1 00:00:00,800 --> 00:00:07,080 Born while you have a chance. We come to praise Him. 2 00:00:08,440 --> 00:00:14,480 We come to praise Him. We come to praise Him. 3 00:00:15,040 --> 00:00:22,400 Lift his holy name. Someone lift up the name of 4 00:00:22,680 --> 00:00:26,400 Jesus. We love you, Lord. 5 00:00:29,800 --> 00:00:35,840 Hallelujah, Amen. Look over your neighbor and say 6 00:00:35,840 --> 00:00:40,640 welcome, Amen. Welcome to this first service of 7 00:00:40,640 --> 00:00:43,120 revival. I was talking to some of our 8 00:00:43,120 --> 00:00:45,640 leadership and I asked them when was the last time they've been 9 00:00:45,640 --> 00:00:49,800 in five consecutive services. Some were mentioning camp 10 00:00:49,800 --> 00:00:52,600 meeting their conference and others have been a while that of 11 00:00:52,600 --> 00:00:55,480 course that don't go to can't meet in their conference, but 12 00:00:55,880 --> 00:00:58,320 that's so we're starting today. Amen. 13 00:00:58,320 --> 00:01:00,080 We're glad to have each one of you 2 our guests. 14 00:01:00,080 --> 00:01:03,280 I I echoed all of the responses of my wife. 15 00:01:03,320 --> 00:01:05,560 Welcome to the first Apostolic Church. 16 00:01:05,560 --> 00:01:08,120 You're welcome here anytime, anytime. 17 00:01:08,120 --> 00:01:10,400 It don't even have to be a special revival service. 18 00:01:10,400 --> 00:01:12,720 You can come and we, we'd love to have you. 19 00:01:13,440 --> 00:01:15,680 Some of these spokes course no doubt are a part of our 20 00:01:15,680 --> 00:01:18,440 community, work in our community and you see them on a regular 21 00:01:18,440 --> 00:01:22,080 basis if you shop at some of the places here within town. 22 00:01:22,400 --> 00:01:23,640 Amen. We're honored to have them 23 00:01:23,640 --> 00:01:25,440 today. We're also honored to have 24 00:01:25,760 --> 00:01:29,680 Evangelist Adrian Sanford this morning from Walton, 25 00:01:30,000 --> 00:01:33,120 Mississippi. He has been here on more than 26 00:01:33,120 --> 00:01:36,000 one occasion. He has a wonderful wife, 27 00:01:36,000 --> 00:01:40,120 Courtney, and he's got 3 honorary boys and one good girl. 28 00:01:43,600 --> 00:01:48,440 He has Easton and Kade and Klein and then Heidi is his girl. 29 00:01:48,840 --> 00:01:52,400 And back home from the state that he's at, they're having 30 00:01:52,400 --> 00:01:55,680 their senior camp this week. And so there's some of them that 31 00:01:55,680 --> 00:01:59,080 are attending that camp. And so he's he's here to to help 32 00:01:59,080 --> 00:02:05,120 us with camp here at a local assembly camp for the next 5 33 00:02:05,120 --> 00:02:10,199 services and that we honor him. We love brother, brother Sanford 34 00:02:10,240 --> 00:02:14,480 and he's a student of the word. And I think I'm correct when 35 00:02:14,480 --> 00:02:16,760 saying because it's been around enough that when I say one of 36 00:02:16,760 --> 00:02:19,880 his hobbies includes just listening to preaching. 37 00:02:20,600 --> 00:02:21,880 And so that's the reason why I like him. 38 00:02:21,880 --> 00:02:23,920 That's the reason why I like him. 39 00:02:24,320 --> 00:02:28,280 And so no, we appreciate him. We there was a sneaking 40 00:02:28,280 --> 00:02:31,000 suspicion that he may have had a couple of his boys with him. 41 00:02:31,280 --> 00:02:34,560 And so my wife made this basket with that in mind. 42 00:02:37,840 --> 00:02:41,440 Yeah, nerd gummy clusters and some cars and like light up 43 00:02:41,440 --> 00:02:43,320 football. And so he said he had a 44 00:02:43,320 --> 00:02:46,800 wonderful time last night with himself as he played cars on the 45 00:02:46,800 --> 00:02:49,000 floor and did all those wonderful things. 46 00:02:49,560 --> 00:02:51,400 Amen. And so we're glad to have him. 47 00:02:51,520 --> 00:02:54,680 Will you make him welcome this morning as we honor God as the 48 00:02:54,680 --> 00:02:57,320 man of God comes today shares from the word. 49 00:03:00,600 --> 00:03:06,320 Hey man, let's give the Lord that praise this morning, Amen? 50 00:03:06,320 --> 00:03:09,120 Aren't you glad to be in the House of the Lord? 51 00:03:09,120 --> 00:03:14,480 And what a great presence of the Lord that's in this house, Amen? 52 00:03:14,480 --> 00:03:18,000 Aren't you glad that when you come to church, when you begin 53 00:03:18,000 --> 00:03:21,920 to magnify the Lord and sing praises, it's not going to be 54 00:03:21,920 --> 00:03:23,480 long until you feel His presence? 55 00:03:24,560 --> 00:03:29,400 And I know that we don't serve Him off of feeling, but at the 56 00:03:29,400 --> 00:03:32,440 same time, I'm glad that I serve a God that I can feel from time 57 00:03:32,440 --> 00:03:35,840 to time. And I feel him in the house 58 00:03:35,840 --> 00:03:36,680 this. Morning. 59 00:03:37,560 --> 00:03:40,640 And what great singing and music we've heard. 60 00:03:41,160 --> 00:03:44,720 And I know that you know this, but you're blessed with the 61 00:03:44,720 --> 00:03:47,760 great music and talent and singing that you have here. 62 00:03:48,440 --> 00:03:52,240 And it's not just talent, but it's anointed and that's what 63 00:03:52,240 --> 00:03:55,840 makes the difference. And it's just an honor to be 64 00:03:55,840 --> 00:03:59,480 here with you this morning. And I did have a good time last 65 00:03:59,480 --> 00:04:01,560 night. I told him I just sat in the 66 00:04:01,560 --> 00:04:03,200 floor and play with the cars myself. 67 00:04:04,320 --> 00:04:06,240 And but it's an honor to be here with you. 68 00:04:06,680 --> 00:04:10,080 And I've been looking forward to this for several weeks now. 69 00:04:10,720 --> 00:04:13,560 And I give honor to all of you for being in the House of the 70 00:04:13,560 --> 00:04:16,920 Lord today. And whether you're a St. or a 71 00:04:16,920 --> 00:04:20,600 visitor, let's just have church together for the next few 72 00:04:20,600 --> 00:04:24,480 minutes and let's just see what the Lord wants to do. 73 00:04:25,040 --> 00:04:27,720 If you have your Bibles, I'll go to Revelation chapter 3. 74 00:04:28,560 --> 00:04:32,840 And as you're finding Revelation 3 and verse 7 would like to give 75 00:04:32,840 --> 00:04:36,480 honor today to your pastor and pastor's wife and family, 76 00:04:36,480 --> 00:04:40,520 brother and sister McGee. And one of the great things I 77 00:04:40,520 --> 00:04:43,560 love about this church is not only the music and the singing 78 00:04:43,560 --> 00:04:46,560 and the talent, but this is a word church. 79 00:04:48,720 --> 00:04:52,080 And I travel a little bit and you can tell when you're in a 80 00:04:52,080 --> 00:04:56,520 word church and when you're not. And one, one of the things I 81 00:04:56,520 --> 00:04:59,760 love about your pastor in this church is your Word church. 82 00:05:00,440 --> 00:05:03,400 And I give them honor today and give honor to your Bishop and 83 00:05:03,400 --> 00:05:07,760 his wife as well. And it's just an honor to be 84 00:05:07,760 --> 00:05:10,840 here with you today. And I believe the Lord is going 85 00:05:10,840 --> 00:05:15,240 to do great things this week, not because I'm here, but 86 00:05:16,120 --> 00:05:20,840 because God honors His Word. And I want Him to honor His Word 87 00:05:20,840 --> 00:05:24,320 this morning. So Revelation chapter 3 and 88 00:05:24,320 --> 00:05:30,000 verse 7, and I'll go down to verse #13 and what I'm going to 89 00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:33,880 attempt to preach this morning will be something that everybody 90 00:05:33,880 --> 00:05:39,560 in this room can relate to. It'll be a cure for some of us 91 00:05:40,680 --> 00:05:44,240 and it'll be a preventative for others, but everybody in this 92 00:05:44,240 --> 00:05:48,040 room will be able to personally relate to what I'm going to talk 93 00:05:48,040 --> 00:05:51,400 about. South Revelation chapter 3 and 94 00:05:51,400 --> 00:05:55,280 verse #7 says into the Angel of the church in Philadelphia, 95 00:05:55,280 --> 00:05:58,240 right? These things sayeth He that is 96 00:05:58,240 --> 00:06:04,800 holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that 97 00:06:04,800 --> 00:06:06,560 openeth. And no man shutteth and 98 00:06:06,560 --> 00:06:08,240 shutteth. And no man openeth. 99 00:06:09,200 --> 00:06:12,200 This is what? The Lord says, I know thy works. 100 00:06:12,880 --> 00:06:16,480 Behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can 101 00:06:16,480 --> 00:06:20,840 shut it, for thou hast a little. Strength and it's kept my word 102 00:06:20,840 --> 00:06:25,200 and has not denied my name. Behold, I will make them of the 103 00:06:25,200 --> 00:06:28,440 synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but 104 00:06:28,440 --> 00:06:31,400 do lie. Behold, I will make them to come 105 00:06:31,400 --> 00:06:34,640 and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee, 106 00:06:35,520 --> 00:06:38,000 because that was kept the word of my patience. 107 00:06:38,720 --> 00:06:42,480 I will also keep thee from the hour of temptation which shall 108 00:06:42,480 --> 00:06:45,800 come upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the earth. 109 00:06:47,000 --> 00:06:56,000 Behold, I come quickly, hold that fast which thou hast, that 110 00:06:56,000 --> 00:07:01,880 no man take thy crown. Him that overcometh will I make 111 00:07:01,880 --> 00:07:05,760 a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more 112 00:07:05,760 --> 00:07:07,240 out. And I will write upon him the 113 00:07:07,240 --> 00:07:11,040 name of my God, in the name of the city of my God, which is New 114 00:07:11,040 --> 00:07:14,720 Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God. 115 00:07:14,720 --> 00:07:19,200 And I will write upon him my new name, He that hath an ear. 116 00:07:20,280 --> 00:07:24,800 Let him hear. What the Spirit saith unto the 117 00:07:24,800 --> 00:07:36,800 churches, Behold I come quickly, hold what you have, that no man. 118 00:07:38,080 --> 00:07:42,080 Take thy crown. I want to preach to you for a 119 00:07:42,080 --> 00:07:44,120 few moments this morning from the subject. 120 00:07:44,120 --> 00:07:53,880 Let no man take thy crown. Let no man take thy crown. 121 00:07:55,200 --> 00:07:57,200 I feel the Holy Ghost in the house this morning. 122 00:07:58,000 --> 00:08:01,000 Why don't we one more time lift our hands before we're seated? 123 00:08:01,960 --> 00:08:04,320 And as our hands are lifted, I wonder if we could join our 124 00:08:04,320 --> 00:08:08,720 voices together and ask the Lord to speak to all of our. 125 00:08:08,720 --> 00:08:29,520 Hearts through His word. In Jesus name and why don't you 126 00:08:29,520 --> 00:08:32,520 one more time give the Lord a great hang glap of praise all 127 00:08:32,520 --> 00:08:37,679 over the house and you may be seated. 128 00:08:38,520 --> 00:08:45,040 Thank you for standing. John is the last disciple alive. 129 00:08:45,960 --> 00:08:51,440 He was boiled but survives. And so since he survives, he has 130 00:08:51,440 --> 00:08:54,960 banished to the Isle of Patmos by a man named Domitian. 131 00:08:55,800 --> 00:09:00,800 Historians suggest that John spent anywhere from 18 to 24 132 00:09:00,800 --> 00:09:03,520 months on that small, rocky little island. 133 00:09:04,200 --> 00:09:09,040 The name Patmos is a unique name because it means the place of my 134 00:09:09,040 --> 00:09:13,720 killing, but it's there where John receives the revelation of 135 00:09:13,880 --> 00:09:17,680 Jesus Christ. In fact, Revelation chapter one 136 00:09:17,680 --> 00:09:22,880 verse one says the revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave unto 137 00:09:22,880 --> 00:09:25,720 him. And can I just submit to you as 138 00:09:25,720 --> 00:09:29,760 we begin this morning that the Book of Revelation is not about 139 00:09:29,760 --> 00:09:34,120 a beast rising out of the sea and it's not about vials of 140 00:09:34,120 --> 00:09:38,600 wrath or plagues being poured out, but it is the revelation or 141 00:09:38,600 --> 00:09:44,400 the unveiling of Jesus Christ. And it was in John's isolation 142 00:09:44,640 --> 00:09:47,400 where God gave give him this great revelation. 143 00:09:47,880 --> 00:09:50,480 And I understand that it's another sermon for another day. 144 00:09:50,480 --> 00:09:54,920 But sometimes the places that are meant to destroy us, the 145 00:09:54,920 --> 00:09:58,840 places that are meant to kill us, becomes the very tool God 146 00:09:58,840 --> 00:10:02,000 uses to give us a greater understanding of who he is. 147 00:10:02,480 --> 00:10:08,120 In fact, 7 verses later the Lord tells John I am Alpha and Omega. 148 00:10:08,440 --> 00:10:12,160 The beginning and the ending saith the Lord, which is, which 149 00:10:12,160 --> 00:10:15,240 was and which is to come, the Almighty. 150 00:10:15,680 --> 00:10:19,520 We then get into chapters 2 and three and we find John writing 151 00:10:19,880 --> 00:10:22,280 to the seven churches in Asia Minor. 152 00:10:22,720 --> 00:10:27,360 Now we understand that seven different times John takes his 153 00:10:27,360 --> 00:10:31,200 time to write letters and address certain issues to these 154 00:10:31,200 --> 00:10:34,080 congregations. He writes to the Church of 155 00:10:34,080 --> 00:10:36,280 Ephesus and informs them. That. 156 00:10:36,640 --> 00:10:40,360 Because they have left or forsaken their first love, it's 157 00:10:40,360 --> 00:10:44,280 time to repent and remember from whence thou art fallen. 158 00:10:44,680 --> 00:10:48,080 He writes to the Church of Smyrna and informs them that 159 00:10:48,080 --> 00:10:50,520 they would suffer great persecution. 160 00:10:50,880 --> 00:10:53,760 To the Church of Pergamus, he informs them that they need to 161 00:10:53,760 --> 00:10:57,760 repent because they've allowed false doctrine in their midst. 162 00:10:58,200 --> 00:11:02,160 To the Church of Thyatira they rebuke because they allowed a 163 00:11:02,200 --> 00:11:05,360 false prophetess to have dominion over their 164 00:11:05,360 --> 00:11:08,120 congregation. He writes to the Church of 165 00:11:08,120 --> 00:11:12,120 Sardis and informs them that they are dead or they have no 166 00:11:12,120 --> 00:11:14,400 moving of God's Spirit in their midst. 167 00:11:14,840 --> 00:11:18,720 To the Church of Laodicea, he tells them because you are 168 00:11:18,720 --> 00:11:22,080 increased with goods and have need of nothing, because you 169 00:11:22,080 --> 00:11:25,400 become lukewarm in your approach, the Lord is going to 170 00:11:25,400 --> 00:11:29,200 spew you out of his mouth. But then we get to the Church of 171 00:11:29,200 --> 00:11:32,000 Philadelphia, the church that we're going to deal with for a 172 00:11:32,000 --> 00:11:35,400 few moments this morning. And when you begin to read the 173 00:11:35,400 --> 00:11:39,480 words of John to Philadelphia, you are quick to realize that 174 00:11:39,480 --> 00:11:42,800 they were only one of two churches that John never 175 00:11:42,800 --> 00:11:46,240 rebukes. John doesn't rebuke Smyrna and 176 00:11:46,240 --> 00:11:50,080 he doesn't rebuke Philadelphia. Now we understand that when we 177 00:11:50,080 --> 00:11:54,320 begin to read these 7 letters, they were not the words of John 178 00:11:54,320 --> 00:11:57,160 himself. We understand that this was not 179 00:11:57,160 --> 00:12:00,160 John's personal message to these believers. 180 00:12:00,160 --> 00:12:04,600 But every time John address one of those churches, it came from 181 00:12:04,600 --> 00:12:08,000 the Lord himself. This is while the Lord begins to 182 00:12:08,000 --> 00:12:13,600 address himself in verse 7 as He that is holy, he that is true, 183 00:12:13,960 --> 00:12:17,760 He that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man 184 00:12:17,760 --> 00:12:20,600 shutteth, and shutteth and no man openeth. 185 00:12:21,040 --> 00:12:25,560 The Lord is describing Himself and emphasizing His Holiness, 186 00:12:25,560 --> 00:12:28,120 His sovereignty, and His authority. 187 00:12:28,480 --> 00:12:31,400 The reference to the key of David is an allusion to the 188 00:12:31,400 --> 00:12:37,120 prophecy Isaiah gave all the way back in Isaiah 22 when he said I 189 00:12:37,120 --> 00:12:40,760 will place on his shoulder the key of the House of David. 190 00:12:41,080 --> 00:12:45,640 He will open and none will shut. He will shut and none will open. 191 00:12:46,040 --> 00:12:48,920 So the Lord is letting Philadelphia know from the very 192 00:12:48,920 --> 00:12:52,600 beginning that I'm the only one that can open and shut doors, 193 00:12:53,000 --> 00:12:56,280 and there's nothing anybody or anyone can do to change. 194 00:12:56,280 --> 00:13:01,120 That. He then gets to verse #8 and he 195 00:13:01,120 --> 00:13:05,040 says, I know thy works. Behold, I have sit before thee 196 00:13:05,040 --> 00:13:09,560 an open door, and no man can shut it, for thou hast a little 197 00:13:09,560 --> 00:13:13,760 strength, and has kept my word, and has not denied my name. 198 00:13:14,160 --> 00:13:17,680 Now in verse 7, the Lord has already established that I'm the 199 00:13:17,680 --> 00:13:20,960 one that open and shuts. Doors and then he tells them in 200 00:13:20,960 --> 00:13:26,920 verse 8, because of thy works or because of thy labor, because 201 00:13:26,920 --> 00:13:29,200 you remain faithful. For even when you had a little 202 00:13:29,200 --> 00:13:33,600 bit of strength, I'm about to give you Philadelphia an open 203 00:13:33,600 --> 00:13:36,520 door of blessings. And Brother McGee, when I read 204 00:13:36,520 --> 00:13:41,480 this verse, he reminds me that it pays to labor in the Kingdom 205 00:13:41,480 --> 00:13:44,240 of God. It pays to remain faithful, 206 00:13:44,240 --> 00:13:46,840 ladies and gentlemen, even when you're weary. 207 00:13:46,840 --> 00:13:50,160 And even when you're tired. You may feel like nobody else 208 00:13:50,160 --> 00:13:53,920 notices that you may feel like nobody Pats you on the back when 209 00:13:53,920 --> 00:13:57,320 you straighten the chairs or vacuum the floor, but God 210 00:13:57,320 --> 00:14:00,520 noticed, and God keeps a perfect record. 211 00:14:00,920 --> 00:14:04,600 And God says because of your labor and because of your 212 00:14:04,600 --> 00:14:08,240 faithfulness, I'm about to open up a door of blessings. 213 00:14:08,720 --> 00:14:12,000 And it's going to be a door that no man can. 214 00:14:12,000 --> 00:14:16,320 Shut. In fact, Paul spoke of the same 215 00:14:16,320 --> 00:14:20,720 door in First Corinthians 16 when he said a great door in 216 00:14:20,720 --> 00:14:25,560 effectual is open unto me because laboring and remaining 217 00:14:25,560 --> 00:14:31,880 faithful causes God to open doors no man can open, but he'll 218 00:14:31,880 --> 00:14:35,360 also shut doors that no. Man can open. 219 00:14:36,240 --> 00:14:40,080 We then find him in verses 9 and 10 talking about them of the 220 00:14:40,080 --> 00:14:44,080 synagogue of Satan who say they are Jews but are not, but do 221 00:14:44,080 --> 00:14:46,160 lie. We hear him talking about 222 00:14:46,160 --> 00:14:49,800 because of their patience, He's going to keep them from the hour 223 00:14:49,800 --> 00:14:54,760 of temptation. But then we get to verse 11 and 224 00:14:54,760 --> 00:14:56,160 it's. Almost like the Lord through 225 00:14:56,160 --> 00:15:00,640 John pivots and goes in a complete 180 different 226 00:15:00,640 --> 00:15:03,360 direction. Because in the midst of talking 227 00:15:03,360 --> 00:15:06,560 about being faithful, in the midst of talking about open 228 00:15:06,560 --> 00:15:11,440 doors of blessings, the Lord through John then says these 229 00:15:11,440 --> 00:15:17,960 words, Behold, I come quickly. Can I remind everybody in this 230 00:15:17,960 --> 00:15:21,840 room on the first service of revival, the Lord is coming 231 00:15:21,840 --> 00:15:26,400 back. See, I remember going up by the 232 00:15:26,400 --> 00:15:29,160 McGee, going to youth conferences and going to youth 233 00:15:29,160 --> 00:15:34,160 camps and going to NYC's and NYC's or just get old fashioned 234 00:15:34,160 --> 00:15:37,600 revival services. And at least one night or one 235 00:15:37,600 --> 00:15:41,480 day somebody was going to get up and preach about the coming of 236 00:15:41,480 --> 00:15:43,640 the Lord. And when they would preach about 237 00:15:43,640 --> 00:15:47,000 the coming of the Lord, it wouldn't move us to an altar. 238 00:15:47,240 --> 00:15:51,000 But when I say the Lord's coming back today, it doesn't affect us 239 00:15:51,000 --> 00:15:53,480 anymore. But can I remind everybody in 240 00:15:53,480 --> 00:15:58,800 this room it is still a cardinal truth, The Lord, he is coming 241 00:15:58,800 --> 00:16:01,600 back. He's coming back after a bride 242 00:16:01,800 --> 00:16:05,440 who's made herself ready. And we cannot forget it. 243 00:16:05,680 --> 00:16:09,040 We cannot push it to the side and say, I've heard it all my 244 00:16:09,040 --> 00:16:11,400 life. I've come to remind you from the 245 00:16:11,400 --> 00:16:16,240 youngest to the oldest, the Lord, he is coming back. 246 00:16:18,440 --> 00:16:21,640 Peter said there's going to be people in the last days who had 247 00:16:21,640 --> 00:16:25,160 asked the question, where is the promise of thy coming? 248 00:16:25,480 --> 00:16:28,800 They're going to make fun of us. They're going to be scoffers and 249 00:16:28,800 --> 00:16:31,040 markers. But the words of Paul the 250 00:16:31,040 --> 00:16:35,480 Thessalonians rings in my ear when he said the day of the Lord 251 00:16:35,840 --> 00:16:38,240 so cometh as a thief in the night. 252 00:16:38,560 --> 00:16:41,520 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness that that day should 253 00:16:41,520 --> 00:16:45,280 overtake you as a thief. You are children of light and 254 00:16:45,280 --> 00:16:48,240 children of the day. We are not of the night, nor of 255 00:16:48,280 --> 00:16:53,680 the Therefore, let us not sleep as others do, but let us watch 256 00:16:53,680 --> 00:16:56,520 and be sober. Can I tell everybody in this 257 00:16:56,520 --> 00:16:59,280 room it's time to wake up out of sleep? 258 00:16:59,680 --> 00:17:04,319 It's time to shake ourself, because our salvation. 259 00:17:04,319 --> 00:17:10,760 Is nearer than when we first believed the Lord is coming 260 00:17:10,760 --> 00:17:15,440 back. That's the backdrop of verse 11. 261 00:17:16,240 --> 00:17:21,359 So everything else pause or John says is said with that in mind. 262 00:17:22,040 --> 00:17:28,840 The Lord is coming back quickly. Hold fast to what you have 263 00:17:29,840 --> 00:17:34,000 because the Lord is coming back. You better hold fast to what you 264 00:17:34,000 --> 00:17:37,880 have. Those two words hold fast form 265 00:17:37,880 --> 00:17:42,360 the word crateo in the Greek, and it simply means to seize or 266 00:17:42,360 --> 00:17:45,360 to retain firmly. And it gives us the strong 267 00:17:45,360 --> 00:17:49,240 implication of having an unwavering grip, having a 268 00:17:49,240 --> 00:17:51,920 made-up mind that I'm not letting go. 269 00:17:52,000 --> 00:17:54,040 Of what's gotten me to where I am. 270 00:17:54,400 --> 00:17:57,960 You see, when John said hold fast to what you have, he's 271 00:17:57,960 --> 00:18:02,200 talking about the truth, faith and commitments that got them to 272 00:18:02,200 --> 00:18:05,040 where they are. And if there's ever been a time 273 00:18:05,280 --> 00:18:08,200 when we need a grip on truth. And if, if there's ever been a 274 00:18:08,200 --> 00:18:11,760 time when we need a grip on faith, and if there's ever been 275 00:18:11,760 --> 00:18:18,480 a time we need to be committed, it is in 2025, because the Lord 276 00:18:19,160 --> 00:18:22,480 is coming back. And I tell everybody in this 277 00:18:22,480 --> 00:18:25,000 room, we need a grip on truth like never before. 278 00:18:25,480 --> 00:18:29,760 We need to buy the truth and sell it, not we need to receive 279 00:18:29,760 --> 00:18:34,040 a love of the truth. Jesus said I am the way, I am 280 00:18:34,040 --> 00:18:37,880 the truth and I am the life. Sanctify them by the. 281 00:18:37,880 --> 00:18:40,080 Truth. Thy word is truth. 282 00:18:40,400 --> 00:18:43,640 We need a love of the Bible. We need to fall in love with 283 00:18:43,640 --> 00:18:47,080 truth, but we need to get a hold of faith as well. 284 00:18:48,520 --> 00:18:51,800 Faith that was once committed or delivered unto the Saints. 285 00:18:52,240 --> 00:18:55,280 And ladies and gentlemen, can I tell you we need to hold on 286 00:18:55,280 --> 00:18:57,880 truth. We need to hold on faith, but we 287 00:18:57,880 --> 00:19:02,360 also need to be committed. It's not time to be less 288 00:19:02,360 --> 00:19:05,280 committed. It's not time to do as least as 289 00:19:05,280 --> 00:19:09,000 we can and still make. It if it got us to where we are, 290 00:19:09,440 --> 00:19:12,680 it's going to take us to where we're going and we've got to 291 00:19:12,680 --> 00:19:16,160 make up our mind. I'm holding on the faith and 292 00:19:16,160 --> 00:19:20,320 truth. And my commitments because the 293 00:19:20,320 --> 00:19:24,920 Lord is coming back. Paul one day told his protege 294 00:19:24,920 --> 00:19:27,480 Timothy to fight the good fight of faith. 295 00:19:28,440 --> 00:19:32,640 Lay hold. On eternal life, those words lay 296 00:19:32,640 --> 00:19:37,720 hold as an active, intentional action because eternal life will 297 00:19:37,720 --> 00:19:41,080 not be passively received, but it's going to be actively 298 00:19:41,080 --> 00:19:43,640 pursued. In other words, if I'm going to 299 00:19:43,640 --> 00:19:47,120 make it, and if you're going to make it, we've got to get a grip 300 00:19:47,120 --> 00:19:50,320 on this thing. We've got to seize it, We've got 301 00:19:50,320 --> 00:19:53,200 to retain it. Our minds have to be made-up. 302 00:19:53,200 --> 00:19:56,760 Now more than ever. I'm not letting go of faith and 303 00:19:56,760 --> 00:20:00,040 I'm not letting go of truth and I'm not turning loose. 304 00:20:00,120 --> 00:20:05,800 Those are my commitments because the Lord is coming. 305 00:20:07,160 --> 00:20:10,360 But then He says one more statement. 306 00:20:11,560 --> 00:20:14,800 I'll be honest, it's something I've read multiple times in my 307 00:20:14,800 --> 00:20:17,920 life. But on that Thursday morning 308 00:20:17,920 --> 00:20:21,840 back in November, it struck A chord with me that it never had 309 00:20:21,840 --> 00:20:26,280 up until that point. Behold, I come quickly. 310 00:20:27,240 --> 00:20:33,400 Hold fast to what you have, that no man take thy crown. 311 00:20:34,440 --> 00:20:37,680 The word crown comes from two different Greek words in the 312 00:20:37,680 --> 00:20:40,720 Bible. It comes from the word diadema 313 00:20:41,280 --> 00:20:44,880 and Stefanos. Diadema is unique because it 314 00:20:44,880 --> 00:20:49,000 means to bind around a headband of jewels worn as a symbol of 315 00:20:49,000 --> 00:20:53,440 royalty and power, whereas stefanos means to encircle, to 316 00:20:53,480 --> 00:20:58,120 twine or a reward given to an individual for finishing a race. 317 00:20:58,680 --> 00:21:02,600 You see the difference between a diadema and a stefanos is a 318 00:21:02,600 --> 00:21:07,440 diadema was worn by a king, whereas A stefanos was worn by 319 00:21:07,440 --> 00:21:12,080 an individual for finishing or accomplishing the race. 320 00:21:12,080 --> 00:21:17,520 But the amazing thing about these two crowns is Jesus wore 321 00:21:17,520 --> 00:21:22,760 them both. That same man John in the same 322 00:21:22,760 --> 00:21:26,360 Book of Revelation tells us in Revelation 19. 323 00:21:26,760 --> 00:21:30,400 I saw heavens opened, and behold a White Horse. 324 00:21:30,840 --> 00:21:34,280 And he that sat upon him was called faithful and true. 325 00:21:34,720 --> 00:21:37,600 And in righteousness he does judge and make war. 326 00:21:37,880 --> 00:21:41,760 His eyes was a flame of fire, and on his head were. 327 00:21:41,960 --> 00:21:45,680 Many crowns. It's the word diadema, and the 328 00:21:45,680 --> 00:21:49,800 reason why John said he wears the diadema is because in verse 329 00:21:49,800 --> 00:21:54,160 16 he said he hath on his. Fester and his style, your name 330 00:21:54,160 --> 00:21:57,440 written, King of kings and Lord of Lords. 331 00:21:57,720 --> 00:22:02,880 You see, Jesus wears the diadema because all power has been given 332 00:22:02,880 --> 00:22:08,920 unto him in heaven and in earth. But he doesn't just wear the 333 00:22:08,920 --> 00:22:13,040 diadema, He first wore the Stefanos. 334 00:22:14,000 --> 00:22:18,880 Matthew chapter 27 gives us the snapshot moments before he's LED 335 00:22:18,880 --> 00:22:23,640 away to be crucified, and Matthew tells us that when they 336 00:22:23,640 --> 00:22:29,200 had plated a Stefanos of thorns, they put it on his head. 337 00:22:29,920 --> 00:22:32,960 We understand that when they put this crown of thorns on His 338 00:22:32,960 --> 00:22:35,640 head, it was not to celebrate Him. 339 00:22:36,240 --> 00:22:39,080 It was not to praise or give him worship. 340 00:22:39,560 --> 00:22:42,920 But the Bible says they put a Reed in his right hand and they 341 00:22:42,920 --> 00:22:46,480 bowed the knee and they mocked him, saying Hail King of the 342 00:22:46,480 --> 00:22:49,040 Jews. When they begin to pull those 343 00:22:49,160 --> 00:22:54,040 thorns out of that ground and begin to entwine and begin to 344 00:22:54,040 --> 00:22:56,920 wreath, they done it as a mockery. 345 00:22:58,240 --> 00:23:02,040 What's amazing to me is that those thorns came out of a 346 00:23:02,040 --> 00:23:06,680 ground that had been cursed all the way back in Genesis. 347 00:23:08,120 --> 00:23:12,160 Adam wasn't just cursed, even the serpent weren't the only 348 00:23:12,160 --> 00:23:14,760 ones cursed. But God looked at the ground and 349 00:23:14,760 --> 00:23:17,640 said everything that comes out of that ground is going to be 350 00:23:17,640 --> 00:23:20,200 cursed. This is why when Cain brings his 351 00:23:20,200 --> 00:23:24,040 offering before the Lord, the Lord rejects it because he's a 352 00:23:24,040 --> 00:23:27,200 tiller of the ground and you can't bring something cursed and 353 00:23:27,200 --> 00:23:29,960 give it to God. And so can I tell you when they 354 00:23:29,960 --> 00:23:33,760 begin to pull those thorns out of the ground, it wasn't just 355 00:23:33,840 --> 00:23:38,760 thorns coming out of the ground, but it represented my curse, and 356 00:23:38,760 --> 00:23:42,360 it represented your curse. But you got to understand, 357 00:23:42,360 --> 00:23:45,480 they've done it to mock him. They've done it to belittle him. 358 00:23:45,840 --> 00:23:49,200 But what they failed to realize, Bishop, is this when they begin 359 00:23:49,200 --> 00:23:51,000 to pull those thorns out of that cursed. 360 00:23:51,000 --> 00:23:55,560 Ground they were fulfilling New Testament scripture because 361 00:23:55,560 --> 00:23:59,640 Galatians teaches me that when Jesus went to the cross, he 362 00:23:59,640 --> 00:24:04,240 wasn't just nailed to the cross, but my curses and your curses 363 00:24:04,240 --> 00:24:07,440 were nailed. To that tree called Calvary. 364 00:24:09,960 --> 00:24:16,040 It's amazing that before the cross, a Stephanos is looked at 365 00:24:16,040 --> 00:24:18,960 as a curse. Because it came from a cursed 366 00:24:18,960 --> 00:24:21,960 ground. But after the cross, it's no 367 00:24:21,960 --> 00:24:25,920 longer looked as a curse, but now it represents a symbol of 368 00:24:25,920 --> 00:24:28,680 victory. It means a victor's crown. 369 00:24:29,040 --> 00:24:32,760 Because when Jesus said it is finished, he wasn't saying I'm 370 00:24:32,760 --> 00:24:35,120 finished. He was saying it's accomplished. 371 00:24:35,520 --> 00:24:38,840 I'll finish my race, I'll finish my course. 372 00:24:40,920 --> 00:24:44,640 And now it's seen as a conquering crown. 373 00:24:46,360 --> 00:24:49,760 It describes a victor's crown because it was given to people 374 00:24:50,240 --> 00:24:53,880 who finished their race. But what's even more amazing 375 00:24:53,880 --> 00:24:57,520 about the word Stefanos is that's where you and I get the 376 00:24:57,520 --> 00:25:06,400 name Steven Stevens. Name means Stefanos, a victor's 377 00:25:06,400 --> 00:25:11,080 crown or a crown of triumph. Now, why does Steven matter in 378 00:25:11,080 --> 00:25:12,680 the scheme of what we're talking about? 379 00:25:13,720 --> 00:25:16,120 You've got to understand that Stephen is the Bible's first 380 00:25:16,160 --> 00:25:20,280 martyr. And you want to talk about 381 00:25:20,280 --> 00:25:24,440 holding fast to what you have. You want to talk about having a 382 00:25:24,440 --> 00:25:27,560 made-up mind that I'm not letting go of what got me to 383 00:25:27,560 --> 00:25:30,960 where I am. That was summed up in the final 384 00:25:30,960 --> 00:25:35,440 moments of Stephen's life. Drug out, stoned to death, but 385 00:25:35,440 --> 00:25:38,440 he remained faithful. He had a hold on this thing. 386 00:25:38,800 --> 00:25:42,080 And there's a day coming when Stephen's name is going to be 387 00:25:42,080 --> 00:25:43,560 fulfilled. There's a. 388 00:25:43,720 --> 00:25:45,960 Stay coming. When God is going to look at 389 00:25:45,960 --> 00:25:51,200 Steven and said you held on, you persevered, I've got a crown of 390 00:25:51,200 --> 00:25:53,200 victory that's got your name on it. 391 00:25:54,080 --> 00:25:57,400 And can I tell everybody in this room, there's going to be a day 392 00:25:57,640 --> 00:26:01,760 when you and I stand before God and hear him say well done. 393 00:26:02,080 --> 00:26:04,080 But he's not just going to say well done. 394 00:26:04,400 --> 00:26:08,000 There's a crown of triumph he's going to put on my head. 395 00:26:08,320 --> 00:26:12,640 There's a crown of victory he's going to place on your head. 396 00:26:14,360 --> 00:26:18,880 If we can hold on and I'll tell somebody in this room, there's a 397 00:26:18,880 --> 00:26:22,120 day coming when it's going to be worth it. 398 00:26:23,760 --> 00:26:27,680 There's a day coming that when we hear him say well done and a 399 00:26:27,680 --> 00:26:30,720 crown is placed on our head. No, it wasn't easy. 400 00:26:31,080 --> 00:26:34,200 And yes, there were challenges and yes, there were heartaches 401 00:26:34,200 --> 00:26:35,680 and betrayals. There were. 402 00:26:35,680 --> 00:26:39,600 Tears and misunderstandings, But when we're crowned with a crown 403 00:26:39,600 --> 00:26:43,480 of victory, everything's going to be a distant memory because 404 00:26:43,480 --> 00:26:46,720 the crown is going to be a testimony that I made it. 405 00:26:47,080 --> 00:26:50,400 It's going to be a testimony that you held on. 406 00:26:54,080 --> 00:26:58,040 That's why Corinthians teaches us that they which run a race 407 00:26:58,040 --> 00:27:01,680 run all as one that receives a prize. 408 00:27:01,920 --> 00:27:07,960 So run that you may obtain. We will hear him say well done, 409 00:27:08,760 --> 00:27:12,200 but there's also a crown of glory he's going to put on my 410 00:27:12,200 --> 00:27:15,440 head, in your head. If we can just hold on. 411 00:27:16,400 --> 00:27:19,560 This is why when we get after the cross and into the epistles, 412 00:27:20,160 --> 00:27:22,680 we begin to read of all the various crowns we can receive. 413 00:27:23,640 --> 00:27:26,800 First Corinthians talks about a crown of incorruptible when the 414 00:27:26,800 --> 00:27:29,960 Bible says every man, the striver for the mastery is 415 00:27:29,960 --> 00:27:33,320 tempered in all things, they do it to obtain a corruptible 416 00:27:33,320 --> 00:27:37,520 crown, but we an incorruptible. First Thessalonians talks about 417 00:27:37,520 --> 00:27:40,880 a crown of rejoicing when the question is asked, what is our 418 00:27:40,880 --> 00:27:42,640 hope? What is our joy? 419 00:27:42,920 --> 00:27:46,920 What is our crown of rejoicing? Second Timothy 4 talks about a 420 00:27:46,920 --> 00:27:50,800 crown of righteousness, when Paul said, Henceforth there is 421 00:27:50,800 --> 00:27:54,440 laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord 422 00:27:54,440 --> 00:27:58,880 will give me that day, but not to me only, but unto all of them 423 00:27:59,200 --> 00:28:02,360 that love his appearing. James talks about the crown of 424 00:28:02,360 --> 00:28:05,120 life, when he said, Blessed is the man that endureth 425 00:28:05,120 --> 00:28:08,880 temptation, for when he has tried, he will receive a crown 426 00:28:08,880 --> 00:28:11,680 of life which the Lord promised to them. 427 00:28:13,040 --> 00:28:16,040 Peter talks about a crown of glory when he says when the 428 00:28:16,040 --> 00:28:19,040 chief shepherd appears, you're going to receive a crown of 429 00:28:19,040 --> 00:28:23,280 glory that fades, not away. And when you get into Revelation 430 00:28:23,280 --> 00:28:27,280 chapter 4, we read about those 24 elders that fall before the 431 00:28:27,280 --> 00:28:31,600 throne and they cast their crowns at his feet. 432 00:28:32,680 --> 00:28:36,200 There's a day coming when we're going to hear those words. 433 00:28:36,200 --> 00:28:39,200 Well done. But then there's going to be a 434 00:28:39,200 --> 00:28:41,440 Stephanos. Put on our head. 435 00:28:42,280 --> 00:28:46,080 And it's going to be a testimony that I finished my course, I 436 00:28:46,080 --> 00:28:51,640 kept the faith. And it's in that context that 437 00:28:51,640 --> 00:28:56,200 John says, let no man take thou Stephanos. 438 00:28:56,920 --> 00:28:58,840 He gives you now the understanding that we're all 439 00:28:58,840 --> 00:29:02,720 running a race. We're all doing our best to hear 440 00:29:02,720 --> 00:29:06,440 him say well done. But the wording of John should 441 00:29:06,440 --> 00:29:08,680 cause all of us to stop and consider what he's really 442 00:29:08,680 --> 00:29:11,600 saying. Remember, Philadelphia wasn't 443 00:29:11,600 --> 00:29:15,800 rebuked for anything. And yet John still warns them 444 00:29:16,680 --> 00:29:21,200 you can lose your crown. They're preaching the right 445 00:29:21,200 --> 00:29:26,040 doctrine. They have truth fast to his 446 00:29:26,040 --> 00:29:30,080 word. And yet John says you can still 447 00:29:30,080 --> 00:29:33,440 be lost. I'll be honest, when I begin to 448 00:29:33,760 --> 00:29:37,200 have this kind of unfold to me back in November, I begin to 449 00:29:37,200 --> 00:29:41,800 quickly take inventory because I believe the doctrine, I believe 450 00:29:41,800 --> 00:29:44,560 truth. I'm holding fast to His name. 451 00:29:44,560 --> 00:29:47,920 I stand on His word. And when I read the words of 452 00:29:47,920 --> 00:29:52,760 John that I can do all of those things and still be lost, it 453 00:29:52,760 --> 00:29:54,840 caused me to stop and take inventory. 454 00:29:55,520 --> 00:29:57,960 How can Philadelphia still be lost? 455 00:29:58,640 --> 00:30:03,120 How can we still be lost when we check all of those boxes? 456 00:30:03,800 --> 00:30:08,560 John answers it. Let no man take that crown. 457 00:30:09,160 --> 00:30:13,520 You see, John says it's possible to lose your crown, not because 458 00:30:13,520 --> 00:30:17,120 of false doctrine and not because you walk away from truth 459 00:30:17,120 --> 00:30:20,240 and become a reprobate. He said it's possible to lose 460 00:30:20,240 --> 00:30:27,680 your crown over people. Let no man take the crown. 461 00:30:28,480 --> 00:30:31,080 He didn't say don't let the devil take the crown. 462 00:30:32,000 --> 00:30:34,560 He didn't say, don't let us try, you'll take your crown. 463 00:30:34,920 --> 00:30:37,720 He said, let no man take thy crown. 464 00:30:37,760 --> 00:30:41,440 And when the Lord begin to give me this, if I've ever heard the 465 00:30:41,440 --> 00:30:44,480 Lord speak into my spirit. I heard him that Thursday 466 00:30:44,480 --> 00:30:48,000 morning and I heard the Lord say there's going to be people lost 467 00:30:48,320 --> 00:30:52,600 simply because of what somebody says to the ummah or because of 468 00:30:52,600 --> 00:30:54,560 what something somebody does to the ummah. 469 00:30:54,840 --> 00:30:58,240 And I asked the question, how can I lose my crown? 470 00:30:58,560 --> 00:31:01,920 How can we lose our crown? And I heard one word. 471 00:31:03,360 --> 00:31:11,480 By becoming offended, my mind then goes to Matthew 24 when the 472 00:31:11,480 --> 00:31:14,760 question is asked, what are going to be, what's the signs of 473 00:31:14,760 --> 00:31:17,360 the last days? What's going to be the spiritual 474 00:31:17,360 --> 00:31:20,240 atmosphere? What is going to be the telltale 475 00:31:20,240 --> 00:31:23,000 signs that you're about to make your return? 476 00:31:23,280 --> 00:31:25,200 And the Lord begins to go through the list. 477 00:31:25,480 --> 00:31:29,360 Wars and rumors of wars, pestilences in diverse places. 478 00:31:29,760 --> 00:31:33,320 Nation's going to rise against nation, earthquakes and famines 479 00:31:33,640 --> 00:31:36,200 and hurricanes. But then the Lord looks at those 480 00:31:36,200 --> 00:31:39,360 people and said, if you want to know the telltale sign of my 481 00:31:39,360 --> 00:31:45,160 coming, he said. And then shall many be offended. 482 00:31:46,480 --> 00:31:51,120 Luke puts it this way. Offenses shall come. 483 00:31:52,520 --> 00:31:56,440 It's inevitable. You live life long enough, 484 00:31:57,240 --> 00:32:00,800 offenses will come. Somebody's going to say 485 00:32:00,800 --> 00:32:02,480 something that hurts your feelings. 486 00:32:04,200 --> 00:32:06,440 Somebody's going to do something you don't agree with. 487 00:32:07,320 --> 00:32:09,080 Let me bring it down to where we're really living. 488 00:32:09,080 --> 00:32:14,520 Somebody's going to mistreat your kids because offenses shall 489 00:32:14,520 --> 00:32:16,880 come. You cannot bypass it. 490 00:32:17,200 --> 00:32:19,440 It's not something that you can live your life and never 491 00:32:19,440 --> 00:32:22,120 experience. You live life long enough, 492 00:32:22,440 --> 00:32:25,520 you're going to be offended. But can I tell you the offense 493 00:32:25,520 --> 00:32:28,160 is not really the issue because offenses? 494 00:32:28,160 --> 00:32:31,120 Shall come. It's how I handle the offense 495 00:32:31,120 --> 00:32:33,880 after it comes. That's what really matters 496 00:32:35,040 --> 00:32:38,560 because I can't control what people say about me and I can't 497 00:32:38,560 --> 00:32:42,320 control what people do to me. But I can't control my spirit. 498 00:32:42,680 --> 00:32:46,280 I can't control my reaction after they say it and. 499 00:32:46,280 --> 00:32:53,760 After they do it, that word offended is a very unique word 500 00:32:53,760 --> 00:32:57,760 in the Greek language because it comes from the word scandal on 501 00:32:58,440 --> 00:33:00,560 which is where you and I get the word scandal. 502 00:33:02,160 --> 00:33:05,280 And I don't have time to preach all that this morning, but the 503 00:33:05,280 --> 00:33:08,560 biblical definition is a removable stick or trigger of a 504 00:33:08,560 --> 00:33:15,520 trap, a trap stick or a snare. Now I know that I'm in Eastern 505 00:33:15,520 --> 00:33:18,360 Illinois and I'm from northeast Mississippi. 506 00:33:18,360 --> 00:33:22,120 And when I read that definition, you probably get the same idea 507 00:33:22,120 --> 00:33:26,720 that I do. That's hunting language because 508 00:33:26,720 --> 00:33:29,000 it's a removable stick or trigger of a trap. 509 00:33:29,840 --> 00:33:32,040 It is a trap stick. It is a snare. 510 00:33:32,720 --> 00:33:35,000 We often think that being offended means will they make me 511 00:33:35,000 --> 00:33:38,200 mad or they tick me off. But the biblical definition 512 00:33:38,200 --> 00:33:39,600 means something deeper than that. 513 00:33:40,240 --> 00:33:44,120 It means that when offense comes and I allow that offense to take 514 00:33:44,120 --> 00:33:49,000 root in my spirit, I'm taking the bait and become trapped like 515 00:33:49,000 --> 00:33:52,480 a prey. Why do you think Solomon said in 516 00:33:52,480 --> 00:33:55,840 Proverbs 6 or 18? A brother offended. 517 00:33:56,360 --> 00:33:58,440 It's harder to be 1 than a strong city. 518 00:33:59,240 --> 00:34:01,680 We understand that fortified cities were known for their 519 00:34:01,680 --> 00:34:04,120 strong defenses, surrounded by thick. 520 00:34:04,120 --> 00:34:06,560 Walls. And guarded gates, making them 521 00:34:06,560 --> 00:34:09,800 difficult to conquer. And so Solomon is teaching us 522 00:34:09,800 --> 00:34:13,199 that when a person is offended, when a person is betrayed, 523 00:34:13,480 --> 00:34:16,080 they're going to build up emotional defenses that are hard 524 00:34:16,080 --> 00:34:19,520 to penetrate. And then he says their 525 00:34:19,520 --> 00:34:22,800 contentions are like the bars of a castle. 526 00:34:23,960 --> 00:34:27,040 In ancient times, castles were fortified structures with bars 527 00:34:27,040 --> 00:34:29,840 that provided protection and safety and security. 528 00:34:30,719 --> 00:34:33,480 Because he's letting us know that when disputes began to 529 00:34:33,679 --> 00:34:38,639 arise and disagreements begin to flourish, we're going to build 530 00:34:38,639 --> 00:34:42,159 up walls that prevent reconciliation between me and 531 00:34:42,159 --> 00:34:44,760 the person that hurt me. Then it's going to foster 532 00:34:44,760 --> 00:34:47,520 division. That's why it means a trigger or 533 00:34:47,520 --> 00:34:49,880 a trap. But to add another interesting 534 00:34:49,880 --> 00:34:54,040 layer to that word scandal on, at the root of scandal on is the 535 00:34:54,040 --> 00:34:58,040 word canto, which means to bend, to bow, or to worship. 536 00:34:58,120 --> 00:35:01,560 Worship anything we worship more than God is an idol. 537 00:35:03,560 --> 00:35:06,360 And so I've come to learn that being offended is dangerous 538 00:35:07,040 --> 00:35:11,360 because it can become an idol that I worship every day I live. 539 00:35:12,880 --> 00:35:15,360 How does being offended become an idol? 540 00:35:16,400 --> 00:35:19,000 It's easy. It's all I think about. 541 00:35:21,280 --> 00:35:25,560 It's all I talk about. It's all I dream or Daydream 542 00:35:25,560 --> 00:35:28,160 about. It somehow gets into every 543 00:35:28,160 --> 00:35:32,680 conversation I have because at the root of offense, being 544 00:35:32,680 --> 00:35:36,240 offended is a choice that I make to play something in worship 545 00:35:36,240 --> 00:35:39,040 above God. We understand that word worship 546 00:35:39,040 --> 00:35:40,920 means to ascribe worth to something. 547 00:35:41,360 --> 00:35:44,480 And so in other words, when I let offense take root of my 548 00:35:44,480 --> 00:35:47,960 spirit, when I allow that root of bitterness to spring up that 549 00:35:47,960 --> 00:35:52,200 the Bible talks about, that many are defiled by, I've become in 550 00:35:52,200 --> 00:35:56,040 that moment bowing down and idolize the thing that caused me 551 00:35:56,040 --> 00:35:58,680 to be offended. It means a trap stick. 552 00:35:59,080 --> 00:36:04,240 It means a snare because I'm spending more time in the 553 00:36:04,240 --> 00:36:08,640 presence of my offence than I am in the presence of God. 554 00:36:10,000 --> 00:36:12,360 That's why I can be heard and coming to church and it's hard 555 00:36:12,360 --> 00:36:16,600 to worship and it's hard to involve myself in the altar call 556 00:36:17,760 --> 00:36:20,280 because I'm living in a trap called offence. 557 00:36:21,600 --> 00:36:26,520 And John says that we can live in that trap for so long that we 558 00:36:26,520 --> 00:36:32,800 ultimately lose our crown and I'm lost simply because of 559 00:36:32,800 --> 00:36:38,400 something somebody said or done. Paul looked at the Galatian 560 00:36:38,400 --> 00:36:45,480 church and said ye did run well. It's the same language as in 561 00:36:45,480 --> 00:36:49,000 running a race. You were doing so well, Paul 562 00:36:49,000 --> 00:36:51,200 says. You were coming to church every 563 00:36:51,200 --> 00:36:54,040 Sunday and Wednesday. You were there every prayer 564 00:36:54,040 --> 00:36:58,040 meeting, every revival service. You are doing so good in your 565 00:36:58,040 --> 00:37:02,320 pursuit of that crown. Who did hinder you? 566 00:37:03,680 --> 00:37:08,000 He didn't say what hindered you. Who hindered you? 567 00:37:08,720 --> 00:37:10,920 It's a strong statement to make, but it's true. 568 00:37:11,560 --> 00:37:16,600 There will be multitude people lost, not because of a devil and 569 00:37:16,600 --> 00:37:19,720 not because of a trial. But they're going to be lost 570 00:37:19,720 --> 00:37:21,400 because they couldn't let things go. 571 00:37:21,400 --> 00:37:23,520 That was said and done years in the past. 572 00:37:24,800 --> 00:37:27,880 That's why John said you got every box checked. 573 00:37:28,520 --> 00:37:31,240 You believe the truth. You're holding fast to His name. 574 00:37:31,520 --> 00:37:34,480 You stand on His word. But you better not let a spirit 575 00:37:34,480 --> 00:37:37,240 of offense creep in. And cause you to lose your 576 00:37:37,240 --> 00:37:40,960 crown. Listen, you want to talk about 577 00:37:40,960 --> 00:37:42,600 the predominant spirit of the end time. 578 00:37:42,880 --> 00:37:45,720 I'm preaching about it this morning because I'm not worried 579 00:37:45,720 --> 00:37:48,600 about turning away from truth and I'm not worried about 580 00:37:48,600 --> 00:37:50,600 embracing some of the doctrine. I'm. 581 00:37:50,600 --> 00:37:53,360 Holding on the truth. I'm holding on to commitments 582 00:37:53,360 --> 00:37:57,080 and faith, but I've got to guard myself because if I'm not 583 00:37:57,080 --> 00:38:00,320 careful, and if we're not careful, we can let something 584 00:38:00,320 --> 00:38:03,320 that somebody said or done creep into our spirit. 585 00:38:03,680 --> 00:38:07,320 And if we don't deal with it, it'll fester and that root of 586 00:38:07,320 --> 00:38:09,240 bitterness will grow. And it's going to. 587 00:38:09,440 --> 00:38:12,040 Be the very thing that defiles me. 588 00:38:16,600 --> 00:38:19,080 You want to talk about a spirit the Apostolic Church better 589 00:38:19,080 --> 00:38:22,360 guard itself against? I'm not talking about walking 590 00:38:22,360 --> 00:38:26,000 away from truth, because we can preach truth and still harbor 591 00:38:26,000 --> 00:38:28,560 resentment. We can preach Acts 238 till 592 00:38:28,560 --> 00:38:31,480 we're blue in the face and still be bitter against the person 593 00:38:31,480 --> 00:38:33,960 across town. That's what John said. 594 00:38:34,280 --> 00:38:36,960 You've got the truth, you've got faith, you've got commitment, 595 00:38:37,360 --> 00:38:42,480 but you better never allow something to get in your spirit 596 00:38:42,480 --> 00:38:47,000 that causes you to be lost. That's why you know the 597 00:38:47,000 --> 00:38:49,720 definition of the word offense means to stumble or to fall 598 00:38:49,720 --> 00:38:52,320 away. Because the picture that that 599 00:38:52,320 --> 00:38:56,440 word paints is if I allow it to take root in my life and I don't 600 00:38:56,440 --> 00:39:00,360 deal with it, it won't be long until I stumble and fall away. 601 00:39:01,840 --> 00:39:07,920 We all know people this morning who used to be in church who are 602 00:39:07,920 --> 00:39:12,000 faithful, committed, but they're no longer running the race 603 00:39:13,320 --> 00:39:16,840 because of what I'm preaching about this, because they let 604 00:39:16,840 --> 00:39:21,680 something somebody say or do block them and caused them to 605 00:39:21,680 --> 00:39:25,480 walk away. I had a conversation sometime 606 00:39:25,480 --> 00:39:29,920 back, somebody that I'm very close to, somebody that was 607 00:39:29,920 --> 00:39:31,720 battling the very thing that I'm preaching about this. 608 00:39:33,280 --> 00:39:36,800 At one time, Pastor, they were in every service, they were 609 00:39:36,800 --> 00:39:39,280 involved in different ministries in the church. 610 00:39:40,400 --> 00:39:42,840 Something happened, somebody said something, somebody done 611 00:39:42,840 --> 00:39:46,840 something and they didn't deal with it correctly and they 612 00:39:46,840 --> 00:39:50,120 allowed it to fester. And it's all they could think 613 00:39:50,120 --> 00:39:53,160 about. It's all they could talk about. 614 00:39:54,200 --> 00:39:55,920 They didn't even have to be talking about the church. 615 00:39:55,920 --> 00:40:00,640 But somehow that incident got woven into that conversation and 616 00:40:00,640 --> 00:40:02,840 it become an idol that they worshipped and they could not 617 00:40:02,840 --> 00:40:07,400 let it go until they started missing church and they started 618 00:40:07,400 --> 00:40:10,560 missing more church and now they hardly even go. 619 00:40:11,240 --> 00:40:13,680 And I'm talking to this individual in the living room 620 00:40:13,680 --> 00:40:17,120 just some time back. And I looked at him and I said, 621 00:40:17,120 --> 00:40:19,160 are we friends? And that individual said yes. 622 00:40:19,160 --> 00:40:21,480 And I said, did you ask for this conversation? 623 00:40:21,480 --> 00:40:24,040 And they said yes. And I said, can I be honest with 624 00:40:24,040 --> 00:40:25,840 you? And they said yes. 625 00:40:26,920 --> 00:40:29,080 I looked at that individual and I said, here's truth. 626 00:40:29,640 --> 00:40:33,480 You're going to be lost because you can't let this go. 627 00:40:35,920 --> 00:40:37,680 And they looked at me the way some of you are looking at me 628 00:40:37,680 --> 00:40:41,160 right now. I said you're letting something 629 00:40:41,160 --> 00:40:45,480 that was said months ago calls you to stop coming to church. 630 00:40:46,040 --> 00:40:48,240 And I said it's no longer just affecting you. 631 00:40:48,880 --> 00:40:50,880 You're no longer bringing your kids to church. 632 00:40:51,640 --> 00:40:53,840 I said you're making the decision for them. 633 00:40:53,840 --> 00:40:56,160 As long as you live in my house, you're not going to church. 634 00:40:56,640 --> 00:40:59,720 I said you're putting them at a disadvantage because you can't 635 00:40:59,720 --> 00:41:03,280 let this go because you just can't walk away from the offense 636 00:41:03,280 --> 00:41:05,240 and the hurt. And they said you don't know how 637 00:41:05,240 --> 00:41:07,320 bad it hurt me. You don't know what it done to 638 00:41:07,320 --> 00:41:09,800 me. They said I should never go to 639 00:41:09,800 --> 00:41:14,880 church and be hurt. And I said you're 100% right. 640 00:41:16,240 --> 00:41:18,840 You want to know why church hurt has got the steam that it's got, 641 00:41:19,440 --> 00:41:21,560 the why it's got the notoriety that it's got to? 642 00:41:22,000 --> 00:41:24,840 It's because church is the last place you expect to get hurt in. 643 00:41:26,840 --> 00:41:29,320 Nobody comes to this church and say, man, I want to go there and 644 00:41:29,320 --> 00:41:31,960 be offended. Nobody goes to church on any 645 00:41:31,960 --> 00:41:34,240 Sunday morning, say, man, I want somebody to say something I 646 00:41:34,240 --> 00:41:36,200 don't like. I want them to do something that 647 00:41:36,200 --> 00:41:39,440 hurts my Nobody does that. You go to church as a safe 648 00:41:39,440 --> 00:41:41,560 haven. You go to church as a place of 649 00:41:41,560 --> 00:41:44,600 security. And they said church is the last 650 00:41:44,600 --> 00:41:48,480 place that should happen. And I said you're exactly right. 651 00:41:49,160 --> 00:41:51,520 But the last time I checked, everybody that goes to church is 652 00:41:51,520 --> 00:41:56,600 still human. And I looked down when I said, 653 00:41:56,600 --> 00:41:59,480 you want to talk about church church, I said, nobody's been 654 00:41:59,480 --> 00:42:01,760 hurt more than the church by the church than Jesus. 655 00:42:04,160 --> 00:42:06,440 And I could tell the conversation started to shift 656 00:42:06,760 --> 00:42:09,280 because I looked at that individual and I said, look, the 657 00:42:09,280 --> 00:42:11,240 lady caught in the door tree didn't crucify him. 658 00:42:12,760 --> 00:42:14,760 The man with the withered hand didn't crucify him. 659 00:42:15,160 --> 00:42:17,480 The lepers who were outcasting crucify him. 660 00:42:17,880 --> 00:42:21,080 I said the church killed him. The church turned on him. 661 00:42:21,400 --> 00:42:23,720 The very people he came to seek and to save. 662 00:42:24,120 --> 00:42:27,720 They were saying hosanna one week and screaming crucify him 663 00:42:27,720 --> 00:42:30,720 the next week. I said nobody's been hurt. 664 00:42:30,720 --> 00:42:34,240 More. By the church than Jesus. 665 00:42:35,280 --> 00:42:38,400 I said, but here's the thing about Jesus, He still shows up 666 00:42:38,400 --> 00:42:41,200 every Sunday morning. He still shows up every Sunday 667 00:42:41,200 --> 00:42:43,360 night. He still comes every Wednesday 668 00:42:43,360 --> 00:42:46,400 night Bible study. And I said, you've got a choice 669 00:42:46,400 --> 00:42:49,800 to make right now. You can harbor this or you can 670 00:42:49,800 --> 00:42:52,640 let it go, but you've got to make a decision. 671 00:42:52,960 --> 00:42:55,760 I don't know about you, ladies and gentlemen, but I made-up my 672 00:42:55,760 --> 00:42:59,240 mind. No man is going to steal my 673 00:42:59,240 --> 00:43:04,320 crown. I made-up my mind a long time 674 00:43:04,320 --> 00:43:06,600 ago. People can't run me down enough. 675 00:43:06,960 --> 00:43:10,080 They can't hurt me enough. They can't betray me enough 676 00:43:10,440 --> 00:43:12,920 because I've got a hold on this thing. 677 00:43:21,110 --> 00:43:26,310 I will not go to hell and be lost because somebody said. 678 00:43:26,310 --> 00:43:30,870 Something I didn't agree with. I'm going to tell you why it's 679 00:43:30,870 --> 00:43:31,870 getting a little tight right now. 680 00:43:31,870 --> 00:43:33,190 It's because it's where we're living. 681 00:43:33,960 --> 00:43:36,040 And we've all got to deal with this, including the man holding 682 00:43:36,040 --> 00:43:38,640 the microphone. And I'll just be honest, there's 683 00:43:38,640 --> 00:43:42,280 been times in my life that I was resentful and I was mad and I 684 00:43:42,280 --> 00:43:44,640 don't want to talk about it. I wanted to go to their door and 685 00:43:44,640 --> 00:43:47,680 kick the door in. I'll just be honest. 686 00:43:47,960 --> 00:43:51,040 But I understood a long time ago, you can't harbor these 687 00:43:51,040 --> 00:43:53,040 feelings. You can't live like that. 688 00:43:53,360 --> 00:43:55,880 Because here's the tragedy about being offended. 689 00:43:56,800 --> 00:43:59,440 It affects you more. Than it does anybody else. 690 00:44:01,440 --> 00:44:03,120 The people that said to the people that done it, they don't 691 00:44:03,120 --> 00:44:07,600 think twice about it, but I'm the one that suffers and I'm the 692 00:44:07,600 --> 00:44:10,600 one that lives in a place called hurt and I'm the one that just 693 00:44:10,600 --> 00:44:13,400 has trouble letting it go. Can I tell you it's called a 694 00:44:13,400 --> 00:44:15,560 trap? Because when those animals are 695 00:44:15,560 --> 00:44:22,120 trapped, they understand that I can stay here and die or. 696 00:44:22,120 --> 00:44:24,240 I've got to do everything I can to get out of this. 697 00:44:25,400 --> 00:44:27,520 And if I've got any hunters in the house, you know that there's 698 00:44:27,520 --> 00:44:30,360 times that those animals will chew their arms off. 699 00:44:30,720 --> 00:44:33,520 They'll chew their leg off because they understand it's 700 00:44:33,520 --> 00:44:36,120 life for Liam. I can either live here and die 701 00:44:36,360 --> 00:44:38,560 or I can live away from this and live another day. 702 00:44:39,040 --> 00:44:42,800 I think that's why Jesus said in Matthew, if thou right I offend 703 00:44:42,800 --> 00:44:45,960 you, pluck it out. If thou right hand offends you, 704 00:44:45,960 --> 00:44:48,160 cut it off. I know he's talking about 705 00:44:48,160 --> 00:44:52,120 adultery, but the principle? Remains if there's anything 706 00:44:52,120 --> 00:44:57,680 causing me to live an offence. I've got to take inventory and 707 00:44:57,680 --> 00:45:04,840 pluck it out or cut it off because my salvation is tied to 708 00:45:04,840 --> 00:45:10,320 how I react when people hurt me. Because in the very next chapter 709 00:45:10,320 --> 00:45:15,320 in Matthew 6, the Lord says in that same context, if you 710 00:45:15,320 --> 00:45:18,960 forgive me in their trespasses, your heavenly Father will 711 00:45:18,960 --> 00:45:22,080 forgive you. Man, if we put a period right 712 00:45:22,080 --> 00:45:29,320 there, we can shout all day. But if you forgive, not mend 713 00:45:29,320 --> 00:45:33,480 their trespasses, neither will your heavenly Father forgive you 714 00:45:33,480 --> 00:45:38,520 of yours. When I read that, I understand 715 00:45:38,520 --> 00:45:45,160 the severity of my decision because if I forgive and walk 716 00:45:45,160 --> 00:45:48,600 away and let it go, I mess up and I need forgiveness. 717 00:45:48,600 --> 00:45:52,440 He'll forgive me. But if I can't forgive you and 718 00:45:52,440 --> 00:45:56,200 you've hurt me and do me wrong, he's no longer obligated to 719 00:45:56,200 --> 00:45:57,880 forgive me when I do something wrong. 720 00:46:00,680 --> 00:46:05,160 Because how can I say I love God whom I haven't seen, and yet I 721 00:46:05,160 --> 00:46:07,120 can't love my brother who I do see? 722 00:46:08,320 --> 00:46:12,240 John said in his epistle that if I hold bitterness and anger in 723 00:46:12,240 --> 00:46:14,720 my heart, I don't walk in the light, I walk in darkness. 724 00:46:15,720 --> 00:46:18,880 Because being offended clouds your judgment and it clouds your 725 00:46:18,880 --> 00:46:21,200 vision and you don't know where you are, where you're going. 726 00:46:22,760 --> 00:46:25,200 Because when I live in a fence, everything offends me. 727 00:46:26,960 --> 00:46:30,600 When I live in a fence, everything rubs me the wrong way 728 00:46:30,600 --> 00:46:33,120 and makes me feel like, well, they're talking about me or 729 00:46:33,120 --> 00:46:36,280 they're running me. That's the danger, living in a 730 00:46:36,280 --> 00:46:40,000 fence. When I begin to talk to my 731 00:46:40,000 --> 00:46:42,360 friend about this, Cody Mayo and the Lord begin to give me this. 732 00:46:42,360 --> 00:46:43,600 I said, Cody, I'm going to be honest with you. 733 00:46:44,920 --> 00:46:49,320 I said, I've made-up my mind. I'm not going to let anything 734 00:46:49,320 --> 00:46:56,200 get between me, the crown God has for me, because I don't need 735 00:46:56,200 --> 00:47:01,080 thick skin to run this race. I've been told to have thick 736 00:47:01,080 --> 00:47:03,240 skin. I've told other people, man, 737 00:47:03,280 --> 00:47:06,280 just have thick skin. I've learned I don't need thick 738 00:47:06,280 --> 00:47:12,400 skin to run this race. I need dead flesh because if my 739 00:47:12,400 --> 00:47:14,080 flesh is dead, you can't hurt me. 740 00:47:15,440 --> 00:47:18,400 If my flesh is crucified, it'll be like water and ducks back and 741 00:47:18,400 --> 00:47:22,280 it'll just roll off. Yeah, well, it's sting in the 742 00:47:22,280 --> 00:47:23,240 moment. Of course it will. 743 00:47:24,040 --> 00:47:26,840 But it's not going to cause me to live in that place the rest 744 00:47:26,840 --> 00:47:31,560 of my life. How do we guard ourselves 745 00:47:33,040 --> 00:47:35,800 against the spirit of offense? Because offenses will come. 746 00:47:37,080 --> 00:47:38,720 I told you. It'll be a cure for some. 747 00:47:38,720 --> 00:47:40,480 It'll be a preventative to others because we're all at 748 00:47:40,480 --> 00:47:43,760 different places in life. But it's something we all can 749 00:47:43,760 --> 00:47:47,120 relate to because we've all been there or we are there or we'll 750 00:47:47,120 --> 00:47:50,920 be there again. So how do I guard myself? 751 00:47:52,120 --> 00:47:54,920 I think This is why the psalmist said great peace have they which 752 00:47:54,920 --> 00:47:58,040 love thy law. Nothing will offend them. 753 00:47:59,120 --> 00:48:03,920 The psalmist son Solomon said the discretion of a man defers 754 00:48:03,920 --> 00:48:09,440 his anger and it's his glory to Passover a transgression but. 755 00:48:09,440 --> 00:48:14,920 Then my mind. Went to Job and if anybody had a 756 00:48:14,920 --> 00:48:21,320 legitimate excuse to get mad, if anybody had a pass to get 757 00:48:21,320 --> 00:48:25,320 offended, it could have been Job because this is how the book of 758 00:48:25,320 --> 00:48:28,760 Job describes Job. There was a man that lived in 759 00:48:28,760 --> 00:48:32,800 the east and he feared God and a shoot evil and there was no more 760 00:48:32,800 --> 00:48:37,440 of an upright man than Job. He sacrifices every day. 761 00:48:38,120 --> 00:48:42,080 He checks all the boxes. The sons of God came before the 762 00:48:42,080 --> 00:48:45,720 Lord, and the devil came also. The Lord looked at the devil and 763 00:48:45,720 --> 00:48:47,480 said, what are you doing? He said, I've been going to and 764 00:48:47,480 --> 00:48:49,880 fro throughout the earth looking for somebody to attack. 765 00:48:51,240 --> 00:48:53,440 You want to talk about verses I have trouble with? 766 00:48:57,000 --> 00:49:04,760 The devil did not ask for Job. God offered Job, What are you 767 00:49:04,760 --> 00:49:05,920 doing? I'm looking for somebody. 768 00:49:06,040 --> 00:49:10,480 Have you considered old Job? Now I'd get it if Job never 769 00:49:10,480 --> 00:49:13,840 sacrificed, if Job was an evil. Man. 770 00:49:14,360 --> 00:49:17,000 If he done everybody wrong, but no, he's the exact opposite. 771 00:49:17,000 --> 00:49:21,840 He issues evil, walks uprightly, and God says, what about that 772 00:49:21,840 --> 00:49:24,560 guy? And the devil said, I thought 773 00:49:24,560 --> 00:49:27,280 about it, but you've got a hedge around him. 774 00:49:28,600 --> 00:49:30,040 Here's another verse I got trouble with. 775 00:49:31,080 --> 00:49:32,760 God says I'll take the hedge down. 776 00:49:35,480 --> 00:49:38,680 Now Proverbs teaches us that if you remove a hedge, a serpent 777 00:49:38,680 --> 00:49:41,280 will bite you. But what do you do when God? 778 00:49:41,280 --> 00:49:44,680 Removes the hedge. God says you can have him, I'll 779 00:49:44,680 --> 00:49:47,880 remove the hedge. The only thing you cannot do is 780 00:49:47,880 --> 00:49:51,560 kill him. And I think by the time it was 781 00:49:51,560 --> 00:49:55,360 all over Job would have probably rather died then go through what 782 00:49:55,360 --> 00:49:59,240 he went through. He loses his wealth, he loses 783 00:49:59,240 --> 00:50:02,800 his cattle, he loses his kids, everything is gone. 784 00:50:04,080 --> 00:50:08,040 He's sitting in sackcloth and ash, taking broken pottery and 785 00:50:08,040 --> 00:50:11,640 scraping the balls on his body. And his wife says, why don't you 786 00:50:11,640 --> 00:50:16,840 just curse God and die? And after that conversation 787 00:50:16,840 --> 00:50:25,400 comes the three friends of Job. And instead of helping Job, 788 00:50:26,320 --> 00:50:28,840 instead of giving words of comfort like you're going to 789 00:50:28,840 --> 00:50:32,320 make this or you're going to pull through this, they begin to 790 00:50:32,320 --> 00:50:35,720 berate him. They begin to talk down to him 791 00:50:35,720 --> 00:50:37,560 because you want to know what the book of Job's about. 792 00:50:37,920 --> 00:50:40,880 It's about the three friends of Job, and I say friends. 793 00:50:41,360 --> 00:50:44,640 They are doing nothing but berating him and talking down to 794 00:50:44,640 --> 00:50:48,000 him and saying you've done something to 'cause this, You've 795 00:50:48,000 --> 00:50:50,880 got iniquity in your life. You've made God angry. 796 00:50:50,880 --> 00:50:53,640 You deserve this. Instead of their words healing 797 00:50:53,640 --> 00:50:57,720 him, their words wound him. They Pierce him, they hurt him 798 00:50:58,080 --> 00:51:00,600 at the moment he needed hit them the most. 799 00:51:02,040 --> 00:51:04,640 Chapter after chapter after chapter after chapter after 800 00:51:04,640 --> 00:51:07,640 chapter after chapter. That's all it is. 801 00:51:08,320 --> 00:51:14,800 His three friends hurting him. And we always get to chapter 42 802 00:51:15,360 --> 00:51:18,520 and talk about in the end God gave Job twice as. 803 00:51:18,520 --> 00:51:23,120 Much as he did in the beginning, but you overlook a very 804 00:51:23,120 --> 00:51:28,000 important verse because the only way God could give Job twice as 805 00:51:28,000 --> 00:51:30,560 much in the end as he had the beginning. 806 00:51:31,400 --> 00:51:35,840 As the Bible says, God turned the captivity of Job when he 807 00:51:35,840 --> 00:51:42,320 prayed for his friends. And it came to my mind as 808 00:51:42,320 --> 00:51:44,800 vividly as anything has ever come to my mind. 809 00:51:45,560 --> 00:51:49,480 It's hard to hate people that you pray for every day. 810 00:51:51,760 --> 00:51:55,280 It's hard to hold resentment and bitterness against people that 811 00:51:55,280 --> 00:51:58,120 you pray for God to bless and for God to save. 812 00:51:59,280 --> 00:52:03,200 I think This is why Jesus said in Matthew to love your enemies, 813 00:52:03,560 --> 00:52:07,480 bless them that curse you, do good to them that hates you, and 814 00:52:07,480 --> 00:52:11,080 pray for them which despitefully use you. 815 00:52:11,320 --> 00:52:14,320 That word used means to insult or to slander. 816 00:52:14,560 --> 00:52:18,080 Or to falsely accuse God is saying that when people begin to 817 00:52:18,080 --> 00:52:22,120 insult you and when they begin to slander your name and accuse 818 00:52:22,120 --> 00:52:25,560 you of things that you didn't do, don't render evil for evil. 819 00:52:25,960 --> 00:52:29,360 Don't go back and retaliate. He said the best thing you you 820 00:52:29,360 --> 00:52:33,360 can do for yourself is find a prayer closet to get on your 821 00:52:33,360 --> 00:52:36,320 knees and pray for me to save them. 822 00:52:40,960 --> 00:52:46,360 Even Steven looked up. Stones are being thrown at him 823 00:52:47,480 --> 00:52:51,280 and he said, Lord, don't even put this on their record. 824 00:52:52,720 --> 00:52:54,840 Don't put this on their. What is he saying? 825 00:52:55,200 --> 00:52:57,920 He's saying God when they stand before you at judgment. 826 00:52:58,880 --> 00:53:04,160 Don't bring this up. You want to talk about a spirit 827 00:53:04,160 --> 00:53:09,040 of forgiveness because our flesh as God get them. 828 00:53:11,000 --> 00:53:12,960 Our flesh is God. Pay them back for what they've 829 00:53:12,960 --> 00:53:15,080 done to me. Our flesh is God. 830 00:53:15,080 --> 00:53:17,400 They've been running me down. I want them to see how it feels. 831 00:53:17,720 --> 00:53:19,400 I want them to go through what I've been through. 832 00:53:19,720 --> 00:53:22,400 But you know what Stephen said? Stephen said, Lord, when they 833 00:53:22,400 --> 00:53:25,240 stand before you at judgement and you begin to go through 834 00:53:25,240 --> 00:53:27,520 their life, I don't want you to bring this up. 835 00:53:27,880 --> 00:53:29,680 I don't want you to hold this against them. 836 00:53:30,000 --> 00:53:32,800 That is a spirit. Of what I'm talking about, how 837 00:53:32,800 --> 00:53:37,080 do I combat a spirit of offense? I've got to have a spirit of 838 00:53:37,080 --> 00:53:39,400 humility. I've got to have a spirit of 839 00:53:39,400 --> 00:53:43,200 forgiveness, even. The last thing Jesus did on the 840 00:53:43,200 --> 00:53:49,200 cross, we'll say, Father, forgive them because they don't 841 00:53:49,200 --> 00:53:55,320 even know what they're doing. Pray for them that they 842 00:53:55,320 --> 00:53:58,680 spitefully use. You and persecute you. 843 00:54:00,320 --> 00:54:02,320 What are we supposed to do when offenses come? 844 00:54:03,480 --> 00:54:08,120 We're supposed to do the very thing we don't want to do, and 845 00:54:08,120 --> 00:54:13,680 that's pray for them. I'll be honest, there's been 846 00:54:13,680 --> 00:54:21,080 times I had to force myself. I'm going to tell you when you 847 00:54:21,080 --> 00:54:24,720 can muster up the courage to pray for them, there is a 848 00:54:24,720 --> 00:54:26,680 release that begins to come over you. 849 00:54:28,600 --> 00:54:31,120 I'll be honest, I've preached this more than once this year. 850 00:54:31,920 --> 00:54:34,440 I was preaching in Georgia just a couple weeks ago about this 851 00:54:34,440 --> 00:54:38,120 very thing. And the pastor came up to me and 852 00:54:38,120 --> 00:54:40,080 I said, if you didn't preach to nobody else, you preached to me 853 00:54:40,080 --> 00:54:43,080 because there was a time in my life that I would go to prayer 854 00:54:43,080 --> 00:54:44,680 and I didn't pray for God to save him. 855 00:54:44,680 --> 00:54:47,760 I said, God, I hate him, I want you to do this and this and 856 00:54:47,760 --> 00:54:49,600 this. He said, But when I got to that 857 00:54:49,600 --> 00:54:51,920 place in my life that I couldn't carry it no more. 858 00:54:52,200 --> 00:54:53,840 I don't want to feel this way anymore. 859 00:54:54,040 --> 00:54:56,640 He said, I begin to do what you told me to do, pray for him, 860 00:54:57,040 --> 00:54:59,680 pray for God to save him. And he said it was like a load. 861 00:54:59,680 --> 00:55:02,720 Lifted off my shoulder, he said. It was like a root being pulled 862 00:55:02,720 --> 00:55:06,240 out of my spirit, because the only remedy for somebody 863 00:55:06,240 --> 00:55:10,200 offending you is that you've got to turn around and not give evil 864 00:55:10,200 --> 00:55:13,160 for evil, but you've got to be willing to pray. 865 00:55:15,440 --> 00:55:19,720 For them, why don't we lift our hands right now and just talk to 866 00:55:19,720 --> 00:55:25,320 the Lord? I feel the Holy Ghost in this 867 00:55:25,320 --> 00:55:31,560 house this morning in Jesus name. 868 00:55:31,560 --> 00:55:33,000 Let's just talk to the Lord for a moment. 869 00:55:33,000 --> 00:55:37,160 We're about to transition, but I feel a ministering presence of 870 00:55:37,160 --> 00:55:45,160 the Lord in this house. I feel healing balm of Gilead in 871 00:55:45,160 --> 00:55:46,160 this room. Right now, ah. 872 00:55:49,200 --> 00:55:52,360 Those wounds that if we carried around for years, God can mend 873 00:55:52,360 --> 00:56:02,800 them this morning. Brother McGee, I had a man asked 874 00:56:02,800 --> 00:56:05,800 me just some time ago, when I'm done, we can all stand. 875 00:56:07,520 --> 00:56:10,280 Had an individual asked me some time ago, how do I know that I'm 876 00:56:10,280 --> 00:56:13,840 over it? How do I know that it's no 877 00:56:13,840 --> 00:56:19,640 longer an issue? I said it's very simple, how do 878 00:56:19,640 --> 00:56:22,160 you respond or how do you react when you hear their name? 879 00:56:25,320 --> 00:56:27,840 And I said, when you hear their name and all those feelings are 880 00:56:27,840 --> 00:56:31,600 coming back, there's still some things you got to let go. 881 00:56:34,120 --> 00:56:36,200 I'll be honest, there's been times in my life that when I 882 00:56:36,200 --> 00:56:39,960 heard a name, I wanted to take matters in my own. 883 00:56:39,960 --> 00:56:45,960 But now I can hear that name. And I pray God to bless them, 884 00:56:47,240 --> 00:56:52,200 save their kids, bless the church, because I will not live 885 00:56:52,200 --> 00:56:56,080 in a place will cause me to lose my crown. 886 00:57:01,480 --> 00:57:04,120 I'm trying to close, but I just feel a pulley of the spirit in 887 00:57:04,120 --> 00:57:11,120 this house right now. I'm not talking about things 888 00:57:11,120 --> 00:57:13,320 that happened days or weeks ago. I'm talking about things that 889 00:57:13,320 --> 00:57:18,440 happened years ago. We've all been there, we've all 890 00:57:18,440 --> 00:57:23,280 had to deal with it, but there will be a liberty that comes to 891 00:57:23,280 --> 00:57:27,960 every individual. Find a place and say, Lord, 892 00:57:30,280 --> 00:57:34,000 instead of doing to them what they've done to me, I want you 893 00:57:34,000 --> 00:57:37,320 to save them. I want you to bless them. 894 00:57:40,280 --> 00:57:42,280 I wonder right now they're going to play, sing, whatever they 895 00:57:42,280 --> 00:57:45,600 feel to do. You want to stay where you are 896 00:57:45,600 --> 00:57:47,000 in prayer. If you want to step out and come 897 00:57:47,000 --> 00:57:52,440 to the front. There is a prompting of the Holy 898 00:57:52,440 --> 00:57:58,160 Ghost in this house in the first service of revival that there 899 00:57:58,160 --> 00:58:00,320 needs to be some things that we walk away from. 900 00:58:03,800 --> 00:58:06,240 There needs to be healing balm that comes in this room right 901 00:58:06,240 --> 00:58:13,310 now. Come on, let's allow the Holy 902 00:58:13,310 --> 00:58:18,950 Ghost to touch us this morning. It's something we all have to 903 00:58:18,950 --> 00:58:20,830 deal with. It's something we'll all face 904 00:58:20,830 --> 00:58:26,110 and face again. Let no man.