Independent Baptist. That last song or the first song Brother Bowen sung was the last song that my family sung to my grandmother. She was 93 years old. She was saved 80 years, 8-0. She went out in eternity. She was the greatest Christian I've ever known. Her and my grandfather started the Jimmy Hill Mission back in the 40's. And the day we went over there to sing that, it was so funny, she would witness to anybody. And the doctor came in, and he was talking to her, and he said, now, Ms. Downs, she said, now, hold it, hold it. Before you work on me, I need to know your credentials. And he goes, well, ma'am, I did my residency here. She said, no, sir, when was you born again? I need to know your credentials. And then she just, I miss her. She would call me and said, when I got out, when I left home at 16, she would call me. And I hated talking to Nene, because Nene knew how to get a hold of God. And I remember one time I called her and I needed some money real bad. And I said, well, I hope Nene don't pick up. Maybe mom will pick up. Nene picked up. She said, boy, is this you? This is before we had caller ID, young people. You know there is something, we just had a one-way call. It wasn't no caller ID or whatever that next-week calling is. She said, I'm gonna tell you something, if you die and go to hell, you're going over a mountain of prayer and an ocean of tears. And then I got born again. On February 11, 1996, first person I called was my grandma. I said, Nene, I got something to say. She said, I know you got something to say. She heard me preach one time. My grandfather, he was known as the Tornado. He would preach so hard back in the forties that you could hear sweat sloshing in his shoes. And I went and preached up here. I haven't been preaching long and I probably didn't even make sense. And my grandmother, she heard me preach one time and she put her hand on my knee and she said, you preach just like your granddaddy. I never met my granddaddy. He died before my mom was born. But I had a heritage. But I wanted to go my way. I wanted to do my thing. And I thank God that I had a praying grandmother that wasn't willing to let me die and go to hell without prayer. Why don't you take your Bibles and go to the book of 1 Samuel. Kind of stay in with the theme. It's so sad. I spent about 2003 up to 2016. I stayed in evangelism. And you would go to... Most of my churches, you know, they were just desperate. Not for revival. They just couldn't find nobody to come. So I mean, I preached at skeet shoots. I mean, I preached at a church that had four ladies. That's all they had in the church. Just desperate. So when you come to a church like Glory Land, you get kind of spoiled because you're used to seeing God. You're used to being around the things of God, but you know there's churches out there today that this right here is just, I mean this would be slap crazy to be at church on Saturday morning. I'd be just slapped crazy, but I thank God that when I got saved, I got in the right church, amen? I got under the right preaching, amen? And so listen, don't take for granted for what God's given you, amen? Hey, like the preacher said last night, we're stepping through all the blessings of God this morning, amen? But listen, I've got to start my timer here, amen? I've got a new watch here, amen? It's got a timer on it, amen? And it'll shock me when I get down to about 25 minutes. But listen, 1 Samuel chapter number 4. I want you to look at verse number 18. And we'll read down to verse 22. And I want to preach on this thought as you're turning there. Losing the presence of God in your life. Losing the presence of God in your life. Verse number 18, the Bible says, And it came to pass, when he had made mention of the ark of God, that he fell from off his seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck break, and he died, for he was an old man and heavy, and he had judged Israel forty years. Now we're talking about Eli here. For the sake of time, I didn't read all the other scripture. Verse number 19, And his daughter-in-law, Phinehas' wife, was with child near to be delivered. And when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken, that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself in travail, for her pains came upon her. And about the time of her death, the women that stood by her said unto her, Fear not, thou hast born a son, But she answered not, neither did she regard it. And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel, because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father-in-law and her husband. And she said, The glory is departed from Israel, for the ark of God is taken. I have to tell you this little story here real quick, but we know what Ichabod means. And I was preaching one time at a church, and I won't call its name Calvary Independent Baptist, I won't call its name. They're just an old dead church down off of 269. I'll go ahead and tell you, man. If you're looking for a church on YouTube, don't go to Calvary Independent Baptist Church, amen. And I got over there and I was preaching and they got real upset because I got too loud. And I walked around and they didn't want people too loud and they didn't want people walking around. And boy, I'm telling you, it was like preaching, I mean, just like preaching to a bunch of Satanists, amen. Boy, they were rolling their eyes and grunting and huffing and puffing, amen. And when I got through, man, I couldn't wait to get through, amen. I mean, you didn't have to worry about time there, bless God. I gave them about five points in five minutes and I hit the road, amen. And I don't even think they gave me a check, amen. But listen, it didn't matter. But when I was leaving, I told my wife, I said, they might as well had just wrote Ichabod. I said, no, it is Ichabod over that door. And we're driving out the driveway and Corey said, I didn't see it. He missed the whole thing, amen. They didn't physically write Ichabod, but they should, amen. But let me say this real quickly. I want you to look in verse number one about losing the presence of God in your life. I want you to notice the conflict that's going on in verses one through two. And the word of Samuel came to all of Israel. Now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and pitched beside Ebenezer, and the Philistines pitched in Aphek. And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel when they joined the battle. Israel was smitten before the Philistines, and they slew of the army in the filled about 4,000 men. I'm going to tell you something, friend. There's going to be times in your Christian life God's going to send conflict in your life. See if you realize you still got God or not. Amen? And I'm going to tell you something, my friend. We live in Christianity today. They don't want no conflict. Amen? They don't want problems. They want this Joe Osteen Christianity. And friend, it ain't like that. Hallelujah. Not where I'm living. Amen? And sometimes conflict comes in our life to see or to make us realize the presence of God is not there. I've been in this thing. I ain't been in here as long as these other men of God here. But one thing I've seen over the 20-something years of being in church, it seems like when bad times happen, The people of God leave the house of God. I'm telling you something, my friend. I've had bad things happen to me. My son's got a disease that is a deteriorating disease. But my friend, I was taught to stay in the house of God. I was taught to lean on God, amen. There's been times in my life I've wanted to quit, but I just kept coming to church. I kept coming looking for a blessing, my friend. Sometimes conflict's coming, amen. Why in the world does people leave the church, amen? I'm telling you, my friend, they'll come in your office. Oh, they've already made their mind up. There ain't no reason to try to talk them out of it. You know what I'm going to start doing? I'm going to say, here you go, shake their hand and hug their neck and say, hallelujah, praise the Lord, I'll pray for you. I ain't trying to talk nobody out of leaving anymore. They already decided to leave, amen? I had a man come to me. Boy, he's calling me everything in the book. I didn't even know I had those traits, amen? He called me this and he called me that. He called me a dictator. I was just trying to get him to serve God and love God, amen? I was just trying to tell him how good God is. And my daughter picked up on it, amen. I've said it in church. She said, well, I'm just going to start calling you. I ain't going to call you pastor. I'm going to call you Pastro. I didn't learn, man. Hey, when conflict comes, they're hitting the door. Hey, most of them don't want to hang in there. Hey, God is good in the good times. God's good in the bad times, hallelujah. He's good on the mountaintop. He's good in the valley, amen. But sometimes conflict comes to let you know if you even got the presence of God in your life. And the sad thing is, there's some people that don't even realize that they ain't even got God no more. Hey, I want you to look at verse number 3. Y'all still with me? Hello? I'm going to pull up Brother Joe. Hello? I've been doing that at church all the time, brother. It helps them wake up. I got a young man. He sits on the back pew. He can't even watch for an hour. I ask him all the time, can you not watch for an hour, amen? He's back. 1 Samuel 4, verse 3, where you find conflict here. And then look in verse 3, and when the people were coming to the camp, the elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath the Lord smitten us this day before the Philistine? Can I say, number 2, you find some confusion here? You know what it is today? I've been around this thing long enough now, I can tell you. We just can't figure out where God's gone. I mean, we having a cat beating near God. We got Brother Chandler and Brother Charlie and Brother Colin. Where's God at? I mean, we can't figure out what's going on. I'm telling you something, my friend. You can have the most Spirit-filled preaching in the world, and if the people ain't ready for it, I don't know if they're going to get anything. I want to learn something. You can't make people love God. You know what my pastor told me many years ago? This is what he told me. He said, Brother Jesse, if you'll learn this, you'll go far in the ministry. Number one, you can't make people love God. I mean, you just can't make them. Hey, they ain't a preacher in here. They don't want to take their congregation and pour God in them and make them love God. Hey man, there ain't one preacher in here that's worth his salt and don't want his people to love God. I want my people to love God. I want my people to serve God. He said number two, you can't make people serve God. You can't make people do it. And man, I just fell in love with Jesus, amen. I remember when I first got saved, bless God, I was doing everything. The first thing God called me to do was children's church. He said, son, you're going to purgatory, amen. So I just went to children's church, dear God, and I fought in purgatory, amen. The first service I had, Brother Carter, I had this young man, and he stuck his tongue out at me, and I ain't been to preacher's class yet, amen. And I snatched that little boy up. I said, you ain't gonna do that to me. Hey, I ain't been saved long. I only knew three stories, amen. But I took that little boy, and I took him in the sanctuary. Brother Charlie's preaching. I got his dad. I said, you deal with your brat. I ain't putting up with it, amen. Hey, I just got it. He just said, my pastor said, fall in love with God. Start serving God, amen. I went through. I spent a year in purgatory. And then a youth pastor left. Now I'm going to go into the lake of fire for about nine years. You know what I figured out to do? Just get a hold of God. All I know to do is I sat there and watched my pastor and watched people in our church that loved God, that wanted to serve God, that had a presence of God in their life, and that's what I wanted. But now we sat around and we can't figure out where He's at. We're confused. I mean, we got the right book, don't we? Say amen right there. We got the right preaching, amen? But somewhere down the line, we ain't got God. Oh, we're having camp meeting. We're going to have camp meeting in July. Half our church don't even show up on the morning. Amen. Hello? I mean, and then you'll have half of them say, I didn't know we were having a camp meeting this week, dear God. We've been having it for how many years, brother? 1986. Somewhere down the line you figure out we're having a camp meeting the first full Monday after the fourth. Even a redneck can figure that out. The fourth of July. We had one guy, he called one time, Brother Charter was threatened if the camp meeting wouldn't get pumped up, he was going to have a hearse parked in the front. And sure enough, it wasn't getting cranked up, so we had a guy that worked the funeral home, he parked the hearse in the front yard, and one of our church members called and wanted to know who died. It should be a church. You know what? We're confused, amen. So number one, you find conflict. Number two, you find confusion. But look at verse three again. Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of shallowing us, and that when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of the enemy. Boy, they're cockiness. Boy, we'll just get up and shake ourselves. Boy, I sure do love that preacher. If I get him down here, we'll get God in the place. Hey man, I've seen God do some unusual people. Hey man, God ain't a respectable person. Boy, I tell you, we got so cocky today, we just think we can just show up and we'll have a meeting, amen? I tell you, it's so sad to look out, and I don't mean my congregation. I love my people over there, but it's sad to look at them. Brother Charlie and they used to be on fire. They come every time the doors open. Now you can't even get them there on Sunday night. I told our church, man, I wouldn't miss Sunday night. Boy, God's been blowing through there on Sunday night. And then Sunday morning, God said, I'll switch it up, amen? I'll blow in there on Sunday morning. Boy, I'm talking about, my friend, they were standing up shouting and I was preaching. I knew God had to be there, amen? If they were standing up shouting on my preaching. Man, I didn't even finish. I'm kind of like you said. I ain't even got through my introduction and people are coming to the altar and crying and getting a hold of God. Then I see some over there going... Giving us the Baptist salute. That just makes us want to preach longer. You know what it is. We think we just come in here and sing our songs and we know what singers to get up and sing. Now I know there's people that's got a touch of God on them. That ain't what I'm saying. But boy, there's people. Well, sing that song over and sing it over and sing it over. Finally, you just want to go to the altar. So they'll shut up. We got conflict. God will send. There's confusion. They don't know what's going on. Hey, we got the heart here. I mean, we got this preaching. What they were realizing, they needed the God of the heart. Amen, the God of the ark. Their confidence, amen. I saw this just reading over some notes. I apologize, but I read over some notes on some of your points, amen. But just being honest tonight, confessing, amen. Look at verse number 5. And when the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again. Boy, they were having a cat beating, weren't they? I mean, hello. Did I read that right? Y'all got the same Bible I got? Were they not shouting? They said, then the earth rang. I mean, there was probably some nut running around the building with a balloon. I mean, it could have been a black guy. I don't know. He could have went out the door with a balloon. I don't know. There could have been a meeting like that, amen. There was shouting going on. I mean, they were praising God. Hey, the heart's here. Everything's going to be okay. But Paul Harvey said, let me give you the rest of the story. Let's read on real quick. Let's read on. Look what it says here. Verse number 6. Look what verse number 6 said. But the hand of the Lord was heavy. No, that's... Where am I at? I'm on chapter 4. Amen. And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, What means the noise of this great shout of the camp of the Hebrews? And they understand that the ark of the Lord was coming to the camp. And the Philistines were afraid. Hey, their enemy said, Hey, there's something going down at that church. Oh man, look at that parking lot. Dear God, it's full out there. Oh, there's something going down there. I mean, there's something going on down there. But let's read on. Let's read on. Y'all still with me? Amen. And woe unto us. They said, oh, we ain't going to mess with that church no more. Who shall deliver us out of the hands of these mighty gods? These are the gods that smote Egypt with all the plagues in the wilderness. Now this is them. He said, but it don't matter. Be strong. Quit yourselves like men, O ye Philistines, that ye be not servants of the Hebrews. And they have been to you. Quit yourselves like men and fight. And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten. Hey, they had the ark. They had the ark of God. They had the shout, but they didn't have no spirit. So the world said, we don't care what they got, we're going to take it anyway. And you know what they've done? They've come in there and killed 30,000 men. Well, they come in there and kill your church. The world gets in your church. I don't care how much shout you've got, the world is still coming in. Amen. I'm talking about there's conflict, there's confusion, there's confidence, amen, there's cockiness, and then there's consequence. What happens? People die. People die when you lose the presence of God. Amen, do you understand this morning that we're dealing with life and death? Amen, do you understand? There are people in our churches, amen, there's people that their lives are pending on the Spirit of God, and we come in the church, woe is me, and I got all these problems, and there's marriages about to break up, there's people that's got suicidal thoughts, amen, and we're just playing church, and we're running around, and listen, I love the shout, I'm not criticizing that, my friend, but you gotta get the presence The Spirit of God in the shout, Amen. I've been around people, they shout all the time and you know God ain't in it. Amen. There's a consequence to losing the power of God, the presence of God. Actually 34,000 men died. Churches are dying. This whole conflict can be traced back to one person. Eli. The whole conflict. Here's a man of God that refused to do some things. And let's see, I got 13 minutes, and I'm going to tell you what happened, Eli. You know, I read this, Brother Charlie, 40 years. And you know what he had to show for 40 years? He died backslidden. He died seeing the ark of God in the enemy's hands. You know what I think about, Brother Charlie? I think about these old men of God that just gave up. And they've seen their churches destroyed, and they've got all this modernism in them. I'm telling you, I've been on that kick lately. I mean, we've got people that call themselves independent, Bible-believing. I'm talking about my generation. of men that take these works, and you know what they do to them? They destroy them. Because, hey, they ain't going to do what those old men done. One recently had on his Facebook account, pajamas with the pastor. Can I tell you something? I don't want to see your jommies. And if you're a man and you go there, you probably wear a onesie when you go. A man who sat and wept in the pulpit, who had a prayer closet, and you know what? He looks out and some young punk gets in there and what he wants to do is he wants to do it his way. Hey, he might still have the King James Bible, right now he does. He might still have the psalm books, but right now he does. They're going out the window. You know what? He's got all his buddies his age. All his buddies and they come in and they say, this is what you ought to do. They done kicked the old man of God what he thought they ought to do. Amen. They don't ask him no more. Me and Brother Charlie the other day had a dream. You know what it was? I went there that Wednesday night. Thank God. I would have probably been on altar crying. He said, I had a dream that this church had went charismatic or contemporary. He said, I walked in here and they had all this stuff. He said, now thank God Brother Justice wasn't here. I'm glad I wasn't in his dream and I did that. He just got so frustrated, he said, where's my pulpit? Kick that guy out. He probably had skinny jeans on and a turtleneck. What happened? What happened to Eli? I mean, this is a man that's been in the ministry for 40 years and he dies backslidden. You know what the sad thing is? I'll show you what happened. Look at 1 Samuel chapter number 1. 1 Samuel chapter 1 verse 12-16. Now let me say this, can y'all listen real fast, I got 10 minutes. Listen, number 1, his discernment began to slide. His discernment begins to slide. And it came to pass as she continued praying before the Lord that Eli marked her mouth. Now Hannah, she spoke in her heart, only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli thought she had been drunken. Here's a man of God that could not discern that this woman was praying to God. I mean, he had got to such a condition, he didn't even recognize people in travail. Now I'm going to tell you, Ben, when you first got saved, you had a little discernment about you. I mean, if it was wrong, it was wrong. If it was right, it was right. But today, we ain't got no more discernment. I mean, they don't come to the preacher to ask them, they come in and tell them. And now they don't even come. Hey, my friend, they've already made their mind up, and I sit back, brother, and I say, that ain't good discernment. And you know what most of it is? About their children. Well, I didn't have it, and I grew up the independent, and we couldn't do this, and we couldn't do that. Oh, yeah, look, God just only saved your marriage. I mean, God's blessed you, but you don't want God to bless your children? And you know what? Your discernment begins to slide. He couldn't even determine that Hannah was trying to get a hold of God. This is the preacher. This is the man of God. And he couldn't even discern that he was losing the presence of God in his life. I want you to look at verse 3. He couldn't notice, his discernment was sliding. But look how God describes Eli's sons in chapter 1 verse 3. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, what does he say? The priests of the Lord were there. Something happened between chapter 1 and chapter 2 in them boys' lives. I can prove that because go over to chapter 2 verse 12. Something happened. Maybe he just said, now listen sons, I know we've always taught that you shouldn't do this, but it's okay. Don't worry about what the brethren will say, it's okay. I know that we used to believe not to do that, but I believe it's okay. Now look how God describes the two boys now. Verse number 12 of chapter 2. Now the sons of Eli were the sons of Belial. They knew not the Lord. God describes them, if I read that right, in verse 3 of chapter 1, the priests of the Lord were there. Eli, Hophodi and Phinehas. He called them the priests of the Lord. And in chapter 2, he said the sons of Eli were the sons of Belial. I'm going to tell you something, parents. You can't back off on your children. I'm telling you, in the world we live in, you're going to turn them loose? Hey, I can remember. I know I'm old time. I'm 49. Cary caught me on it. Okay, I'll be 50 in July. Okay, he said, I wouldn't say you're 50. I'm going to be 50 if the Lord lets me live to July. And I'm going to tell you something. I was raised old fashioned, and that's the way I'm going to die. I mean, I still believe that a boy and a girl should court. I don't believe in dating. I don't believe running down and getting in the car with them. Hey, have you ever put a match in a gasoline can? That's what's going to happen when they get alone. It's going to blow up. I can remember the pastor saying, hey, we don't go to the movies here. You know what the congregation said? We ain't going to the movies. Now I just killed it dead right there. Well, He ain't going to tell me what to do. Fine. He ain't going to tell you what to do. Do what you want to do, and you're going to raise some sons of Bilal. You're going to raise kids that hate God, and hate the man of God, and hate the church. Hey, we've seen them come through our church, amen? Eighteen, nineteen years old. Hey, there's two kids right now that grew up in our church, and they would shake their fist in God's face and say they hate Him. Hey, when you begin to let your discernment slide, and you can't discern some things, hey, it's right. Go to the Bible. What's the Bible say about it? Hey, I'll tell you. Hey, I've got kids. All of them still live at my house. One of them is 23, one of them is 20, and one of them is 16. And I'm going to tell you something, my friend, they go by my rules. Or they don't live there. Connor, he is a knothead, he is strong-willed. I mean, he makes me want to just spit nails. And at 16 years old, he bowed up on me, he bowed up on my wife. He said, I'm leaving. I said, hit the road, Jack, and don't come back no more, no more, no more. So here he goes, and he gets him a little suitcase. I said, son, where are you going? He said, it don't matter. I said, well, what's that? He said, well, I said, no, I bought that suitcase. You're going to have to leave that there. He said, fine, I don't need it. I said, oh, wait a minute. Wait a minute, them clothes you got on your back. I bought them, too. So strip down, and you're leaving naked, son. You want it your way, you can have it your way, but you're going out naked. Because naked you come in, and naked you go out. That's good preaching, brother. Yes, sir. Hey, you don't think I got problems with my kids? You don't think my kids challenge me? Hey, you see little Kelsey? Oh, she's so precious. And she gets up, sings. Oh, she challenges me. Hey, her favorite word's this. Why? Do y'all know? Kids, do y'all know any other words but why? I don't know. I don't know. I got three minutes. I got to finish. Number one, his discernment began to slide. Number two, you can find this, you'll have to read it. In 1 Samuel 2, verses 12-24, he didn't deal with sin. He didn't deal with it. And I'm going to tell you something, I keep referring to Brother Charter because thank God he's still there. Because there's been times I didn't know what to do. And I'm going to be honest with you, he's sitting right here. I'm not so arrogant that I ain't going to ask somebody. He said, you're going to have to deal with it. And folks, there ain't a pastor in here worth their salt that wants anybody in their office. I hate it, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it. But we're going to deal with it. And we're going to deal with it, and if we have to use church discipline, you're going to have to get over it. And thank God, so far I haven't had to do that, but I'm going to tell you, in my first year of pastoring, I've had some doozies. I had to dig a baby's grave. I had to go get a baby and take it and transport it. Let me tell you, it ain't as easy as you think it is, church. I had to sit there and have two families almost split down the middle. I'm telling you, you got to deal with it. And you know what he done? He did this. Yay, my son. Like he's talking to some Luke Skywalker. Yay, my young padawan. Why didn't he fly off the handle? What in the name? Are you doing? But you know what? I don't have time. I got to quit. But you know what? This is what he said. Yea, have I heard. He didn't keep an eye on his boys. You read it. He said, I have heard, I have heard, I have heard. And the Bible says his eyes began to wax dim. You know what he was doing? He wasn't watching his boys. He didn't deal with it. And you know what? God comes to him and says, because you honored your sons over me. Well, I love my son. What do you want God to do to get your attention? You want to honor your kids above God? See, he didn't even know God was gone. Two boys are committing whoredoms at the church. And all he does is, nay my son, don't it just want you to just slap some hormones in here? What do you mean nay my son? You're down at the church fornicating? And he still didn't do nothing about it. Last point and I'm done. Number one, his discernment began to slide. Number two, he didn't deal with sin. And I've seen this, folks. And by the way, the young men, this is what the young men said about God. For the men abhorred the offering of the Lord. You know, I looked up the word abhorb, and it means hated extremely, detested it. We sit in our churches and our kids are here, and they see our life and they don't see God in our life. You know what they're doing? They're abhorring the offering of the Lord. Well, daddy's up there shouting. I know what he does at the house. Mama's up there. Look at mama getting that handkerchief out. I know how her mama and daddy talk. I know what mom and daddy watch. I know where mom and daddy go. I know what mom and daddy do. And they're looking at it and they're hating God for it. You go and raise some fetuses and hyphenives. Because you don't realize God's gone in your life. There ain't one person in here that's got children. Brother, can I have five more minutes? If I can't, just say no. There ain't one man and woman in here that's got children. Don't love your children with all your heart. But you're going to make them hate God. You're going to make them abhor the offerings of the Lord if you don't get the presence of God back in your life. Say, they'll hate me. Listen, I still go into facilities. I still go to Teen Challenge. And Brother Andrew goes with me and will tell you there are kids there that wish somebody, wish somebody had had some discernment. Somebody had dealt with them. Last thing and I'm done. In chapter 3 verse 1 through 3, He disregarded his service. You know what he done? He let the lamp of God go out. Hey, don't let the lamp of God go out. You know what the sad thing is? He didn't even know it. You've heard the message, I'm done. Brother Andrew, you come.