Like Sam, thankful to be here and thank for all of you that sacrifice your time to come to the house of the Lord. As brother Jason brought out this morning, I say it all the time. I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord. It's my favorite place to be. I believe when a person's in love with Jesus, you want to get to his house. He said he was zealous for his house. And I believe when people love the Lord with all their heart, mind, body, soul, and strength, you have a desire to get to the house of God and worship God in spirit and truth. The woman said, I told the woman there, said it'd be a time is coming and has now come when true worshipers will worship the Lord in spirit and in truth. These are the kind. The Father seeketh. There's someone that's passed away. Well, first of all, I want to say I was, you know, I had a little search. I thank y'all that's been praying for me a couple of Wednesdays ago, and I was going to say some bad things about Bradley, but he's already hit me one time, and I'm not going to go any further with that one, you know, because he's got the last word around here. But I do know that, you know, the apostle said, you know, there was necessity laid upon me. Woe unto me, lest I preach the gospel. Now, everybody has a call on your life. Some are a little different. I tell people all the time, it makes them laugh, helps open the door for me. I say, well, shoot, I could have been the president. Something happened to me, brother, when I was young, still could be happening today. You understand what I'm trying to tell you? Everybody's different, but we're all unique. We're all, you know, God knit you together in your mother's womb with a plan and a purpose for your life. And a lot of times as I Bradley and I were talking earlier, I felt need to share this You know a lot of times what we're told growing up Before we get saved what we're told sometimes and the things that happen to us even after we get saved will hinder us to get From getting to that place what God really knits you in your mother's womb to be see this is what he knit me together my mother's womb to be God called preacher trying to evangelize the United States of America and and maybe other places when God opened up the door but he knit me together to have a Peace love and joy that passes all understanding a praise on my lips a joy in my heart You see a grin on my face. That's what we're designed and engineered to run off the Lord Jesus Christ And when we do that, I'll tell you it's something special something special that you can have with Jesus, and I'm thankful for that. I'm thankful for that opportunity. You know, the Bible says a merry heart is good medicine. We might talk a little bit about the word today, but Brother Jeff wrote this song. I'm hoping and praying that he record one one day, yay. For real, I mean that, but record some songs. Though its cover may be tattered, and its page is hard to read. God's Word will stand forever as it has through history. People may believe its time has passed and throw that book away. But the living word of a living God is speaking yet today. There's still power in that old book. Awesome power. Just take a look. Still as sharp as a sword, changing lives. For evermore, there's still power, wondrous power, in that old book. Those who preach it may be shackled, but God's word cannot be bound. For it's bigger than a prison. Iron bars can't hold it down. It's the message of the gospel. In God's word, there's liberty. There's no other book that has the power to set a sinner free. There's still power in that old book. Awesome power. Just take a look. Still as sharp as a sword. Changing lives forevermore. There's still power, wondrous power, in that old book. Long after this old world and all its glitter fades away. There'll be power, wondrous power, in that old book. You know, I'm thankful for God's Word. The Bible says it's a lamp unto our feet and it's a light unto our path. I was meditating on that. Why do you think it says that? You know why? Because even though at noonday and the sun might be high in the sky, we live in a dark place. This is a dark world without the Lord and his spirit. This is a dark place that we walk through for the saved and the lost. But I tell you, Jesus is the light of the world. And when we have him in our hearts, I tell you he illuminates those things around us He give us divine guidance and helps us to get through the trials and struggles of life as we go through this this land that we Were set out to be in You know that merry heart, how we say, it says that in the NIV, but I like it that way, the way it says a merry heart, a joyful heart. Hey, it's good medicine. It's good medicine. God loves a worshiper, someone that praises Him. I say quite often, you know, God inhabits, He dwells with the praise of His people. He inhabits, He loves people that come in. Like we were talking earlier that I think brother Jason was talking this morning, you know, I had an appointment to preach and and it was canceled first I was a little disappointed and boy the Lord just really put all my heart to go to Fairview Memorial. Brother Jason did a wonderful job, and they got to sing and testify and went on and stuff. And I thought, shoot, I'm glad I didn't get a priest today, you know, this morning. I was so thankful to be in service. I got a lot of good food, and boy, I tell you, it was really good. It's really good when the Spirit of God passes by in a great way to your heart, you know? And you know, I was thinking, I had this surgery right here. It was a gallbladder surgery. And just want you to think about this before we go any further about the Lord, his word, his power. You know, till God reveals his son to you, you'll never know who he is. You won't know who Jesus is. He'll just be another story to you. That's why the Bible says no one can come to the, Jesus said, no one can come to me unless the father who sent me draw him. Almighty God has to reveal him to you. Remember when they we rose up. Hey, they went down to the sepulcher They walked around along the road to man all these things. Nobody knowed who he was did they? Till God started revealing it to him So a lot of times I was telling I find myself praying that way God, please reveal your son to these people, make him real to them. Just like when somebody dies, I always pray, Lord, Lord, let death become real to these people. The ones that don't know you, Lord, let it become real to them. Comfort the ones that know you with only the comfort you can give them, but break the hearts of the ones that don't. Like that hammer, boom, boom. So there's some hard, fallow ground that needs to be tilled up, broken up. And it's important that we as God's people know that there's plenty of work to do for everybody. As Bradley was saying, we're to compliment one another. You know, I had a lady the other day that texted me and said something about there was some trouble in her family and would I pray? And I did and I ended up calling and she said later on, she said, well, I felt kind of silly. And I said, no, the Bible says bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. The old song says, where could I go but to the Lord? And his word brings confirmation to who and what he is. Where could I go but to the Lord? But we're the church of the true and living God. If we can't come one to another, How pleasant it is when the brethren dwell together in unity when you when you really are in somebody's business Because you're about the father's business because you really care about them Not because you just want to gossip and say something bad about something. You really do care You want to be about your father's business because he's in their business It's not something you want to go tell her but something you want to pray about and encourage One another I had one here. God's not keeping records on how many times you fall. And even dumb mistakes you make don't bother him at all. He's not looking down trying to catch you slipping up. God's not scoring falls just the times you get back up. You walk the straight and narrow way, you run the race to win. You struggle for perfection, still fall into sin. You worry that you're wearing a father's patience thin. But really he just wants to see you get back up again. God's not keeping records on how many times you fall. And even dumb mistakes you make don't bother him at all. He's not looking down trying to catch you slipping up. God's not scoring falls, just the times you get back up. King David saw by Sheba, lust led to sin. Peter cursed and then denied, he knew the Son of Man. Samson lost his faith when he let temptation win. But they all made God's honor roll, cause they got back up again. And God's not keeping records on how many times you fall. Even dumb mistakes you make don't bother him at all He's not looking down trying to catch you slipping up God's not scoring falls just the times you get back up. You know, I think about that. It's like a lot of times uh in our life Uh, well, let me back up. It was a lady one time. I was preaching somewhere years ago She stood up or something. She said well i'm a rubber ball christian Somebody said what's that? She said every time the devil tries to knock me down. I just bounce back up in the name of Jesus That's a good one right there. You need to think about that Bible says many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord shall deliver them every time the right shall fall seven time so it's false seven time, but the Lord shall deliver each and every time the Lord is a very present help and Times of trouble if you realize in your walk with God and through God's Word, I believe it teaches us that God used a bunch of messed-up individuals boys and girls men and women even preached a donkey one time So I know if he can preach a donkey he can preach me but God used many different people in his word that so he could help them and and he let them go through situations see God's not so much worried about your Situation in life. He has to work through the situations as he is your Character god wants our character to be as his like my wife said when she come through all the trials and tribulations Said god wants her to have a heart that's compatible. Uh, that's that's that's that's uh, merciful, uh, that's full of compassion toward every situation that comes by in your life the way the Lord went along, the way He wept over Jerusalem and weeps over these people out here in the street that's cold and hungry tonight. We need to have that heart that's bent toward God that our desires become just what the Lord's desires are, what He desires for us, what He desires for mankind. And I'll tell you, when we get headed that way, we're in pretty good shape. We're in pretty good shape. I wanna sing one more and I'll try to try to preach, but I wanted to say this. I was talking about, you know, years ago, my brother who I love dear and do pray for him, his family, but he had an open heart surgery and they cut him from here to here. This surgery for some reason made me think of all this and and back in those days 50 years ago They took the heart completely out of the body at Children's Hospital, I guess in Columbus, Ohio. Dr Kilman if I remember right was a was a Pioneer and open-heart surgery and when they did that it was laid on a table and they fixed it one chamber was too big and one was too small and and and and I remember I had to stay with my aunt Ruth and And mommy and them was all, you know, I reckon worried and everything. And they went to Columbus and thank God, the Lord spared my little brother. But then I got to thinking, there on May 6th, 2001, brother Mike, nobody in my family was notified. Nobody in the family even knew I was going to have surgery. There wasn't an anesthesiologist. The Lord just started dealing with me. And he passed by and he took out a heart of stone and gave me a heart of flesh. Wasn't a scar, not a scar. All he did was remove a heart of stone and gave me a heart of flesh that he could mold and make me into what he would have me be. He made me a new creature in Christ Jesus. He did open heart surgery on me out there on May 6th, 2001. He brought me from death unto life. and give me a life for the Spirit. Isn't that something? When you think about what the Lord has done for you, it's amazing. Nobody in my family knew nothing about it but me. So after that happened to me, it's my job to let them and the rest of the world know that, hey, this same surgery can happen to you. It's available to everybody. It's a life-changing surgery, huh? That brings you out of darkness into God's glorious light. It's a surgery that takes place that makes Jesus from just a character that some people think it is around Christmas time, to a true and living Savior. Let's them know that this Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father but by Him. Let's them know that there's no other foundation laid whereby we must build but that of Jesus Christ. Let's them know that He's the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father but by Him. Let's them know that He's a stone the builders rejected, and He's become the head of the corn. And let you know that Jesus is the giver Life that all things were made by him for him through him without him not anything that's ever been made Would have been made it's quite amazing really I Really like this song You know, I can't help but sing Bradley said sometimes a little different A lot of times I start out, sometimes I sing a song, sometimes I'll sing two or three. I, you know, I was telling Brother Jason and them this morning, you know, I think a lot of times pastors, and I was sharing with Brother Bradley, I think sometimes when people own up to the call on their life, they kind of forget about the gifts. If you can sing a little, that's a gift from God. And he didn't give that to you just to sing in the shower with. He'd give that to make that known unto the house of God. He puts people together, husbands and wife, that they might make harmony a lot of times. Sometimes someone here, he say, boy, I don't sound too good. And this one might say, boy, I don't sound too good. But when you put them together, they sound pretty good. That's what God does. You see, he takes a little bit of nothing and makes something out of it. So we all need to cultivate our gifts toward the spiritual things of God. Everybody has gifts and talents. That's what the body of Christ is all about. It's about utilizing them, coming together in one heart, one mind, one body, and one accord. It says how pleasant it is when the brethren dwell together in unity. It's a pleasant thing. Very nice is what he means. I've had my share of sorrow, saw great plans for tomorrow. Fade with the dawning, by the sundown they'd be gone. I've crossed on the raging tide, wondering, Lord, can I survive? But Jesus never left my side and I never lost my song. Because Jesus gives the song to sing in sunshine or the fall and rain, even when Everything seems to turn out wrong. Trials may get a little worse, but he'll just give another verse. As long as you'll put Jesus first, you'll always have a song. Through poverty and boundless wealth, through sickness and the best of health, through the good times and the bad, the melody goes on. And anyone at all can sing, just take Jesus as your king. And then no matter what life brings, you'll always have a song. Because Jesus gives a song to sing in sunshine or the fall and rain. Even when everything seems to turn out wrong Trials may get a little worse, but he'll just give another verse as long as you'll put Jesus first You'll always have a song and as long as you'll put Jesus first you'll always Have a song and that's the truth Sometimes it's a good song man sings out of an emptiness and fullness in his heart and That's why man sings or woman And when you put Jesus in there and you stay in love with him, you'll have a new song you'll find yourself singing Sometimes you just sing words and praise to Jesus He'll do that for you It's good medicine for the soul. I want to read a scripture over here in Jeremiah for a moment and Jeremiah A couple places here where the Lord — it's Christ promised, and He's talking against false promises. You know, I learned something — my pastor was preaching, I learned a lot of stuff. I might have heard it before, but it was like, you know, in Isaiah, there's 66 books, and the first 39 are about the Mosaic prophecies, just like the Bible, and the last 27 are about Christ, you know, like the New Testament. I mean, it's kind of amazing how the Lord does all that. I don't know how He done all that, but He's real good at what He does. And all of His Word is relevant to us from the beginning of Genesis to the end of Revelation. I guess that's why they call, you know, Isaiah the gospel of the Old Testament. But, you know, all the time when we read this Word, we should be able to see Jesus. We shouldn't read very long till we can see Jesus. You know, I see Jesus and that father's right hand, you know, we should be able to see Jesus Early and often in this book as we read it if we read it Spiritually minded with a heart bent toward God prayerfully we should see Jesus and it should give us the proper instruction on the things of God but I'm gonna read Jeremiah 23 and 23 says, and I could read a lot, but I was going to, but Lord let me, just a little different, so. Am I a God at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off? Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him, saith the Lord? Do not I fill heaven and earth, saith the Lord? And go down in verse 29, verse 29, is not my word like a fire, saith the Lord, and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces. So, we know that the Lord's a consuming fire. I believe it was Moses where he was at the burning bush. You know, we know that the rainbow sign, we know that the Lord came as a lamb that was slain before the — this is Lord Jesus as a lamb slain before the foundation of the world. But we know that He's gonna come in power and great glory in the clouds one day hereafter. And everything's gonna burn with the fervent heat. He is truly a consuming fire. When He was up on the mount, remember the fire burned upon the mount there. God is, He's amazing. Back in one place. He said I am that I am I'm gonna tell you Jesus everything He's the way the truth and the life this Jesus this Jesus Christ the holy and righteous one of Israel That all things were made by him for him and through him without him not anything that's ever been made would have been made Now if you're hearing lost today friend, you really need to talk to this one called Jesus. I Don't know exactly what you need to say to him. I But all I can tell you is that emptiness in your heart right here, ever since you felt, since you was a little boy, a little girl, there was an emptiness come up in you. All of a sudden, one day, come along, I have my grandson, please pray for him. Jeremiah up home, my wife said this morning, hey, didn't want to go to church anymore. Well, there comes an age of, we call it the age of accountability. There's an age the Bible said the commandment came, a sin revived, and I'm going to tell you, he knew that he was a sinner. That's what happens. A lot of times when little boys and little girls, they get to where they don't want to come to church anymore. Ain't much fun anymore when the spirit gets to dealing with their heart. Gets a tugging and a draw. Remember what we said Jesus said no one can come to me Let's the father who sent me draw him and I'll raise him up in the last day It takes that drawing and conviction remember the Bible says the Lord's nigh unto them that be of a broken heart He saved as such That be of a contrite spirit. You got to be broken. You got to be crushed You got to realize who you are. Absolutely nothing who Jesus is Absolutely everything you got to come to this knowledge in your heart So you have to respond to that tugging that drawing if you don't respond to that you can shine it away You know, dr. Mike and I was talking as he went he said Jamaica or somewhere one time He said some of the Muslim people that went with him They come one night to the service And they wouldn't come back no more You know a man that's hard heart and hard toward the spiritual things of God you gonna accept it or reject it aren't they? they're either gonna come to it or they're gonna run from it and People are afraid of what they don't understand. I hate it for the religious people of the world Huh? It says, woe unto you Pharisee and Sadducee. You go over land and sea and make one prostrate, one convert, and when you do, you make him twofold the child of the devil. It's a horrible thing to try to get somebody to see something they feel like they've already been taken care of. Now you're bringing new ground to them. You're bringing something to them almost like a strange doctrine to them, but it's the truth. The truth has a profound effect. The Word of God carried by the Spirit of God has a profound effect on the heart of man. That's why you need to speak it early and often. You need to try to learn this book. You need to speak the things of God. Anytime you get a chance I say memorize scripture I say read it like the old Waldensians did if you can memorize this baby from front to back work at it However, you can do because this word is a lamp unto our feet. It's a light into our path. It's that hammer. I Against the rock that hard heart that stony heart that mankind has that word is what'll break it Hey, there's different people that preach different styles and I appreciate each and every one of God's preachers But it's not the preacher does anything. It's the Word of God. It's the power in the Word of God in this old book There's power in that old book From the beginning of Genesis to the end of Revelation, so I'll read verse 29 once more and we'll move over. It is not my word like as a fire, saith the Lord, and like a hammer that breaketh a rock in pieces. Now let's go over here and look a little bit in the 24th chapter of Luke. Now, you know, I was thinking the 24th chapter of Luke, I was thinking, I think one time my wife told me that Diablo or whatever, it's like a constant drip, bloop, bloop, bloop. You know, I think about that. You know, you talk about the word like a hammer and how the Lord deals with hearts and how He's long-suffering toward us, that none should perish. And you see that even the raindrop that comes down from Heaven. And it comes off that east spouter off the corner of that building next thing, you know, you got a hard piece of concrete Well, you can't hardly bust it up. But over time just that constant drip And it happens to be water. That's what they need. They need that living water. Don't they they need that river of life? Huh? They need that that good stuff that changes the heart And i'm thankful that god is that way that he's long suffering torment. He don't want Hey, the Bible says God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. He takes no pleasure in that there. He don't want nobody to die lost and undone and separated from him. That's why he went to the cross and died for us. The Bible says he was beat well in recognition. Huh, he was hated without a cause. But I'm gonna tell you, Jesus went for all mankind, red, yellow, black, white, tall, fat, skinny, short. He's no respecter of persons. He wants everybody to be saved. I'm glad it's that way. But it says here, as we go through, you know, they had the resurrection, the angels announced the resurrection, and you're going through and he says in one place in verse 18, in 24 and 18, he said, and the one of them whose name was Cleopas, Answering, he said unto him, out there are a stranger in Jerusalem, and has not known the things which are come to pass there in these days? And he said unto them, what things? And they said unto him, concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet, mighty indeed, and word before God and all the people. Sometimes we think as God's people here in America, we say, you live in America? And you've not heard about this Jesus Well, there's a lot of people that have heard about this Jesus But I'm gonna tell you you're gonna have to do something with him Once you hear about him, you're gonna have to do something with him. The sad part about it is, a lot of people will deceive somebody. But I'm gonna tell you, when that word of God, when Almighty God reveals his son to you, the only begotten of the Father, the Lord Jesus Christ, and as he comes to your heart, and the scriptures start opening up, the Spirit starts opening things up, things start, you're gonna have to do something with him. God makes himself known to men. You know, there comes a time in a little boy and a little girl's life when the Lord lets them know that there is a God and He is God and you need Him. That's what happens. We call it an age of accountability. But whatever age it is, whatever circumstance happens, you might be in your 30s. Like I was 38 years old when the Lord saved me. Brother Jason was talking about that old brother out there in Oregon. He was 79. Got saved by the grace of God. He said every Sunday, When they left out there, he's 87 now, said he'd come through the doors praising God. I said, I'm ashamed. One time, I remember one time I come through the house of God, doors are shouting. I remember out there, hadn't been saved awful long. I was out there at old time with brother Phil. Boy, I just, I couldn't hardly drive out the road. Couldn't hardly drive out the road. So thankful to get to the house of the Lord. I remember I got out there to Elizabeth. I come through them basement doors, shouting. Don't say that thing's anything special for me, but hey, we should be glad to get to here, to the house of the Lord. We should be glad to hear the word of God, glad to hear the scriptures, glad to learn about this Jesus, the lover of our soul, the one that loves us with this agape love that's greater than anything. I tell folk all the time, I said, look, you love your wife, you love your kids, you want to do your best to take care of them and help them. Hey, what about this Jesus? We need to be that way about Jesus first and foremost. He's the one responsible that gives us everything good Everything good pleasing and pleasant comes down from the father of lights through and by the blood of the lord Jesus christ it says he was mighty indeed and word before Before god and all people, you know, the apostle said one time he said over there somewhere he said I strive always to keep a clear conscience before God and man. Hey, you know what the real thing is? This is the real deal. They got to testifying this morning. And you know, some churches are a little quieter than others. Some are a little louder than others. Let me tell you something. If Jesus did something for you, you got something to tell. I'm gonna say it again. If Jesus did something for you, you got something to tell. And here's the thing, most of the time, Bible says where the Spirit of the Lord is, there's liberty. Who the Son sets free, He's free indeed. But chances are, if you don't feel the freedom amongst God's people to testify for Him, if you don't feel that freedom and liberty in the house of God, chances are you're not really stepping out the way you need to in the public. When the old adversary's out there saying, hey, better shut up, boy. He gonna punch you upside the head or she gonna say something. You're at work. Remember, A, I thought about that the other day. I said, what makes a condition where we're at today? Well, mankind's told us, our government, everything around society has told us you can't talk about Jesus in public. Jobs, we have people that go to work and on your job sometimes when I go to VA I get fired up and get to talking them folks about the Lord and I said, you know what? Well different places, but I said it's a shame. You really can't talk about the Lord here They'll talk to you some but they can't really start initiating Conversations because they have to make a living Can you I don't know what God really thinks about that there. I But I don't think he's too pleased with it. The Bible says it, but I can tell you this. I can tell you this. Let me look over here real quick. You know, the Lord gave us a guideline, Deuteronomy six chapter. I gotta go over here and read this. I read this quite often because it means something to me, what the Lord said. Let me find here where I'm going. But I can tell you, I can tell you this. I can tell you this, the Lord said in Deuteronomy 6 and 4, hero Israel. And I'm gonna tell you, this is still good today. Just like the 10 commandments, some people will say, I'm in the New Testament. No, no, no, this whole book's good. It's all good. It's all good. Them Ten Commandments is still good. And this Scripture right here is really good, and it needs to be more relevant. Instead of us falling away from the spiritual things of God, it talks about in the last days, because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. We know that the backside of a prosperity will always bring a Laodicean church. But I'm gonna tell you, he says, as you see the day approaching, As you see these things, hey, you see the day approaching. How much more prepared should we be? How much more should we be telling people? I believe when I got saved almost 24 years ago, somebody said there was around 6 billion people or something on the earth. They say there's around 8 billion now, 20 something. There's more people walking the face of God's green earth, lost and separated from God than there ever has been in the history of mankind. Oh, what an opportunity. that we have as God's people when we really get prayerful and think about the spiritual things of God. He says, here, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord, and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy might. Add strength to that. And these words, which I command thee this day, Shall be in thine heart, you know, he said there was going to come a time when he'd write it on your heart right on your mind Hey, remember if any man be in christ, he's what a new creature old things have passed away. Behold all things become new He should it should change your way of thinking Your way of walking your way of talking uh the things you want to do you should want to read and understand and know about this jesus and it says And these words which I command thee this day shall be in thine heart." But wait a minute. The Bible says the heart is deceitful and desperately wicked. Well, it says right over here, it's Jeremiah. Hold on for a minute. I used to quote that, but I was thinking about that right there a minute ago. It's sad. In 17 and 9, it says, the heart deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it? This heart that we have to deal with, this inner man. That's why the apostle said, hey, the things I don't want to do, I'm paraphrasing, I do. The things I want to do, I don't do. Oh, wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? Although I want to do good, evil is always present. Listen, listen. When you're trying to do the will of God, you always have those whispering voices. I wrote a song years ago, it says, Whispering voices will lead you astray. Whispering voices keep you from the holy way. Whispering voices from Satan below. Whispering voices keep you from where you want to go. Every time you get ready to do something for the Lord, I guarantee you he's chirping, huh? Brother Parker, huh? Ain't that what he does? He starts chirping. No, he's trying to discourage you about something. That's what he does. He's good at what he does. We don't want to give him any praise, honor, and glory, but he's good at what he does. He's an imitator, huh? He's an imitator. And I'm going to tell you, he's good at what he does. So we need to recognize the schemes of the devil and know that these things that happen in our lives, you know, sometimes people get to thinking, well, you know, it seemed like when I get ready to do something, something always goes crazy. Well, let me tell you something. Let the games begin. Because here's the deal. Whatever you go through in your life, I guarantee, His will never take you where His grace won't see you through. I can guarantee you that. And whatever you go through in this life is to help somebody else to get through. God takes no pleasure in His children having to go through hard things. He can change and do anything He wants to. Hey, He can do, He's God. But I'm gonna tell you, the Bible says in Him we live and move and have our being. That's why he says, work out your soul salvation with what? Fear and trembling. Hey, it's not an easy thing. Ain't nothing pleasant about fear. Ain't nothing pleasant about trembling. But God says, work these things out. Because I'm going to tell you, if you look at it, you're a soldier. Hey, he says, no man at war. Hey, entangle himself in the — hey, look, in the affairs of this life, no man that warth entangle himself in the affairs of this life. Because I'm going to tell you, you're in a war, my dear friend. Whether you know it or not, we're in spiritual warfare. How the devil comes to steal, kill, and destroy. But Jesus said, I am come that they might have life. Life more abundantly he come to bring life to your friend. I'm gonna tell you he's able to save to the uttermost He's able to do exceedingly abundantly above and beyond what you can think or imagine. Somebody says Oh Lord, I can't do that My wife. Hey, she just a look here She a she started singing with me a little bit ago. I was telling Bradley, you know, some people just need a little jumpstart a little bit of encourage a That's why the Bible says those who are encouraged shall be encouraged. Those who are refreshed shall be refreshed. The devil's telling you what you can't do. The Bible says all things are possible through Christ who strengtheneth me. If God lays something on your heart, obedience is better than sacrifice. I remember when I said, hey, first time we sung together, I said, we need to sing a song. We was in a public place. She said, what are you trying to do, embarrass me? I said, no, ma'am. I'm trying to get you. out of your comfort zone so God can use you. I want you to think about that as those whispering voices come to you, as you try to use your gifts and talents, and that's what the body of Christ is all about, using your gifts and talents and coming together in service to the Lord toward a common goal, to earnestly contend for the faith that was once delivered Under the Saints of that common faith that soul salvation that we know when you get sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise will get you to heaven one day That's what we earnestly contend for we know about that and the Bible says Jesus came To seek and to save that which was lost and I'm gonna tell you that's why he come friend That's why he bled and died for me and you I was thinking the other day. I said hey look here That old song says I believe Jesus died He died for me And I think about that I said I said, you know what I was thinking about that I mean when you really think about it, I was meditating a little bit when I was with my side there I was thinking about and I thought now really My I got a kind of a funny sense of humor, but I was I was sitting there thinking Well, what if they what nobody on earth? I mean nobody never ever Maybe I was Adam. The Lord just created me and I was just a big old dumb boy like I was. The Lord, he'll do all that for me. All he went through just for me. He did all that just for you, friend. You're saved by the grace of God. He did that for you. Our sins hung him on a tree. Sometimes people don't don't realize that the sin of mankind hung our savior on a tree But he did that for you and I That we could have eternal life You're being able to live down here now Whether the gospel is preached pretty well down in here All there's people everywhere need to be saved but boy you get up north a little bit up where I'm at and things boy, that's I mean, it's heart-wrenching. All people, all people break my heart, but I tell you, boy, you get up there and you see what's being told to people, and you come across so many that don't know the Lord. It breaks your heart. You can run around heartbroken every day. Seem like. And it says, thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children. And thou shalt talk of them, listen, when thou set us in thine house. We're still in Deuteronomy 6 and 7. And when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up, and thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand. and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes, and thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house and on thy gates. And you know, I think about that, I said, hey, I look at old Philip the evangelist up in Montana, Columbia Falls, where I get them magnets I put on my truck, and it's okay, you don't have to put anything on your car, you don't have to do anything. But I put them old magnets on my truck, Usually when I give away pert near the last one I try to order some more when I can get some money ahead You know why I do that I'll tell you why. You don't know the conversations that's been struck up at truck stops, at filling stations. What's that mean? Jesus heals the brokenhearted. Hey, what's that mean right there? How the Lord came to save sinners of whom I am chief. Hey, what's that mean right there? I said, well, you got a minute. Let me tell you what that means. I'm going to tell you it's opened so many doors for me. I'll tell you whatever works today. Whatever works, works today. We're not all the same and thank God for that. But I can tell you one thing, we need to get headed toward that common goal. And I think about that, you know, Jesus, he came to seek and to save that which was lost. We said, but I can tell you one thing, the Bible says, Paul, plant a Paulist water and God give the increase. I'm gonna tell you, we got a job to do. The children of God, we have a job to do. That's to plant the water seed. I tell folk all the time, nobody will tell me anything different. I say, what's the greatest thing you could lay up in heaven? I believe it's to plant water seed that might bear righteous fruit one day. What else could there be? I remember my son asked me one time, I hadn't been saved long, and I was riding through Parkersburg. He said, Daddy, if you could wish for anything in the whole wide world, what would you wish for? I said, well, that's easy, son. That everybody in the world was saved by the grace of God and Jesus would come to get us. What else could we wish for? You know, what could we wish for than for everybody in the world to be saved? That's the Lord's desire. That's why he bled and died. That should be our desire as the children, no servants above his master. We should be meditating and thinking upon the things of God. And it goes on. And he goes, when Christ reveals himself in the breaking of bread, it says in verse 31 of Luke 24, and it said, their eyes were opened, and they knew him, and he vanished out of their sight. And they said one to another, he's on the road, he says, didn't our heart burn within us while he talked with us by the way, and while he openeth up, open to us the scripture? See, that's what we gotta pray happens for people. That scripture has to be opened up to them. That's what I said, I was talking to a brother, want me maybe do a little preaching somewhere and maybe this is helping me slow down a little bit. He said, I'd like for you to do a little preaching, but you're gonna have to slow down so people can understand it a little better. I pray we could preach the gospel and we could witness to people and help them to understand that God would give us, open up those doors of utterance to us, that people would know and understand. He'd give them eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts that are soft to the gospel as we speak his word that they can't help but hear. And it goes in his ear, hey, in that brain, right on down into that heart and seeds get planted and watered that might bear righteous fruit one day. And this is where I wanna go on to. Verse 44, we'll try to finish up. Then he said unto them, that's in Luke 24, these are the words which I spake unto you while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses and in the prophets and in the Psalms concerning me. then opened he their understanding that they might understand the scriptures." God's able to save. He's able to seal. He's the one that gives us the ability to understand these scriptures. I mean, but we are blessed uh being people that Come through the missionary baptist ranks these young children and stuff. That's what I was saying about brother Jason today Don't pull no chain. But hey, I said, you know, I was thinking uh, I I met him when he was a young man teaching sunday school and my goodness Uh, the man got called to preach sound like he'd been preaching 15 or 20 years right after he got called to preach Because that truth was in him wasn't like me a 38 year old man like Bradley some of these people hey When you put that in as a child train up a child the way they should go and when they're old They won't depart from it Seek the Lord in the days of your youth before the evil days come upon you when that word gets settled down in there I've noticed a lot of times I'm singing a song or something Them old hymns had come up and they just swell up in my soul I heard them when I was a little boy when my mommy got saved I was about 12 years old in that little Memphis church and I seen them old women They'd get down on that altar and they'd cry out to God they run and shout through the church house. They didn't have a preacher But they got a hold of the Lord They had they had church As far as what we call church or you know, they worship God And that's what God loves a worshiper. We not need worry about what other people think Hmm It's all about what God thinks That takes us out of our comfort zone when we get to that place where we worship God you know when you see somebody acting a little out of the ordinary and I remember one time, he's dead and gone now, I think, but I came down here years ago and, well, I still run around in shorts all the time. I ain't got much since when I was a kid and I still ain't got much at almost 62. But I can tell you this, I remember one of the brothers said, well, look at him. He'd been like this for the first four years I've ever seen him. What he was talking about, there was a joy there. I didn't know nothing about the old time way. I'm glad that God brought me this way. I believe only God can save a soul. I believe only God can make a real Baptist. I don't know how good of a Baptist I am, but I've tried to learn and understand things to the best of my ability in my weak and feeble way. But I know he saved my soul. I know I'm going to heaven. I know I've been called to preach. And I know in my weak and feeble way that I try to lift up the name of Jesus this man Jesus Christ where there's no other name I've given under heaven. However, man by men must be saved but that of Jesus Christ that people might come to know him in the free pardon pardon of sin And we can all just do the best that you can do That's all you can do and uh I listen to people preach all the time They're good teachers and stuff. I don't know how good I am at anything, but I can tell you one thing. I love the Lord and I love you and I love those that are lost. The Lord loves us. It's an agape love. It's an unconditional love. It's something else. I'll tell you. Everlasting. It's everlasting. Think about that love. You know, my wife, I wish she's here to testify. My wife, she said she went into her waiting room. She had one of them kind of out of body things where she's looking down. She's on her second liver. She had a lot of problems. She's like, why is all them people working on me? Why are they all working on me? Well, because she's about to die. But she said, you know, I'd never trade my experience of where I was at. She said, because there was this overwhelming love that was in that room. I said, baby, it was an agape love, wasn't it? I said, she said, no way. She said, Jesus wasn't mad at me. Nobody, she said, it was all just the most beautiful thing. She said, it was a love like I'd never felt before. I said, what awaits you, friend? It's an unconditional. Unconditional love Yeah, she said I wouldn't trade a person almost dead she said I'd never trade what I experienced there here on this earth And you know what? God let that happen for a reason People need hope today. There's hope and it's through Jesus Christ the way the truth and the life and it says Then hoping he they understanding that they might understand the scriptures. Verse 46 and said unto them, thus it is written and thus it behoove Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day. Members. Remember what they said there? He said, why are you looking for the, why seek ye the living among the dead? They said there in the first part, why seek living? Hey, Jesus is alive and he gives us life. You know what? There's a lot of stuff going to happen in this world. Seem like a lot of crazy stuff's happening right now. But I tell you, when you, the Bible tells us in one spot, it said, when you see all this crazy stuff, stuff happening, look up, your redemption draweth nigh. You could be of that generation when the lord comes especially you young ones. I don't know. I'll be 62 lord. Well i'm coming up I don't know some may be older some may be younger, but you may be of that generation where you see the lord coming in Hey, look, he said you won't hinder those that's already asleep. You ain't going to hinder them ones in the grave I don't believe it'll happen. I believe that's why all them boys wanted to go back to that cave of mack peeler I believe they knew about the resurrection of the dead Hey, remember they was down in egypt. They embalmed and said take us back to the to the cave of mack peeler Hey, they wanted to go back there. I believe they knowed about the resurrection of dead I believe everybody's been saved by the grace of god Knowed about the resurrection of the dead because the spirit of god was in them the spirit of god It says the spirit of truth will reveal all truth God knows what he's doing He knows what he's doing. It's his business, not ours. And it says, and he said unto him, thus it is written. And thus it behoove Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead. The third day, the third day. He likes them threes. I like that. Excuse me. He says in the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations beginning at Jerusalem. Remember what they all came preaching? Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is what? At hand. John the Baptist, forerunner Jesus, all the disciples, apostles, All those teachers of old, what should we be preaching today? Repent. Repentance and faith, they're inseparable graces. I don't know if God gives you the ability to repent, adds faith to it, or gives you the faith to repent. They're inseparable. We need to know these things. Tell them to people. They're inseparable graces. Huh? Godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salvation, not to be repented of, but earthly sorrow worketh death. People need to know you can be sorrowful because you Team loss, your dog died, something happened, hey, but you gotta realize who God is. You gotta be soft in your heart for what you are, a sinner, and know, hey, and you need to be saved by grace. You need to come to that knowledge of the truth of who Jesus is, that God could reveal Him to you. Soften your heart, try to soften your heart. Try to seek out, you know, I tell people like this, only God can save a soul, but listen, if you get to talking to Him, and you get to seeking after him, chances are you might get what you need. You seek the Lord while he may be found. Call upon him while he is near. Yeah. He ain't gonna take nobody twisting your arm, kicking and screaming through the pearly gates. It ain't gonna happen that way. When you feel that tug and that draw right there, you better be seeking the Lord. He's giving you an opportunity. Why do I know he's giving you opportunity? Because the scripture says, for the grace of God that bring us salvation hath appeared unto all men. If you're of a sound mind, the Lord's going to come to you, friend. If he hadn't already, he's going to come. He's on his way. You know, I thank God there around Christmas time, there's some children up there singing at the VA, 40 or 50 of them. It's from St. Matthew's Church or something. Well, next thing you know, I got to where I got to singing. I didn't, you know, I wasn't trying to be, you know, be seen or not, but I just, Christmas, you know, I was just, I was getting happy singing Silent Night and all that stuff. I just, you know, I was getting happy in there. And this woman said, hey, you want to sing with the kids? I said, well, yeah, I reckon, if you don't care. And I said, I'll sing with them. And I got right down there at the end when the Lord told me, I didn't know if it was about to be done. I just stopped and I said, y'all ever heard the real Christmas song? And they said, what's that? And I just sung that little jingle I heard as a kid. You know, one that goes, something I heard when I was a little kid, like these little ones. You know, it says, C is for the Christ child, born upon that day. H for herald angels in the sky. R for our Redeemer. I means Israel. And S is for the star that shone so bright. T is for three wise men, they who traveled far. is for the manger where he lay. H is for all he stands for. S means shepherd's cane. And that's why there's a Christmas day. And boy, my heart just flooded. And I looked at them children and I just pointed right there. I said, you know that emptiness? Turned out they was 8th graders. I said, you know that emptiness she started feeling right there? Boy, you ought to have seen the looks on her face, brother. You ought to have seen them. They all knew that I knew something about them. It had come to them, the majority of them, probably all of them, as eighth graders. People smart today, you know. And I said, you know that emptiness you started feeling right here, do you know what that is? Nobody knew. I said, anybody know at all? I said, that's simply the place where Jesus belongs. And you say, well, that don't seem like that was that much. I said, you're gonna have to get saved by the grace of God. You're gonna have to have a little talk with Jesus. It ain't very often I get to see 40 or 50 kids that I can tell about Jesus. Boy, my heart overflooded that day. I said, thank you, Jesus, for letting me be in a state of worship that them people recognize and said, hey, you wanna sing with us? That's your heart, your meditation. C.A. Spurgeon said, meditate upon the Lord. I think it was, and he said, he'll visit you often. He'll turn weekdays into Sundays, meals into sacraments, homes into temples, and earth into heaven. Anything wrong in this world? At that particular time, I don't know nothing about it. Hey, I'm feeling pretty good right now, tell you the truth. And it says, and ye are witnesses of these things. And behold, I send you the promise of my father upon you, but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you're undued with power from on high. Now, you know, when you receive the power of the Holy Ghost, you know, that's like when people are born again, when you have that conversion, And those sins are thrown into the sea of forgetfulness as far as the east is from the west. And people are wondering, boy, I sure would like to feel like that again. You're never going to feel that overwhelming as that, because all your sins were forgiven. You can't get back there again till you get to heaven. But here's what you can do. The same way that you sought the Lord unto the salvation of your soul, seek him every day of your life Seek him every day of your life with your whole heart and that peace love and joy that passes all understanding can dwell with you You can have that joy in your heart that praise on your lip and that grin on your face. You know, it's like a the Bible says in His presence is fullness of joy the Bible says the joy of the Lord I quote all the time the joy the Lord is your strength and And we'll try to finish up. The joy of the Lord is your strength. So what does the devil really want to take from you? He wants to extract your joy. He wants to get you upset, oppressed, depressed, anxiety, all these different things. He wants you to be in conflict with your family, your brothers and sisters, and causing discord in the church, different things. He wants confusion. That's where he dwells. That's where he hangs out. And it's important. And he led them to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands and blessed them. And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them and carried up into heaven. Now listen, and they worshiped him and returned unto Jerusalem with great joy. I said those words of joy because when we get into that place where we worship him it brings us great joy and and people you know, I was I was telling It's kind of funny. I don't say it in a boastful way, but somebody told me I used to say all the time the Word of God His spirit his joy. It's contagious and People like that. They like to, I mean, it's a lot easier to smile than frown. I mean, people get, it's a lot easier to be around somebody that's bubbling over with enthusiasm for the Lord than somebody that's, you know, like slept rock with a cloud, right? But I had somebody read the other time, I was telling Brad, I said, well, you're contagious. Well, that's a wonderful compliment. Just like I had someone tell me a little while back, said, you've really challenged me. I want you to think about that. Challenge your brothers and sisters not to be like you. or to be anything that God doesn't want them to be, but challenge them. When you see, speak into their lives. There's life and death in the power of the tongue. When you see, and pray to God that I could have a word of encouragement, or when you see that brother or sister that's trodden down and you see trouble in their life and you know that there's a call upon them that they're gifted in certain ways, speak to them. Speak into their lives. Hope of joy of love speak to them that they might be able to get up in Jesus name and do the things that God Would have them do and and you know, that's that's one thing that I've often wondered And I'm about to finish up Brad, but I said I've never been a jealous man by any means. I don't think I Hope not anyway, but I guess if it was somebody I was jealous of Would have probably been Adam and Eve They spent time here on the earth with no sin. Sounds a little bit like heaven, doesn't it? Like I was telling the brother today, I about come to tears. I was thinking about that song the Primitives sang. And I might have to write one that way one day. I pray the Lord would help me, because I think about it often. But the guy says, well, he's talking about being in heaven. And he says, I won't have to write you anymore. Nothing much changes around here. You think about that. I won't have to keep writing you. What it says in the book and what you experience, that eternal joy and that agape, that fullness of agape love and be able to wish him in pure spirit and pure truth, you'll receive something that When it says I has not seen or heard that's down here and to come I has not seen or heard has an inner heart of man What God has prepared for those that love him you'll experience something. That's it'll be good throughout the ages However, it works out Someone said a while back, you know, you got people dividing over everything You know all millennial pre-millennial Different things and I can't remember what he told me anyway. But he said anyway, he says, I believe it's going to turn out just the way the Lord wants it to. All the things that people fuss over, we need to think about what we're fussing over. We need to earnestly contend for the faith once delivered unto the saints. That's our biggest job, I believe. But anyway, Jesus said, no one can come to me unless the father who sent me draw him and I'll raise him up in the last day. The Bible says the Lord's nigh unto them, he's close unto them, that be of a broken heart, he save us such that we have a contrite spirit. Gotta be broken, be crushed. Bible says it's impossible to please God without faith. Those that come to God first must believe that he is a rewarder of those that diligently seek him. the Bible says that Faith is a substance hope for the evidence of things not seen. Let me explain something to you man wants to have understanding About something that he can have faith in it God wants you to leap out in faith friend saved or lost and he'll give you the understanding the righteous live by faith Not by sight and if you want to become righteous in the sight of God, you're gonna have to leap out in faith and trust the only begotten Son of God You gotta come to Jesus, come to Jesus. And the Bible says, seek the Lord in the days of your youth before the evil days come upon you. Seek the Lord while he may be found. Seeking while he may be found. Call upon him while he is near. It's important. Call upon the name of the Lord while he's close to you. And I'm thankful for that. that's it. I thank you for your time. I thank you most of all for your prayers. Keep us in your prayers. Pray for my wife for her healing and continuing and I thank and love all of you and I appreciate you. Bless you.