Harold Hoffman - Jesus: Lesson 4

[Music] amen praise the Lord Church oh praise the Lord isn't it awesome to be in the house of the Lord on a Wednesday evening but even more more exciting to be on a Wednesday than the first day of a brand-new year for new opportunities for us in our family I'm just so excited for what God's doing and what he's going to be doing in all of our lives why don't we just why don't we just come together as a church body and just give him some honor and the glory that he deserves and just going before the Lord in a sovereign humble word of prayer for ourselves for our families for a brand new year of opportunity for opportunities and increase of our territory let's pray Lord Jesus we come before you right now God to give you all the honor and the glory in the praise we worship you in this house today Lord we give you thanks Lord Jesus we praise you today in all of your heavenly glory hallelujah old mighty god mighty god maker of heaven and earth and all things that are seen and unseen we just thank you today Lord for the opportunity and the privilege to be in your presence god we thank you for waking us up today Lord we thank you for setting our feet on solid ground we thank you today Lord for blessing us with a sound mind God ah hallelujah Oh Lord Jesus you are the author and the finisher of our salvation Jesus and we just thank you Lord and we're gonna worship you're like we've never worship you before oh come on church let's give the Lord of mighty hand of praise [Applause] [Music] come on let's just continue to worship come on [Music] [Applause] look at your neighbors say it's a new season it's a new day come on sing it [Music] [Applause] you see yeah like shake it [Music] it's embarrassing come me too that song felt a little different didn't it come on how many people truly truly believe that we're living in a new season today this is a new time this is a fresh time for us to start back over again fresh and I'm thankful for that we're living in a new season a new day we're in a new decade my wife texted me and said or she texted my my mother-in-law yesterday and said hey we're reading two different decades because we just got back from Tennessee last night and it's 20 it was 2019 at 11 o'clock here or there and it was 12 o'clock here and she said man we're in a whole different decade right now but I want to let you know that you stepped into a brand new season to a brand new season brand new mercies when you woke up this morning I wonder if we can sing that just one more time everybody together it's a new yeah it's flowing my it's the seals and prosperity it's a new garment it's a new season it's a new season [Music] if you believe in unreal believe that you live in a new season a new day see them do great things in 2019 but he's not done yet it's 20 Oh Oh [Music] [Applause] you [Music] [Music] Steele says create is your friend 4x you face the Linea this is you he's never failed you promising you promise still great is [Music] [Music] now if you know that he's never failed you yet can you lift your voice in this place and cry out to your God [Music] come on cry out to God [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] still stands great is your face faithful you've been faithful to ask Allah and I'm still in your this is my car that you've now [Music] I do [Music] and I never will forget you never fail you and I won't forget [Music] no you never failed me and I never will forget so easy to forget [Music] [Music] that's it just go ahead and continue to pray want us to look back over our lives this year be really easy for us to just continue to go on and worship and just get through tonight and act like it's just a disservice wonder I want to challenge us as a church that is truly reflect he's been faithful faithful [Music] you lost the battle no you lost the bad No Oh [Applause] so this is why we can sing narrating you promise still stands who's crazy sure [Music] I'm still in your hands this is my god for the deaths you [Music] see [Music] this is my car [Music] because you never loans to go [Music] great is the Lukas come on can we give him some praise just one more time [Music] hallelujah we're gonna continue to worship just a little bit longer we've taken a chance to look back and see where God has been faithful another songwriter says I look I look behind seeing where you've been faithful but I look ahead believing that you're able and and I think this is the moment where we're gonna do that right now so we're looking forward in 2020 believing that we're not looking back we'll look back on the victories but we'll continue to look forward during the defeats that we've had and believing that God's gonna do something supernatural in our church family for 2020 do you believe that in this house come on do you believe that God's gonna do something supernatural in the midst of our church family in the year of 2008 I have decided to follow Jesus I have decided to follow Jesus no none go with me still I'm gonna go with me [Music] what a moment you have brought me to such a freedom no I have found in you you're the healer who makes all of these new yeah yeah yeah I'm not going back I'm moving ahead yeah it's a declared to you my past is over the ring thing to make sure in my eyes [Music] you have rezoned [Music] anybody grateful yes [Music] [Applause] to do [Applause] [Music] [Applause] No [Applause] [Music] you Oh [Music] [Music] the tukoji [Music] [Music] [Music] come on with confidence declare that in the house [Music] this is what I was saying before known ago with me [Music] still a fine [Music] no not go with me still father [Music] decided to follow Jesus [Music] oh just one more time can we sing it say [Music] [Music] [Laughter] [Music] if you'll just and I believe that God is doing a great thing in the Saints of First Church I believe that we serve of God it's greater than any of our struggles I believe the worse that we serve of God it is greater than any of our difficulties and I can feel the spirit moving in this house right now of you Lena I can feel the spirit right now of delivering some I have to feel the spirit right now of Liberty if you believe that God is liberating somebody in this place today why don't you let him know just raise your voices of kings and the Lord of lords hallelujah hallelujah thank you Jesus [Music] oh come on churches don't feel like worship in this have some church on a Wednesday evening let's let the King of Kings and the Lord of lords know that we love him let's let him know that he's in charge let's let him know that he can do all things Jesus you still give it to a slaughter [Music] I feel such a beautiful spirit of the Lord in this place I can feel this spirit moving like a mighty rushing wind in this house can anybody else feel this spirit with us tonight hallelujah oh thank you Jesus well I just want to welcome everybody to first church on this Wednesday evening first day of the year of 2020 I'm so grateful for my trials because my trials have made me appreciative of my victories amen and we have let me but victorious victorious reaping to come this next new year I feel it in the Holy Ghost Church hallelujah just want to welcome everybody once again the first church were we know that our mission is to love God learn the word and live the life amen I'm excited about what what the Lord's gonna bring for us tonight and before we before we move forward you know I'm gonna be a little selfish is it okay if I'm selfish with the Holy Spirit tonight is extra special for me you know today celebrates five years that I walked into this church on a Wednesday evening service just like this and our pastor Harold Hofmann married Lisa the sweetheart of my life right here at this altar and I just want to I just want to congratulate and just want to thank my wife and wish her a very happy anniversary on this evening where she at she's hiding and with that how many of you are excited for the fast come on you excited for the fast because the fast whatever you feed grows amen you want to feed your flesh your flesh is gonna grow but if we feed our spirit our spirit is gonna grow as a church body and we're gonna accomplish the things that God has has set forth for us to accomplish but it's gonna take some sacrifice on our side on our end amen how many are willing to sacrifice for the next 21 days I'm with you and everybody knows that I love to eat true story so I was getting ready to come to church today and the button busted off this neck button busted off their shirt about three months ago and so my wife fixed it and I saw it hanging there I'm like going to put that shirt on tonight so I put the shirt on and I couldn't button the top button and so my first instinct was to blame God for that woman that he blessed me with for not putting the button in the right spot because I wanted to blame her for making it too tight but the reality is I'm growing another neck in here and I'll be the first to tell on myself I wanted to blame my wife for blow on the button on too tight but it wasn't that it's just I've been feeding my flesh too much so I have I'm just very grateful for this fast and God has a way of showing us things amen he showed it to me in that mirror today with that button on my shirt in fact on the way here it was a little hot and I thought she turned the heat up on purpose to make it squeeze on my neck Haim head as I rushes come forth this portion of the service we're gonna return back to the Lord what's rightfully his what he's entrusted us with so we're gonna pray for that offering I'm gonna pray for her for the Lord to increase it Lord Jesus we come before you today one more time God to give you all the honor and the glory in the praise we thank you today Lord God for blessing us Lord for large in our territory and blessing us in Vida we're asking you Lord to just bless the cheerful giver as we're diligent to return a portion of what you've entrusted us with back to your storehouse in Jesus holy and mighty name amen not in a way why don't you greet somebody in the Holy Spirit the Lord the Bible says to show hospitality without grumbling so why don't we just wish somebody Happy New Year [Music] [Music] hope you have one of these and get you a one-year Bible you can still get in if you wait until the middle of February it gets a little depressing trying to play catch-up but please let's read the word of the Lord through this year together and you can do theirs there's a lot of options on this and you can get paperback as just a couple bucks if you get an Amazon account you know Amazon does new books and use books most the time I buy the used ones you can just get them for a couple bucks and they're just as good many times that's brand new stuff but if you're you're hardcore and diehard then do King James and I'm not saying that negative negative Lee I personally believe that King James a version of the Bible is is the most authentic and accurate Greek translation into English and so I always use a King James as my principal text and but I I do really enjoy three other ones and that's the NIV the message and the amplified and the problem you get into with other versions is is doctrine doctrine gets a little bit flaky when you deal with some of these other things when you deal with something like the Living Bible it's it's really watered down and my biggest concern and and my biggest criticism of other translation is the difference between the word forgiveness and remission they are not the same and so many times in other translations they will intent or they use them interchangeably most of the time they will interject forgiveness for remission it's not the same and it will say then Peter said unto them repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins you you you you have to remember it says though your sins be as scarlet though your sins be as scarlet and scarlet that the color scarlet was never accomplished with one process thus color cartlett there the color scarlet get my tank tongue gold here and it's like you you you dip it once in a very deep red ocher that they got from a red clay they let it dry then they dip it again scarlet is only capable of being produced after it's dipped two times it's a double dyed process and I've always wanted to do it there are just words and I may talk about some of those tonight I if we have time but that Bible is very very very precise and there is a reason why the New Testament is written in the Greek language and why the Old Testament is in Hebrew but there is no more descriptive language in the world than the Greek language in English we just say love but in Greek there's three words for love you you'll read about the word wor D and for instance in in your in the King James Bible it'll say John one on one and the beginning was the word the Word was with God the Word was God then in Romans 10 it says faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word same word wor B in Romans 10 as in John 1 and 1 but in the original it's not the same in John 1 and 1 the original word is logos which is most often translated word but also can mean mind will or plan and I've always loved that because UK you can say in the beginning was the plan and the plan was with God and the plan was God I've always been fascinated with that verse and I say a that says I am God and there is none else I'm God if there's none liken to me declaring the end from the beginning from ancient times things that are not yet done so if you want to understand the end you have to be a student of the beginning you have to be and so the other word is a word called Rhema that's the Greek word in Romans chapter 10 faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word but it's Rhema Rhema means personalized word it's when you take it to yourself and it's it's a it's a huge deal and when you deal with scarlet it's there's a red you do do you do your homework do a word search if you have a Bible program and and type in that scarlet man it's all through that Bible that that cord that that Rahab hung out of her house it wasn't a red court it was a scarlet cord when you deal with the tabernacle of Moses it's not red it's scarlet when you deal with so many things through the Bible skits is so much simpler there and there's so much typology and it's it's it's very important that that that you grasp that I the story that means so much to me and I repeat it often but there's just people that haven't heard it and I I always like to keep everybody on the same page my oldest daughter criticized me one time and she said daddy you need new stories and I said no I don't I just need a new audience and my stories are great I just need people who have never heard my stories because people that hear my stories for the first time go WOW you know but my daughter being my daughter she'd get away for saying stuff that I won't let just anybody get away with and and but the best way I that I've ever had to explain this to you is my my my wife's uncle was a little boy and was was arrested when he was nine years old in outside of Boston in Foxborough he was arrested as as just a child because he threw the switch on a set of railroad tracks and it would have been a terrible accident but those one of those men that was walking down the railroad tracks noticed fortunately that the switch was wrong threw the switch back but there was a fresh snow and there were little tracks and he just followed the footprints to the preachers house and arrested Bob and and you know it was but when Bob went to join the military years later they wouldn't they wouldn't let him join the military because he had a record so the question is had the the had the community forgiven that little boy of what he'd done of course of course he had been forgiven but he's still a record and when you when you when people come to repent you and you study the blood in that tabernacle of Moses the blood is through the whole process it's through the whole process that they slew that sacrifice at the altar and then they went to the labor where they washed that blood that's a we've got hunters here you ever field dress a deer I don't care how many I don't care if you do buy them plastic gloves and all the other stuff it's always on your boots it's always just it's and you don't deal with that blood has got a very unique smell and a very short amount of time those priests went to the labor and they washed they washed that blood off of their hands and off of their feet and then they took that blood the blood the only thing left all the rest that was burn upon the author but they took that blood through the holy place went under the veil splashed that blood on the mercy seat and that's when you get the word Shekinah which means the shining it was God I've taught you for years the presence of God comes in two flavors it comes in two dimensions there is the omnipresence of God and then there's the manifest presence of God and they're not the same and that's why one scripture says the whole world is full of his glory but there's a great prophecy I think it's in Ezekiel where it says at that day the knowledge of the glory shall fill the earth it's not just that it's there but they know that it's there and so I've played tricks on crowds for years and said ask them who was the first one to get the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost you know and there are their people's minds give wonderful answers like it had to be Mary the Blessed Virgin she had to be the first one get the Holy Ghost other people say no it was John the Beloved he was probably the others say no is probably Peter because he was given the keys of the kingdom but I it's not Bible the first one to be filled with the Holy Ghost was the house it said it filled all the house where they were sitting so we've I may talk about it with time tonight but we have phrases and pentecost's that that we I watch people praying out around odors it's a lot of this is older Pentecost but man ie if you got around someone praying for the baptism of the Holy Ghost there'd be somebody that'll say hang on hang on hang on and someone else will say let go let go let go you know and someone else will say yield yield yield and and if man if you don't know what's going on man it's just it's you know and and we use a phrase we need God to move we need a move of God and even the second verse in the Bible you know in the beginning God created heaven earth first you said and the spirit moved on the face of the waters and my question has always been well we're in the world's God gonna go I mean we're Psalms is very clear go as far out in the oceans as you can get away from land and and he's there when Neil Armstrong put that first boot print and that lunar dust the Lord was there to meet him you know make your bed in hell he's there take the wings of the morning dwelling their uttermost part of the sea he's there where where are you going to go where God doesn't already exist because there's only three words in our vocabulary that wouldn't be there if it wasn't for God and that's omnipotent which means all power omniscient which means all no all-knowing and on my present which means he he occupies all three time space dimensions at one time God is presently in the past presently in the present presently in the future all at the same time he's not just everywhere right now he's everywhere yesterday and everywhere tomorrow right now and so this is the first day of the new year but I promise you that God that we serve is is still 2019 and he's 2021 while we're living in 2020 God can look at the dashboard in the rearview mirror and through the windshield with all at the same time he's out there in front of it and that's so that's why you know you don't have to worry about tomorrow he's already there it's already there you don't have to worry about your past if you're in him because your life is hid with Christ in God and so you know it's it's fascinating you know this is wintertime but but but the Lord is you know summer winter and spring and fall all at the same time and Jesus when he began his ministry said something very powerful he started it's in Luke chapter 4 Jesus was just baptized by John the Baptist and and he it says as his custom was he went to the synagogue and so he's a young a young rabbi and he's been he is given the book of Isaiah and he reads Isaiah 60:1 spare the Lord is upon me knowing in me to you know preach good preach the gospel to the poor or opening the prison of them that are bound and then then there's this fascinating phrase in Isaiah 61 that says to preach the acceptable year of the Lord and that of course is is in Isaiah 61 it's also in Luke chapter 4 when Jesus read that if you read the prophecy and Isaiah 60:1 the prophecy goes on it says to declare the acceptable year of the Lord the day of vengeance of our God to appoint unto them who mourn in Zion to give them beauty for Ashes oil of joy for mourning garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness watch this that they may be called trees of righteousness the planting of the Lord this is this is this but when you go to Luke 4 Jesus didn't sail that he didn't read all that he got to the place said to declare the acceptable year of the Lord and he stopped and he took that scroll and and gave it back to the rabbi and and the chief priests and and he said something amazing he said this day this scripture is fulfilled in your ears this today and so that that that that doesn't mean much to people if you're not a student of the word because you have to ask yourself the question what is the acceptable year of the Lord and the answers in Leviticus 25 I I when I was a young preacher I made a list of ten men that I wanted to mean and number one on the list was was a guy named GT Heywood and I didn't know that Heywood died in 1933 I didn't know that but I had read this book my dad had this book called the victim of the flaming sword and I read this book and it it it it deeply deeply affected me because I my pastor was a righteous man I don't ever ever mean to denigrate my past he wasn't an educated man I don't know how far he went in school but he wasn't an educated man he was a righteous man his prayers God heard his prayers my dad to this day would say I would just as soon have Lewis Porter pray for me as anybody in the world my pastor and his wife they were godly people they were righteous people but he wasn't a student and so when it was very difficult for me when I was a boy I would go to church and Bible study would be Bible study was always on Tuesday night you service was always on Friday night and even though it was you sir everybody came you didn't miss you service regardless of how old you were it was we went to church four times every week sand morning Sunday night Tuesday and Friday it was just the way it was when you had Vangelis come it was Tuesday through Sunday twice those seven times a week I remember one time being in a revival for I think it was 16 week 16 or 18 weeks it was at least was four months and and and people you couldn't pull that off today but but we did back then because we didn't have as many distractions as people do today and lives you know a little bit slower you know years ago you had the camp meeting and that was the ultimate thing that would happen in the year you know now I know personally for me as a pastor you know we will take a group of people in January to Alexandria Louisiana and there's a great meeting then and then there's there's it's every month of the year there's a thing in Columbia Mississippi I spoke at that last year it's it's a big it's a big event and there's a thing in Stockton California and honor however every month you know you could go to something bigger than General Conference and it was just so we've got lots of options now but back then it wasn't that way and and and and I I just I would go to Bible study and my pastor would read a chapter of the Bible he that's what that was Bob study he would read a verse and he he would just look at and he'd go mmm and then he'd read the next verse and that and that was Bible study he didn't comment on it he didn't give any type of exegesis he didn't he and so I grew up without knowing the Bible i-i-i-i was filled with the Holy Ghost and got baptized because just because of being overwhelmed by the Spirit of the Lord but it wasn't a church that was there was a lot of Bible study a lot of prayers on a very intense prayer a lot of very sincere people but but but not not not so I remember I remember at 16 reading a little book called he Jesus in the Godhead or is the Godhead in Jesus and when I read that book it was my spirit exploded and I remember where I was and I remember when I finally realized that there are not three persons in God and and when when I when I when I saw that it was like oh oh my goodness and so that led me and so I was hungry I had this voracious appetite to read and my dad had this little book and you know the victim of The Flaming Sword written by elder GT Heywood and Heywood was a pastor a black pastor in Indianapolis Indiana I've knowing what I know now and all the time that I've spent in Indianapolis over the years and meeting so many of those people it is my personal belief that Heywood was the greatest preacher of the 20th century and four years four years after Heywood died the police department attributed the low crime rate in in Annapolis to Christ temple to this day Indianapolis Indiana has the lowest crime rate of any large city in America as the lowest crime rate we on the other hand had nine people shot yesterday happy new year you know but so don't you know it remember remember Abraham dealing with Bishop cast pastors a church in in in war and and I remember the first time he invited me to speak at his church and so I did my best to prepare and and thinking it was you know Sunday church when I got there all the men were in tuxedos all the women were in evening gowns and I had no idea what was going on and I said Bishop what what am I do you dress like this for church every Sunday he said oh no no no no he said this is our 30th anniversary and I said why didn't you tell me that I would have prepared something more appropriate he said well I did that for a reason he said I just want you to preach and he said he said you know Chief of Police is going to be here and and I said the Chief of Police he said oh it's worse than that he said the mayor's gonna be here you know what who's the mayor Warren Jim felts he was he's going to be there his wife's going to be there the whole City Council was there the head of the Midwestern ecumenical council was there I didn't have any idea I don't even know what ecumenical means but man he was there and they are all and so he said I just want you to preach that's what I want you to do and and so so I just did what I tried to do all the time you know and and I I I looked I looked at the mayor and said mr. mayor in the Bible there was a there was a place called Sodom and it had a twin city Gold Gomorrah and if there if if there would have been ten righteous people between those two cities they would have still existed to this day and you think of Abraham Abraham is praying and he says would you spare it for 50 and God says okay I'll give you that well then Abraham gets a little bit more aggressive and he slices five off and he said how about forty five okay and he said well work once let's try it again how about 40 he said okay then Abraham gets real aggressive and he slices tin off he said would you spare it for 30 how about 20 and I think it is mine Abraham's going okay I got my daughters I got their husbands I yeah me my wife that he said would you spare it for 10 and he said okay I'll spare it for 10 but what a bur yeah what Abraham didn't understand was you know a lot or he wouldn't talk about his family's time about lot thinking Lots it okay his wife's okay as kids are okay their husbands are okay he I remember years ago doing a study I can't remember exactly what chapters is or it's like 12 and 13 or 13 and 14 but but in Genesis it'll say lot pitched his tent towards Sodom which means every day wouldn't matter in there it's just everyday he got up and opened up his tent flaps that's what he saw every day when he got exactly one chapter later well I can't remember what verse it is it's either the it's either version 12 of Genesis and then it's in 13 or it's in 13 it's 40 it's the same number verse 1 chapter later because one verse says lot pitched his tent toward Sodom one chapter later and I'm sure Mathew being Matthew's probably already got it behind me right now as smart as this kid in Matthew I need to tell you something I have been all over the country and in a lot of places around the world you are the best scripture guy I'm a member I mean I have I have been in thousands of church services over the years but there's nobody quite like Matthew Katherine he is an amazing guy and but isn't it watch the progression he pitches his tent toward Sodom and then it says he dwelt in Sodom then when you go to nineteen of Genesis it starts out saying he said at the gate of Sodom now these are walled cities and so there were gates in these walls and in in architectural term it's called ingress and egress if you've ever been to a big stadium it's a terrible word it's a Roman or it's a Latin word and and it came into Rome LA they call it a vomit or e if you ever go to a basketball arena or football state and they've got these these holes in the middle of the seats that's a vomit or e and it's it's how people get in and how they get out so they they these remember it Matthew Matthew is the he works for the IRS it said Matthew set at the receipt of custom at the gate at the gate that why because he sooner or later everybody's gonna come by him have you paid your taxes yet hey you still owe the IRS this or that you know we're gonna garnish your wages whatever you got penalties and interest that's the way it would be today and and and it's it's it's it's that way with Sodom the the the the the real estate that remember in the book of Acts chapter 3 the guy with who couldn't walk he set he sent at that gate begging why cuz everybody that went to the temple had to go by him it's a good spot if you're a beggar and and and and so that real estate around those gates is highly prized and when it says that lot said at the gate of Sodom he he's involved politically in that city and and so when when when Abraham is praying and doing the math I know Lots righteous and I know his wife is and I'm hoping his kids are and their husbands and that's ten so he's convinced he's prayed far enough to save those two cities but but but that that's not the case I mean even to this day the word Sodom carries with it a very terrible connotation and you get a little insight into how messed up lot became because the Bible said angels came to his house and the men of that city they said bring your visitor out you know we want to be with them and it's a it's a it's a sexual thing and and he said big dad that he is I'll let you rape my daughters you can have my girls and they said no we don't want your girl we want the man that's that's I just can't imagine one to raise your family in that kind of a mess and and I think it's not original with me but you know the lot got got got his wife and kids out of Sodom but he never got sought him out of them and and the Bible said to this day somewhere somewhere out in that desert there's just an old lump and it just looks like any other rock but it used to be a wife it was a woman we don't know what she looked like we are not told to remember her because of her education we're not told to remember her because of her beauty we're not told to remember her because of how much money she was worth it just said remember Lot's wife second shortest verse in all the Bible why because she looked back she looked back but I beside you put your hand to the plow and you look back said you're not fit for the kingdom but I think all of us have looked back a time or two if we're really honest about this thing and there's 360 degrees of direction but 359 of them are wrong Paul said this one thing I do I forget the things that I've left behind and I press towards the mark I mean think of I think of how messed up this is Lots daughters lie with their father and the result of the incest between lot and his daughters are Ammon and Moab and when you study the Old Testament Ammon and Moab are pains in the rear to Israel or their that there there there are at least two verses that I can remember off the top of my head in the Book of Psalms it says Moab is my wash pot it's where God does his dirty laundry and and and yet that you know so David I'm trying to remember how it goes so David David's dad was Jesse Jesse's dad was was a Salman huh what I can't remember Cathy I just know this that there's a book in the Bible cold root and and the real heroes seems to start out to be Naomi but Naomi and her husband and her two boys leave Bethlehem Judah I've always been fascinated with that and I know I'm rambling a little bit right now but but but Bethlehem means House of bread Judah means place of praise so they live in Bethlehem Judah and there's a verse it's the first verse in the Book of Ruth that said there was a man of Bethlehem Judah and he left and went to Moab and because there was a famine in the land of Israel during the time of the judges it's a very specific verse and so when when you look at Naomi's husband and their kids and they live in Bethlehem Judah and they left and they went to Moab and Moab Scott's wash pot well why would you leave and type and type you're living in a place where there's fresh bread or at least there ought to be and there's there's praise it's a great picture what the church ought to be a place where the word is taught and where worship accompanies spirit and truth it's a great type of that but they left that and where did they go they went they went to Moab and Moab is is the wash pot and the husband dies and the boys get married and the boys die and and and I always it amazed me because watch help specific it says there was a famine in the land during the time of the judges we still have the book of Judges and if you read the book of Judges there's only one grape famine during that time and that's when you read the story of Gideon who started out with thousands and God whittled him down to where he had 300 men remember those men that had a torch and they put a jar a pot on a torch and they had a trumpet and God said when I give we're you know giddy and said when I give the command break the pot let the torch shine start blowing on a trumpet so here here is 300 men who shout and shine and when they did literally there's a there's a there's a guy noticed his name was arou beable and and and there's there's a fascinating story about a battle there it said and the Lord set ambushment against the enemy if you do your homework with that what it means is they got so confused it was dark and at night they killed one another and that's what happened with Gideon and his men in that darkness 300 torches look like millions of them and all of them them them them horns blow and echoing everywhere the enemy thought they were completely surrounded they just started running in confusion over said you stab me with your sword I'll put my spear right through your belly and they killed a whole bunch of them it was it was amazing here's my point see see T Naomi's husband could have been one of them 300 guys but he left and and and and one that one of the thing that terrifies me about that first verse is it said there was a famine and the time of the judges and so it teaches us we can't afford to have bad church we can't afford to have dead dry church services why cuz me people make bad choices when you got a famine in what she's supposed to be bread and praise where there ought to be word worship if we don't have good word here and good worship accompanying that word people going to make dumb decisions and I've told you for years I would love to burglarize your life I'd like to stick a gun in your ribs and said you're going to heaven whether you want to go or not I've had people through the years around these odors god no such a truth I soon as they speaking tongues I just like to shoot him right in the head say they're ready to go BAM you know he judge me but they're gonna make it Paul said I'm willing to die in order for Israel to be saved I've never taken a death far but I thought about it you know this bum ain't gonna make it two days he's ready right now BAM you know just just craziness and so that's why I've told you that the best thing that I can do as a pastor is do my best to work with the staff and the teams that we have to create an atmosphere where you can make good choices and the you know there are the earth there are three component parts two great choices and you've got to have word and you've got to have worship and you have to have peace you're never gonna build a church without peace Solomon his name means peaceful one you're never gonna build a church if people are fighting if there's if there's if there's if there's a war raging and the pastor's heart or in his house or in the congregation I was raised in a church of fighting it's why I absolutely despise division i yeah i have done things through the years and i know even to this day some of you are going why in the world did he come down so hard on that because i have seen where that goes and if you've never seen church division and church splits you know fighting in the church i'm talking yeah if you've never seen that thank God you never have but I've seen that and I'm telling you there's nothing uglier than then then carnal Pentecost there's nothing worse than then back slid Pentecost you know Minh and so I I was preaching it bishop cast Church and here's the mayor on the front row and I said mr. mayor if you understood the value of this church you'd pay their mortgage buddy when I said that that whole church stood up started clapping I mean a whole bunch well the mayor his eyes are like a deer in a headlight you know you know and all the City Council's going because I don't know what kind of church they went to I knew the mayor he was Episcopalian you know that's yeah that's that's dead Pentecost that's what that's Bailey knew and he says he's sitting on the front row I just kept on preaching all of a sudden his wife she just starts bawling and squalling and and she's she a man she was made up beautifully man but I don't care how much money you spend on that paint you mix it with tears and it's black I mean she looked like Alice Cooper sitting on a front row man she had black just just streaks running down there she's going like that he puts his arm around her to comfort her she throws his arm off and stands up and starts clapping he don't know what to do so he stands up he starts clapping and Bishop Kass is behind me saying it's working Pentecost it's working go go you know it's just we're apostolic people okay you know Pentecostal experience apostolic and lifestyle yes this is this a commitment every Bible study I've ever taught over the years he comes to a crisis because all of a sudden people go oh I think I think he's expecting me to change yeah I you know it's it this is not rehab this is reborn we are a new creation in Christ Jesus nothing's more frustrating to me as a pastor than for someone to say Oh pastor I've always been that way no no no no no no no yeah you're a born again that old man is crucified with Christ don't tell me just cuz you've always been mean and nasty and a booger bear you're still gonna be that way don't no no no no no no I believe there's a change take out that heart of stone put in a heart of flesh that's that that's real transformation ladies and gentlemen that's that's what after this is this is I'll do it Sunday Sunday's a big deal around here but but it's just we I want to show you where we want to go for the next five years not just the next year the next five years and it's just I'm 62 years old this is my last hoorah okay and I'm not gonna be one of these crazy preachers that die with my boots on now I may die I'm gonna be on a plane tomorrow to Texas I either plane might go down and if I go down fine it's just I've taught you for years you're indestructible till God's done with you if God's when God's done with me I don't care how much you pray I don't care what doctors have I'm dying okay I've tried to show you how to live and I'll do my best when the time comes to show you how to die but I might die fast I might Don a plane tomorrow I don't know but all I know is I don't plan on it you got to have a plan God will interrupt it but that's why I thank God I don't know the you know you buy stuff at the store you better not drink this or eat this after this date everything's got an expiration date well you and I got an expiration date on us but I'm kind of glad I don't know when it is because if I knew exactly it would possibly motivate me to get more done or depress me or terrify me I don't know so you live every day like like you're trying to be ready you know and that's why I'm pushing this kind of stuff on you it's just it's just I probably did something stupid today but I don't know what it was I'll be honest with you iiiiii so far I think I've lived perfectly today I really do I I I I haven't lit anything lodged in my mind that was beneath the dignity of a child of God and I haven't said anything stupid so far I'm not in this Bible study tonight you know and he says I've tried to be careful about my words and I tried to have some time in the word and time in prayer and and doing my best so so I feel like I'm starting off this year right I'm so glad it's a brand-new year cuz I bought the last one up a hundred times I mean you ever think of just I've never touched you on that but just how magical it is to have January 1 God did that for a reason he said this month shall be a beginning of months unto you it was really April for them but for us this is the beginning of months for us and it's just IIIi love this time of the year because I still believe I can lose weight and I still believe that I'm gonna memorize more Scripture than I ever had before and and and and and and make some money and and and and reach some people and build something in the church to just get dreams a trailing gave me a guitar last year for Christmas I still haven't got that thing going figured out but I want to you know and it's just I I just just I love this time of the year because I haven't had enough time to mess anything up yet and it's just but this is a this is a wonderful wonderful season and so I I'll go to bed tonight and and and I got to get up early in the morning to get on a plane but I think I'm gonna be able to Valerie told me years ago I'm a box checker brother Hoffman I'm a box checker and I knew exactly what she meant when she said that because when I look at my life a couple years ago I was having a really good day and I wondered why am I so happy today why so I I just sat down and started writing trying to figure out why was that day better well I was did I had that kind of attitude why and and I and I melted it down to two things that there were two things that bring me great joy and one of them is giving giving something somewhere and the and the other one is getting something done III not nothing just geeks me more than to be able to check the box and say done and so I understand what Valerie meant by that and so the night before laid my head down to sleep I can check that box Dave January 1 I did real good you know I prayed I read my Bible I didn't say anything stupid didn't do it did you see the Pope today oh you ought to see the Pope Pope was going to pray and he had his hand out and some woman just grabbed his hand and started rubbing it and he ripped her his hand out of hers and slapped her hands and don't you dare touch me and then he's apologizing and then the Pope said well even the Pope has a bad day every now and then and and I agree with him I understand what that means even a preacher has bad days every now and then but this has so far hasn't been one of them I box check I only got 364 more to go you know so but but I want more than that you know I mean I had a neighbor one time who was a devout Muslim Muslims have something called the pillars of LSU grit and if you're gonna be a good Muslim uuuuu gonna be faithful faithful to church number two you're going to tithe if you don't tithe you're you're not a Muslim I mean they're big on that money deal man and and and and the third thing is they pray five times every day five times and the other one is called the Hajj where if they sometime in your lifetime you want to go to Mecca and and and pray there at Mecca and there those those are the pillars of else' grib those are the things you want to do if you're a good a good Muslim and and and he confronted me and he said he said Muslims are much more devout than Christians and I said I agree with you and it's stunned him because he wanted to fight with me he said he said I pray five times every day how many times do you pray Harold and I said well be honest with you sometimes I don't pray at all and he said you don't pray at all he said see there see there and I remember saying but you don't understand the value of Christianity is not based on the one doing the believing it's based on the one we believe in and he looked at me and he said I do not understand I said okay I'll give you a couple examples I said in political realm probably the greatest politician the world has ever known is Caesar but Caesar died on the Senate steps of room hmm two brute a if you've ever read Shakespeare's thing and Mike and I were talking yesterday I said sometimes you feel Mike had a bad experience a while ago and talking with someone and I said well you know he step into this ministry thing he gets this big bulls I heard your chest I said there's just times it's that to brew tea and he said what do you mean by that I mean you're gonna look at somebody that you were absolutely convinced was on your side and you go with this big knife sticking in your back you you you to you you're gonna kill me like everybody else you know and it's just you know so Caesar died on the Senate may be the greatest philosopher the world has ever known as a guy named Socrates Socrates died drinking hemlock poisonous leaf in a prison in Athens and and you know he said I don't understand where you're going with this arrow I I said what happened to Mohammed he said he died I said exactly I said the one that I serve lived and died and resurrected that's the difference and he said you got me there said Mohammed didn't resurrect and I said we what we do see if Jesus did when we built this building the architect art collegian is a wonderful guy great Christian but he asked me where's the cross gonna be and I said we're not gonna have a cross and he used to be Greek Orthodox and that was like blasphemy what do you mean you're not gonna have a cross in a church I said we're not gonna have a cross in a church I said how about a big hole in the wall could we put a big hole in a wall and he said what do you mean I said don't you understand art the Romans killed thousands of guys on crosses lots of people died on crosses he said well what's the hole in the wall I said that's the open to he's the only one that came out of the tomb by his own power you read Cribb criticized me for years and people said oh you're denigrating the cross but but the view recur in thien's 15 Paul said if he didn't resurrect where we're all living in deception if he didn't come out of the ground we just might as well go to the ballgame and get drunk because that resurrection is what this whole thing is about and that's what I told my neighbor the one that I serve lived and died and came back to life and what I do is based on what he did not what I've done I enter into that and that's what makes that's what separates Christianity from every other religion in the world it's the one that we believe in and what he's done for us and I don't know what time is it and I have a watch on listen to us here's Colossians two and four and this I say lest any man should be guile you with enticing words for what time I have left tonight let me let me talk to you about words words that are in the Bible because thoughts thoughts travel on words and and and and if you have a thought on your mind and you want to convey it then then you're gonna do it with words it's it's like well you know or you know what I mean no no I don't you know I it frustrates me some young PU you know what I mean you know what I mean you know what I mean no I don't know what you mean tell me say something to me you know the person you talked to won't have a clue unless you're able to express yourself because words are the primary thought vehicles for the human race and and and the English language is full of weird words some are odd some are amusing others to me are just flat-out confusing I'll give you a couple examples a butterfly is not a fly it's a moth you know a jellyfish is not a fish it's a squid a dandelions not a lion it's a it's a it's not a fly it's it's it's it's a flower and a titmouse it's not a mouse it's a bird okay did you ever eat a hamburger there's no ham in a hamburger oh okay a panda bear it's not a bear it's a raccoon you know a chipmunk ain't a monk it's a squirrel a polecat that's a skunk a pitbulls not a bull it's a dog mountain lions not a line it's a cougar funny bones is not a bone it's a nerve a peanut it's not a nut it's a bean that's why I get frustrated they people want to be called gay it's not gay it's not funny it's perversion a charismatic is not a charismatic he's a backslidden a Stalag hey charisma hear the word Chris it's word for power and the Bible charisma is the adjective form of a Greek noun it means to be spiritually empowered and endowed to minister and when people leave the real stuff the first thing they do is throw off all form of righteous appearance now I I do my best in in and I don't I don't talk a lot about this publicly because we do so much of it privately but I I am absolutely and completely convinced that we are supposed to be a witness the Bible says in acts 1:8 you shall receive power after the Holy Ghost is come upon you and you be witnesses unto me I I I believe that very very very strongly and I don't I can't talk like this a lot of times on Sunday because we've got people here that they haven't got a clue what's going on and so I got to try and be wise a serpent and harmless as a dove but this is a Bible study night you people are the diehards you hear this church lives and breathes and dies or lives based on what's here in Bible study that's why prayer meeting is so important we're expecting over a hundred people in prayer meeting next Monday night this coming Monday night because for these next three I'm pushing on you squeezing on you don't go tell me I got to get the kids in school I can't be there I've seen people in this church for years pray would you please pray that God would give us a child and God give him a child and then they said we can't come to Bible study because we got to get the kids in bed and so the very kid they asked God to guess them with us now become these cubes to not come to the house of the very God that gave the child it's craziness it's nuts it's just I I just because I'm convinced the effectual effectual fervent so that lazy prayer stuff don't do it effectual fervent prayer of righteous people what's what's righteousness it's just doing what's right and don't say the right words amen go to the right places touch the right stuff be around the right people you know that's what righteousness is and it's just the effectual fervent prayer of righteous people avails availeth what's that mean it means it matters it makes a difference so what's that mean it means if you're not praying fervently you're not getting done you know why come to pray and if you say come on pastor lay off you know and it's just but and and and it's catching on in this church because when we come here to pray I don't want you coming here saying now I lay me down to sleep park my car in the street hope nobody rips it off you know or just memorize all the missionaries names and god bless this one and god bless that one and God blesses it and I'm all for having a prayer list but but but but but but when we come me you know it's one thing when when we have a corporate prayer meeting you can't pray corporately the same way you do privately there's a little difference in that thing man and it's just you just so don't pray the same way corporately that you do privately all boys why because I'm trying to I'm trying to make you stretch remember that prophet in the Old Testament that's a kid the kids the boys dead but the Bible said the Prophet stretched himself how do you stretch if you're already three times bigger than him we're dealing with something in the sphere of the error trying to get you to stretch if all you ever do is pray in English then learn to pray in the Holy Ghost the Bible said building on your most holy faith praying in the Holy Ghost if all you ever do is pray and the Holy Ghost and talk in tongues that ain't doing you ain't gonna doing anybody else any good it's corporate prayer what's that mean it means if all we ever do is talk in tongues then then it's it's one-dimensional I'm trying to push on you you want to do that when you're alone fine do it I'm cool with that I do that but when you're in a corporate environment pray that God would enable you to discipline your mind to be able to craft syllable and consonant and verb and valid create and craft prayers may worm that's what we're making prayers we're making prayers so there's no effort to that if you already know their name there's no effort to that if you already know what we're asking you to stretch yourself when we come together and pray and say dear God help me tonight because there's a tipping point and the spirit ladies and gentlemen it's just it's a it's like being on the seesaw when you're kids man oh yeah you get you get some some some chubby POW on one end and you gotta have four of us on the other to make the thing to the teeter-totter you know it's the same way in the spirit you got to understand sometimes it just takes one drop of devotion on the other side to push that thing the other way and and that's why you gotta you Paul said first of all prayers an intercession giving of thanks what does it mean that those are different ways of praying the interception if you've ever been an intercessory prayer you you you you you probably not gonna do that in English the Bible talks about groanings which can be uttered you're giving birth to something you're not praying for what you want you're praying for what God wants that's a whole different animal and so when you come together in a corporate prayer this is what I want you to do dear God who where do you want us to go tonight in prayer do you want us to go to South America do you want us to go to to Africa they do do do do do you want us to stay here in this local city do you want us to stay within the confines of this church family where do you want us to go you ever play whack-a-mole I mean that's what prayer is I mean this thing's comes up BAM you hit it appear Bam Bam Bam that's what prayer prayer is like having the janitors stealing the janitors key ring and you're trying to get in the lunchroom yeah but you know high school janitors got that big thing on is it what that big comes out there that you know that big retractable thing man whoa you know I mean it's I hate keys I had I this is this is what I have that's it I I hate keys but but but but but if you're trying to get a brother brother Mooney told me or obviously I was with a group of men he told this great story one time this little boy came up to him said brother Mooney any money passes a church in Indianapolis he said when I when I grew up I don't want to be a pastor just like you and in Muniz tender guy and it just overwhelmed him any big old tears running down his cheeks and he said well why why do you want to be a pastor like me son and he said cuz you got the key to the Pope machine so what if the pop machines in the kitchen and the kitchens lock you know and you got to get the janitors key ring I promise you we got people here tonight you ought to see how many keys are on there yeah who's got the most keys here tonight tell me who's got the most huh who's that brand ale how many you got I miss how many you got huh oh man we're not talking about rabbits foots and all that other stuff man brother Roberts how many keys he left I know you got at least six you got eight can anybody beat eight huh anamarie Parsons were you uh she said she's only got two Oh looky here oh you win I don't know oh who can be Nate yeah I know somebody's in there could be Nate huh how many you think you have how many Oh gimme gimme give me your keys huh it's not even a car keys look at this look at this mess I mean that's it makes perfect sense to her it means nothing to me and let's say I'm trying to get in into the let's say somewhere in this is the key to the pop machine you know you think I'm gonna hit this first I promise you man did you ever do you ever pull the plug out of that switch and try to put it back in when it's dark this is an unalterable irrevocable law of the universe you're going to have to flip the switch the other way because the fat plug is on the other side it never I have never stuck that I could remember stuck the plug in the wall and it fits it's always the fat ones on the other side it's the same way with this I promise you I would be on key number 11 before I ever got the pop machine open what are you saying I'm saying that's what prayer is that's why Michelle was always the greatest one in the kids you know you know you'd have to been around here for a while to understand that story and that's what you're doing in prayer that's what we do Sunday remember Paul said lay hands on no man suddenly that's what he did I I violate that every Sunday I do I violated why cuz I'm not the Apostle Paul Paul said I know no man as to the flesh in other words when Paul went up to you he's giving you an MRI Holy Ghost but back slid carnal profit I can't do that I just shake hands with everybody but I'm gonna tell you what I do do I'll go and pray around the altar and you'll pray for somebody and it's like praying for that carpet right there and you go the next one I'm not saying they're wrong I'm just saying I'm not the guy to pray for that person right now so I'll go to the next one it's like you're praying for a piece of wood then you go the next one and always said something goes wrong and I go aha I found the key to pop machine that's where I'm supposed to pray that's where I'm supposed to be at that's why when somebody is really intensely praying for somebody don't grab them and say come on over here and pray leave them alone why we got a divine hookup going on there it's just when people are praying then the Holy Ghost don't just come up and put your arm around a minute discriminately disturb them that that birds going like this then that Dove is getting ready to land you got to be you got to be you got to have some sense in the spirit to understand whoa you know I mean if some guy's fixing to ask some girl to marry them you don't want to say hey bro yeah you know you want to go the ballgame next week you don't interrupt that that's a very special time when somebody's in the Holy Ghost and they're interceding and you don't have no idea what's going on in the spirit they may be praying for a pastor and of America they may be praying for somebody's fixing to die in North Korea you don't know you see you're in mysteries but in the spirit there's a power there and that's that's not now I lay me down as that's intercession and when you get an intercession you don't know what the minute is you don't know if that you lose track of time you're in the midst of a communion with a crimeless God this is use that you understand this and and there are times there are times it's like you'll see me I'll guess I'll get under a light somewhere and I'll read my Bible and sometimes they'll just read it out loud most of the time I'll read probably Romans chapter 8 Romans chapter 8 always does it for me we're Psalms 51 but it's just I'm reknit if that doesn't work you know I'll start singing a song now you know me I can't sing but that doesn't matter if you don't but I seen moves God because he realizes and I'm reaching up to him and I and it's just it's what I'm saying is if every major league baseball pitcher has to have three great pitches a fastball a curveball a slide or something like that and and if we're going to really be who we need to be in God you got to do more than be able to say hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah you got to do more than go and I'm not trying I'm not trying to mock speaking in tongues I'm just saying you you've got that pitch down now go to the next one do you know how to intercede do you know how to give thanks do you know how to make make prayers make prayers that that's a discipline all of its own you've got this amazing English language now take that thesaurus that you have of words and craft this this this this gun this bomb because do you realize that weep we and that's what I'm saying dear God help me to pray the prayer that can be the tipping point in this community help me to pray the prayer that can make the difference between no and yes death and life forgiveness and despair and full it's just where and that's what you're searching for and that in your Wham you hit that when you hit that one here but when you find that forget about the rest there's where you park for that prayer time I'm number of years ago I preached the same sermon three Sundays in a row and people I didn't change nothing I mean same scriptures same examples same everything and there were people think my god don't have anything else to preach what's the deal and I said I reason I'm doing this because you didn't get it the first time I'm gonna do it again I get again till you get it and it's just and then that's what we got to understand it's just there it's yeah I I'm not I'm not telling you that I'm the Paragon of this but I see this in the word and I'm stretching and I want you to stretch with me it's 20/20 you know what 20 20 years perfect vision that's what this year has to be when we see it clearer than we've ever seen it before we got us oh you know yeah I get so sick you know my ways are not your ways my thoughts aren't your thoughts don't don't stop there go to the book of Philippians that said take the get the mind of Christ get the mind of Christ you can start yeah you member that scripture in Corinthians I have not seen neither has ear heard neither has it entered into the heart of man the things God has prepared for them and love them the verse doesn't end there it keeps going to says but God has revealed them unto us by his Spirit by his Spirit yes there's things remember that thing in Corinthians is it is it chapter 3 where it says we look not at things which are seeing we look at things look at the wording we look at things which are not seen if you can't believe the impossible you'll never see the invisible and that's why it's just stretch stretch stretch you know without the tool I I say this so many times but it's it's the beginning of the year we're back to basics here don't write a check with consecration you can't cash with daily living do not make some impossible vow to God that you can't keep an impossible number of scriptures you say you're going to memorize so it come on it would be better if tomorrow morning it before you went to work it would be better if you prayed in the morning now I was a night out for years and my wife's going I still go back into my bat antique sometimes because I couldn't focus with noise I had to have perfect stillness and so I waited till everybody went to bed then I would study and I not that's when I would do my study at night and I developed and it's a bad habit because if if all you do is pray at night a lot of your prayer is going to be wasted by asking God to forgive you of the stuff you messed up during the day it would be better if you learned the Bible said and a great Wow before day he went out and prayed if you can this year do your devotions in the morning and we have Mother's here with kids I get it but I live and have lived for 40 years with a praying woman and I don't care what time of the day she goes to bed she gets up at 5:00 because she knows nobody else is awake then and that's when I'll hear through the ductwork in the house in the bedroom my sweetheart in there praying interceding reading that Bible she gets that out of the way because she knows once once once seven o'clock shows up and Ashley's rolling around and our phone always starts ringing about a quarter to wait everyday and it goes till midnight I was sound asleep last night 2:30 in the morning I am somebody called they don't live here they live a long way and it was they were great of how to talk him off the ledge and it was like I didn't even know who I was it was just like it's the beginning of the year if you've never done this don't say I'm gonna pray an hour every day no you won't say 15 minutes 15 minutes and here's what you do with that you get up and you get this right you get this and you say god I haven't met anybody yet today I haven't experienced and I haven't no encounters with people but you know who I'm gonna meet today and you know what road I'm gonna walk and I'm asking you that when I go through your word I'm asking you to give me some daily bread right now out of this word that I'm gonna need some time today I promise you it'll happen I promise you there will be a scripture that you've read a hundred times and I was going to go and there'll be some time in that day when something stupid happens you need to go oh because the Bible said no weapon formed for means it's already built no weapon formed against you will prosper because at the last minute just about the times Jeff Jeff erwich Frankenstein you know and and I think it's Frankenstein he's up there in the in the top of that big and the lightning and and dr. Frankenstein's got Igor at all and he throw the switch man and he throws that switch and the lightning bolts go go I still remember first time it's alive its alive its alive you know it's just that's where Satan is every day he's got all this stuff ready to destroy us and he's you know getting ready to throw the switch and and Jesus takes the batteries out takes the fuses out of the box or Clips the wires and he's gone and you and I just keep on going totally oblivious to what the Lord just protected us from why because we did that thing in the morning take take take five minutes off take five minutes and read your scripture take five minutes and half and have a time of Prayer just we gotta go but if I had you hold your breath oh yeah I I I got fascinated with scuba diving years ago and when I was in Japan and I met free divers and free divers are freaks of nature they are just they there they're usually skinny little people and they they super pumped their lungs they breathe in and they stuff their lungs with as much air as they possibly can and and man just broke the world record freed I just broke the world record freedom he dove seven hundred and forty feet down and back on one breath of air held his breath for six minutes that's you don't do that just sticking your head into the bathtub every now and I don't work that way don't work that way it's a real devotion situation because most of us three minutes maybe but if I had you hold your breath right now and you got to the end you go that's what you want this to become that if you miss a day you go home David said I want you more than my necessary food we're all hungry right now Jeremiah I said he said what have you been doing I said when I get really really hungry I drink two more bottles of water but guess what it doesn't work Jeremiah said do you think we could maybe make pizza flavored water we're hungry right now why are we doing this for two reasons the primary reason is it ain't gonna change God he can't change okay he's the same yesterday today and forever I'm gonna fast and pray till Jesus gives me what I want no you're not this is what will happen you give yourself to prayer and fasting and you'll sift your desires through the grid of his spirit and what falls out it's going to be his thoughts his ways and all of a sudden you start seeing it the way he sees it and you go I really didn't need that did I mm-hmm so this fasting and prayer that we're doing now it's not going to change God at all it's going to change us to see it his way you have to understand the second reason and then we'll pray the second reason is this when you don't eat this body will scream at you you want your spirit to scream at you over the lack of prayer and fasting and word as much as your body screams at you when you don't give it the right groceries when we get to that point and say I didn't pray yesterday I missed it and I gotta go back to that I didn't read my word yesterday I gotta go back to that to where it becomes like breathing word prayer worship consecration and it just becomes it becomes lifestyle Lord Jesus I want to thank you for the privilege to be here tonight with my brothers and sisters I we have a record number of people this year that have committed to fast and to pray and to give themselves to you and to your ways and to your thoughts Jesus I would I would be a lousy pastor if I didn't warn them right now they're gonna get fought they're gonna come up against an enemy he but but Satan is basically a coward and we've got to learn to resist him if will resist him he'll give up and he'll go find an easier prey but if we just lay down and just play dead and let him run rat roughshod through our life then he's going to do it again and again and again because I learned a long time ago he is a bully he is an absolute bully your Word says that when we finally do see him when we really and we're gonna see them one day you said one angel not a host of angel not another legion of angels you said one angel is going to bind him with fetters and throw him into a pit and we're going to look at that that that that that that one that we have that we have just thought was so amazing and so powerful and say this is the one that then that that tempted me this is the one that I gained into so many times through my life Lord Jesus I wish he did have a pitchfork I wish he did have a big old tail on him I wish he had horns and ugly but he isn't he settled he settled and he would on a sheep's coat to be able to do something messed up in the flock he's a deceiver he's a liar and I'm asking you God that we'll be able to try the spirits try the spirits and have that radar an MRI and the Holy Ghost working to know what's trying to mess up my kids what's trying to put a division in my family what's trying to mess up my habit and I'm asking you God to make us to be vigilant to not just pray but watch and pray and be aware Lord of the ways and the means you said in your word that there was a church that was not of his devices and we're asking you for that same awareness and that same spiritual maturity to be in this church family and understand we're not wrestling against flesh and blood we're wrestling on a whole different angle and a whole different level and I'm asking you Lord in these next three weeks let there be habits grooves that are etched into our spirit that that needle is gonna drop in that groove every time and play the same song Jesus protect guide and guard we ask in your amazing magnificent name we pray and call it done amen amen let's thank him together Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus Jesus amen from the bottom of my heart thank you for being here thank you for being here be involved in our life group be involved in a life group it's not just for you it's for somebody else and if you possibly can bring someone with you to that Life Group amen because it's vital it's vital because everybody who's called to the ministry listen to this verse I've given you apostles prophets evangelists pesum teachers what's it say for the edification of the body of Christ for the work of the ministry almost every other translation says for the work of their ministry so who's called the ministry all brother Hoffman he's got the microphone he's got this no no way you got a ministry and that's what Satan doesn't as long as you got a pope and a cardinal and a bunch of other unscriptural words and a whole way of Episcopalian approach the thing you bet the church when she understands that every one of us haven't been empowered by the Holy Ghost to be a witness amen that's enough you know greet one another I'll see you soon Sunday's gonna be a great day

Channel: First Church Sterling Heights

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Id: E4GjKJLReGw

Length: 112min 39sec (6759 seconds)

Published: Wed Jan 01 2020