#TheBethelExperience - Accepting What God Allows

well praise the Lord everybody listen we we are still in the midst of an empty sanctuary and tomorrow tomorrow the city goes through what they're calling phase 1 where many things are opening malls and hospitals and everything 25 percent capacity however even though the city is opening we shall remain like this amen for for the time being we're we're we're exercising wisdom because just because you have the license to do something doesn't mean wisdom says do it and so Bethel for for a little while we're going to still have the empty pews we miss seeing you in the seats that's for sure but we're gonna keep it empty for a while but the good news is this season has taught us to get back to the heart of worship it's taught us what what this season is really all about this is about worship we do so much in church child we're gonna have to cut a lot of it out because a whole lot of stuff we do in church that we're not doing now people don't want to go back to and so this morning we're prepared for worship and I want you to be prepared we want you to be prepared i I don't want you to be distracted I don't want you walking around unless you're in a central worker or unless you're listening as you drive if you are home get your coffee get your your toasts get whatever you're going to get find you a spot you need to be somewhere today where you can listen intently to this sermon I've got today it is the most important sermon pastor I have preached during the pandemic mention it last week and it's going to be amazing not now first we want we want people to take us so delta delta folk at home what they need to do really well have been doing amazing at posting your seeds or selfies for morning worship you all have been so creative you've been in hats you've been in a church attire workout attire all kinds of things but you've been doing so well we want to keep seeing that because we miss seeing you so we want to be able to see your faces on social media so take the time right now take yourself you take your uh see whatever you need to do and post it to the Beth Lanier insane because we want to see your face also listen if you're watching it on Facebook hit the share button so you can share with everybody that worship has begun at the Bethel express team y'all ready we ready the band is ready are you ready this worship is about to be amazing today Braves team is going to get us started let's get ready for worship [Music] praise the Lord praise the Lord everybody I know we're in the sanctuary and we can respond praise the Lord we just want to take a moment just to tell our Savior how much we love him and how grateful we are and we send their love back to him song says millions of words can't describe the feelings I have down inside so I'll simply say Jesus [Music] so God we send out love to you we send out praise to you right now that we set our focus and attention to lead on you with this woman millions of words can't describe [Music] feelings I have down inside [Music] so I'll simply say the clarity [Music] this is why because you guys back to you [Music] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] [Music] that's it [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Oh [Music] forcing help me shut with all my soul [Applause] my soul [Music] [Applause] [Music] kids of [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] hallelujah listen wherever you are right now wherever you are in your in your home or on your job or wherever you might be I want you just to take a minute and just lift your hands in the air where ever you are praise team keep those bikes again for me listen I said earlier that one of the things this season has done for us it has gotten us back to the heart of worship that we worship the Lord because we are now worshiping without any distractions you're not distracted by your neighbor by your phone where you might be distracted by your following still you're not distracted by who's coming in the sanctuary worship you've heard me say all through this season that the Lord gave me that phrase worship is for an audience of one with many spectators so wherever you are right now you ought to be worshiping the Lord wherever you are just lift your hands I don't care what kind of voice you have I want you to just lift just better that one phrase that says Jesus I love over and over come on praise thee Jesus come on wherever you are Jesus [Music] jeez [Music] [Applause] let's pick it up [Music] [Music] love you I love today because you care for me [Music] come on wherever you are [Music] [Applause] [Music] come on that's why come on do you know that we're behind your house come on just second [Applause] [Music] such a special [Music] that's why come on sing it the special [Applause] bad spot [Music] [Applause] [Music] come on say it in your house that's why wherever you are if you're working if you're driving come on just say it to the Lord tell him that is why [Music] that's the only reason why [Music] we love the more listen you are not let being in your home this morning or wherever you're watching from preclude you I'm just giving God a hand a lifting of the Hannah clapping of the Hannah a praise from your lips wherever you're watching from this morning you you are not need to be in the sanctuary building create your own sanctuary where you are and worship the Lord with us today listen I want to encourage you especially Bethel but if you're a friend of the ministry and you're able to watch us during this hour I want to encourage you to practice faithful and consistent giving there are many ways you can sow into the Ministry of this church because ministry is still going on Bethel you know our responsibility the trustees are here at the church and just like you did last week hey you want to drive it down and peep in the door and wave your hand at your bishop you can do that drive on down to the church give them your tithe and you're offering put your car in park and just run in open the back door and just kind of wave yeah or you can go on gibla five Bethel Baptist Church Jacksonville I cash at the Bethel experience or if you're watching on our website just give or if you're watching on Facebook if you're watching on one of the other platforms go over to the website the Bethel experience calm and give your giving is so needed and I need you to be faithful because it allows us to do ministry stills mafic pastor to tell tell our virtual congregation one of the things we're doing to other things actually we're doing today well of course in the life of our church thank God that you are still being faithful with your seed your child and your offering because we're still doing ministry and during this pandemic in this season we are still blessing people we are still blessing the community and so with that being said what we're doing as Bishop said two things the first thing is we are sending 71 dinners over to Baptists south Baptist South and so we're so thankful for that we're thankful to nicole thomas the president of that hospital for allowing us to feed who's one of our members to feed those essential workers there on the front line still caring for patients they're putting their lives at risk and so we're taking 71 dinners that deserves a hand clap of praise wherever you are put your hands together we need to feel your clap energy thank you we need to feel your clap energy for that ministry also we are feeding over 60 of our senior citizens amen all across Jacksonville we are feeding 60 of our 60 plus seniors so we want to thank miss and a huge for and her staff for doing that for us for cooking up those meals for us and so we're sending those meals to Baptist sound and 260 plus seniors in Jacksonville we're so thankful that the Bethel Church can be a blessing on today but we you can't do without you and so we're thankful to God for allowing you to sow into this ministry our staff as well and our deacons and trustees because our staff is helping to actually deliver the meals and then our deacons and trustees along with our staff they're delivering the meals to our seniors we're able to dance us to and that huge she's the James Brown of the church the hardest working woman in the kingdom and I we love her dearly and your giving is what allows us to do these things and so whether you're if you remember I showed enough need you I didn't say surely enough I said show enough needs you to give this morning and if you're a friend of the ministry and you're watching man you ought to sow a seed right now listen but before we go any further don't forget the virtual fellowship right after service today y'all need to come to the virtual fellowship because because I have a major announcement during the virtual fellowship that only the people in the virtual fellowship get only there you don't get it anywhere else only the people and if you haven't joined us on the kickback on Tuesdays and Thursdays you need to do that hey tomorrow at night at 7:30 is going to be a very important conversation on Facebook live and I want everybody to tune in my big brother Reverend Al Sharpton has invited myself dr. Freddie Haynes dr. Jamal Bryan and dr. latisha Warren who is president of New York Theological Seminary to be in a conversation about the pandemic and where the church goes from here where we as a community go from here and I want to invite everybody tomorrow night at 7:30 to join us listen before we go on we're getting ready for the word and it's going to be Daniel chapter 6 and I'm telling you right now I wrote it on Facebook when the brace team was worshipping anybody that's struggling with this season making sense of this season you need to call them and tell them to tune in 2004 it's around 2004 we had already done one music project with another label and around 2004 a young man that I hadn't met at Emmanuel Missionary Baptist Church he was the minister of music for one of my brothers Bishop Lee offer Thomas he could play he could sing he was country yeah the biggest smile in the biggest laughs and he came to me and said bishop let me do your next project he and his wife had begun their own label and so 2004 I believe it was we did what a time what a time at that time two people from my band I don't think y'all had had y'all joined the ministry yet yeah y'all Mike Ferguson and James Davis they were part of the crew that tallahassee crew that troy Sneed put together and i wanted both of them in Jacksonville and you know I'm the Godfather so I get what I want no I'm just playing and uh Troy helped get what I believe is the baddest percussionist and the baddest bass player on the planet to be a part of our band and so for the next eight years we did five projects with em true gospel troy Sneed and Emily Troy somewhere contracted the kovat and last Sunday he went on to be with the Lord it's it's ironic is not the word I don't know him even providential is the word but Troy went to be with the Lord eight years to the date that we recorded our last project that last project we recorded after I had throat surgery and the doctor told me I would never sing again so our son Troy I couldn't come up with a name for but y'all have been otro a first of all would be the night of a recording and I'd be looking for Troy and Troy to be in the music room because we needed an extra song and Charlie would be in there making up a song and so I had this this gospel puncher beatbox he would do it and making up and he was making up songs and we couldn't think of a name for the song we were going to do a competition what about him that we will accept that's what I couldn't name this album I said you should name it the recovery since you've recovered from your sickness I called Troy Troy said that's it how amazing that eight years to the date Troy recovered God gave him full healing and called him to be with the Lord and we love Troy Troy put us on the map when it comes to music not just us but I could name so many groups that Troy is responsible I said in my facebook post about him he never got the credit and recognition he really deserved in the gospel industry because he was an absolute giant who now lives in glory so I wanted today to just do a tribute to Troy Sneed from our last album it was actually written by Jamie Johnson who was one of our band members it's one of my favorite songs and so we want to be in prayer for Emily and for their children and his entire family as the world and the gospel industry has lost an icon I want y'all to listen to the night we recorded your glory and right after this tribute we're going to get into this word you need today [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] we continue to pray for Emily and for their children and for all who have felt this loss and not only this loss but so many so many losses during this season I saw as I've got Facebook live open here on my phone Jamie is Jamie is watching on Facebook live who wrote that that wonderful sermon Troy had this habit there were two things that he was going to do at every recording James and Mike he was gonna talk about his momma and he was gonna slip into an old school song about going to heaven in every recording and God has now given him what he sang so powerfully about and so I thought it was just apropos to just do a tribute because he had done so much for this ministry and I thought it was just well worth making sure that we honor him and then that we pray for that family on today listen let me just remind you again if you're just signing on I need you to hit the share button so that everybody can tune into this word today that everybody needs once again don't forget your what you're you're sowing this morning you're giving bring it to the church just these are outside bring it you want to just look on your bishops face I may not be able to see you that far you know I can't see that good even with the glasses but just kind of wave your hand at me in the back now if I'm in the midst of a heavy point driving discernment don't get mad I don't leave the bishop meeting wave back at me but you come in and wave your hand or I need you to be faithful online this morning God has blessed us through the medium of technology so you know given afire cash app and the website if you're a friend of the ministry not necessarily a member but a friend I invite you to so this morning anytime during this sermon as a word speaks to where you are in your life you ought to slip away over and sow a seed even as I'm preaching so come on let's pray father we thank you now for the privilege of your word going forth even through technology thank you that the power of your word in the anointing of your proclaimer is not predicated on antiphonal sounds in the sanctuary but thank you that we preach from a place of faith and so let your power will go forth and your word go forth is my prayer in Jesus name and everybody on the bridge team cuz I ain't got nobody else say Amen listen go with me over to Daniel chapter 6 one of the most familiar scriptures in the Old Testament Daniel chapter 6 I've got my phone open y'all on Facebook live so as I'm preaching you know y'all shoot some amens and some hearts and some preach Bishop and all of that I'll be able to see it Daniel chapter 6 Daniel chapter 6 and I want to go down to verse 15 Daniel chapter 6 verse 15 Daniel chapter 6 verse 15 then the men went as a group to King Darius and sent to him remember your majesty that according to the law of the Medes and the Persians nor decree or edict that the King issues can be changed so the King gave the order and they brought Daniel and threw him into the lion's den King said to Daniel may your God whom you serve continually rescue you a stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the Dead and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his Nobles so the Daniel situation might not be changed then the King returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and without any entertainment being brought to him he could not sleep the first light of dawn the King got up and hurried to the lion's den when he came to the den he called to Daniel in an anguished voice Daniel servant of the Living God your God whom you serve continually been able to rescue you from the Lions Daniel answered may the king live forever my God sent his angel and he shut the mouths of the Lions they have not hurt me because I was found innocent in his sight nor have I ever done any wrong before your majesty the king was overjoyed and gave on us to lift Daniel out of the den Daniel was lifted from the dead no was found on him because he had trusted in his god I want to talk to you this morning I want to talk to you about accepting what God allows accepting what God I don't I don't know if many of you remember a story it's been about ten years ago now in the year 2010 August 5th to be exact when the collapse of a Chilean roof led to 33 miners being trapped underground they had been underground up to 53 days when the story really began to pick up and pick up and the area in which they were trapped was about 540 square feet where all of them were trying to survive thirty three grown men had to find a way to share this 540 square foot space in a real sense they were shut in not from a pandemic but from a catastrophe all around them were health hazards and physical concerns one of the one of the major concerns was their psychological condition because they were buried and burdened for 1,500 feet behind bedrock and for 17 days after the roof collapsed they survived the story goes by eating two mouthfuls of tuna a day and a half sip of milk geologists caution that at any moment the entire shaft could cave in on them on day 25 with most of their families now all around engineers were able to bore a hole 6 inches wide and were now able to send in a pipe to give them water and food packets they also sent down a camera so that their family members could see what condition they were in that their loved ones sent a note down to the miners they couldn't see them they couldn't go in to visit them they sent this this message down to these shut-in miners and the message simply said is everybody all right they waited for a response they thought they would get a list of demands or a headcount as to who was still alive but the message they got back had nothing to do with the question asked the question was asked is everybody all right and one of the miners had a pen that was still working and they wrote a note and sent back up and when it opened up there were no names there was no headcount there were no requests on the note was simply one question who's responsible for this it made me think about life on the real while people will will ask you from time to time when you were going through are you alright in reality most of the time that's not where your mind is your mind is at the point of trying to figure out who's responsible for me being in what I'm in how did I end up in this situation for now for six weeks and for some places longer than that we've been plagued with a pandemic as the result of something called Kovac 19 a corona virus that has cost first and foremost lives it has cost lives more than anything else it has not only cost lives but it has also cost jobs it has impacted families that person's worldwide and everybody listening to me right now I'm sure can think of at least one person that is either contracted the virus died from the virus or been impacted by the presence of the virus everybody listening to me right now and as believers here is the question I put before us this morning as Christians how do you reconcile something so evil scary and fatal that that's that's where Daniel found himself he finds himself trapped in this dark place Daniel is like most of us Daniel is shut in he's shut in that Daniel to give you the backstory Daniel has had a blessed life in Babylon and and there were many Babylonians who could not handle the favor he seemed to have with the king that's a whole nother sermon that the reason some folk don't like you is because they see you wearing the favor of the king every time you show up that's a whole nother sermon they they get mad because Daniel seems to get promoted all the time by King Darius they cannot figure out how this Jew who is not a babylonian keeps getting elevated in this babylonian government and so they they use yes daniel's religion against him they plotted against him when the word got out that the king was putting Daniel in charge of the entire nation they they try to use his worship and his ethnicity against him by suggesting that he has been praying when the King said you should not pray and they go to the king and they remind the King I don't care how much you like Daniel you cannot change the policy that you put out that if anybody's praying to any God other than you they have to be punished and the king was upset and he was fretting because he liked Daniel and did not want Daniel to have to suffer and he goes and he asked Daniel has he been praying and Daniel says yes I'm coming back to that and Daniel is thrown into a den of lions to die now y'all here's the trip part here's the twisted part Daniel has been faithful to God has an excellent prayer life and yet neither of those have kept him from being thrown into this dark place an evil situation now the story at its core we know is about God honoring spiritual character and faithful integrity but today I wanna unpack it to everybody that's listening to me in a different way and use it to relate to where we find us and I'm glad that you probably don't have anybody around you because you'll be able to be more honest about where I'm going today since you ain't got to fake it for your neighbor sitting next to you inside the church because y'all where Daniel finds himself is where most Christians find ourselves right now in the midst of this pandemic you can't figure it out it doesn't make sense you've done nothing to deserve it laid off or furloughed on your job family members sick or even killed by this virus members of your church or your Friendship Circle suffering from it and you can't figure out why in the world is it happening and especially to those of us who are African Americans how is it that as African Americans we are getting the virus more than anybody and being tested least than everybody and who we are looking around saying God as black Pope haven't we suffered enough don't we deal with enough and now our community is being stricken how does something come from China and black folk get it more than anybody else I know you don't want to say men and you probably don't have to because you're sitting inside your house but I'm in your mind right now I'm in that Joe Harris window window of your consciousness that you don't want anybody to know about you when you have these thoughts even as a Christian and then you've got to deal with non-believers who speak out loud your deepest questions that you are too fake to ask you can't reconcile that a good God would allow the atrocities we see today let's be honest let's just be honest I start to preach this sitting at a table this morning cuz yeah even if the church was fooling there wouldn't be many amens and I'm not looking for any today I'm trying to hit us where we're living let's be honest we struggle with some of the same questions doubts and concerns we often succumb to play in the same mental games others do when a crisis or tragedy happens I know we come to church and we say we're supposed to be different but we ask why did this have to happen why couldn't this have been prevented Lord then we allow our doubts and fears and uncertainties to bounce around in our mind cycling around without any answers or revolute resolutions you come to church and you serve in the church you've got a disciplined prayer life you take care of your family and yet here you are in a dark place you don't deserve you thought there was supposed to be something different about your life because of your faithfulness but people who don't even pray like you don't go to church like you don't even live like you they seem to be doing just fine but every time you turn around you can't catch a break then people want to know why you're not shouting all the time why you ain't lifting hands all the time and the answer is not anything theologically deep you just don't feel like it Jesus every day you have to deal with phony people and then people want you to come to church and lift hands and be phony and act like it's alright let's just be honest let's put it on the table let's lay our cards on the table it's not alright you lost your job it's not all right you got furloughed it's not alright you lost your financial stability it's not alright don't love one dad it's not alright you have a loved one who is an essential worker and every day they've got to risk their life because they can't afford to not get paid it's not alright your child or your children had to come home from school early and can't manage online classes as well as being in the classroom it's not alright Daniel is a faithful servant but his faithfulness lands him in hell and God doesn't stop it he's placed in the lion's den because of praying to God and the God he's praying to Daniel is dealing with the concept that most of us don't like to even think about and that is the permissive will of God here it is let me straighten it out and help all the holy folk God didn't put you in this but he did allow it God did not put the virus on us but he did allow it yeah this is this is tough and rough this morning God did not cause your job to have to furlough you but he did allow it God did not kill your loved one but he did allow Jesus God did not cause your job to have to furlough you and now you can't pay all your bills and now you're having to make arrangements with your mortgage company but he didn't allow it and we have to find a way to accept what God allows and here's my word today if God allows that God can use it see God doesn't just use what God causes y'all better hear me God can use what God allows if I manage what God allows in the right way y'all better hear what I'm just saying I keep hearing all these preachers and all these faiths Facebook pundits tell my God allowed this season so that we'll get closer to God and so no that's not correct they even say that suggests that God caused it no God didn't cause it so that we could get closer to God but since God allowed it you ought to use it to get closer to God use it to get closer to your family use it to do some self-reflection you've got to know that if God allowed it God can use it I just want to give you a couple of quick things to help you manage this season where some of y'all listening to me a mad as hell with God here it is number one I got two points our human crisis will always reveal spiritual convictions a human crisis write that down human crisis come on out and hit home for somebody already go so that see our human crisis will always reveal spiritual convictions now let me help you out conviction is different than crisis belief see a whole lot of folk get crisis belief crisis what's a crisis belief crisis belief is when all of a sudden you seem like you closer to God when you going through something then you seem like you close to him any other time crisis belief is when you go to church cuz you're going through something but soon as you get out of it you stop going to church crisis belief is when all of a sudden you pray in three times a day because of what you going through but you ain't never prayed any other time crisis belief is not conviction crisis let me tell you something today crisis will reveal how close you are to God crisis will highlight what kind of relationship you have with God and what kind of faith you have in God it reveals your convictions and what we see in this text is that Daniel had when I call core conviction see let me go to school there are three types of convictions yeah there are public convictions hmm yes let the church say wherever you are in your house wherever you are let's say Q public convictions yes public convictions are convictions listen that I want other people to think I believe even though I may not believe okay let me believe me bring it another way public convictions yeah it's it's a conviction you speak watch this for the purpose of creating an impression rather than speaking truth public conviction is when you're in church and you're saying Amen because everybody around you say it Amen even though you ain't believing what you a minute public conviction then there's private conviction now now private conviction watch this is something you sincerely think you believe but when situations shift it shows you don't really believe it okay let me give an example private convictions yeah when Jesus says to Peter you you you gonna deny me Peter said I ain't doing that Jesus I don't know you gonna do it three times Peter said Lord listen I would never deny you yeah he thinks he believes that and then when he got in a situation around a fire with people who didn't follow Jesus and he got asked three times by this girl was he one of the followers he ended up three time saying no that's not who I am because a private conviction is something you think you believed till all hell breaks loose this public conviction is private conviction but then there's core convictions core conviction is when I act with my body what I think in my mind core conviction are revealed by my daily actions this in the text when Daniel was faced with the choice of not praying and saving his life or praying and being killed read the text aloof verses before I started reading he chose praying you got to read verse 10 it said when he found out that if he kept praying he was going be killed the Bible says he went home watch this didn't pray one time he prayed three times that day as was his custom y'all missing it because as a Jew and as a devout you praying was a part of your natural spiritual discipline so Daniel didn't turn to prayer because he was in trouble no he prayed three times at the allotted times that Jews drain he didn't let what he was going through stop his discipline of prayer with God y'all didn't hear me which means he wasn't praying about not going in AD and he was praying because he had a discipline prayer life he wasn't praying because he was in trouble he prayed because that's what he always did he did what he had done before see when you're not a worshiper then you'll let stuff interrupt your worship when you don't have a prayer life you'll let stuff interrupt your prayer life but when it's your discipline and when it's your conviction you'll be like Daniel Daniel didn't panic he didn't force a confrontation he didn't argue about the unfairness of it he prayed and he worshiped the Lord he loved answer please hear me as you are listening to me this morning the persistence of your prayer life has to be more powerful than the insistence of your problems Daniel refused to this vinegar let me let me let me let me then to calm it down slow it down put it back in first gear Daniel refused I don't listening to me this camera right here Daniel refused to question God's right to be gone he refused to question God's right to be God Jesus he just kept his faith in God y'all better hear me this morning faith is the deliberate confidence in the character of God watch this whose ways you may not understand at the time faith is confidence in God's character when I'm confused about God's actions Jesus helped me today faith is the confidence in God's character when I'm confused by God's inaction is in those times when we have to exercise our faith to the fullest when I don't understand what God's up to when I can't figure out why God's allowing this when I when I look and there are thousand new cases in Atlanta in 24 hours with two hundred and some-odd people die when I look and there I've noticed on all of our media local media outlets now they don't put the coronavirus updates at the front like they used to but they they bury it a little you got to look for it but when I noticed that on a Saturday morning there was seven hundred plus more cases in Northeast Florida then there were the night before and when I get text messages from church members telling me about their father or about their loved one and when I hear about pastors over 60 in the Church of God in Christ and other pastors who get this virus simply because they were trying to have church God how can a pastor who's just trying to have chance get the virus and die it doesn't make sense and is in those moments I gotta trust the character of God more than I trust the action or inactions you gotta choose to worship God and to trust in God's goodness sovereignty and power see that it's in seasons like this and I want every believer to hear me this morning it's in seasons like this when we have to remind the world around us that we are not God I want to talk to some of y'all social media theologians stop trying to speak for God about why this season is happening stop trying to suggest that this is a season that we're going through I read with one preacher said because America won't apologize for homosexuality well if that's your belief I'm not here to debate that or tell y'all what mine is but if that's your belief that that's a sin then all of us going to hell because all of us in it instead of y'all going on Facebook and Instagram live and trying to speak for God show the world that you're humble enough to know you are not go even if God is not being God in the way we think God should be God it does not matter God is still God our place God help me heal somebody today our place is not to demand answers from God and trying to analyze life's losses like a math problem no Daniel never went to God and questioned the unfairness of the situation see don't don't you weigh your thoughts in your logic and your rasa-lila zation against god's when we do that and we start trying to speak for God and weigh what we see happening in the world with our logic we shift our focus from God to ourselves so true worship happens when you don't understand and you choose the worship God anyhow amid situations that defy rational human explanation you declare your still God and I'm not you and since I'm not you and you're still God I'm going to worship you you've got to trust har this is a deep statement you gotta trust that God didn't get it wrong even when we can't figure it out or even when it seems wrong and others are not gonna be able to figure out your worship and they gonna make fun of your worship other people are gonna poke fun at you when you say I'm just trusting in the Lord but at the end of the day God never gave you a promise you would understand him but he did give you a responsibility to worship Him and I declare if you worship Him through your tears if you pray through your pain if you worship through your questions your worship may not give you answers but your worship will give you peace crisis we'll reveal your convictions here's the last thing when when you when you keep your convictions in the midst of a crisis that has you confused God will give you peace in the midst of the pandemic or if you're not going through and the pandemic he'll give you peace in the midst of your predicament I want you to read the text again this blessed me um it says Darius goes home if you read around the end of verse 18 it said Darius couldn't sleep he couldn't sleep he was agitated he was frustrated he didn't like what was going on he was Restless now his trip part his trip part and uh he's the king which means he's in the castle his was going too deep so Darius is restless and sleepless in luxury Daniel slept peacefully inhale come closer come closer Darius can't sleep in a mansion daniel can sleep under the bridge god often help somebody Darius is restless in his palatial domicile daniel is sleeping on a concrete mattress Jesus Darius is restless with soldiers guarding him Daniel is sleeping with Daniel with Flyers wanting to eat him because when your faith is right you can sleep going through hell better than somebody with no faith living in luxury geez I don't need luxury to be in peace and sleep I'm talking to somebody right now see when you got faith mmm you can sleep better laid off then somebody going to work everyday and who ain't got no faith y'all better hear me when you are living in faith you can sleep better knowing you can't pay all your bills then somebody going through this season without faith and paying their bills and got money left over because faith makes you act differently then your predicament says you should be acting when you got faith you can go to sleep at night because Daniel was at peace see peace is it rightness now fate peace is freedom from oppressive thoughts and emotions it's not because my situation is good or the lack of peace is not because my situation is bad when I got peace whether it's good or bad because of my State of Mind y'all better hear me in here because I've kept my mind on him he will give me perfect PC something's always going to want to disrupt disturb or destroy yo peace some of y'all can testify right now as soon as you get your peace you've got somebody coming along messing with you soon as you get to your happy place you got Negros always trying to snatch you back to who you used to be as soon as you get yourself together look like something happens in your life that tries to take your peace away but you've got to reach a place where you declare I refuse to give my peace to my problems I refuse to give my peace to people I refuse to give my peace to the president I refuse to give my peace - a pandemic my peace is not determined by statistics but my peace is determined by the structure of God's Word so every day they don't come on and statistics I don't say more focused sick and dead but his word is going to say that he's a light on my path and a lamp on my feet because I'm not governed by statistics some of y'all watching me right now can testify with your peace that with what I'm going through I should be acting a plum fool but because I have faith this is I'm going to act here it is I would rather have hope in what an all-powerful God can do than to have certainty in what I'm limited to do why in the world am I gonna trust me with my limitation when I've got a God who has no limitations watch what happens in the text and I'm done watch what happens when Darius wakes up the next morning he goes down for the day and said Daniel you I I'm coming back - that was your God able busted and said Daniel said I bet you never thought about this King I'm good God sent an angel hmm - shut the mouths of the Lions God sent an angel he's got angels for everything he he's got water-splitting angels he's got whoa knocking down angels he's got lion's den' angels now watch this you never thought about it he says God sent the Lions to lock the jaws I said send an angel to lock the jaws of the lion you never thought about this that's important can I tell you why that's important the particularity of the description is important because the implication is I know their mouths got locked cuz I saw them trying to open them y'all didn't get it yet um I saw them trying to open them cuz they were trying to get to me it does not say God took their appetite but what their appetite would cause them to do is what God stopped Jesus God wouldn't let the Lions carry out their plan to eat him up the only reason I knew that the angel shut their mouths is because there's no other explanation for why they were growling but couldn't get me here's how awesome God is God doesn't have to take you out of the situation but knows how to keep you in it and around people who have an appetite for doing you in but won't let them carry it out you ought to just take somebody that's going through real quick and tell them God's not gonna let them carry it out you oughta food write it in the comments on Facebook right now whatever lions are trying to get you God's not going to let them carry it out whatever the devil who wants to use this pandemic however he wants to use it to mess with believers God's not gonna let him carry it out y'all better hear me in here today I'm not sayin folk I'm going to die I'm not saying folk I'm not going to get sick that's not my business I don't have the answer for that I am NOT God but what I do know is if I keep my faith in God whatever the devil fake is gonna be the result of this pandemic God's not gonna let him do it they're gonna keep trying people are gonna keep trying to take you out they're gonna keep trying to devour you but they're going to keep failing Daniel can see these Lions trying but he can also see them failing how many y'all I can't hear you but I want you to shout it in your house in your car and worker just lift your hand how many y'all can say I know the Lord is with me cuz I have watched my enemies fail how many New Yorkers say right now I know the Lord's on my side cuz I've watched lions coming to take me out but for some reason they could not get to me I know God is on my side because I've watched things try to destroy me but God would not let it happen now you ought to just take somebody and tell them God will let you watch your enemies fail and what they're trying to do to your life here it is last thing God is going to use how you manage your predicament as a tool to produce praise out of other people here's what I mean God is going to introduce God's self to people that don't believe in God by how you handle God in this season the next the next the next morning give me some strength I want strings the next morning that Darius with excitement comes in he has to move the stone and dumb was your god Abel to deliver you Ganga said okay there forever my godson his angels shut the mouth [Music] the Bible says that because of the testimony of daniel darius put out a decree about the living god you better hear me maybe some folk in your family don't because they see how you did [Music] maybe some folk don't don't do Church because they see how you do life [Music] you've got family members right now you got friends who are bowing you stuffing is pending [Music] stop trying to be gone to them you can't figure out why God allowed death to come you can't figure out why they wore masks and still got the virus you can't figure out why your husband got cancer you can't figure out why your child is on drugs okay you're not done to show God [Music] but I'm still no choice that you want God I don't understand what you're doing how do you like what you god I don't even believe in what you're doing I'll believe it what you and dear friend has to probably Perkins you had a rare a rare cancer he had called me about three four months ago said they got to giving them a year to live we need the bone marrow and Emory and other places thought it was too risky to call me with jubilation up there four months of Lopez dr. that he have been with in New York found the specialists who could do the bone marrow they found the donor they needed they scheduled the bone he was set and ready to get his life back he was interim pastor at a church in Columbia South Carolina the church had already planned you gonna get the bone marrow recovered we got pastor the date was said but he had his wife to go to New York for the surgery and cope in 19th called me about three weeks ago sound is so weak and he said man the virus has interrupted their ability to do my surgery I don't think it's going to happen two weeks later two and a half weeks later his wife calls me this past Friday say he left us I had issues god how could you let your preaching how could you be this - let your preacher set a date for the surgery you allow this thing to happen in such a fashion that they shut down hospitals because it was so dance it's mine to show my conviction that you're still gone in the midst of this situation and you give me he will give me peace give me peace never the Lord says please no matter what [Music] whenever the lords [Music] that's what we speak [Music] I don't have any answers for you today but God [Music] I don't I don't know when the virus is going to end I don't your family member is going to survive but I promise you here's what God will give you [Music] here's what we speak there will be [Music] I promise you if you trust [Music] I want you to get that in your spirit this morning [Music] I think bet in your spirit [Music] your family but [Music] [Applause] [Music] want you to hear [Music] how to speak this to you how you handle this you've been manually frustrated regard you for someone whom you said to hell with God to hell with the church my mom my dad my husband wife my brother my sister my friend my pastor dying from this now you made but God thought I couldn't even go say bye to I have to wait on updates my phone call whenever doctor could get to me what kind of God are you but job lay me off fell on me my benefits went away because of a virus [Music] I don't have the answer come believe God the right to be God but I can't tell me your conviction has to be greater than your condition your conviction has to be greater than your emotions the reason its faith is because it doesn't make sense [Music] that's why it's pain that's why you ought not spend any time arguing with people in this season about what kind of God you serve and you go into that church you're wasting your time you're not God and they can't understand it because it's faith because it doesn't make sense I promise you he's gonna let you sleep at night others will be restless but you're gonna sleep others will pace the floor but you only sleep because whenever the Lord says me [Music] there will be peace listen I don't know who you are this morning but I want to tell you if you don't know Jesus Christ I want to tell you something I can't explain over 2,000 years ago they nailed him to a cross and their actions are putting him on the cross killed the penalty of your sin I can't explain it I've been there I've bow down in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre at the very place where the cross was of ladylove Calgary I understand I don't understand how a man over 2,000 years ago knew I was gonna say it and died for the sins I had even committed but by faith I trusted Jesus Christ it's unlike any piece you'll ever have and if you're listening to me this morning somebody called you a texture and said man this man is preaching a sermon today that is as well and real and relevant as you will ever hear you tuned in and now there's something bubbling inside you you like I can't explain it but I'm feeling something from hearing this man preach that I've never felt before it's not me it's God moving in you if you're watching me if you're watching me on Facebook I want you to go to my website the Bethel experienced calm there's a box on the landing page that says decisions on-demand click on that it's going to open up and I want you to click salvation then I want you to fill it out as a matter of fact right now I just want you to say with me God I thank you that you sent your son I confess Jesus as my savior I receive salvation that he is my Savior you are my god and I live in total forgiveness can I tell you if you've never said that before but you just said it with me I want you to go and click salvation right now all you're saying I'm saying Bishop but I'm in another city I'm even in another state now I'm in another country but I need that kind of word that kind of real we're all relevant teaching I need bishop but I can't be a member of your church cuz I don't live in Jacksonville yes you can it's called the II Church as a matter of fact I'm doing a zoom tomorrow night with all of our new members who have joined during the pandemic pastor and I are doing that tomorrow night you want to be a member of this church you don't live in Jacksonville I want you to do the same thing I just told those others to do but then when you click decisions on demand I want you to click the box that says discipleship you're going to hear from my executive pastor congregational care pastor regiment all well you can be our member I can be your bishop if you live all the way in Africa Australia North Pole wherever you are the each church is available to you right now listen that story ended by saying and Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and Cyrus that when God brought him out of the shutdown when God brought him out of the shut-in he prospered under two kings that's double I'm telling you whenever this pandemic is over God's gonna bring double prosperity you better hear what I'm telling you your business is going to double the joy and your family is going to double so you thought prosperity was just about money oh no no no he's gonna double your blessings he's gonna double with finances for some joy for others he's going to double peace in your marriage he's going to double doors opening for your children when we come out of this double is coming I speak it over your life right now I want to tell you one last thing I want you you've already sown I want you to go so it and again seed right now this word was for you today this word has given you a way to not understand this pandemic but to go through this pandemic I want you to go so in again see you've already given your tithe you've already given your offer then right now I need you to go so you're against e to just say god I thank you that you've given me a word that's gonna keep me in this and when I come out it's gonna be double I wanna pray father god I pray that this word really helped somebody not understand this pandemic but know how to walk through it interfaith forgive us for not giving you the right to be who you are forgive us for thinking we could speak for you our job is to trust you to show our convictions and to trust your peace that you will give us during this season I pray for everybody watching me right now of God who have lost family members who've lost friends who have family or friends in hospitals they cannot visit and forgot God for some people their situation is not the pandemic they've got family members who are sick with other ailments and illnesses and diseases or they've got other problems that aren't physical maladies but they got other struggles and they've been trying to understand how they're so faithful and yet this thing keeps striking their family and god help them to understand today we're not you but we're called to trust you God I feel it in my spirit today and I do I feel the conviction of it to pray for the leader of this country that he will act in wisdom not emotion I pray for every governor I pray for every mayor that economy not be more important than people let wisdom be the rule of the day and I pray that his people begin to go out tomorrow that we practice since more than excitement that we practice wisdom more than we practice excitement that we be smart about what we do and give us peace come on praise tea right there whenever the [Music] listen I love you I love you this morning I thank God for you I hope this works bless you you stay right there because the virtual fellowship is coming soon as the praise team finishes just taking us out a little bit you stay there I'm going to sign back on to the Bethel Church for our virtual fellowship I've got a major announcement for you I love you I'll see you in a minute peace [Music] the strain of going [Music] you gotta believe it [Applause] these are the home which means that you know [Applause] Oh [Music] God what are you two I get this season don't do it without me if this piece that your critic given to Jesus - a knock speech so come on yes MA [Applause] [Music]

Channel: The Bethel Church

Views: 14,955

Keywords: rudolph mckissick sermons bethel baptist jacksonville bishop mckissick jr bbic, the bethel experience

Id: he_XzA49bpE

Length: 92min 51sec (5571 seconds)

Published: Sun May 03 2020