"WORKING YOUR WAY THROUGH THE WILDERNESS"

[Music] is the Lord we simple come on let's give the Lord some glory this evening somebody adore him and bless his reign come on let's get the atmosphere for worship tonight you glad the Lord is working on you and you know you're getting better come on if you got a great praise tonight come on look at first you've got a great plays tonight we'll go to the gun somebody help me give back or denied hallelujah female if you don't work you come by yourself thank you Jesus hallelujah put your left wing hallelujah put a little pans in this place God we love you we thank you Lord for another opportunity to worship you we thank you know that every time we call upon your name you hear us God we thank you Lord at this moment as we ask you to cover this experience God you are already here hallelujah what you plan to do will be done God help us to be free to worship you free to lift our hands free to say yes to you are yes God in Amen God we thank you lo for what you will do and what you will say to our worship today highly knew you through the man of God because they have your perfect wheel and wave hallelujah praise change a built-in God I pray that we go to a higher heights in use I prayer today in Jesus name the money saying Jesus things amen hallelujah look at the neighbors they help me bless the name of visa someone left to go [Music] hallelujah hallelujah you know you go [Music] [Music] no my everyday joy Dover us - and I'll be pressed upon your goodness you love me forever boo come on everybody say hello for my name name name whoa my name for the volleyball helpful my [Music] [Applause] whoa [Applause] robot drone [Music] [Music] names [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] and we moved on my [Music] Oh Oh [Music] [Music] Oh [Music] I've been life customer ha ha yesterday holiday [Music] coupled with a less aggressive plays were all come on Thanks come on worshipper come on crazy don't you understand what you get talking about if you want to bless the name that is above every other name I believe I fill up your be written out I'm Bill of people don't want to get the car tonight and we want to get good Oh [Music] where they came I can look through [Music] come on worshipping tonight does anybody call never call upon the name a tequila king and a normal or let's go on in get your kid to the heaven let's screen what you need now what you desire and what the God untold deliver on his promise all right guess just loosen it up take off his chest take off the stand take off the heavyweight and let's hold a burden down the heavy low lift they get a game together we go set it off they hit enough all right the call let's just watch the film plain hill utopia McCollum [Music] oh yes Almighty God I feel his present he's into place he's in is what a man he's into place thank you Jesus my God my God while we get this popular thalidomide we'll go to the throne right now Heavenly Father we thank you because you are so good to us Lord we confess our sins right now to get it out of the way we thank you Lord because it is the blood that covers every tree every transgression that we have done that was not in your face so god i'm thank you now for opening up the door for the beginning of men weekend and we just know that that confirmation that the devil is so angry and upset [Applause] - microphone the rock will stay still for we still go but we thank you Lord for already blessing your brother means father there was tired to be cold we be out doing going to a set up to a party Lord but I'm told that after we got convert that yet we closed inaudible on that line and now we come Lord with our hands rain we come as men mighty man worshipping you in spirit and in truth but we are the constructive but we ask right now that you deconstruct the old man dishes got the sinful nature in us and we construct up to be men who are able to tell somebody that you are the Lord of lords and King of Kings God we thank you for assistance who stand in the gap for up we thank you Lord because without them father to be told without a position they are standing right there so now as I remove the obstacles at all I propose the hindrances in our life help us to step right back in place as a brief of household tell us to step right back in place as captains of industry Lord do it for us right now we need a right upon our men weaken their father with on a run amuck and worshipping you tonight we're gonna thank you for reconnecting us to your spirit without thank you for reconciliation spirit when you were being broken relationships at all I give frickin power to the freak of the night duck that when he opens up his mouth when we leave this place with the session we've been with you and now God have your way tap your way in this place and Lord when you have your way continue to bless us over and over and over and over until we can want no more because we love you like them this is the prayer we out for tonight in the name of your problem on upon the name of the son and in the name of the Holy Ghost that the people of God stay with me amen amen thank God for the blessing amen amen [Applause] [Music] [Applause] word of God leaks on tonight the Gospel according to Matthew the seventh chapter verses 24 to 29 on reading the New Revised Standard Version that's the Gospel according to man 7:10 verses 24 to 29 order God read this one everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on their will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock the rain fell the floods came and the winds blew and beat on them but it did not fall because it had been founded on rock and everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on stage the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat against them and it fell and great was its fall now what Jesus had finished saying these things the crowds were astonished at his teaching for he taught them as one having Authority and not as described Word of God for the people who got on the night when we give God a praise in this house on the night as a Mary coming and lifts up high and worship a man [Applause] [Music] can although thankful people put their hands together [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] if I never never know if I'll ever see you smiling prayer if I never breathe another breath there's another step I wanna say thank you you here forever here wants to be heard if I never people my word if I never see another fight I see you thank you [Music] you belong Oh [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] thank you [Music] [Applause] Oh [Applause] Hey you can never leave nothing if I never see your smiling face if I never breathe another breath Oh [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] Oh [Applause] [Music] [Applause] laughs [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] then we just get a mighty bit of read combined from the north located and a Glendale location maybe a DC brought up in there we're grateful for the unity under brother resin and brother Morgan just leading the charge and we're grateful that they are in the house shout out to our gallows I see all the trappings that we are under construction our Father it come up with the construction logo it's just good to be in a five star church five star for God to be able to get the messages out they the main announcement I have for you is men's weekend this means we can brothers on to get excited about that it's men's weekend and we have a powerhouse packed events started tonight with Reverend dr. Lance Watson opening us up getting us ready to go into the weekend tomorrow we have pastor Donnie McClurkin and sister Gina Stewart will be in the house but John Faison will be Bishop Walter Scott Thomas and then we just going to keep right on worshiping into Sunday where we have here at the good day location Reverend James JB Brown will open us up at 7:15 9:30 we have Reverend Marcus Washington for Evan Issa and then as closes down 11:15 Reverend dr. Michael Bell will come in and over the Glendale location I'm sorry at the north location in DC we have Reverend doctor Denny Davis who will come so come and support come and support be a part of what the brothers are still here today and the six o'clock we got eight low eight services I can't keep up I just got a shout out for Reverend Daryl Tony Lee Reverend Tony Lee Familia hope we'll be shutting it down at the six o'clock service for us so we're just grateful other men excited about what's getting ready to happen a week in the house tonight on can we shout with a war cried at the men all ready willing and able to take back the land I just want to know not only what excited about this hallelujah this is what it looks like but Christian man fans for God amen amen amen I don't believe we have any videos I don't think we have any videos are there in there is a video all right let us turn our attention to the screen [Music] [Applause] researches [Applause] [Music] we have dynamic session scheduled for tomorrow morning conference presenters include Reverend John Faison Reverend dr. Gina Stewart Bishop Walter Scott Thomas and Pastor Donnie McClurkin the Sunday mainstay preacher with the Washington DC and north campuses is Reverend dr. Danny Davis the guest preacher for 7:15 a.m. Lindale with Reverend James JD black and the guest creature for the 9:30 a.m. service is Reverend Marcus Washington and at 11:15 a.m. it's Reverend Michael Bell senior and the Sunday sing p.m. preacher at retail Glendale campus is Reverend Tony Lee there's still time to register to 90 ml RVs or to go text our team n9 z RT y men young 59507 a few men's weekend complete the movie continues all year special visit and grow in our relationship with God won't each other next generation will have fellowship Alex be a number of sporting events you're also bringing in a number of regions throughout the year how quarry local and we'll be serving communities and generational in some we have more community service opportunities for men the movement continues men under construction we are grateful for the move of the brothers here a tree Temple AME church is now my privilege and honor to welcome those who are in the house visiting with us if you're visiting with us could you stand and remain standing so that we can count our blessings if you are here visiting with us here tonight god bless you we see you glad you are here our greeters are passing out a Welcome Packet for you please fill that out and if there's anything that we can do we are here at your service we believe in servant leadership here at retail AME Church and god bless you on behalf of the greatest senior pastor on this side of glory the reverend dr. lee paul washington we we call him leafy when the brothers have a crime porn and the only lady sustained of washington we thankful for for her and the executives lead minister over-read norm Reverend Matthew Watley yeah his ladies sister Shawna motley and we're just grateful for the leadership here at Reed temple and you're at the right place at the right time and we're glad that you're here to help us celebrate and to show you how glad we are that you're here could the members of re temple let's stand at this moment and let's greet our visitors and greet one another in Christian love [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] come on everybody we liveried them home we're here hold it down you [Music] every word [Music] Oh whoo yes when this so Oh [Music] yeah [Music] [Music] 27 a fight amen without the movieguy Amen excited about men of God Amen in place Amen on their post we're just looking forward to an awesome time in the Lord this weekend we're believing there's one of the mark that cannot be erased made upon every man and because that mark will be made by the power of the Holy Ghost on every man there will be a mark on that home in a mark on those children and a mark on both business and the neighbor where that man goes will be blessed because of what's going to happen this weekend am i right about it is an ecologist excited about all the wonderful things that are happening in life of our men's ministry and as you know this is just the beginning as you know we'll be in session all tomorrow and then we'll be having our wonderful men's day we've got some wonderful creatures lined up in fact it's so good to see all the sisters in the house amen the only time y'all can get in so he planted salt made it amen I've been thinking I've been taking some bombs from the citizens normally as we cool but amen how gonna bring Donnie we can't come now okay Amen this is for the brother we're sort of breakfast free again and so we're going to we're going to have wonderful common womens weekend in June but this is for us and we appreciate you standing with us and being at support of a Amen and helping us to match our clothes and everything y'all do to keep it going Amen if I receive our tithes offering for the evening Amen grateful got to be habit to give we meant we are blessed first as we believe in the biblical practice of paying our pods and sowing all offering and certainly even as we begin this weekend we recognize that this is a national conference amen we want to thank God for all of the pastors and their congregations that have come along side us amen to be a part of this great conflict I'm going to ask and no we're already pressed for Tom is going to ask one more time all of our visiting pastors and I'm going to ask all of our guests to stand just a little more tamil - thank God for you and then all of our gift and all of our guest passes would you stand as well amen and with a thank God for me being and being in fellowship with us tonight amen amen when I think of me coming and sharing Amen with us in worship I know I thought pastor of Maori Hughes and all other pastors were still great to look out for you coming and sharing and we're going to have a time of fellowship afterwards and so all passes would you lead us in the back it's called Jeremiah room we'd be happy to host you all and to thank you for coming and partnering with us we have folks that are coming up and down the East Coast to be a part of this great fellowship and the we're excited about this is a national level conference and we want to begin with a national level offering amen we want to so and great manner and term to what God has already blessed us to do with this weekend I'm going to simply ask that we would prepare a special gift I don't want to name an amount the red I'm going to ask that you would simply seek the face of God in your giving amen and of course as men we recognize that what we do with our finances is an indication of how we feel about it even the Bible says where a man's treasure is where a man treasure is so his heart is also amen and so brother since you'll be with us this weekend that means that we'll be asking for your golfing money amen because you won't be able to hit the links in the morning amen and we're going to ask for your top shelf the guard money as well tonight and we're going to ask well I'm going to stop right there but you understand what I'm saying but as we we have it for what we want to have it forward come on talk to me Amen you in the Corvette Club and the harlot club amen and so I know that you want to be in the generous giving club tonight and so I I'm saying it in a facetious way but the point in that as you grow in your giving you grow spiritually because it realigns you amen if all your giving is to your vintage car then that's where your heart is amen you have to divest from something to invest in something else I can't imagine something better to invest in tonight at the beginning of this men's weekend then the kingdom of God and the work that God is doing a month two brothers in this place and this work is just beginning amen and so we're looking forward to having an awesome year amen we have a number of event as you know a plan throughout the year so this will not just be a one-time event but this will be an ongoing work of it as we all recognize the we're men and the construction and God's doing company by your heads and close your eyes using my words with your favor repeat after me lord I thank you for all that I have I acknowledge it comes from you so tonight challenge me Lord to move up in my giving I want to make you first in my life which means I need to make you first in my giving so raise the amount that I used to give right on my heart that what you have made it so you say it I'll do it because I know I can't be together no matter how I try in Jesus name Amen amen now the mount the goddess placing a heart of privity something like it was a cheerful spirit know you really can't beat God giving the matter how you try whether you are giving through cash check or electronically through divil electronic means going to ask that you with walk around that your amount of tripping hazard on the road Nancy contended Ministry of giving this wonderful Amen men's choir amen singing strong already going to administer and call god bless you come God bless you as you oh no my opinion orders where we departed everyday but I want my life where no matter be your rock I won't let this go [Applause] [Music] [Music] my sole collagen control about better know my whole nothing you notice well everyday but I'll drop my library no matter who this [Music] the first big thing whatever for we roll although I might be in a day but hotly no matter he you're back this is more [Music] this group Oh Oh [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] Oh [Music] Oh [Music] [Music] Oh [Applause] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] this place No [Applause] come on everybody somebody hot-boxed about tell Disneyworld it's kind of like this we need to be clear there's a war going on in the land amen for the clean house for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but they are mighty and God we're coming down a stronghold come out of style hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah to the lamb of God amen we're just excitedly meant and we're looking forward to having an awesome weekend we've uh saw one of our presenters in the building Pastor John Faison amen from Nashville there's right here in the pulpit amen let's think of for dr. Faison being with us tonight amen and he's going to be our leadoff hitter in the morning and so brothers you want to be on time because we're going to get off to a fast start to a wonderful day while we're giving shoutouts would you allow me a personal privilege to give one more shout out in the house let's thank our senior pastor Reverend dr. Lee P Washington yeah come on give it up give it up cool as the other side of the pillow amen and clean amen we want to thank God for his leadership in this way it's preaching time in the house and my god is there a preacher in the house and the person the Reverend dr. Lance Watson amen the senior pastor the claim called Baptist Church in Richmond Virginia and vicinity amen he is a once-in-a-generation mind and he travels the length and breadth of this country and the world sharing the unusual gift that God has given him I believe in every industry there are those who provide examples of new models certainly dr. Watson is that for Christendom amen when I want to figure out what to do I called dr. Watson or go on their website and steel I mean benchmark and glean concepts and principles ideas and take all the credit anyway they are doing an awesome job they are multi campus ministry in fact before we built this campus amen many of the leaders went down to st. Paul's Baptist to see I mean benchmark that's right Zella know myself aiming to benchmark their model then wrong with being a copycat as long as you copy the right cat and they have a ministry of excellence they're multi-site ministry mega church ministry when it came time for small groups amen that we started at North Campus amen I little just imported his North Campus his a small group leader to go ahead and show us how to do it amen and to establish it they're doing something now that's just off the chain team and as you all know here our Glendale campus we are engaged amen and a senior housing project and that's going to a men and be a blessing to our seniors in the area I mean the Lord blessed us several years ago to pick up two tracts of land that were in comprise about 27 acres Amen pastor Watson also is engaged amen in a development there were the st. Paul's Church they just have about three hundred and ninety two acres they'll be developing and so yeah it's always another level amen and so that we brought him here because he has an unusual gift and anointing and I believe he has a word in his mouth tonight that's going to change the life of a man that's going to be a blessing to his home it's going to be a blessing to his community and he is somebody's preacher Amen he is somebody's preacher so after the brothers will have come back and rendered the somatic collection next voice you shall hear shall be the voice of God as he speaks be one of his choice servants and leaders Reverend dr. Lance watts of the st. Paul's Baptist Church in Richmond Virginia he probably preaches three or four hundred engagements a year and so with his schedule I'm certainly appreciated the fact that he was able to come by here in fact I after he finishes with us tonight he's heading to Detroit to preach for his surrogate home church there on Sunday morning and so I want to thank God for him making this one of his God my place where you can help me thank God for pastor Watson let's give them a good recover welcome but I know we appreciate him coming by this way croisé gone saying politico's was offered to dr. Watson hear ye him and be blessed some I just lift your hands to heaven and just thank the ruler for his great tonight come on in your way just begin to thank him for his wonderful grace His grace is amazing our agreement where will I be not for the great heavy ye everything done where be nice for your a cake my friend I want to thank you for your grace for Fagin I thank you for your amazing green break like a ring someone for your boy carry me whoever we see I wanna pay Oh [Music] [Music] Oh [Music] celebrate rejoice with your brain look at somebody saying where would I be that's what your great Karimi never receive came to my rescue [Music] [Music] [Applause] you Oh [Music] [Applause] Oh [Applause] come on sing with me great great that would be [Music] 375 we Oh [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] your brain [Music] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] I [Music] [Applause] with a weapon Oh oh great [Applause] [Applause] [Music] [Music] it was amazing the sound like me if it wasn't for your great [Music] [Applause] Oh oh yeah thank you for forgiving me Frankie [Applause] Oh cattle cattle cattle cattle cattle [Applause] Oh [Music] Oh [Music] come on thank you come on pack up come on let your brain know how grateful you are tonight let your brain be an example of how grateful you are for your brain [Music] amazing boy ah-ha-ha-ha oh wow Oh [Music] we anybody witness in the strike away today yeah ah don't wear a crown Oh Oh ha [Applause] Oh hallelujah thank you for your great [Music] oh my god as a whole my neighbors hang thank you for the great at rest I the Grace had robbed them of the grace accept the grace that will leave them all but we look over our shoulder and we recognize that through many dangers toils and snares we have already thought it was nothing but your grace but I hold my neighbors and I squeeze in an affirmation that the grace of God is enough bless my neighbor and I'll give you praise in Jesus name Amen come on put those patty and together and God and while you thank you God for His grace gifts would you help me one more time to thank God for dr. Lee Washington and I am dr. Matthew Lockley to both of our many ministers then McKinley my personal Proclamation at the plantation this wonderful group of men what serenaded us holes with a singing of Tom's of praise Amen now look at maintenance and this praise I'll gild for you amen I praise God the new amen and I can praise God for this marvelous opportunity that's ours to come back green temple I want to thank master and master-wife hiding head other than names or consent incoming at the beginning of this time I am so grateful that Matthew want is my friend and he put me on the front side of all of this tremendous preaching amen amen [Applause] I'm glad to go first praise the Lord Amen because passivation has at least 10 years younger than me I don't believe that an old man Jay young man doing anything he put me up first they ain't have but I think and praise God for this opportunity that's ours to share together and I'm not going to be before you long I've been practicing new Beatitudes that goes blessed of the brief but they will be invited back amen so if you have your scriptures with you tonight let me invite your attention to first samuel chapter 27 and i'd like to read an ear here in verses 1 through 4 out of the message translation of the bible which might be a little bit differently than yours but at the end of the day the truth is just a truth in 1st Samuel chapter xxii this is the word of the Lord David thought to himself sooner or later Saul is going to get me the best thing I can do is to escape the Philistine country Saul will count me a lost cause and Quint hunted me down in every milking cranny of Israel I'll be out of his reach for good so David left he and his 600 men went to a Kish son of maiya king of Gath they moved in and settled down and get with a Koosh each man brought his household David brought his two y's a hen on him of Jezreel and Abigail wife of Abel little of navel of caramel when saul was told that David had escaped again he called off all the peoples at a Amen I need you to talk to the neighbors beliefs around legumes and neighbor work your way through this wilderness amen you make me sleep that's what we like to talk about tonight working your way through the wilderness very Super Bowl 37 Fed Ex ran a commercial that spoof movie castaway in which Tom Hanks played a FedEx employee whose company plane went down stranding him on a desert island for a number of years looking like bedraggled Hanks in the movie the FedEx employee in the commercial goes up to the door of a suburban home with a package in hand when a woman answers the door he explains to her that he survived five years on a deserted island and during that entire time he kept this package so that he could personally deliver it where it needed to be she gives a simple thank-you and takes the package but he is curious as to what is in the package that he had been protecting for all these years he says if I may ask what after all was in that package she opens it and shows him the contents and not much just a solar-powered satellite phone a global positioning device a compass a water purifier and some Z and like the contents in their package the resources brothers for our success and survival no matter where we find ourselves are available for everyone who will take advantage of them and those resources are tab and a real relationship with God and as we track the travels of David through the text we're teaching the night we discover that God provides even in the wilderness experiences of our lives David spent the entire decade of his 20s in the wilderness as an outlaw with a price on his head he was chosen by God at a young age and anointed to be king of is real he entered the court of Saul and was loved as a singer and as a friend he saved his entire nation from the Philistine military assault and became a hero among the people he didn't win the electoral college but he did get the popular vote but then he was driven from these accomplishments accolades and aberrations into the wilderness we had to learn to survive the best he could now we don't have an exact chronology but for roughly 10 years David lived as a fugitive in the wilderness I should pause there just long enough to remind somebody that being chosen does not exempt you from challenges and being anointed won't abbreviate your adversity although he was young he quickly became a veteran of wilderness living David had to navigate nights of anxiety and days of distress Wow he was young and the same is true for so many of our children and our youth today who are forced to face and deal with rough and tough places where they are have to struggle just to serve I enrolled in schools that will not teach them constrained by churches that struggle to reach them living in a culture that doesn't understand them growing in homes that don't support them surrounded by violence that threatens to annihilate them companies that won't employ them and prisons that thrive on them they are living in the wilderness David was forced into the wilderness and somebody here knows what I'm talking about because you too have been forced into places and spaces where you rather not be from a distance all wilderness is look the same dry arid unpeopled harsh and cruel but when you are in the wilderness you began to realize that each one has its own distinct character no two difficulties are the same no season of suffering is quite like another no test or temptation is an exact replica of any other because every wilderness has its own characteristic and that's at least one reason why we must be patient with each other and compassionate towards each other because while I may not be in your wilderness you are not in mind everybody will have a wilderness experience at some point in their lives gone and touch a couple of people and say I know that's right they see and that's why your to speak to everybody you see you ought to smile at every face you ought to shake hands with everybody your past because everybody has a battle to fight a burden to bear across the carry and a herd they've got to handle everybody has a struggle to face a river to cross a stress to endure a mountain a move a deficiency to overcome a tragedy to transcend of sorrow to surmount a question/answer a problem that's all the door to open a barrier to break and a burden to bear everybody has got to cry sometime I don't care whether you text your tears in a silk Armani handkerchief or with a disposable paper Kleenex everybody has got to cry sometime everybody has got to walk the floor sometime I don't care whether you walk on plush carpet on the bare floor with their feet everybody's got to walk the floor sometime and cry out in the midnight hour father I stretch my hands to thee no other help I know if thou withdraw thyself from me whither shall I go none of us are immune to irritation and none of us will be protected from pain adversity antagonist accidents and anger break-in on us and before we know it we are running for our lives into the wilderness has anybody here ever logged any time in the wilderness look look at your neighbor say what about you aim and if your neighbor ain't talking to you let them alone because they already there amen David David became a premier cartographer of the wilderness enough that geography of the wilderness both internally and externally and that's what prompted him the prey in Psalm 55 verse 6 he said God get me out of here on the wings of a dove I want some peace and quiet I want to walk in the country I want a cabin in the woods I'm desperate for a change from stormy weather because wilderness is both the geographical fact and of spiritual metaphor it was but Moses in the wilderness of Sinai it was for Jesus in the wilderness of Judea and it was for David and the wilderness that he inhabited for almost ten years I regret to be the one to tell you friend that sooner or later all of us will have to train ourselves as to how to work through the wilderness that we experience in our lives and I believe that since its inherent on our itinerary and schedule on our agenda that we ought to get a feel for it and find out what happens in those austere places and even more to become familiar with the way that God will work in your wilderness that's a shock right there because we are not alone in the wilderness God is there and God is at work somebody shall tell you man see and that's important whether you know it or not because our first instinct it nearly always to try to escape the wilderness however what I hope to do tonight is convert our escapist impulse into a spiritually conditioned embrace because I believe as we steep our imagination in the stories of Scripture we can come to expect not only the undesirable words but also the unexpected bet to show up in the wilderness experiences of our lives God is at work in your wilderness that's what David discovered and that's what you and I have to hold on to what did God do to help David work his way through the wilderness can I share it with you y'all want to hear the rest of it just say bring it on preacher all right I'm gonna drop it like his eye because look first of all God a symbol for him a group of people when you are called upon to go through the wilderness God is so awesome and amazing faithful and loving that God will assemble people around you who will go through the wilderness with you that's a shout right there you ought to smile at your neighbor and just tell them say neighbor you don't have to go through all by yourself see that's part of what this weekend is all about that if you are in the wilderness you gonna find somebody here this weekend who is willing to go through it with you sit alone and initially on the run from Saul David made an abortive attempt to find refuge with Shaw's enemy King a Koosh the Philistine ruler of Gath but he quickly realized that having a common enemy did not automatically make a Koosh his friend he had to get out of gas fast narrowly escaping execution by acting insane and then holing up in the cave of a deulim but he wasn't alone for long on short order we are not told how but there assemble a company of 400 men around him a completely improbable and unexpected blessing given to David as he worked his way through the wilderness was the formation of a community let's hold tricks a community see who were these people that gathered around him well the first to come were his siblings and their families now this is surprising because the early glimpses we are given up David's dealings with his family was antagonistic as Trump's Twitter feed when David was anointed king in chapter 16 it was only after all his brothers have been rejected and I don't care who you are it is always a test of your spiritual and emotional maturity to be able to celebrate somebody selection that have come at the expense of your rejection a few years later when David was commissioned by his father to take his brothers supplies on the battlefield he was not greeted with welcome they were in an embarrassing standoff with Goliath and he was met with the ire and anger of his older brother who contemptuously accused him of neglecting his job thrill-seeking rubbernecking and signifying on the battlefield but of course at the end of the day he was working with alternative facts when his siblings showed up at a deulim David wasn't likely to interpret their arrival as a display of loyalty and affection but they can no doubt afraid of the possibility that Saul's animosity would inevitably spill over to David's King so even though they couldn't stand David was back walking or riding his wilderness hideaway was the safest place that they could imagine come here for a moment because distress danger difficulty and deprivation have a way of bridging the gaps between us that success satisfaction and prosperity cannot either have an Amen right there these brothers became brothers and pressure in a way that they had never known in peace because trouble will push you past pettiness trouble will move you beyond malice trouble will shake you loose from stupidity trouble will drive you beyond dysfunction because all of them were outcasts and refugees but this was the one place where the misfits fit perhaps Psalm 133 is the poetic record of this time when David and his siblings found themselves on common ground maybe it was in the cave of a deulim that David wrote how wonderful it is when brothers get along really just the first to come were his siblings but follow the text because they were followed by people that were struggling first samuel 22 verse 2 depicts them as people who were in distress in dead and discontinued this is a sociological profile of david's congregation people in dead people in distress and people discontent they were not the notable but the negligible they were not the powerful but the penniless they were not too sophisticated but for simple they were not the cream of the crop but the bottom of the barrel they were destitute indigent rejects and dropout these were the people with whom David was forced to live in the wilderness for ten years of his life and together they forage together they fought together they ate together they acted together they played and together they prayed in hostile surroundings it was prayer that reminded them that God was with them for them and working out his sovereign purpose through this prayer was critical to their survival and it is critical to ours have I got any witnesses denied the inexplicably this motley collection of unloved and unlovable people that distress the debtors the discontented of remarkable and high-spirited camaraderie now please understand that the larger context in which this story is placed that of God working out His redemptive plan in the world not only permits but requires that we see David's community as an embryonic people of God the text challenges us to stretch our imagination to the horizons of God's sovereignty and see that David's company made up of those in the discontent and distress have been made by Almighty God in the wilderness god of symbol the people define not by where they came from not by what they did not by what they owned not by what they wore but who would define by what God did for them and what God did in them God has a holy habit of taking people deemed as misfit marginal drifters and outcasts and making them into something amazing special and spectacular now don't be alarmed if somebody jump up and holler on your role because there are some witnesses right there right now somebody here can testify that God found you nowhere and took you somewhere that God found you down and picked you up that God found you broken and made you bless you have to get that because all of us are what we are because of what God has done for us what God has done with us and what God is doing in us right now and this is important my friends especially in this conference of under construction because you're going to be constantly confused disaffected bewildered and irritated in Christian community if you don't remind yourself that none of us are here by our own billing we are here by the mercy of God and God is not through with any of us yet I need you to shake somebody's hand if you don't mind and say neighbor I'm under construction I and then find somebody else and say neighbor I'm a work in progress God is not through with me yet so don't judge me yet don't evaluate me yet don't throw me away yet cuz when God gets through with me see God is perfect but God's people are in process what else quita belite their sin you know it's true because somebody came to church looking for God and to your dismay found yourself surrounded by gossip somebody came seeking friendship and found fake friends and plastic associate somebody came trying to grow in grace but with it under the weight of brights and grumbles Paul the second from Tarsus was realistic about this issue when he wrote to the Christians in Corinth and said take a good look at who you were when you got called into this life not many of you were among the best and the brightest not many of you were influential from high society families and then he says in it obvious that God deliberately chose people that the culture overlooks exploits and abuses that chooses those who are nobody to expose the hollow pretensions of the somebody that's what none of us can get by blowing our own horn everything we have comes from God so if you can't blow horn Paul says blow a trumpet for God see wilderness spirituality requires creating sacred space in your spirit to live with people who are in process that's what Paul Jesus and David did God said David a ragtag group of people to help him work his way to the wilderness and God does the same thing for us God sends anxious and angry the bitter and the bird the callous and the compassionate the dynamic and the difficult God sends the PhD the MD the JD the GED and the ain't got no D God sends those who think they are something and those who know they are not God sends the upper class the middle class the lower class the underclass and those who ain't got no class because they are all God's people and in addition to his people God got a plan my let somebody say yes he does because watch this track with me now more surprising than the composition of David swelling company up now more than 600 was the choice he made to accept employment with King a Koosh of death as an undocumented immigrant to remember the Philistines have been Israel's primary antagonist for more than a hundred years David first gained notoriety among them as a man who annihilated their champion Goliath his fight song went number one all the Billboard charts in Israel as people began the singers hook Saul has killed thousands but david has killed 10,000 it was that song that incited Saul's anger and envy and made him chase David across the border into the wilderness in the first place but now instead of killing Philistines David was cozying up to them David's despair over Saul's murderous campaign drove him to making common cause with the classic enemies of his people I'm in verse 1 where the text site David self conversation he says to himself sooner or later Saul's go get me the best I can do is escape to Philistine territory but yes I can do notice where it's focused his confidence and his trust are he's not concentrating on God he's absorbed in himself and cannot share something with you that's a definitive recipe for depression when you start focusing on the best I can do don't bump your neighbor and say it ain't him about you boo see he made the choice to join his enemy not scriptural commentators commonly do one of two things when they evaluate this text they moralize or they secularize can I break that down like a fraction because those who moralize criticize and condemn date they believe he betrayed is calling as Israel's anointed and failed to trust God to care for him has God had so amply done in the past those who specular eyes the Zeen admire his successful ascent to power and the outcomes game through his shrewd wit and incredible good fortune because by joining Trump I mean a Koosh I'm sorry he put himself out of reach for Saul and simultaneously bolted his family and to a higher standard of living after all of those years of precarious wilderness existence and then he manages to use King Ankush for his own purposes without getting caught up in his deception however as we read this text in its context I think I see something else can I share it that David is more or less doing what David has to do to survive and disagreeable conditions he makes a choice he lives not only on the money economy of the Philistines but on the moral economy of the Philistines it's not the right thing to do but it's what David does he makes a choice and God does not get in his way but just this because it's precisely in these conditions that God works out his plane don't miss it that God word in circumstances that are less than ideal yo y'all missed it see if you get what I just said yo peace will return if you get what I just said you'll have joy for the rest of your life because we keep waiting and warning for everybody to be unified for everybody to like us for everybody to enjoy us but this text contend that it's in the middle of dysfunction it's in the middle of this loyalty it's in the middle of discontent it's in the middle of this unity that God perfects his cause and makes this cake okay I see I gotta help some of y'all how will I do this how many of y'all by show of hands like chicken just just way that yeah I knew this was a chicken crowd a night I can tell from looking at you right now that you like chicken and you don't just like one cut you like all kinds of chicken you like fried chicken a baked chicken you like grilled chicken you like chicken and right you like chicken and dumplings you you like jerk chicken and barbecue chicken and rotisserie chicken when you're done with a rotisserie chicken I bet you take the scraps and make you some chicken salad but but but here's the problem here's the problem do you know that some people don't know how to eat chicken because when you eat chicken you don't leave meat on the bone what's wrong with you you don't waste a good chicken wing because that's just disrespectful you supposed to chew on the bone you suppose the suck on the bone and if it's baked chicken you supposed to dip it in the juice and let it swim around a little while you don't wait the perfectly good chicken wing but leaving meat on the bone come here and just as you don't waste chicken I want you to know God will not waste anything that you have been through that God works in circumstances that are less than ideal God can get some and not everything in your life every choice every time every change every mistake every misstep every failure every setback every separation every long night every dark day every wrong trying god can get something out of everything because god is always up to something in your life right now God is shaping you right now God is making you right now God is molding you right now God is teaching you training you stretching you growing you and blessing you it's all working together for your good because God is intentional come on tap somebody and say God is still at work in my life see God God work in circumstances that were less than ideal David made a bad choice barely escaped with his life but it's God who protects David from violating the Covenant it's God who guards David's faithfulness to his anointing it's God who works out David's salvation see the primary concern Friends of spiritual life is not what we do for God but it's what God does for us that's why no weapon formed against you can prosper that's why when your enemies and your foes came upon you to eat of your flesh God stuck out his foot and they stumbled and fell that's why a thousand may fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand but it will not come near you because God is at work in you and he that has begun this good worked in you is able to complete it and he will somebody here knows what I'm talking about because you have had to live under the patronage of your own King Aegeus but here's your word tonight God is able to work his plan and your life anyway somebody's out anyway see God's plan will not be defeated this on destroy or dismantle it will work out for the good of them that love the Lord what did God do to help David work his way through the wilderness he gathered around him a people God continued to work his plane and God ensured he had provision could I get you to touch a neighbor and say neighbor I don't know what you're in but know this God will provide see that whatever is necessary for you to achieve is perfect as a village plan God will provide it and God does it by His grace that's the mistake of moralism because moralism puts all the emphasis on our performance it operates out of the conviction that there's a clear-cut right and that we are capable of discerning and choosing in in every circumstance moralism puts the entire burden of our spiritual formation on what we do and with that happen God is marginalized that's also the shortcoming of secularism because secularism operates out of the conviction that spirituality is otherworldly and irrelevant in our everyday life secularism sees spirituality as an extra added to the base of our social smart economic setting and career know-how and when that happened God is trivialized but God will not be marginalized nor trivialized by what we do or fail to do God is central and as you trust God no matter where you are or what you're in God will provide what you need David serve a Koosh and because it's service was excellent Akos gave him the entire town of big land and it became the center which he and his people operated in the hub from which his provision flow there for a moment because big leg represents the church a community of grace that is given to you and me big leg is a primary reminder of the mercy of God despite the malice of people big leg is filled with people who are throw up from the flow of broken down and bitter torn and troubled and yet called and challenged to live together in communities that's the story of the church because Christian experience is never just my story it's our story it's a community of stories we learn our story with others and we tell our story to others we are not to be sullen sober or silent we are not the hot our life nor to keep our stories to ourselves but if God has done anything for you you supposed to tell somebody Psalm 107 verse 2 and Struck's with intentionality it said let the redeemed of the Lord say so captain Haven is a neighbor you do not have the right to remain silent see silent affirmation it's not an option voiceless verification it's not an alternative we've got a story to tell our story is not to be hidden covert or quickly it's not to be clandestine we ought to tell it it cannot and should not be lives on the D Hill or kept under wraps we've got to tell it some of our stories are about distress some of them are about death some of them are about discontent some of them are about this function but there's no getting around it we are community together working our way through the wilderness and in the wilderness we bump into each other we stumble over each other we get thrown off balance distracted and disillusion we get frustrated sometimes and decide to go off on our own and try to cultivate a spirituality that is uncontaminated by hypocrites but eventually we discover that we can't survive in the wilderness all by ourselves because part of God's provision it's not just a place but it's a people part of God's provision for us is your own heavy it's us with our doubts it's us with our fears it's us with our rebel reservations it's us with our complaints it's up being inconsistent it's us being unreliable it's us grumbling it's us being negative it's us playing with pain and riddled with them part of God's provision for us is us us too important to be involved us too arrogant to shout hallelujah us to to to contribute too greedy to give to proper to praise too sophisticated to serve too high and mighty to give God the glory and the praise God's provision for us is that because there's somebody who needs what you got don't have five your neighbor and say give it up neighbor stop holding onto my blessing there's somebody in the house of God who needs your intelligence your skills your ability your personality your sense of you your anointing and your calling there's somebody who needs your charm you'll smile your story and your song you'll testimony your voice and your prayer you are the missing people - somebody's puzzle you are the missing element in somebody's equation you are the missing character in somebody's story and it's in big lenka the place God provides that God shows us what our sinned all eyes have lit it's in big leg that we get to see lines that have been shaped by the word and created by the spirit lives of sacrificial humility an incredible courage heroic made my holy brave joyful suffering constant prayer and persevering obedience it's in big last test that we learn how to resist like mad and leave like Harriet and speak like predator and think like garbage and save like Madam's ejecta educate like the blonde I believe like burger challenge like Rosa Parks dream like Martin up like like Malcolm right like Maya and get off like Jesus it's in big letters that we come to understand that God's provision for essa is and that's why Jesus became one of us he became human in order to reach us but wholly in order to rescue us human to come down where we are but wholly lift us where is human in order to touch on top but holy in order to transform human order the comforter but holy in order to change human order to cry with us not by the holy to wipe our tears away please it's the provision of God Jesus is the righteousness of God these of that it's a must be of God the provision of God the grace of God Jesus if the source of our salvation the lifter of our head come nickel of our way and the people of our souls up do you know him have you ever tried but can I stand like I want to have a me alright he bread when we get hungry come on pick your neighbor huh by their hand and just hold it for a moment get somebody on your left and right now I say maybe I want to start this right now I will tell you my story look at your neighbor and say neighbor please wormy water when I'm putting money in my pocket Delta in my song nothing in my pickle no in my courtroom look I mean I've made Jesus my rock my life my baby my friend all right yeah yeah [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] he's alright Liberty love me dianese pain bury me carried my sins far away rising he justified freely forever and one day coming back glorious day and until this I'm gonna work my way through this [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] come on can we give some brothers to read the works tonight come on everybody open up your mouth put your hands together come up and put them down and let's work our way through the wilderness [Music] [Music] [Music] now hold on just a second this is the under construction conference is that right and you know when you show up on the jobsite even though you're there you don't get credit and could you punch in is that right we'll treat you already in the wilderness it's Karma golden hands go to work every brother get across a high five instances give us sister hot father say neighbor I'm ready to slip in with my prey now say can you help me this Jesus yeah [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] hallelujah come also on defeat all over the house let's thank God for this word tonight my god like a whole revival this thing God for the man of God forever not the last watching you share that word that set us on fire and watch this now let's thank God for the fruit of the world [Applause] going to ask at the beginning of this an under-construction conference every man meet us at the altar every man meet us at the altar every man meet us at the altar [Music] hallelujah hallelujah my god [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] look at all these wilderness walkers tonight just the fact that we're alive [Music] after all of the past and present Trump's song the fact that we're here shows us that God has made a big language for [Applause] but brothers right now trying to hold back tears because he knows he should be behind prison doors still should be Six Feet Under just still be strung out on the street but God has provided us a thick level place for us to come pass the pasta Watson saying that Ziklag is defined by God giving us a place where you have with somebody else me but brother if you don't mind the night can you just make a little circle two or three brothers right where you are because because I promise you in that circle right where you are it's going to be a brother who has been where you are right now brother who's lost his family brother who's lost his job brother who's lost his way but the Lord brought him through and the Lord brought him out where brother just tell that brother brothers and interpreters tell them your name to tell him your name right man tell me your name tell him your name tell me now don't don't tell Allah but just just tell the brother one thing you know the Lord has brought you through just one thing for reals look em in the eye man God look at a man look them in the eye I don't think I'd get it out you think if they got get it through [Music] come on come on tell them tell them because that brother needs to know that God can heal with your track marks filling y'all doctor can deliver right now even in bankruptcy that God can restore your relationship with your children call call tell the truth in church tell the truth in church tell the truth in church you don't know how what you're sharing is blessing the brothers in your circle right now going in a restaurant tell it tell it tell us [Music] God brought me in from running the streets God brought me in brought me food and here is the joy of Ziklag it is no secret what God can do what is done for that brother he can do for you too [Music] yeah I know it's uncomfortable I know it's uncomfortable but my goddess you can't tell it here where you going tell me you can tell us how those but they have nothing to offer you they can't can't do nothing with them [Music] there's got a healing yeah it could be healed come on your circle of here deliver yeah because he brought you out and brought you through with God away maker that's how you're able to register for the conference can you do anything but saying and here it is is God a forgiver if your Redeemer is he the god of a second chance and third chances I can't even count anymore shame [Music] father in the name of Jesus here we stand as your sons and as your soldiers here we stand with our debt with our discontent with our distress here we stand as men who are wounded but still working because you're working on the inside of this God I thank you for the life of my brother tonight I think that everything that devil tried since he was a boy did not work because he's still alive devil was trying to do more than give us a bad reputation God he was trying to take our lives but you were very present help in the time of trouble thank you for my brother on my left thank you for the brother on my right god I believe that you have yet a calling on his life I believe you have authority that you've crowned his head with I believe you have an assignment for him to fulfill in your house and in his house and so father in the name of Jesus I raised up the life of my brother tonight raise up him as a man as a son of the Most High God as a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ as a royal priesthood and our holy nation god bless my brother I pray help him to walk in his ministry inside or outside the pulpit inside or outside the church god help them to no longer be ashamed of who he is in you God do a work on the inside to do an inside job right now helping to be a better man helping to be a better husband helping to be a better father helping to be a better leader helping to be a standard-bearer help them to be the wall that protects our community in times like these raise up men at this altar now God we come acknowledge and we got a whole bunch of stuff with us we've made thousand we've made promises but that didn't work because it was all on us but tonight we put it all on you and God we pray that you will do a new thing in us creating us a clean haunt renew a right spirit within us and tonight in the name of Jesus we give it up and we give it over to you every man repeat after me in the name of Jesus I thank you for my deliverance for my healing and for my victory by the power of the blood of the land I receive forgiveness and strength and light and your anointing that destroys the yoke in the name of Jesus I walk from this altar not just as a man but as a man of God and I claim my authority in the name of Jesus and it is so and it is so and it is so Bob babe amen amen and thank God come on every brother snap your brother got your brother back your brother tell me were computers Wilden is right now [Music] hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah [Applause] Hey [Applause] [Music] I'm pre praise the Lord I'm free come on I need some brothers walking back different in the game down you walk down with the hip now walk that with the head it come on let me search them hallelujah if we can change this for about two more minutes we can open up the door of the church for somebody to give their life to Christ or some other joint I want to stand to your feet as we make way for somebody to get down to the foot of the falls no more chain systems go on join a census and my phone it's just a black raised along listen this or the church is open right now if you're here brother if you're here sister but you're not a Jesus you never accepted Jesus as Lord of your life if you're unsaved aren't you I was going to meet me down here at the office right now somebody else yes your faith but you don't have a church home we're growing you are a homeless krypton it ain't enough to believe in God used to belong to God you can have a bit flag where you can come and be distressing it God the door this person's over the right man come on whoever you are wherever you are however you are come on like you are the good news is here we go play like you all come on screen that again god bless with my brother's we'll see you coming guys even come on tonight somebody come on tonight come on right now come on you can make it tonight raise the money [Music] how to listen I'm not going to take a long time I just want to do this last time god bless you can see it trouble right now my brother hallo I didn't somebody get excited when you see a brother do you see a black man walking now the public reanalysis faith in God this way to God first I mean amen and I believe there's somebody else there's somebody else there's somebody else that needs to take the walk of faith but they need you to encourage them I'm not going to strip this for you just reach out to somebody on your own come on leave nobody unspoken to us to this moment and asking them their spiritual status offer to walk with them to the foot of the cross come on right now I am free last call come on let me get a while be giving good not saying don't have a church home here go come on right now need to get that right with the Lord need this make it right come on come on yeah praise the Lord hallelujah amen I want to thank God like we have brother Jason Austin amen brother - today men coming his own to church god bless you my brothers amen and this is brother Dennis Howard amen coming to join the church as well amen he was just going to st. Phillip in Atlanta put my father amen and we met down there glad to have you here as a part of our church family Gilboa for the Robert right there come on this thang off our brother somebody shot welcome home welcome home to the family of thing amen let's think I vomit on the path to Washington very briefly wasn't is tremendous tonight wasn't that a wonderful powerful therapeutic and healing word thank God for dr. Laird Watson and God thank you for the night this is just the opening can you imagine what's going to happen tomorrow here's what I want you to do those of you that would join us would you fast and tell what does that what sounds burger fast to tell you decline this fast just just don't take nothing to eat just say Lord I'm consecrating myself for the purpose of this men's company would you pass would you do that those of you that would and we want to see God finish what you started tonight because God's gonna do something supernatural and stupidness because that's just like God and I want to thank the spirit for blessing us and giving us a good send-off tonight god bless you amen praise the Lord as you prepare to be dismissed amen want to remind you that registration is yet available and I believe after what we've experienced tonight the Lord may have placed on your heart the life the name who brother that you know need this and so if as you're fasting tonight as the Lord reveals that person just be bold in the spirit ask God to give you the word I believe God will already prepare the heart of their soul it's a little their heart that when you plant that seed they'll respond and they'll come with you we'll have registration available in the morning amen and they can come and be a part of the rest of what God is doing not just for our older men we also remember have a whole section just for our team amen our young men who are under assault amen and every way if you have a young man in your household or connected your household amen who does not pay rent they don't make they don't have choices we all pay rent amen and so you just make sure you get them here in the morning and let God do the rest let's think I've all my time for pastor Lance Watson's in the back amen I'll assume he's on his way to ICU amen my God my brother amen thank you men eight men y'all represented eight men we appreciate it received now the benediction great piece of mercy from God the Father Son and Holy Spirit Russ will abide now with these your men and women both now and evermore gods amen say it again save one more time god bless you brothers and sisters you now may go to your own home amen all pastors and visiting ministers that you would meet us here in the front we have a little reception a plan just beyond thought pastor Darrell Williams pastor Morrow Hughes and others would you come forward brother Cato June would you come forward eight men want to see you all on the front god bless years ago

Channel: Reid Temple AME

Views: 31,328

Rating: 4.7916665 out of 5

Keywords: reid temple, ame, Pastor Lee P. Washington, Rev. Matthew Watley, Church, ame church, gospel music, Worship, Reid Temple, AME, Sermon

Id: 2tzX75xMEl4

Length: 123min 23sec (7403 seconds)

Published: Sat Jul 01 2017