Greater Purpose

Now, before you sit down, we're going to pray. We're going to ask for the Lord to help us today in the word. Lord, today we love you. Pray with me, church. We thank you. We believe in you, Lord, and we honor you today. Thank you for allowing us to come to meet together, Lord, in your name. We have sung songs about you today, Lord. We have worshiped you today. We have lifted our hands to you in praise. right now Lord your word can do a work in our lives and for that we are thankful Jesus once again I make myself available to you Lord I certainly do need you trust you today Lord be our way maker Jesus be our provider Lord God I pray be salvation to us today Lord Jesus speak into our lives I pray in Jesus name great is your faithfulness oh God, great is your faithfulness. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Would somebody say, "Amen." >> Amen. >> Praise God. If you want to sit down, you're welcome to in just a moment. No, I'm joking. Thank you so much. Singers and musicians would like to echo the words that's already been mentioned in our announcements. I would like to welcome all of you to come back through the month of April. If you don't have a church home or if your service is earlier or later, would you come? This is our purpose series. Every Sunday and each Wednesday evening at Midweek University, we will be talking on the topic of our greater purpose. And I believe that now more than ever before in our world, we need to find our purpose. Amen. Has anybody ever struggled with purpose? I mean, honestly, try to figure out what's going on. I know I have multiple times. Um, so finding the purpose in God makes all the difference. Amen. >> We are here today celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Can we give the Lord a hand clap of praise? No longer in the tomb. Three days was all that it needed to overcome the grave and overcome death, to overcome hell. That's all Jesus needed. Come on. He's not in the rock, right? Come on. He is the rock. He's not behind the No, he is the everything about him is right. He's okay. He's not slack. He didn't sit down. He didn't walk away, but he's alive and well. And on a resurrection Sunday, it'd be a good day to simply identify the fact that when you call the name Jesus, every devil knows that name and fleas. When you speak the name Jesus, I'm telling you, healing can happen in your mind and in YOUR BODY.

OH, COME ON. YOU OUGHT TO BE GLAD THE TOMB IS EMPTY TODAY. YOU OUGHT TO BE THANKFUL THAT HE LOVES YOU ENOUGH TO SAY, "I'M HERE FOR YOU. I'VE GOT IT UNDER CONTROL. I AM NOT WALKING away from you." But everlasting to everlasting, his love is real. Oh, I'm glad it's resurrection Sunday. By far, I am convinced that this is the most powerful and prolific event in the history of humanity. We have celebrated, y'all follow me for a moment, we celebrated the birth of Jesus Christ. We do that every year at an event at the end of the year called >> Christmas, right? And we all think that it's cool that we're celebrating his birthday, asking for gifts. I'm sure I understand that one. But anyway, I like them, too. Somebody say, "Amen." In fact, when the host of angels announced on a hillside to a group of sheep herders, something supernatural was going to take place. Behold, it is good news that he brought to humanity. The claim of the manifestation of the moment was simply going to be that if you'll go, you'll find this baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in an animal trough. Come today to declare to you that the word of God was made flesh and that flesh dwelt among us. >> The celebration of the Messiah coming to save his people from their sins. THAT IS A POWERFUL and a lifechanging event, no doubt. But if y'all will hang on to me for a moment today on this Sunday, I believe that in 20126, there is more for us to know and to understand. There is something about the power of a resurrected savior. It's more than hear me. It's more than him being born in an ANIMAL TROUGH. BUT THE FACT THAT HE was born makes no difference IN YOUR LIFE. BUT I WILL DECLARE TODAY THE FACT THAT HE DIED, WENT IN A TOMB, AND came out on the third day, THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING. That changes everything. I've come to declare to you that sometimes there's a controversy over the naming of Easter Sunday. Now, I I I y'all know I like I like a little history and I I enjoy digging a little deeper and try to find out things and I I try to figure out who was this Easter guy that this day was named after. In fact, remains that you can go in and you'll find all the pagan stuff and you'll find all of the things where they didn't really know which god to call and so they called on a and from that they named it Easter. But Easter by its title, y'all okay with me?

It means morning. It means early. It means starting starting again. And I looked at that and I you know I could get very sidetracked with the fact that somebody would name a day Easter and then I would get up on a Sunday and I would celebrate an Easter. We even have it so confused that it's Easter bunnies and chickens and all that kind of stuff in today's environment. FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO MIGHT SIT THERE OFFENDED right now, give me a moment to declare that there's also the God. There's Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Sunday. Yeah. That there's no there's December, there's January, there's f they're all named after those gods and those things and those beings FROM TIMES PAST BECAUSE THAT'S HOW THE CALENDAR WAS PUT TOGETHER. BUT I COME TO TELL YOU, IF I'M GOING TO LOOK AT A CALENDAR AND SIMPLY SAY TODAY'S EASTER, I BETTER GET UP OUT OF THIS BED AND GO DO SOMETHING. THEN I HAVE MISSED THE ENTIRETY OF WHY JESUS CAME TO MY LIFE. UH BUT YET I DECLARE EVERY SUNDAY FOR ME UH IS A RESURRECTION SUNDAY. EVERY SUNDAY FOR ME UH IS A DAY TO SAY UH HE'S NO LONGER DEAD. UH HE'S NOT IN THE TOMB BUT HE IS ALIVE AND WELL. >> ALIVE AND WELL. Here's the cool thing about it. You ready? The purpose. Do you see that? There you go. There you go, brother. Sam, I used it once. Can I Can I Okay, I can I can leave it there, right? The purpose of the Passover feast was because the God of all of creation had a covenant and a com. He had this connection with folk and somebody was going to die on a particular night and SO GOD SAID I'LL SEND A way to get past this. Now I'm going to abbreviate that. And so YOU HAVE PUT ASIDE THE LAMB for the Passover for the meal of the feast. You need to go and kill that lamb. Now bring it in. And at that particular celebration, you are going to rejoice together. But with the blood that you pull from that lamb, you dip it in a put it in A BOWL. YOU DIP WITH HISS UP. It's a bush. And you sprinkle IT ON THE DOORPOST OUTSIDE OF YOUR HOUSE that the street side and everybody can see it. YOU GOT TO WONDER WHY THIS WAS THE PLAN. BUT WHAT MOSES told his people at that time, THERE'S A DEATH ANGEL GOING TO WALK BY TONIGHT. AND WHEN THAT DEATH angel comes by, listen to me. He's not going to walk into your house and begin to disrupt things.

No, he won't. He is simply going to walk by the door. And when he gets by the door of your house, he's going to look for blood. And if he sees the blood of the lamb on THE DOORPOST OF YOUR HOUSE, THE BIBLE DECLARES VERY SPECIFICALLY THAT DEATH ANGEL IS GOING TO PASS OVER THAT DOOR. HE HAS NOTHING TO DEAL WITH, NOTHING TO DO WITH, NOTHING TO TALK ABOUT WITH THAT HOUSE. WHY? BECAUSE WHEN YOU APPLY THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB, EVERYTHING IN THE HOUSE UH IS BEHIND THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB. AND WHATEVER TRANSPIRES IN THE HOUSE UH IS COVERED BY THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB. SOME OF Y'ALL NEED TO HEAR THE PREACHER TODAY. YOU'VE GOT HAVOC GOING ON IN YOUR HOME. UH YOU'VE GOT CHAOS GOING ON IN YOUR LIVING QUARTERS. UH YOU KNOW WHY THAT IS? BECAUSE YOU'RE THE ONE THAT OPENED THE DOOR AND SAID, "COME ON IN AND BRING CHAOS." I I DECLARE TO SOMEBODY TODAY, GET BEHIND THE BLOOD. UH LET THE DOOR STAY SHUT AND SAY, "DEVIL, YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED HERE. DEATH ANGEL, YOU'RE NOT COMING HERE. YOU'RE NOT GOING TO DESTROY MY HOME." WHY? BECAUSE WHEN I SEE THE BLOOD, I WILL PASS OVER YOU. H I know that there are a whole lot of details that I could mention today. I've already given you the time and some of y'all are already nervous and there's a lot of things that I could say about it. But when I talk to you about Jesus being born in a manger coming into this world, I want you to understand something. There was an exact purpose for that. If you and I WERE LOOKING SIMPLY AS the gentile nation, let's call it outside of the called of God, Israel, the nation of Israel, then you and I would be in a hurt today because there was no way that your bloodline would attach you to Jehovah God. No way. Now, we know again through history that if you discover how that through that in the camp for an EXAMPLE OF ISRAEL, SOME of y'all know that some of the Egyptians left with them, right? Yeah. There were some that said, "I'm not staying here. I'm going with you." Right, brother Rob? And there some of the Egyptians went out with the children of Israel. In fact, for those who want to know, how in the world do you think that they built the tabernacle for God? It was from the spoils of Egypt they brought OUT THE PRINCIPLE WAS NOT THE GOAL. THE PRINCIPLE WAS WHAT'S the gold for. >> The principle WAS NOT WHO AND WHAT IS YOUR NAME, BUT THE PRINCIPLE IS THIS.

Who do you believe? And whom are you going to trust? I rise to this podium today to talk to us if I may. 2026. What you and I needed more than anything was salvation. What you and I needed more than anything was a way to control. and do something with the sinful lifestyle, the transgressor's way in our lives. What you and I needed to be able to deal with was the sin that was separating us from a holy God. Come on. You were born into sin. I know that. And I know that you were shaped in iniquity. I know the king told us that. And I know that if it were left up to me, I would make a great big old mess out of everything that I get a hold of. But I have discovered that when I allow the power of the spirit of almighty God to work within my life, THINGS CHANGE. UH THINGS ALTER, THINGS HAPPEN IN A DIFFERENT WAY. COME ON. I'VE COME TO ASK SOMEBODY, HAVE YOU EVER COME TO YOUR PASTOR AND ASK FOR COUNSEL OR LOOK TO ME TO TRY TO GET AN ANSWER? ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS IN THE CONVERSATION I'LL START, WHAT DID THE LORD TELL YOU? WHAT HAD HAPPENED IN PRAYER? HAVE YOU PRAYED OVER THE SITUATION? HAVE YOU TAKEN IT TO GOD? WHY DO I ASK THAT QUESTION? BECAUSE BEFORE I'LL EVER GIVE YOU a word of counsel, THERE BETTER BE A VOICE OF GOD THAT'S SPEAKING INTO YOUR LIFE. UH I CAN THEN AT THAT POINT CONFIRM WHAT THE VOICE OF GOD IS SAYING. I CAN PUT WHEELS UNDER WHAT THE VOICE of God IS SAYING. BUT IF YOU'RE SIMPLY COME ON, I come to HELP YOU. IF YOU'RE SIMPLY WANTING PASTOR TO SPEAK SOMETHING INTO YOUR LIFE AND CONJURE UP SOMETHING TO GET YOU OUT OF YOUR MESS, NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. >> I'm a terrible magician. DON'T DO SO BAD WITH ENTERTAINMENT. WATCH. That's what you get. 30 years ago, I'd have been a little more exuberant there. It has fallen my lot today to begin this series of four weeks of sessions to try to better understand the greater purpose that God has in our lives. Go with me. Jesus was very close to humanity as a man himself. He was born into a society that was broken, that was hurting. Had people of all walks of life, nations, generations. Everything was very messed up at that point. In fact, I think we could say that somehow someway that the daily connection of Jesus into the life in which he was born into, they desperately needed interaction from something heavenly.

Jesus came and the Bible from the get-go telling us this story. They tried to kill him before he even came out of the house. Who is this Jesus? Who is this child? Find him that I may come worship him. Who is this king born? He's going to try to usurp my authority. Find him that I may come. Come on. They do they just a baby. And all of a sudden the kings are trying their best to do something to stop him. We also find that everything that Jesus did was intentional. I wish you I wish you somebody would use that word with you right now. Ready? Say it with me. Intentional. Come on. Be intentional. Jesus recognized the fact from the first breath he took in his fleshly body. I do not have a long time on planet earth. Therefore, I have to intentionally do things. When I get out of bed in the morning, I have to have a purpose. When I lay down at night, I better have a purpose. When I decide to interact with someone, there better be purpose with it. Why? Because Jesus interacted with humanity. He spent time with them. He fed them. He talked to them. He loved them. He hugged them. and he cried with him. Jesus in the flesh was the man that God had put in his word and established on planet earth. And everywhere Jesus went, God was there in that midst because that was the same. Follow me a moment. Follow me a moment. There's something that happened though when Jesus BEGAN TO SPEAK OF A PLACE CALLED HEAVEN. What is this heaven? I This has always perplexed me. What do you mean this heaven? This place that's out there, this place that no man knows. It's like almost a dream that he had. It's almost like a thought that he had. And yet he's explaining to us that such as the kingdom of heaven. But everything he's talking about the kingdom OF HEAVEN IS VERY VERY CONTRARY to what my flesh says. They wanted Jesus dead. Bottom line, Jesus has come and man, he is wreaking havoc in our collection plate. He has messed up all of our theology and our teaching. In fact, we find that they bring him a handful of food and he can feed everybody. Every McDonald's in town at that point's going, "Huh?" He could walk into a funeral situation, speak a word, dead come to life. Funeral director stand. Sorry, brother. standing there going, "This is a bad day for us." Come on. Every doctor in town taking people's money, giving them a false hope, and a lady with 12 years of issue can walk up, touch him, and change, and the whole thing changes.

>> You understand this? Jesus is doing things that people don't like. WHAT HAS ALWAYS PERPLEXED me was simply this is that the same voices that received from him that he healed touched that he fed that things happened in their lives were the same voices that said hosana blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord >> crucify him >> stay with me Mark chapter 10 notice how Jesus communicated things Mark 10:32 they were in the way going up to Jerusalem and Jesus went before them and they were amazed. And as they followed, they were afraid. He took again the 12, began to tell them what things should happen unto him, saying, verse 33, "Behold, we go up to Jerusalem. The Son of Man shall be delivered unto the chief priest, unto the scribes, they shall condemn him to death. They shall deliver him to the Gentiles, and they shall mock him, and scourge him, and spit upon him, and shall kill him." The third day shall rise again. Facts. This is going to occur. Doesn't sound much like a pep rally, brother Daniel. All right, guys. Gather around. Ready? Hands in. And they're all standing going, "Whoa, whoa, hold on. You're going to be good. They're going to kill me." Yeah. Huh? They're going to mock me. They're going to scourge me. They're going to spit on me. Yeah. They're even going to do all these things and then I'm going to die. That's what's going to happen. Okay, you ready? And they're all like, "Not sure about this." And then he finishes the comment and he says, "On the third day, he'll rise again." No. Can we skip all the other things and get to the rising again thing? Come on. Some of us have prayed that prayer, have we not? Lord, help me get past all this, through all of this, around all of this, out of all of this, and then hit me with a blessing. Come on, you know what I'm talking about. The fact is is that something was going to happen in the life of Jesus. Jesus, it almost sounds like he's not speaking about himself, but he is. It's it's strange the the the vernacular here that he uses. It's almost as if he's saying something about himself, but people are they're trying to figure out where's the connection here. The only reason that I mention this today is because Jesus was not at all I I wish somebody could understand my heart where I'm coming from today. The closest group to Jesus knew that he was different, but they could also tell by the look on his face that he was serious about what he was declaring.

Now, I I was not there. Anybody else in the room? Were you there? Okay, we don't know. What we know though is the story from the scriptures. I am convinced by the word of God, by what I read in the word and by what I understand of his character and personality. I am 100% convinced that he did not fall down on his face, kick and scream and say, "They're going to kill me. They're going to spill me. They're going to scourge me and mock me. I got to I got to get this in my heart, my mind, just like you need to hear it today. This was not something that Jesus would be surprised by. This was not something that he was dreading. This was not an event that was going to make him nervous and chew his nails and go 1800, can somebody come dig me out of this mess? He was not going to Google an answer and a response to figure out how to maggyver himself out of the situation. That's not at all what he was doing. But I'm convinced that where there was something in the man Jesus that said, "Guys, this is what's going to happen. And it's going to be a good day today. Things are going to start unfolding. I've been waiting on this for 33 years. I've been looking for that." Come on. Y'all don't understand it, but you will soon understand it. You don't grasp it right now, but something is going to happen. I come to declare to you, uh, Jesus was well prepared for the scourging. He was well prepared for the beating. He was well prepared for it. It doesn't mean he had to love the action what WAS ABOUT TO HAPPEN. BUT HE KNEW MY PURPOSE IS NOT TO BE BORN ON PLANET EARTH. I WISH SOMEBODY'D HEAR ME. AND TO LIVE 80 YEARS AND WALK AROUND TOUCHING FOLK AND HEALING FOLK AND DELIVERING FOLK AND DOING GOOD THING FOR FOLK AND SITTING BACK ON A SUNDAY IN A GOOD WORSHIP SERVICE AND STANDING UP SAYING IT'S MY TURN TO GET TO THE PODIUM. I BELIEVING THAT JESUS UNDERSTOOD UH THE DEATH OF THE CROSS WAS GOING TO BE UGLY AND BLOODY. IT was going to BE MESSY AND HE WAS GOING TO DIE. BUT HE KNEW ALSO HIS PURPOSE WAS GREATER THAN JUST SIMPLY BEING BORN AND COMING INTO PLANET EARTH. UH BUT HIS PURPOSE DECLARED FROM THE FIRST BREATH IN HIS BODY. I CAME HERE UH TO SEEK AND TO SAVE THAT WHICH WAS LOST. I CAME TO PLANET EARTH TO LAY A FOUNDATION WHERE THE BUILDERS WOULD NOT BE MAN BUT WOULD BE GOD AND THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO SAY THERE'S ONLY ONE THING WE CAN GRASP AND THAT IS THE REALITY.

WHEN JESUS WAS IN A GOOD DAY, HE WAS PREACHING HEAVEN. WHEN JESUS WAS IN A MESS, HE WAS PREACHING HEAVEN. WHEN JESUS WAS UP, HE WAS PREACHING HEAVEN. WHEN JESUS WAS ON HIS FACE, HE WAS PREACHING HEAVEN. WHY? BECAUSE HE WAS GLAD UH TO COME TO THIS EARTH UH WITH A PURPOSE. IT MIGHT SEEM HARSH TO YOU UH BUT HE WAS GLAD UH TO LIVE AND TO DIE FOR YOU. >> 80 years average life of a man. Do some great things. Have good church. Go on a few mission trips, huh? Great Sunday. Go to meeting with dinner on the ground. Imagine Jesus blessing the food. What y'all got today? Lord, we're from Chattanooga. We got a box of little Debbies. Some of y'all be sitting there right now. Oh, he going to bless it. We getting Christmas trees in July. See? Huh? Huh? Y'all knew, didn't you? But Jesus said, you know, that that that that's not enough for me to simply be born into this world. He knew all about this world. I come to tell somebody, Jesus knew all about this world when he came to this world. >> Bears didn't scare him. Lions didn't scare him. Long gas lines at four bucks a gallon didn't scare him. Cancer, disease, and sickness did not scare him. when he came to planet earth and he walked in shoe leather, I am convinced that he understood full well, my purpose is not to build my kingdom here. >> That's why when they said, "Hey, Jesus, John's teaching his folk how to pray. WOULD YOU TEACH US TO PRAY?" What'd he say? Absolutely. Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Then what would he say? Thy kingdom come. Thy wo you mean his kingdom is not here yet? No. Thy kingdom come. Wait a minute. With that kingdom, what else? Thy will be done where? >> On. >> Yeah. See, you got to understand something again. The folk of that day didn't understand heaven. Meant nothing to them. They only understood animals, blood, cows, sheep, donkeys, and all whatever they had. And they lived for it. They sold and traded. They got it. They put it and they brought it and their sins were dealt with. But lo and behold, Jesus walks into he said, "Hey, there's a place called heaven. You don't understand it right now, but it's going to be revealed to you. Something going to transpire in your life. And when it does, it's going to change the way you see things. It's going to change the way you conceive and the way you understand things in your brain. It's not happen right now, but it's going to.

What do you mean it's going to? Hold on to me for just a moment. Come on." JESUS SAID, "YOU KNOW WHAT? You can start this race. YOU KNOW WHAT? YOU CAN PUT YOUR hand to it and you begin to work it. YOU KNOW WHAT? YOU CAN ACTUALLY GRAB A HOLD OF THE PLOW, BUT IF YOU DON'T ENDURE to the end, if you don't PLOW WITH YOUR HAND, IF YOU DON'T QUIT LOOKING BACK and start looking forward, THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN in your life, and you're going to lose the ability to overcome. This is WHAT HAPPENED IN JOHN 14:12, VERILY, VERILY, I say unto you, he that believeth on me. The works THAT I DO SHALL HE DO ALSO. AND GREATER WORKS THAN THESE SHALL HE DO, BECAUSE I GO UNTO MY FATHER, AND WHATSOEVER YE shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the father may be glorified in the son. IF YE SHALL ASK ANYTHING IN MY NAME, I WILL DO IT. JESUS UNDERSTOOD full well, there are things that I am doing. THAT'S RIGHT. BUT I'M ONE MAN WITH two sets with one set of hand, two hands. I'm only one man that can walk so far in a day. BUT SOMETHING'S COMING RIGHT NOW. SOMETHING'S ON ITS WAY RIGHT NOW. AND GREATER THINGS YOU'LL BE ABLE TO DO. UH WHY? BECAUSE MY PURPOSE WAS NOT HERE. BUT MY PURPOSE IS FOR GREATER THINGS FOR YOU. UH TO GIVE YOU A GREATER PURPOSE. COME ON. IF YOU SIMPLY WANT TO LIVE IN 2026 AND HAVE YOUR HOUSE PAID FOR AND YOUR CAR WITH GAS IN IT AND YOUR CLOTHES AND BE CLEAN ON YOUR BACK, YOU'VE MISSED THE ENTIRETY OF ALL OF ETERNITY. BUT IF YOU'LL DECIDE RIGHT NOW, UH, GREATER THINGS CAN HAPPEN. WHY? BECAUSE JESUS CAME AND WALKED ON PLANET EARTH. AND HE DIDN'T LEAVE ME THE WAY HE FOUND ME. UH, I DON'T HAVE TO SETTLE TO BE PRESIDENT OF ANY COUNTRY, BUT INSTEAD I CAN REIGN WITH HIM ON HIGH. I'M AN HEIR AND A JOINT AIR WITH JESUS CHRIST. UH, I KNOW HIM BY NAME. I CAN SPEAK HIS NAME RIGHT NOW AND EVERY DEVIL WILL RUN. I CAN SPEAK THE NAME JESUS AND EVERY DISEASE HAS TO BOW. WHY? THERE IS NOTHING LIKE THE NAME OF JESUS. A GREATER PURPOSE. Believe it or not, believe it or not, this is an Easter message. Say it with me. JESUS DID GREAT THINGS, MAN. great things. But he did say greater things than these will you do. So Jesus, what are you saying? What I'm saying then is this very simply this. I have a purpose.

My purpose isn't to heal all of you and then leave all of you. My purpose is not to feed all of you and then walk from you. My purpose is not to provide for all of you. My purpose is not to run a drive-thru where you can come to the window and ask what you will and demand it from me. No, that's not my purpose. My purpose is greater than that. Follow me for a moment. Acts 1 and4 being assembled together with them commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem but wait for the promise. Would you say promise? >> Promise of the father which saith he. Ye have heard of me. John truly baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. When they therefore were come together, they asked him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? Verse seven, he said unto them, it is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the father hath put in his own power, and his own power and his own power. But you shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you, and you shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and in Samaria and unto the uttermost part of the earth. They are standing here. It is written here. The author OF THIS WAS THE doctor Matthew writing these words declared as O Theophilles. I'm trying to put these words together so that you can comprehend them what's happened, what's transpiring. And in the midst of that, they had gathered and said, "IS THERE ANY WAY THAT you're going to restore to us Israel's power and ability, ISRAEL'S ISRAEL'S PLACE, IF YOU WILL, with humanity?" And the Bible tells us very specifically here that you know what? You're going to receive power after that. The Holy Ghost has come upon you. Why? because there is something to do on planet Earth and you're going to need power to do so. YOUR PURPOSE IS NOT going to be to live and to die and be forgotten. But something in you uh is about to change everything. I know that I came. I know that I was born. I RECOGNIZE THE fact that I was hung on an old rugged TREE. UH THAT I DIED ON THAT CROSS. AND I KNOW THAT THEY PUT ME IN THE GROUND. BUT I HAVE ALREADY DEMONSTRATED TO YOU UH IN THE BOOK OF ACTS, WE SEE THE REVELATION OF IT THAT THEY GRAVE THEY PUT ME IN WOULD NOT HOLD ME. UH THERE'S NO WAY THAT DEATH COULD STOP ME.

UH IN FACT, LISTEN TO THE PREACHER RIGHT NOW. IF JESUS WOULD HAVE SIMPLY COME AND WOULD HAVE LIVED HIS 80 years and done things here, great things, it would BE OVER. BUT INSTEAD, THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN. BECAUSE WE know that the day came when he DIED ON A CROSS. BUT HE SAID, "THERE'S SOMETHING GOING TO HAPPEN WHEN I GET UP OFF THIS GRAVE AND I WALK OUT FROM THIS ROCK AND I GET OUT BACK AGAIN ON PLANET EARTH IN A GLORIFIED BODY. THEY'RE NO LONGER GOING TO BE CALLING ON ME TO COME RUNNING TO THEM. BUT THE SPIRIT THAT I'M GOING TO PUT IN THEM IS GOING TO GIVE THEM POWER TO BE A WITNESS. UH WHAT DO YOU GOT TO TALK ABOUT IN YOUR WITNESS? UH, I CALLED ON THE NAME OF JESUS IN THE MIDNIGHT HOUR AND HE TOOK AWAY THE FEVERED BROW OF MY CHILDH. WHAT DO YOU GOT TO TALK ABOUT IN THE NAME OF JESUS WHEN I WAS LOWLY AND DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO? I SPOKE THE NAME JESUS AND HELP SHOWED UP ON TIME. HEY, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO TALK ABOUT? I'M GOING TO TALK ABOUT THE TIME WHEN I DIDN'T KNOW WHERE TO TURN NOR WHERE TO GO, BUT I SIMPLY SPOKE THE NAME JESUS AND THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD BEGAN TO WORK IN MY LIFE. UH, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO TALK ABOUT? I'M GOING TO TALK ABOUT AN EASTER SUNDAY SERVICE. UH, WHEN I GOT THERE AND I WAS CONFUSED. I WAS ALL THE STUFF GOING ON IN MY LIFE. BUT SOMEBODY SAID, "CALL ON THE NAME OF JESUS." AND I BEGAN TO SPEAK JESUS. I REPENTED OF MY SINS. I WENT DOWN IN WATER AND BAPTISM. I AM A NEW CREATURE. WHY? BECAUSE THE POWER IS NOW IN YOU. I'm almost done. It's 120. Purpose, purpose, purpose. Acts chapter 2 32. This Jesus God raised up whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore, being by the right hand of God, that's a position of authority. having received the father of the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed for forth uh this, excuse me, which he now see and hear. For David is not ascended into the heavens, but he saith of himself, the Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou on my right hand until I make thy foes thy foottool. 36 Therefore, let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God hath made that same Jesus whom you have crucified, both Lord and Christ. Now when they heard this, they were pricricked in their hearts, said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" >> Now, you know, from that point forward, there's a message when that question came out.

What shall we do? I'm not going to leave you where you are. I don't want you to come here in your sinick condition and walk away still full of your mess. But instead, they were asking something's happening. Uh something's moving. Something is settling on this place. Uh we want to understand it. Uh we want to COMPREHEND IT. UH AND AT THAT MOMENT IN TIME, uh something began to unfold in a group OF PEOPLE. AS THEY BEGIN TO HEAR A MESSAGE PREACHED ABOUT THE FOREFATHERS AND WHAT HAPPENED BEFORE and what transpired in THE OLDEN DAYS AND NOW THEY'RE STANDING here as a group AND THERE'S NO WAY THAT THEY CAN DENY THAT SOMETHING HAPPENED IN A ROOM ABOVE THE STREET WHERE THE ANOINTING OF GOD BEGAN TO DESCEND AND crash upon that place. IT DIDN'T LEAVE NOBODY THE WAY THEY WERE. BUT EVERY ONE OF THEM UH BEGAN TO SPEAK WITH OTHER TONGUES AS THE SPIRIT GAVE UTTERANCE. UH THERE SAT UPON THEM CLOVEN TONGUES LIKE AS A FIRE. IT WASN'T JUST A PLACEH WHERE THEY GATHERED WITH LITTLE OR NO EXPECTATION. BUT INSTEAD THEY RECOGNIZED IF WE'RE GOING TO RECEIVE POWER, I DON'T KNOW HOW IT'S GOING TO COME, BUT I'M GOING TO TEARING IN JERUSALEM. I'M NOT GOING ANYWHERE UNTIL I HEAR FROM HIM. I'M GOING TO BELIEVE THAT HE'S GOT SOMETHING FOR ME. WHY? BECAUSE I BELIEVE I HAVE A GREATER PURPOSE ON PLANET EARTH THAN TO JUST WALK AROUND IN SHOE LEATHER AND TAKE UP SPACE AND BREATHE GOOD AIR. I BELIEVE THERE IS A MASTER THAT IS WORTH TALKING ABOUT. I BELIEVE THE BLOOD OF JESUS IS ENOUGH FOR ME AND EVERY ONE OF YOU. I BELIEVE THE POWER OF A RISEN SAVIOR SAYS IF I GO TO PREPARE A PLACE FOR YOU I WILL COME AGAIN. >> Come on brother Don. Let's help him with some hope here. This is Easter Sunday resurrection Sunday. >> Now we Okay. I I I thought about Do y'all stand with me or sit? I don't care. I've been standing all day. Here's the thing. I I I contemplated in myself, Press, I'll just tell you, but I thought, you know, I'm going to go in there. I'm just going to be good. Good Easter service. I have no doubt Seth's going to look good today. So, I just I need to be nice. I knew Richard was going to wear a tie because he wore a tie clip the other night. He had to. I would not have picked purple, but it's okay. But here's the thing. Here's the thing. I thought about in my mind and while I sat at my desk and yesterday, I sat going over this and trying to figure out how to assimilate this.

I You know what I'm going to do? I'm going to walk in there and I'm going to do some e Easter songs. Tim, you remember those? Up from the grave he arose. That's how our pastors are. Well, the mighties. Do this right here. He arose a victor from the dark. Anybody remember that? And he lived forever with us to He arose. He arose. Hallelujah. I mean, it was always the pause. And as teenagers, we'd hear that. Hallelujah. Christ. I thought, you know what? I'll just get in there and do some old stuff. And then I remembered who you guys are and I thought really hard about my dear friend brother Don and his challenge with old songs. I'm sorry. Yes. Don't walk away mad. I asked brother Don about song. He looks at Ask your wife. She'll know. Am I right? She'll say, "Oh yeah." Yeah. Okay. I did. I thought about you know what? We'll just we'll just be quiet and kind and nice and simple and Easter can be like every day and we can gather and take pictures with a 90-year-old ladder and you know Easter. And all this week I thought about the resurrection of my savior and how important that is to me. And this morning in my office, I'm looking over my notes and I'm saying, 'Lord, I can't be quiet about this. >> Now, I don't you don't have to shout, run around, jump up and down if you don't want to. But I do know if if y'all would let me bring in an oldie just for my sake. I once was lost in sin, but Jesus took me in. Oh, y'all must know this. >> Just a little talk with Jesus. Are you ready for it? Ready now? Let us >> talk >> and let us >> for he will >> and he will >> answer. >> That was my part. And you will You'll >> because when you >> He knew it. He knew it. I don't know what to do. I'm joking. I'm reminded that this is not my home. I'm just passing through. My treasures are Y'all thought I was done. the angels from I can't feel at home. My purpose is to share with you what a beautiful day that will be when my Jesus I shall see. Sorry, I got a preacher voice. When I look upon his face, the one who saved me by his grace. He'll take me by the hand and lead me through the promise. Anybody feel like standing and singing it with me? What a day. A glorious day that will y'all sing that chorus with me.

Hey, what a day that will be when my Jesus I shall see. Come on, sing. Come on, old-timers, teach the young ones. The one who saved me by his grace. Yeah. >> Take me by the hand and lead me through the promised land. What a day. A glorious day. I feel like somebody wants to sing it one more time. It's 1:30. We're okay on time. Sing it. What a day that will be when my Jesus I shall see. You looking for it? I look upon his face. The one who saved me by his grace. Then he'll take me by the hand and lead me through the promised land. What a day. >> The older I get, the more that song means to me. Brother Dan to my purpose, it's got to be to tell people Jesus loves you and he doesn't want to leave you. There's a place called heaven and you're invited to go. >> There's forgiveness for your sins. There's washing and regeneration. for your trouble. The chaos in your life can be covered over by the blood. You need an answer, it's in Jesus. You need direction, it's in Jesus. You need hope, it's in Jesus. You need help, it's in Jesus. So, this is how I'm going to end this service. this altar is open because I feel like that in this room today, somebody's trying to figure out how to connect some dots and where to begin and the beginning point. The presence of God is at an altar. Would you come? Brother Don's going to play some music. Would you come? Come on. Your heart's hungry. Maybe your heart's broken. Maybe you're hurting and don't know what else to do. Oh, come on. May may maybe you just you've let life get out of hand and now you you need you need something stable in your life. Oh, come on. Heaven is real. Heaven is real. Heaven is real. Come on, pray. Lift your voice to the Lord. Talk to him like you would talk to your friend. Come on. Talk to him. Lord, lift your voice. He's okay. He can hear all of us at once. You don't have to take turns. Just pray. Talk to him. Lord, I love you and I need you.