Sunday Evening Worship Service

Praise the Lord everybody. Oh my. What a wonderful day we're having in the presence of the Lord. And uh what a kind introduction, Pastor Whitley. Thank you for that. I had to go and look up some of those words in that note that he sent me. He's a smart guy. When when the next generation just keeps getting smarter and smarter, and that's what's happening here. My friend Jerry Dean calls that redemptive lift. There's such a foundation of apostolic excellence and truth and spirit. And I'm so grateful uh for everything that this church has meant, as I told you this morning, meant to me personally. What I didn't mention is that wonderful choir that came on that bus to Frederickton, New Brunswick many years ago had uh your pastor on it. He was 16, but there was a new convert on that bus, they tell me. And uh his name was Kenneth Carpenter, and I'm so glad he was on that bus. And I I count him and Sister Carpenter to be dear friends. What an honor and what a joy to see them tonight. And all of you, uh, thank you to the Mool family for allowing me to be here today to honor Bishop and Sister Mcool. Uh, thank you for your sterling character over so many years and your impact on this young kid from Canada. I have been forever impacted by your ministry and your love for people and I'm so grateful for both of you. Um, I know we've had a wonderful day and we've celebrated and we've looked at pictures and people like me, we've cried. I soaked a hanky this morning. Um, uh, it's just a wonderful day. But one more time before we go to the word of the Lord, would you just lift up your hands and just thank God for your pastors, for your church, for the privilege of knowing Jesus, for all that God means to us. I worship you, Jesus. I thank you, God. What an honor it is to love you and serve you. What an honor it is to stand before your people tonight. And I pray that you would do what only you can do. And I pray you would fix what only you can fix. And I pray that you would heal what only you can heal. That you would do your work in your way tonight. We will give you the glory in Jesus name. In Jesus name. Amen. You may be seated. I would be remiss if I didn't say that I'm so grateful for my friend, Pastor Mark Mcool. And I do call him my brother from another mother. Um he's he's he's amazing. I leaned over to him after he came down from the platform and I said because this is how he was called back in the day. I said, "Mark Anthony Mcool is still got it in that solo mic." He really does. It's good to see pastor up here. I love it. His first lesson in second chances came early. He was only seven years old when his teacher sent him home with a note. His mother Nancy read it silently. While she read it, he watched her face very intently. And then she smiled and she said to him, "Your teacher says you're too brilliant for the classroom, so I'm going to teach you myself." Only many years later did he discover the truth that the note said he was addled, unfit for school, and too stupid to learn. But what might have been a dead end became a second chance. Instead, his mother's faith in him replaced the teacher's rejection so that learning became an adventure instead of an obstacle. And that pattern followed him for the rest of his life. As a boy, he was endlessly curious, sometimes dangerously so. He once set fire to his father's burn while playing in the yard. It could have been catastrophic, but instead of extinguishing his curiosity, his parents used moments like this to show grace. And so, he learned early on that mistakes were not roadblocks. They were merely opportunities to do better next time around. He had recurring illness through his teenage years and it made him nearly deaf. Now most people would have seen this as a lifealtering limitation but he came to see it as a strange gift. The quiet helped him to think. Isolation became a chance to focus and so his loss really turned out to his advantage. He later realized it was another second chance. Although this time it certainly came in disguise. His adult life was filled with business ventures that most of them collapsed before they ever had the opportunity to succeed. He lost so many jobs and he lost so much money. And even after he finally did achieve a little measure of success, it sure didn't come easily because his rivals dismissed him and his critics mocked his ideas. while working on one project, he literally made 10,000 attempts to get it right, all to no avail. But when somebody came up to him and smuggly asked about his failures, he said, "Oh, I haven't failed. I just found 10,000 ways that won't work." To him, it wasn't a defeat. It was a second chance to try again. This time, armed with new knowledge and experience. He was 67 when a fire totally destroyed one of his buildings, including many of the unfinished projects that were stored inside. As he watched it all burn to the ground, instead of becoming depressed and despondent, he shouted to his son, "Go get your mother and all her friends. They'll never see a fire like this ever again." And of course, he began rebuilding the very next day. Every time he had a setback, he simply got back up and started over again. He refused to treat failure as final. He saw rejection only as redirection. And he always made the choice to keep on learning. And he always mustered up the courage to try again. And so by the end of his life, Thomas Alva Edison held over a thousand patents for his brilliant ideas. Today his name is associated with some of the world's most helpful in inventions. The light bulb, the phongraph, the motion picture camera, alkaline batteries, and our electric power distribution system. Thomas Edison completely changed how our world lit up its nights, recorded its voices, and powered its cities. This man literally altered human existence forever. Thomas Edison left our world better and brighter not because he never failed, but because he never quit. He lived a life of second chances. And that's why his greatest contribution to human existence might not have even been one of his inventions. It might have been his mindset. He had an ironclad rock solid belief that yesterday's failure does not prevent tomorrow's breakthrough. You got to get that in your spirit. Sometimes every second chance story in the scripture is a tale of restoration and redemption. We are inspired even today to see people just like us overcoming loss, rising above failure, making a fresh start, or giving another opportunity. Whether it's a couple that just rekindled their love, or whether it's an addict that just received deliverance, or whether it's a person that just recovered their joy after a tragic loss, or even if it's a backslider renewing their relationship with God, there's something in our hearts that just leaps when we see somebody getting a second chance. Oh my. But throughout scripture, the the phrase the second time appears in many moments when God is doing something significant. He's maybe reconfirming his promise or restoring his people or renewing his purpose. The second time in scripture is a defining moment where God reveals his mercy. He clarifies his direction or he empowers his servants to rise again. I stand here in this pulpit in this wonderful church, this impacting influential church in the apostolic movement and I say to all of us tonight, aren't you thankful that our God is the God of the second chance, the second time, the second chapter, the second book. Oh my. You can feel the gratitude coming up from the hearts of God's people BECAUSE WE'VE ALL NEEDED A SECOND TIME, a second chance, a second chapter, a second page. We've all needed that before. And it's everywhere in your Bible on Mount Mariah in that miraculous moment when God provided a lamb for the sacrifice. On that day when Isaac was saved and Abraham rejoiced in the provision of the Lord, the Bible simply says, "The angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time." And it was that second call that turned everything around. God promised Abraham, "In you, all nations are going to be blessed because of your obedience." What Abraham didn't know is that while he was trying, struggling to obey God, and he didn't know how this was going to end. And he's walking up the mountain on one side with his son Isaac, he had no idea that on the other side of the mountain, God had already prepared a ram. And when he got to the top and the angel of the Lord said,"Abraham, turn around." There was a ram. It was caught by its horns in a thicket of thorns. God literally set up this image. And Paul would later say that he preached the gospel to Abraham. How did he do that? There was a sacrifice crowned with thorns on the top of that mountain. It's amazing in scripture that 2,000 years later, the Lord Jesus WOULD GIVE HIS LIFE ON THAT VERY SAME MOUNTAIN. That's Mount Mariah. It later became Jerusalem. AND JESUS DIED THERE. AND HE WAS CROWNED with thorns. GOD WAS PREACHING THE GOSPEL. ABRAHAM, THERE'S NO SCENARIO I CAN'T GET IN and turn it around for good. >> In Egypt, when God wanted to exalt Joseph from the prison to the palace, he caused Pharaoh to look for a man in his kingdom who could interpret dreams. Why did Pharaoh need a man that could interpret dreams? It's because of this. God kept sending Pharaoh dreams and he slept and dreamed the second time. And after that dream, by the next morning, Joseph was the second most powerful ruler in the land. And he was able to save his whole family and the whole world at the time in Jerusalem. It was at the dedication of the temple. The Bible says the Lord appeared to Solomon the second time and he said,"Solomon, I'm going to put my name on this mountain forever. And if you'll walk in the ways of your father David, I'll bless you with such wisdom and wealth that Israel will become the envy of every other nation." And it happened just exactly like God said when he called the second time in the wilderness when the prophet Elijah was desp depressed and despondent after his encounter with those false prophets of Baal. He's so discouraged that he's praying to die. Now, you can look at me all like Sunday night religious, but there's probably somebody in here that you got so low and so discouraged at some point you said, "God, I don't even know what the use is." Well, this prophet felt exactly like you did. But when he was at his lowest and saying, "God, I'm all alone out here. There's nobody else serving you." The Bible says the angel of the Lord came again the second time and touched him. Let me tell you, you can go a long way on one touch from the Lord. You can go a long way on one touch from our great God. And God SPOKE TO THAT OLD PROPHET. HE SAID, "ELIJAH, WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? YOU'RE NOT ALONE. GET UP. STAND UP. YOU'RE NOT ALONE. THERE'S 7,000 THAT HAVEN'T BOWED their knee to THE FALSE GODS BA. YOU GOT TO GET UP AND YOU GOT TO KEEP ON GOING." AND GOD TOUCHED HIM. And it happened the second time when Babylon's army had besieged Jerusalem. King Zedekiah, he did not like the prophet. He shut up Jeremiah in prison. He was tired of his call to repentance. But even in that dirty, damp, dark prison. The word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah the second time. And it gave Jeremiah a powerful prophecy of Judah's future restoration. Because with our God, there's no closed door that he can't open. There's no dead end that he can't do an end run around. THERE'S NO SITUATION YOU HAVE ever encountered. There's nothing you've ever lived through that our God can't turn it around to your good and for his glory. Cuz he's the God of the second time. He's the God OF THE SECOND CHANCE. HE'S THE GOD of the second page. with 120,000 souls at stake in the sinful city of Nineveh when rebellious Jonah refused to go and preach to them. He was a rebellious preacher. God first sent a big storm and then a big fish to swallow Jonah. And in the belly of the fish, um the Bible says the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time. Would you like to do it right this time, Jonah? I think so. That's quite a prayer room, the belly of a great fish. And that repentant prophet, when the fish deposited him on dry land one more time, he went straight to Nineveh. And in Nineveh, the city he hated, the culture he despised, he saw the greatest revival of the Old Testament. It was a revival so big, so influential that it shook the entire city. right up to the king and right down to the lowest of the low. It's the biggest revival that we see in the pages of the Old Testament. And it happened in a pagan nation that the prophet didn't even like because God gave him a second chance. And by giving him a second chance, God gave them a second chance. >> When Jonah arrived in Nineveh, I just did a study with the folks at home. You know, a a scripture geek, you never know. You've got one here. I won't tell you which one of the staff he is. A scripture geek. They can they can get into all these details. You need to pray for the folks at CCC at home when when you think about it because every once in a while we we do a deep dive into details and it's it's it they probably feel sometimes like it's the 600th year of the something the tribulation or whatever. I'm not sure. Um I did this little series on Jonah. When Jonah arrived in Nineveh with this tale of, "I just got spit up on dry land from the belly of a fish." I don't know if he knew this or not, and I'm sure he didn't identify with it. They worshiped a god named Oannis that was half man or half fish. And all through their mythology, their saviors, their leaders, their divine teachers, they believed that they were either half man, half fish, or they came to earth from the fish, from the belly or from the mouth of a fish. If you look in history, all their priests wore a robe that looked like fish scales with a fish head on top. So when Jonah showed up and he said, "I just got cast onto the dry land out of the belly of a fish." They were absolutely convinced that the gods had sent him to them to tell them the way of truth. Why do you think he had a great revival? God hacked their religion and he sent Jonah right into the middle of it and he went preaching and they turned to the one TRUE GOD. DON'T TELL ME GOD CAN'T USE WHAT THE enemies devised for his good, his glory, and for our good, because he can every time. Every time. And so Jonah has a great revival. And I know what you're thinking. Well, yeah, but that Jonah wouldn't have been in the belly of the whale if he hadn't rebelled and backsliden and run away from God. So, how could God use that? You've underestimated your God. He can even use failure. He can even use rebellion. He can even use a season of backsliding and he can bring that back and somehow turn that around. And about the time we're ringing our hands and we've given up and left the prayer room and we just don't think there's any use in trying, God can step in and he can bring victory on a certain defeat. AND HE CAN BRING SOMEBODY BACK HOME THAT YOU NEVER SAW COMING. HE CAN USE SOMEBODY THAT'S SO MESSED UP AND SO REBELLIOUS. BUT SEE, HE'S THE GOD OF THE SECOND TIME. HE'S THE GOD OF THE SECOND CHANCE. HE'S THE GOD OF THE SECOND PAGE. Oh my. Now, 150 years later, there was a different generation of Ninevites, and they were threatening Israel because their repentance had been short-lived. And this time, God said, "I'm done. I gave you your chance." And so he raises up a different prophet named Naam. And he sends him right back to Nineveh 150 years later with a warning. And God says, "Because you've arrogantly attempted to attack my people again, this time I'm going to end your empire." And he sends Naam the prophet to this different generation of Ninevites with a message. And the message is this. The word of the Lord from Nahm says, "God will make an utter end. Affliction shall not rise up the second time." I'm not going to let you do it again. I want to pause in the middle of this and say to somebody that the devil's been attacking, threatening, trying to strike fear in your heart. You're you're this is going to be the end of you. This is never going to get restored. This is never going to get fixed. And you say, "I don't know what I'm going to do. I thought I faced it, conquered it, had victory over it. I thought it was a healing. I thought it was a deliverance. I thought it was a miracle. And now here we are again." And the devil is whispering to you. In fact, he's not whispering. He's shouting in your ear saying, "This time it's going to be the end of you. This time you're going to die with this diagnosis. This time it's just not going to work out. This time that backslider is not coming home. This time that prayer is not going to be answered. You need to stand up flatfooted and look the devil in the face and say, "Affliction shall not rise up the second time. I ALREADY GOT VICTORY OVER THAT. I ALREADY HAVE MY JOY BACK. I ALREADY GOT MY MIRACLE." AND YOU ARE NOT TAKING IT FROM ME. AFFLICTION SHALL NOT RISE UP THE SECOND TIME. I wish you'd put your hands in the air. I WISH YOU'D PUT YOUR VOICE in the air and SAY TO THE DEVIL AND ANYBODY THAT HAPPENS TO BE LISTENING, I ALREADY CAME THROUGH IT AND I'M ON THE OTHER SIDE OF IT. I'M NOT GOING BACK THERE. AFFLICTION SHALL NOT RISE UP THE SECOND TIME. My my my my. We're all connected in this wonderful apostolic movement. My uh great uncle Leonard Parent was Bishop Mcool's pastor. And my great uncle Leonard Parent also occupied the uh chairman seat, the superintendent seat of the Assemblies of the Lord Jesus Christ that Brother Carpenter now occupies. And I just think it's a wonderful connection. So I uh I belong to the United Pentecostal Church International, but I just tell them I'm bilingual and they just got to deal with it. A wonderful church, the Apostolic Church in Pontiac, Michigan, impacted all of us really in a roundabout way, and I'm grateful for that. And uh I I reconnected with a friend and I've I I've shared this story a few places this summer because it impacts me so much. I was preaching a men's conference in Ohio and a friend of mine from the Pontiac church. It's not in Pontiac anymore, but it will forever be the Pontiac Church to me. And uh a friend of mine, John Ston, he played in the uh music department for years. Uh he did not play keyboard. That's almost blasphemy to him. He played the grand piano. He didn't play keyboard. John's a purist. And uh John was at that men's conference in Ohio and we reconnected after many years. And we had breakfast together one morning. And he started sharing with me some of the stories that are are part of our our shared history about the church of Pontiac and some of the elders that I knew and just wonderful stories. And and then uh this year, February the 4th, I got a text from John and he and his wife Debbie. John and Deb were at the oncologist and he sent me a text and he said basically um the oncologist is telling Deb how awful our life is going to be for the next eight or nine months. It's a bad day. And I shared with John um what Beverly and I had done when Beverly went through her cancer situation in 2023. And uh this church, the church in Mville, so many uh of our friends prayed for her and God brought her through. We're forever grateful. Um but we shared this that we prayed every day. Um, God, when she has a procedure, when she has a a treatment, whatever it is, God, give us all of the good and none of the bad because there's side effects to all of that stuff and it can be rough. And John took that and combined it with Psalm 103 verse 2 and three that says, "Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and forget not all his benefits." So John and Deb every day they began to pray, "God, give us all of the benefits and none of the bad." And uh we we all know that there are situations, my precious dad went on to heaven. We know there are situations where God has um a purpose of his own and we accept that and we go on and we rejoice in the Lord despite our sorrow. We all know that. But every once in a while, see, we're not told to pray for death. We're told to pray for healing. And so we pray in God's will as long as we can and then we trust him. And John and Deb, they they prayed that every day. And then came this text on June 11th, not quite three months ago. Deb has ended chemo because it is no longer effective. They are rushing her to surgery sometime in the next two weeks. She's lost 40% of her body mass. She's so physically weak. She has to have fluid infusions every two days, but Deb still goes to every church service that her body will allow. On June the 25th this year, Deb had a fivehour surgery. And then on July the 8th, I received this text from John Ston. In January, Deb's oncologist looked across her desk and said, "Mrs. Sexton, you have a 13% chance to live six months. And Deb's response when they got in the car was, "John, we need to go by the Christian bookstore and buy some Bibles. We've got our Bible study tonight, and we need some Bibles to pass out." She didn't even acknowledge the diagnosis. John said they began chemo a few days later. This is July the 8th this year. She said to He said, "Today she had her followup for surgery. She's supposed to still be in the hospital, but she checked out six days after surgery. The surgeon today went node for node, organ by organ in the very same office. He looked up from his screen report and said, "Mrs. Ston, you have no trace of cancer in your body. Not one single organ, not one single node. You are officially a miracle." The surgeon said, "It's gone." And then the surgeon came around the desk and hugged Deb's neck and the nurse was crying and they all hugged and their Bible study started again that week. And then I got this text from John just three weeks ago. He said, "I remember the night I held Deb in my arms and she cried and said, I'm never going to get to see my new grandson. She was so weak and all I could say was God's not going to let that happen." And then he said, this is three weeks ago. Yesterday she flew to Fort Smith, Arkansas all by herself and she won't put that baby down. I'm so grateful that God every once in a while just intervenes in our lives and does something that nobody sees coming. So I want to tell you, I know we've got everybody eventually dies. The apostles aren't still here. Everybody eventually is going to go on to heaven and we're going to have their memorial service and we're going to cry, but we're going to thank God that they made it. But in the meantime, saints of God, if you're under attack, I I saw that young man Thomas. I don't even know where he is in this building right now. I know he's serving tonight, but I saw him come over here for prayer. Let me tell you, every once in a while, we have to stand our ground and say, "Devil, affliction is not going to rise up the second time. We pushed you down once. We kicked you out once. I pushed you out of my family. I shed tears until my backslider came back home. And if you think you're going to mess this up again, affliction, oh my, affliction shall not rise up the second time. I wish somebody get a hold of a hand of somebody near you and put their hand in the air with your hand. And I wish you'd pray over your family. Pray over your diagnosis. Pray over whatever it is. God has a word for somebody. There's a second time. THERE'S A SECOND PAGE. THERE'S A SECOND CHANCE. OH, I wish you'd pray. I wish this great church would lift up your voice with some strength. AFFLICTION SHALL NOT RISE UP THE SECOND TIME. I WISH SOMEBODY PRAY IN THE HOLY Ghost for just a minute. In the name of Jesus. In the name of Jesus. In the name of Jesus. My goodness. One more time. Just lift everything you got. Lift everything you got. I'm going to skip ahead. I'm almost done. But I need you to lift up everything you got. The Holy Ghost just walked in this room right now. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. In the name of Jesus. Folks of the media. There's an image of three sets of hands. If you can find that for me. I know what somebody's thinking. You can be seated. I know what somebody's thinking. Pastor Woodward, you don't understand. See, I messed up. I'm the reason I'm in this problem. It it's it's it's not the devil. It's probably me. I messed up. And now the devil's whispering in your ear saying, "Even if you start today, even if you pray today, even if you repent today, even if you start all over today, you'll always be second best. You'll always be second rate. You'll always be lower. You will never measure up to those good people in that church. You can never have a family like that. You could never have a marriage like that. Look at how you messed it up. God gave you a chance years ago and you messed it up and now you're trying to piece it all back together and you're never going to have what they have and you're never going to be what they will be. The devil's so cruel. There's an ancient Chinese proverb that says the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago and the second best time is today. The financial planners took that and they said the best time to invest your money is 20 years ago and the second best time is today. I want to go into the word of God and say that the scripture would teach us the best time to repent is 20 years ago, but the second best time is today. The best time to commit to church is 20 years ago, but the second best time is today. The best TIME TO GET YOURSELF AND YOUR FAMILY IN THE ALTAR IS 20 YEARS AGO, BUT THE SECOND BEST TIME IS TODAY. TODAY IS THE DAY OF SALVATION. TODAY IS THE DAY OF RESTORATION. TODAY IS THE DAY OF THE SECOND TIME AND THE SECOND PAGE AND THE SECOND CHANCE. You say, "But I I don't know if it could ever, YOU KNOW, I'VE WASTED all that and IT ALL'S GONE AND I don't know what I would ever do." Well, it was Joel, the prophet of Pentecost, who gave this word of restoration. Joel chapter 2. Oh my goodness. I'm coming for somebody. I don't know who you are. Joel chapter 2, verse 25. and I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm and the caterpillar and the palmer worm, my great army which I sent among you. And that is just three verses before this verse. And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh, your sons and your daughters, your sons AND YOUR DAUGHTERS, YOUR SONS AND YOUR DAUGHTERS SHALL PROPHESY. Your old men shall dream dreams. Your young men shall see visions. What's Joel trying to tell us? There's going to be a great restoration. And it's GOING TO BE PART OF THE GREAT revelation and the great outpouring. You believe whatever you want to believe. I believe with 1,000% of my being that the restoration of backsliders to apostolic faith is going to be the lead edge of ENDTIME REVIVAL. YES, it's going to be a HOST OF PEOPLE THAT DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THIS, BUT THE LEAD EDGE IS GOING TO BE SOME BACKSLIDERS THAT HAVE BEEN GONE A LONG TIME. AND THE DEVIL MESSED THEM UP, CHEWED THEM UP, SPIT THEM OUT. HE'S WRECKED THEIR LIVES. BUT GOD ISN'T FINISHED CUZ HE'S THE GOD OF THE SECOND TIME AND THE SECOND PAGE AND THE SECOND CHANCE. YOU WATCH IT. YOU MARK MY WORDS. THE RESTORATION OF BACKSLIDERS TO APOSTOLIC TRUTH AND DOCTRINE AND HOLINESS AND SPIRIT. IT'S GOING TO BE THE LEAD EDGE OF WHAT GOD DOES IN THIS WORLD. HE'S NOT GOING TO BRING IN ALL OF THEM AND FORGET THE ONES YOU'VE PRAYED FOR FOR YEARS. If you believe any little PIECE OF THAT, I WANT YOU TO LIFT UP YOUR VOICE like a trumpet. OH, SOMETHING HAS SETTLED IN THIS CHURCH HOUSE TONIGHT. I don't mean a 10second response BECAUSE THE PREACHER ASKED YOU. I MEAN GET YOUR FAITH UNDER IT AND LIFT UP YOUR PRAYER. THERE'S A RESTORATION OF BACKSLIDERS COMING TO THE APOSTOLIC MOVEMENT. Oh my goodness. AND WHEN THEY ARRIVE AT THE BACK DOOR AND WHEN THEY ARRIVE IN THE PEW BESIDE YOU AND WHEN THEY ARRIVE IN THE ALTAR AND THEY'RE PRAYING FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME IN YEARS, I'm going to mess WITH YOU RIGHT NOW. THAT IS NOT THE TIME TO HAVE A dialogue with them about their LIFESTYLE CHOICES OR ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIPS THEY'VE MESSED UP OR ABOUT THEIR DRESS CODE OR ABOUT ANYTHING ELSE. THAT'S THE TIME TO WRAP THEM IN A BEAR HUG AND SAY, "WELCOME HOME. WE'RE SO GLAD YOU'RE BACK. WE CAN FIGURE OUT THE REST LATER." WELL, WELCOME HOME. I'm done preaching. I'd like you to leave where you're standing. I need every person in this church, if you'll help me, I want you to get to the altar as quick as you can. As quick as you can. When you get here, I want you to lift up your hands. I want you to lift up your voice and I want you to go. This church KNOWS HOW TO PRAY. I want you to begin to pray for those backsliders that you were just standing and thanking God for. THERE'S A RESTORATION OF BACKSLIDERS. Let me be very specific. It's coming to Knoxville. It's coming to Miraville. It's coming to these great churches that have stood FOR TRUTH AND GODLINESS AND DOCTRINE AND HOLINESS. AND you think THEY'RE TOO FAR GONE, BUT YOU HAVEN'T COUNTED ON THE GOD OF THE SECOND CHANCE AND THE SECOND PAGE AND THE SECOND TIME. HE'S NOT FINISHED YET. HE'S NOT FINISHED YET. YES. YES. YES. YES. YES. YES. YES. YES. YES. YES. I want to look at you. I want somebody that you've got a precious backslider in your life, in your family. I want you to lift up your hand like this, real high. Look at that. Look at that. We could double Sunday night attendance right now if we had all those precious people back. Let me tell you, they're coming back to God in the name of Jesus. They're coming back to God. God is not unfaithful to forget your labor and your work of love and your prayer for them. God is not unfaithful. Just let me throw two scriptures at you and then we're going to connect and pray. There's a spirit of intercession that's just on the fringe of this service. And we want to let that loose cuz you never know what could happen when God's people begin to intercede. The prophet Jeremiah spoke. He was the weeping prophet. There was a lot to cry about when he was a prophet. There was destruction everywhere. And in the middle of Israel's mess, he said this. Jeremiah 23:7, "Therefore, behold, the days come, sayaeth the Lord, that they shall no more say, the Lord liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt." Now, that you're Bible lovers, that was their salvation miracle. God brought the children of Israel up out of Egypt by the blood on the doorpost, the water of the Red Sea, and the supernatural pillar of cloud and fire that led them through the wilderness. That's a perfect picture of New Testament salvation. The blood, the water, and the spirit are still the elements that save us through baptism in Jesus' name. That's the water through repentance. That's the blood on the doorpost through the infilling of the Holy Ghost. That's that pillar of cloud and fire. And God does that all the time for people. But Jeremiah said after that initial salvation miracle and God brought you out of Egypt, you messed it up. You backslid. You wandered. You failed. You rebelled. You turned against God and you ended up in captivity in Babylon. Look at how you messed it up, Judah. Look at how you messed it up, Israel. There's no way this can come back together. But Jeremiah spoke and said, "There's coming a day when they will no longer describe you as the people that God brought up out of the land of Egypt." God's going to describe you, and the people are going to describe you in a different way. Next verse. But here's what they'll say in that day. The Lord liveth, which brought up, and which led the seed of the house of Israel, out of the north country, and from all countries, whether I had driven them, and they shall dwell in their own land. That's where they came back from captivity. That's where they came out of Babylon. That's the miracle nobody expected. After they'd been saved out of Egypt, they messed it up. And God still brought them back and gave them a second chance. And here's what God spoke through Jeremiah. There's coming a day when people are going to look at you and they're not going to talk about your original salvation miracle. They're going to talk for the rest of your life about your restoration miracle. I prophesy over a mom, a dad, a grandpa, and a grandma. I prophesy over some families in this church. There's coming a day when they're not going to talk about the little boy that went to the Christian school and the LITTLE GIRL THAT SANG IN THE SUNDAY school program. They're going to talk about the drug ADDICT THAT MESSED HIMSELF UP ON THE STREET, BUT GOD BROUGHT HIM BACK. THEY'RE GOING TO TALK FOREVER ABOUT THE RESTORATION MIRACLE. THE RESTORATION MIRACLE IS GOING TO ATTRACT MORE ATTENTION FROM THE WORLD THAN EVEN THEIR INITIAL SALVATION MIRACLE. I DON'T KNOW WHO YOU ARE, BUT I PROPHESY THAT INTO YOUR FAMILY. I PROPHESY THAT INTO YOUR PRAYER. I PROPHESY THAT INTO YOUR BELOVED BACKSLIDER. NOW, this is the most important part of the service. We're going to let them sing, but we are going to pray. I want you to reach over if you can grab a hand on either side of you and let's propel every hand into the air that we can get into the air. Now, I don't want you to PRAY SOME LITTLE SLEEPY DISMISSAL ALMOST READY FOR THE RESTAURANT KIND OF PRAYER. I WANT THIS GREAT CHURCH TO LAUNCH INTO INTERCESSION FOR BACKSLIDERS AND FOR PEOPLE THAT ARE NOT HERE AND FOR PEOPLE THAT ARE FACING THE CHALLENGE OF THEIR LIFE. LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING. THERE'S A RESTORATION MIRACLE THAT'S COMING FOR SOME FAMILY. THERE'S A RESTORATION MIRACLE THAT'S COMING FOR SOME TEENAGER. THERE'S A RESTORATION MIRACLE THAT'S COMING TO SOMEBODY THAT RIGHT NOW THEY'RE A DRUG ADDICT. RIGHT NOW, THEY'RE LIVING IN AN ALTERNATE LIFESTYLE. RIGHT NOW, THEY'VE SPURNED EVERYTHING GODLY AND GOOD. BUT GOD ISN'T FINISHED YET. HE'S THE GOD OF THE SECOND CHANCE AND THE SECOND PAGE AND THE SECOND TIME. LIFT UP YOUR VOICE LIKE A TRUMPET AND PRAY.