptized the Bible says we are buried with him in baptism and we are baptized in Jesus name all those sins are washed away and just as Jesus rose from the dead on the third day when you come up out of that water the sins remain behind and the promise of the Holy Ghost Christ Living in you is given and you can receive the gift of the Holy Ghost evidenced by speaking in tongues death burial and Resurrection why did we sing why did we Rejoice because I once was lost but now I am found I once was blind but now I can see I once was separated from God because of sin but because of an Old Rugged Cross and the last Adam who climbed on it I'm glad that there was a tree of life waiting for you and I that we might live forever that seemed like a pretty good deal doesn't it man one more time for you to slip your hands one more time if you like any kind of special prayer on anything this altar is open you're welcome to come down whether it be for Thanksgiving or a special moment of prayer whatever you like but God right now we thank you for your goodness thank you for your grace and your mercy our hearts give you Thanksgiving tonight because of your love to us because he's willing to Bear the sins of all of us that we might bear the life that you've offered I thank you God for your grace and your mercy and your promise to us and we bless you and we honor you tonight and we thank you God for this wonderful wonderful occasion called the new birth in Christ Jesus amen anybody thankful for the goodness of the Lord tonight amen amen we appreciate you coming thank you for being here thank you to the musicians and singers for being ready amen even though I didn't call you I forget things sometimes I get nervous up here but uh shake hands be friendly amen don't forget to pray for passion all them that are NYC the Lord bless you as you have enjoy your time with family and friends this Thanksgiving in Jesus name amen