1 00:00:01,040 --> 00:00:04,000 Welcome to the first Apostolic Church podcast. 2 00:00:04,520 --> 00:00:07,960 Our church mission is to love as God loves showing compassion 3 00:00:07,960 --> 00:00:11,440 every soul, thus winning those souls and equipping them to be 4 00:00:11,440 --> 00:00:13,680 sent out to plant and to harvest. 5 00:00:14,080 --> 00:00:17,000 Thank you for joining us today and we hope that you are blessed 6 00:00:17,000 --> 00:00:26,840 by today's podcast. Greetings in Jesus name this 7 00:00:26,840 --> 00:00:29,760 morning. Amen to everyone and sound my 8 00:00:29,760 --> 00:00:31,080 voice. You can be seated this morning 9 00:00:31,080 --> 00:00:35,280 for a little bit here today before we get started here this 10 00:00:35,280 --> 00:00:36,840 morning. Glad to have each one of you A 11 00:00:37,320 --> 00:00:42,400 man thankful for those who over the our absence of that filled 12 00:00:42,400 --> 00:00:45,200 in Bishop filled in on a couple occasions. 13 00:00:45,200 --> 00:00:47,000 I'm losing papers here. Amen. 14 00:00:47,160 --> 00:00:50,560 And we thank him for doing that. And Brother Mason, of course, 15 00:00:50,560 --> 00:00:53,200 ministering last Sunday night to our graduates. 16 00:00:53,200 --> 00:00:54,520 Such a great time. Brother Zach. 17 00:00:54,520 --> 00:00:56,360 Haven't had a chance to listen Brother Zach yet. 18 00:00:56,640 --> 00:01:00,720 Hear that on Wednesday that took care of things, but I know that 19 00:01:00,720 --> 00:01:03,760 it was no doubt good. I did have a chance to finally 20 00:01:03,760 --> 00:01:07,560 listen to Bishop. Amen on the family table, Amen. 21 00:01:07,560 --> 00:01:10,320 Which was excellent, Amen. And thankful for the Lord, 22 00:01:10,320 --> 00:01:12,760 speaking through him, Amen. Aren't you thankful for the 23 00:01:12,760 --> 00:01:13,960 Lord? Amen. 24 00:01:13,960 --> 00:01:15,640 Thankful for people that can fill in. 25 00:01:15,640 --> 00:01:20,320 I was up at the school actually this week and the principal up 26 00:01:20,320 --> 00:01:23,400 there asked me if there was anybody, if I had anybody that 27 00:01:23,400 --> 00:01:26,520 was in the bullpen whenever I was gone that could take care of 28 00:01:26,520 --> 00:01:28,120 things. I said absolutely said have 29 00:01:28,120 --> 00:01:31,960 probably about 5:00 or so individuals that can do that. 30 00:01:32,160 --> 00:01:34,080 And so I'm thankful that I have that. 31 00:01:34,080 --> 00:01:36,240 You know, I've said that a gazillion times, right? 32 00:01:36,240 --> 00:01:39,200 So I'm tired of hearing it. Well, get tired of it because 33 00:01:39,200 --> 00:01:42,640 I'm probably going to continue to say it over and over again. 34 00:01:42,960 --> 00:01:44,880 Amen. Thankful that people can fill in 35 00:01:45,160 --> 00:01:52,120 and this thing isn't just dependent upon one person and 36 00:01:52,120 --> 00:01:55,360 it's times when different ones, ones of us are gone that that's 37 00:01:55,360 --> 00:01:59,120 proven, Amen. That this is a collective effort 38 00:01:59,120 --> 00:02:01,560 and that there's other people that can take up the slack, 39 00:02:01,920 --> 00:02:04,120 Amen. And grateful for that, Amen. 40 00:02:04,280 --> 00:02:08,440 I'm having this iPads like yelling at me here today for 41 00:02:08,440 --> 00:02:11,200 whatever reason. So if it goes S, we'll just go 42 00:02:11,200 --> 00:02:13,080 on, Amen. Hallelujah. 43 00:02:13,080 --> 00:02:16,320 We're going to be turning to the book of first Samuel. 44 00:02:16,840 --> 00:02:19,880 First Samuel chapter #12 Thank you for God's protective hand. 45 00:02:20,200 --> 00:02:23,800 Yesterday was the closest I ever came to having a motorcycle 46 00:02:23,800 --> 00:02:27,840 wreck. I was headed over to gather eggs 47 00:02:27,840 --> 00:02:30,360 at my sister's house. She's on vacation right now. 48 00:02:30,720 --> 00:02:33,840 And so I thought, well, I'm just going to do that egg collection 49 00:02:33,840 --> 00:02:36,640 on the motorcycle. And so I went over and I turned 50 00:02:36,640 --> 00:02:38,440 at the junction to head toward Owensville. 51 00:02:38,800 --> 00:02:40,760 And as I was getting closer to Owensville, there were three 52 00:02:40,760 --> 00:02:42,240 cars that were traveling together. 53 00:02:42,560 --> 00:02:44,680 And at the time that this occurred, I would guess that 54 00:02:44,680 --> 00:02:47,960 that maybe they were 500 feet or so from me in the middle car 55 00:02:47,960 --> 00:02:52,240 pulled out the pass and I grabbed that both front and back 56 00:02:52,240 --> 00:02:56,080 brakes and brought her down quick so that I wouldn't go 57 00:02:56,080 --> 00:02:59,080 flying through the air, Amen. And so I'm thankful for God's 58 00:02:59,080 --> 00:03:02,480 protective hand, Amen. And and giving me the ability to 59 00:03:02,480 --> 00:03:05,720 react quickly, Amen. And so thankful to the Lord for 60 00:03:05,720 --> 00:03:08,760 that because I guarantee you at the impact, if they were going 61 00:03:08,760 --> 00:03:12,880 60 and I'm going sixty 120, there would been a lot of feet 62 00:03:12,880 --> 00:03:14,960 that I would have traveled airborne, Amen. 63 00:03:14,960 --> 00:03:19,280 And thankful to the Lord, First Samuel chapter #12, Amen and 64 00:03:19,280 --> 00:03:23,720 verse #19 and I'm going to read today, we're going to read from 65 00:03:23,720 --> 00:03:26,920 the KJV and then I'm going to read from the home and Christian 66 00:03:26,920 --> 00:03:30,280 standard Bible from where my inspiration came from in the 67 00:03:30,280 --> 00:03:33,120 month of April. All right, this is kind of back 68 00:03:33,120 --> 00:03:35,760 from April. I keep AI keep just like a 69 00:03:35,760 --> 00:03:38,960 little composite notebook. Whenever I read my Bible, I mark 70 00:03:38,960 --> 00:03:42,480 in my margins, but I also write if there's a scripture that 71 00:03:42,480 --> 00:03:45,240 touches me in some way, I, I just begin writing on it. 72 00:03:45,240 --> 00:03:48,600 All right, as far as what I have read, and so I keep that 73 00:03:48,600 --> 00:03:50,280 composite notebook and I go back through there. 74 00:03:50,280 --> 00:03:53,040 Fred, I could hand it to you and you'll see where I went back and 75 00:03:53,040 --> 00:03:55,720 wrote the title of the sermon and when I preached it, you 76 00:03:55,720 --> 00:03:58,280 know, this is a lot of things comes birthed out of. 77 00:03:58,320 --> 00:04:00,880 Again, I've told you before reading my Bible, I don't 78 00:04:00,880 --> 00:04:02,200 necessarily go looking for sermons. 79 00:04:02,200 --> 00:04:05,400 They come find me, all right, just by reading the word of the 80 00:04:05,400 --> 00:04:07,720 Lord. So I'm going to read from the 81 00:04:07,720 --> 00:04:11,840 KJV and then I'll read from the HSSBHCSB. 82 00:04:12,040 --> 00:04:15,160 All right, The Bible says in First Samuel 12 and verse #19 83 00:04:15,560 --> 00:04:20,000 And all the people said unto Samuel, Pray for thy servants 84 00:04:20,399 --> 00:04:26,200 unto the Lord thy God, that we die not, for we have added unto 85 00:04:26,200 --> 00:04:30,720 all our sins this evil, to ask us a king. 86 00:04:31,280 --> 00:04:35,080 Samuel said unto the people, Fear not ye have done all this 87 00:04:35,080 --> 00:04:39,480 wickedness, yet turn not aside from following the Lord, but 88 00:04:39,480 --> 00:04:43,240 serve the Lord with all your heart, and turn ye not aside. 89 00:04:43,560 --> 00:04:47,440 For then should ye go after vain things which cannot profit nor 90 00:04:47,440 --> 00:04:51,160 deliver, for they are vain. If you'll bear with me and to 91 00:04:51,160 --> 00:04:53,800 the mission, you might just go back through those so they can 92 00:04:53,800 --> 00:04:56,280 see where we're at here in the other version of the Bible, 93 00:04:56,280 --> 00:05:00,920 verse 19, it says they pleaded with Samuel, prayed to the Lord 94 00:05:01,120 --> 00:05:06,000 your God for your servants, so we won't die, for we have added 95 00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:08,960 to all our sins the evil of requesting the king for 96 00:05:08,960 --> 00:05:11,600 ourselves. Verse 20, Samuel replied, don't 97 00:05:11,600 --> 00:05:15,560 be afraid, even though you have committed all this evil, don't 98 00:05:15,560 --> 00:05:17,120 turn away from following the Lord. 99 00:05:17,120 --> 00:05:21,560 Instead worship the Lord with all your heart. 100 00:05:21,560 --> 00:05:23,680 The King James says serve, worship. 101 00:05:23,680 --> 00:05:25,520 They're interchangeable. Really. 102 00:05:25,520 --> 00:05:29,240 If you'll remember, whenever the adversary was tempting the Lord 103 00:05:29,240 --> 00:05:32,480 in the wilderness, the Lord's response to him at one time says 104 00:05:32,480 --> 00:05:35,120 you're going to worship the Lord with all your heart, Him only 105 00:05:35,120 --> 00:05:38,000 shalt thou serve. And so paralleling worship was 106 00:05:38,000 --> 00:05:40,200 serving. And so he says, instead worship 107 00:05:40,200 --> 00:05:42,920 the Lord with all your heart. Verse 21, Don't turn away to 108 00:05:42,920 --> 00:05:47,400 follow worthless things that can't profit or deliver you. 109 00:05:47,720 --> 00:05:50,280 They are worthless. Amen. 110 00:05:50,280 --> 00:05:53,240 With the help of the Lord this morning I want to minister this 111 00:05:53,480 --> 00:06:00,480 worship through imperfection. If I can make it more personal, 112 00:06:00,480 --> 00:06:03,200 it'd be worship through your imperfection. 113 00:06:04,160 --> 00:06:06,960 Worship through your imperfection. 114 00:06:07,240 --> 00:06:08,840 Amen. Let's go to the Lord in prayer 115 00:06:08,840 --> 00:06:10,920 today. Father, I thank you again, 116 00:06:11,240 --> 00:06:13,960 y'all, for the opportunity, Lord, to be in this house. 117 00:06:13,960 --> 00:06:16,320 We're thankful, Lord, for those who have gathered together. 118 00:06:16,680 --> 00:06:19,200 God, we turn our thoughts and our attention, Lord, toward your 119 00:06:19,200 --> 00:06:22,040 word now. Let something in these pages of 120 00:06:22,040 --> 00:06:26,680 Scripture, Lord, be inspiration and guidance and direction, God, 121 00:06:26,680 --> 00:06:29,440 for our lives will not fail to thank you, Lord, for what you 122 00:06:29,440 --> 00:06:32,440 accomplished through your Word. It's established and forever 123 00:06:32,440 --> 00:06:35,080 settled in heaven. God, let it become settled in 124 00:06:35,080 --> 00:06:38,040 our hearts and lives today and will not fail to thank you, 125 00:06:38,160 --> 00:06:41,480 Jesus, for what you do in the name of Jesus Christ, that I 126 00:06:41,480 --> 00:06:43,960 pray, Amen. Everyone say Amen. 127 00:06:44,320 --> 00:06:47,040 You may be seated this morning. Amen. 128 00:06:47,480 --> 00:06:49,280 Good to have Danielle with us this morning. 129 00:06:49,760 --> 00:06:51,400 Her. And of course, Jessica was here 130 00:06:51,400 --> 00:06:53,360 last week too. And Tatum, we don't want to 131 00:06:53,360 --> 00:06:55,760 forget Tatum and her friend Allie. 132 00:06:55,760 --> 00:06:59,080 They're both 6:00 today that I mean, not today, but they are 133 00:06:59,080 --> 00:07:01,680 both 6. And Allie is a little taller 134 00:07:01,680 --> 00:07:03,280 than Tatum. I learned all of that before 135 00:07:03,280 --> 00:07:06,640 church, Amen, this morning. And so we're glad even to have 136 00:07:06,760 --> 00:07:09,640 each one of them today in the House of the Lord. 137 00:07:09,960 --> 00:07:12,040 Amen. First Samuel chapter #12 The 138 00:07:12,040 --> 00:07:15,200 verses that I read in your hearing, there were some things 139 00:07:15,200 --> 00:07:19,160 that occurred or happened prior to those 3 verses that got them 140 00:07:19,160 --> 00:07:23,480 to this point of pleading with Samuel that he would pray for 141 00:07:23,480 --> 00:07:26,080 them. They didn't just start from the 142 00:07:26,080 --> 00:07:29,600 start line as that, but there was some things that happened 143 00:07:29,600 --> 00:07:33,400 that got them to the place that they would request prayer from 144 00:07:33,400 --> 00:07:37,200 Samuel and that Samuel would answer them back and give them 145 00:07:37,200 --> 00:07:40,840 the advice that he had given and that they would take some 146 00:07:40,840 --> 00:07:43,840 credence in Samuels advice. There were some things that 147 00:07:43,840 --> 00:07:47,040 occurred for the whole nation of Israel at this time. 148 00:07:47,040 --> 00:07:49,360 They are during a time of transition. 149 00:07:49,360 --> 00:07:53,480 In many ways they have been for I think of the Scripture at 150 00:07:53,480 --> 00:07:56,000 different times tells us like 430 years. 151 00:07:56,000 --> 00:07:59,880 I believe it was was the time of the judges when they would have 152 00:07:59,880 --> 00:08:03,040 various different judges that would serve and judge and 153 00:08:03,040 --> 00:08:06,920 instruct and help them in their walk and relationship with God. 154 00:08:07,160 --> 00:08:10,040 But the children of Israel had come to a place in their 155 00:08:10,040 --> 00:08:12,680 journey. Brother Rhys that they asked if 156 00:08:12,680 --> 00:08:14,600 they could have a king over them. 157 00:08:15,080 --> 00:08:18,800 Prior to this time, even when they had even a judge, they 158 00:08:18,800 --> 00:08:21,760 still operated under a theocracy, meaning that they 159 00:08:21,760 --> 00:08:25,400 were God governed, God directed right. 160 00:08:25,400 --> 00:08:28,000 Even having a judge, they knew that their true help and 161 00:08:28,000 --> 00:08:31,320 guidance came from the Lord. But now they were asking for a 162 00:08:31,320 --> 00:08:33,120 king. And one of the reasons why they 163 00:08:33,120 --> 00:08:36,360 did this according to scripture, they said, we ask of a king 164 00:08:36,360 --> 00:08:41,320 because we wish to be similar or like the other nations that are 165 00:08:41,640 --> 00:08:44,000 around us. We, we, we would like, they have 166 00:08:44,000 --> 00:08:46,880 kings and they have people to serve over them and give them 167 00:08:46,880 --> 00:08:49,680 direction and they look to them and we, we would like to have a 168 00:08:49,680 --> 00:08:52,520 king as well. Number one, and and this is not 169 00:08:52,520 --> 00:08:56,840 part of my notes, but Please note well that you have one foot 170 00:08:56,840 --> 00:09:00,600 on a banana peel, maybe one on solid ground when you're wanting 171 00:09:00,600 --> 00:09:03,560 to emulate the culture around you rather than what? 172 00:09:03,560 --> 00:09:07,520 God has called you to be all right, Amen. 173 00:09:07,560 --> 00:09:10,360 But But that said, no, we, we would like to have a king and, 174 00:09:10,600 --> 00:09:13,720 and so all of this is going to take place. 175 00:09:13,720 --> 00:09:16,720 God grants their wish, Amen. Sometimes God. 176 00:09:16,720 --> 00:09:21,800 Gives you what you ask when it's even not what you need because 177 00:09:21,800 --> 00:09:24,160 you're so consistent in your asking. 178 00:09:24,560 --> 00:09:27,240 He says, I'll give it to you and let you see for yourself. 179 00:09:27,240 --> 00:09:29,160 While it had been best not to have it. 180 00:09:30,520 --> 00:09:34,120 And so God allows them to have a king none the less. 181 00:09:34,400 --> 00:09:38,360 And so as a result of all of this, the time of the judges is 182 00:09:38,360 --> 00:09:41,920 coming to an end. The time of their involvement is 183 00:09:41,920 --> 00:09:43,680 coming to the end because they're going to have a king 184 00:09:43,680 --> 00:09:46,880 now. And so Samuel has been a judge 185 00:09:46,880 --> 00:09:50,240 in Israel for years. We understand in Scripture, in 186 00:09:50,240 --> 00:09:54,280 the beginning of the book of Samuel, it was this boy that 187 00:09:54,280 --> 00:09:58,560 Hannah had prayed to God for, whose womb was shut up and by a 188 00:09:58,560 --> 00:10:02,560 miraculous moving of God, opened her womb and allowed her to have 189 00:10:02,560 --> 00:10:05,960 this boy Samuel. And she made a a, a, a, a. 190 00:10:05,960 --> 00:10:09,080 Deal, if you will, with God. If you'll give me a son, I'll 191 00:10:09,080 --> 00:10:12,520 turn around and give him to you. And as the number of his days 192 00:10:12,520 --> 00:10:15,760 would grow older, he was probably somewhere around three 193 00:10:15,760 --> 00:10:18,200 or four years old whenever she went to the temple. 194 00:10:18,480 --> 00:10:22,600 And he dedicated that child unto the Lord, and said, He is yours. 195 00:10:22,760 --> 00:10:25,280 And Samuel lived at the House of God. 196 00:10:25,760 --> 00:10:28,320 He, he, he was there. It was there at the House of God 197 00:10:28,320 --> 00:10:30,680 that he learned the voice of God. 198 00:10:30,680 --> 00:10:33,400 He became acquainted with the word of God. 199 00:10:33,400 --> 00:10:36,640 He became very instrumental in the history of the nation of 200 00:10:36,640 --> 00:10:38,520 Israel. As a matter of fact, there are 201 00:10:38,520 --> 00:10:40,360 different areas you can read in Scripture. 202 00:10:40,360 --> 00:10:44,360 The Bible says that Samuel served the Lord Amen. 203 00:10:44,360 --> 00:10:49,200 In this capacity would be in some aspect all of his days. 204 00:10:49,200 --> 00:10:51,000 And so he had given much of his life. 205 00:10:51,240 --> 00:10:55,280 If you think for a moment, it was Samuel that was instrumental 206 00:10:55,280 --> 00:10:58,520 in getting the nation of Israel's first king, which was 207 00:10:58,600 --> 00:11:01,160 was solved. It was, it was Samuel who 208 00:11:01,160 --> 00:11:03,560 advised Saul during his kingship. 209 00:11:03,840 --> 00:11:08,000 It was Samuel who then anointed their second king, David. 210 00:11:08,120 --> 00:11:11,560 So very well, at least we don't know the exact number, the 211 00:11:11,560 --> 00:11:15,320 Scripture doesn't say. But no doubt for at least 40 or 212 00:11:15,320 --> 00:11:18,840 so years, Samuel had served as a judge. 213 00:11:19,080 --> 00:11:21,720 And now he stands before the nation of Israel with this 214 00:11:21,720 --> 00:11:24,280 request of a king. And that has been granted. 215 00:11:24,520 --> 00:11:26,520 And he's basically telling them this. 216 00:11:26,760 --> 00:11:29,000 He says I'm standing before you now. 217 00:11:29,560 --> 00:11:32,440 I've served you as a nation for years. 218 00:11:32,640 --> 00:11:36,000 I've given up my time, I've given up my resources. 219 00:11:36,160 --> 00:11:40,120 I stand here before you as an old man, the Bible, you can read 220 00:11:40,120 --> 00:11:41,840 the verses of Scripture before I text. 221 00:11:41,840 --> 00:11:44,800 He says I'm a grey headed man right now. 222 00:11:45,040 --> 00:11:49,800 I've I've seen you as a nation in your UPS and I've seen you as 223 00:11:49,800 --> 00:11:53,760 a nation in your downs. I've seen you in your successes 224 00:11:53,760 --> 00:11:55,360 and I've seen you in your mistakes. 225 00:11:56,400 --> 00:11:59,000 What he's saying is I've been around the block a few times. 226 00:11:59,440 --> 00:12:03,560 This isn't my first rodeo. I've I've been in a place of 227 00:12:03,560 --> 00:12:06,880 observation of this nation for many years. 228 00:12:06,880 --> 00:12:10,920 And so and he says prove me now, if you will, all these years 229 00:12:10,920 --> 00:12:14,480 that I have served you and given to you, have I ever taken 230 00:12:14,480 --> 00:12:17,600 anything from any of you and not repaid it back to you? 231 00:12:17,960 --> 00:12:20,640 Have I ever defrauded any of you? 232 00:12:20,920 --> 00:12:24,800 Have I ever taken a bribe among any of the people? 233 00:12:24,800 --> 00:12:28,920 Have have I done any of these things to you during my time of 234 00:12:28,920 --> 00:12:32,960 being a judge and rulership before you and the people 235 00:12:32,960 --> 00:12:36,320 answered with a resounding no, no, Samuel, you, you've always 236 00:12:36,320 --> 00:12:39,040 been honest and you've always been true and you've always 237 00:12:39,040 --> 00:12:41,280 looked out for our best interests and you've not taken 238 00:12:41,280 --> 00:12:44,360 advantage of us. And and so Samuel is really just 239 00:12:44,360 --> 00:12:48,680 building a stage right here. If that is your observation of 240 00:12:48,680 --> 00:12:52,320 me, if that that's your concept of me all these years that I've 241 00:12:52,320 --> 00:12:55,120 served you, that I've been honest and true to you. 242 00:12:55,120 --> 00:12:58,960 He says, then listen to what I got to say right now. 243 00:13:00,400 --> 00:13:04,080 If I've never done you wrong, then listen to what this Gray 244 00:13:04,080 --> 00:13:08,240 haired old man has to say right now. 245 00:13:08,280 --> 00:13:10,560 You're you're telling me that that I'm honest. 246 00:13:10,560 --> 00:13:12,600 You're telling me that I I'm dependable. 247 00:13:12,720 --> 00:13:16,080 You know what Samuel was doing. He was underscoring his own 248 00:13:16,080 --> 00:13:19,880 credibility among the people. He says listen what I got. 249 00:13:19,880 --> 00:13:24,040 Let my years of experience of what I've observed concerning 250 00:13:24,040 --> 00:13:27,640 the righteousness of God concerning you all what his 251 00:13:27,640 --> 00:13:30,400 righteous acts. Let me, let me please recall and 252 00:13:30,400 --> 00:13:31,720 recount. Amen. 253 00:13:31,720 --> 00:13:34,320 Some things to you. He says if you will remember 254 00:13:34,320 --> 00:13:36,680 everybody, just stay with me. It's going to take me just a 255 00:13:36,680 --> 00:13:39,160 little bit. He says if you'll remember, you 256 00:13:39,160 --> 00:13:44,480 were a people that for 400 years was enslaved by Egypt and it was 257 00:13:44,480 --> 00:13:46,640 God. And he underscores that it was 258 00:13:46,640 --> 00:13:51,960 God that advanced Moses and Aaron to come alongside you and 259 00:13:51,960 --> 00:13:55,680 be your deliverers. And after you were delivered, it 260 00:13:55,680 --> 00:13:59,760 was just a short time that at the base of Mount Sinai, you 261 00:13:59,760 --> 00:14:04,320 were creating a golden calf and you were, if you will, avoiding 262 00:14:04,320 --> 00:14:09,360 God and going toward false gods. He said, I understand that it 263 00:14:09,360 --> 00:14:13,040 was you during your wilderness journeys that it seems like day 264 00:14:13,040 --> 00:14:16,600 in and day out, there's complaint, there's grumbling 265 00:14:17,040 --> 00:14:20,080 about the conditions. You're saying you're lacking 266 00:14:20,080 --> 00:14:22,840 food, you're lacking water. And yet God is providing. 267 00:14:23,000 --> 00:14:27,880 He said, I understand that it's you, some of your ancestors that 268 00:14:27,880 --> 00:14:31,600 refused to even go and to the Promised Land whenever God had 269 00:14:31,600 --> 00:14:34,840 promised it unto them. He says there were times that 270 00:14:34,840 --> 00:14:37,200 you forgot God. He said, I'm telling you, if you 271 00:14:37,200 --> 00:14:39,120 trust me, listen to what I'm telling you. 272 00:14:39,280 --> 00:14:42,160 He said there were times that you forgot God. 273 00:14:42,360 --> 00:14:45,680 And God then would turn you over to an adversary. 274 00:14:45,680 --> 00:14:49,440 He, he would turn you over to Sisera or turn you over to the 275 00:14:49,440 --> 00:14:52,280 Philistines, or turn you over to the Moabites. 276 00:14:52,320 --> 00:14:56,480 And then you would cry out to God again, wanting some help, 277 00:14:56,480 --> 00:14:59,080 needing something, and he would deliver you. 278 00:14:59,280 --> 00:15:03,480 He had great leaders and other judges over you besides me, like 279 00:15:03,720 --> 00:15:08,200 Gideon and Jetta and Samson, that led you through some 280 00:15:08,200 --> 00:15:12,280 difficult times and hard times. And yet after the deliver would 281 00:15:12,280 --> 00:15:17,000 pass on and some would die, many of you fell back into adultery 282 00:15:17,000 --> 00:15:21,200 and other practices, he says. I know because I've been around 283 00:15:21,200 --> 00:15:26,720 for a while that Israel isn't a perfect nation and Israel isn't 284 00:15:26,720 --> 00:15:30,600 made-up of perfect people and that the time of the judges of 285 00:15:30,600 --> 00:15:33,720 repenting and being right with God and falling away from God 286 00:15:33,720 --> 00:15:37,040 and repenting again, it's still in our rear view mirror. 287 00:15:37,040 --> 00:15:39,720 I know that. I know that you have sinned 288 00:15:39,760 --> 00:15:44,800 repetitively and you have added mistakes to mistakes and even 289 00:15:44,800 --> 00:15:46,880 asking for a king to rule over you. 290 00:15:47,080 --> 00:15:50,720 That has been an additional mistake because you desire to be 291 00:15:50,720 --> 00:15:53,840 like other nations, he says. I know where you're at right now 292 00:15:54,240 --> 00:15:57,640 because right now you are feeling a little bit helpless. 293 00:15:57,840 --> 00:16:01,480 You're feeling a little bit like as a nation and a people, we 294 00:16:01,480 --> 00:16:04,080 just seem never be able to get it right. 295 00:16:04,240 --> 00:16:08,440 We're always making mistakes, we're always falling over our 296 00:16:08,440 --> 00:16:10,840 own feet. I know, I know you're feeling 297 00:16:10,840 --> 00:16:13,960 like maybe somewhere along the way that God is just going to 298 00:16:13,960 --> 00:16:18,320 snub you out all together because of your consistent evil. 299 00:16:18,520 --> 00:16:22,800 And so when the people hear all these words of an aged, Gray 300 00:16:22,800 --> 00:16:27,240 headed judge that they trusted and had credit, they begin to 301 00:16:27,240 --> 00:16:32,080 cry out. The Bible says Samuel, pray for 302 00:16:32,080 --> 00:16:36,680 us. Pray for us so that we won't die 303 00:16:37,440 --> 00:16:41,240 because we might have made the the cardinal mistake right now 304 00:16:41,600 --> 00:16:44,040 asking for a king when God was our king. 305 00:16:44,040 --> 00:16:48,840 Pray for us so that we won't die because Samuel, we've done it 306 00:16:48,840 --> 00:16:51,760 again. We've messed up again. 307 00:16:52,320 --> 00:16:58,000 The Bible says they told Samuel we've added to our sins. 308 00:16:58,320 --> 00:17:00,640 Do you understand what they're saying, folks? 309 00:17:00,640 --> 00:17:03,480 In order to add to sins, you've already had to sin. 310 00:17:05,079 --> 00:17:07,119 You got to add to something that's already there. 311 00:17:07,240 --> 00:17:11,240 Since we we've added to our sins, we're adding to a list of 312 00:17:11,240 --> 00:17:15,280 a long line of mistakes that even our ancestors have made. 313 00:17:15,480 --> 00:17:18,800 This isn't our first offense. This isn't the first time that 314 00:17:18,800 --> 00:17:23,000 we've loved up. But that old Gray headed Samuel 315 00:17:23,240 --> 00:17:27,760 arose when they made that plea and that request, who had seen 316 00:17:27,800 --> 00:17:31,040 all these things and observed all these things? 317 00:17:31,280 --> 00:17:35,800 And he began to open his mouth and spout some words of 318 00:17:35,800 --> 00:17:38,200 encouragement. The first thing that Samuel said 319 00:17:38,200 --> 00:17:44,600 to that people, he said fear not, fear not. 320 00:17:44,920 --> 00:17:47,600 I know it feels like you've tipped the scales. 321 00:17:47,800 --> 00:17:51,720 I know it feels like you can't do anything right, but don't be 322 00:17:51,720 --> 00:17:56,200 afraid, the old aged man says. And then he continues and says, 323 00:17:56,600 --> 00:18:00,400 you have done all this wickedness. 324 00:18:01,960 --> 00:18:05,200 If I'm the people, I'm like, woo Hoo, wait a minute, Samuel. 325 00:18:05,440 --> 00:18:07,840 I mean, I felt pretty good when you started out with the fear 326 00:18:07,840 --> 00:18:11,480 not, you know, I was I was feeling really responsible about 327 00:18:11,640 --> 00:18:14,000 everything and feeling really down on myself and feel like, 328 00:18:14,000 --> 00:18:16,000 you know, you're just a born loser and all this stuff. 329 00:18:16,200 --> 00:18:18,360 But when you told me fear not, you know, I felt some of the 330 00:18:18,360 --> 00:18:21,440 weight lift off my shoulder like I could stand a little taller 331 00:18:21,440 --> 00:18:24,920 again and said, but then you followed up with you have done 332 00:18:24,920 --> 00:18:29,320 all this wickedness. Where are we going here, Samuel? 333 00:18:30,080 --> 00:18:32,800 You tell me, fear not, but then you tell me, y'all, I'm 334 00:18:32,800 --> 00:18:36,880 responsible. I have done all of this witness 335 00:18:36,880 --> 00:18:39,480 and all this mistake. And Samuel, you're you're 336 00:18:39,480 --> 00:18:41,480 agreeing that I've done something wrong. 337 00:18:42,440 --> 00:18:45,640 Samuel, you're giving me ownership of my mistake. 338 00:18:46,360 --> 00:18:48,520 How's that supposed to make me feel better? 339 00:18:52,080 --> 00:18:53,440 I mean, you, you're just pointing out. 340 00:18:53,440 --> 00:18:55,800 Yeah, you lied. Yep, you cheated. 341 00:18:56,160 --> 00:18:58,720 Yep, you've been unfaithful. Yep, you revealed. 342 00:18:59,000 --> 00:19:01,800 Yep. You've been disobedient, Samuel. 343 00:19:02,200 --> 00:19:06,440 You may not have understood us, but we asked you to PRAY. 344 00:19:06,720 --> 00:19:10,800 Pray for us, not PREY. Prey on us. 345 00:19:15,160 --> 00:19:19,520 Samuel the age man, though sense of fear not you have done all of 346 00:19:19,520 --> 00:19:23,280 this wickedness and then he follows it up with this, he 347 00:19:23,280 --> 00:19:27,960 says, but don't stop following the Lord. 348 00:19:29,280 --> 00:19:33,280 He says you've lied, you've cheated, you blundered, you've 349 00:19:33,280 --> 00:19:37,360 denied. But don't stop following the 350 00:19:37,360 --> 00:19:40,200 Lord. You've made mistakes more times 351 00:19:40,200 --> 00:19:42,680 than sometimes. You've got things right, but 352 00:19:42,680 --> 00:19:47,200 don't stop following the Lord because the mentality of 353 00:19:47,200 --> 00:19:51,400 humanity and the tactic of our adversary, what he wants to use 354 00:19:51,400 --> 00:19:55,600 on us is this is that if you make a mistake, if you blunder, 355 00:19:55,720 --> 00:19:59,480 if you mess up, then you got to separate and get away from God 356 00:19:59,600 --> 00:20:02,120 because you're not worthy. There's shame, guilt and all 357 00:20:02,120 --> 00:20:03,840 that stuff and you just got to run. 358 00:20:04,040 --> 00:20:07,520 That is what your adversary would like for you to do is take 359 00:20:07,520 --> 00:20:11,880 your mistake and leave God. Take your phobia and leave God. 360 00:20:12,000 --> 00:20:13,800 But the aged man says this isn't my. 361 00:20:13,880 --> 00:20:16,920 That first time around the block, you don't need to somehow 362 00:20:16,920 --> 00:20:21,240 flub up and then leave God. You need to flub up and stay 363 00:20:21,240 --> 00:20:23,800 with God. You need to make your mistake 364 00:20:24,040 --> 00:20:29,080 and stay tethered to the map. Someone say, man, I'm telling 365 00:20:29,080 --> 00:20:33,840 you today it is the aspect of the adversary to have you just 366 00:20:33,840 --> 00:20:37,760 fall if you will, and trouble yourself with your mistake and 367 00:20:37,760 --> 00:20:40,400 say, you know what? I just can't worship the Lord 368 00:20:40,400 --> 00:20:43,920 anymore because I fluffed up. I can't worship the Lord anymore 369 00:20:44,000 --> 00:20:47,800 because I did XYZ or whatever. Honey, that is the mindset of 370 00:20:47,800 --> 00:20:50,960 the adversary. He's trying to separate you and 371 00:20:50,960 --> 00:20:53,040 get you away from the very thing you need. 372 00:20:53,240 --> 00:20:55,520 Honey, when you make a mistake you need. 373 00:20:55,520 --> 00:20:57,360 That's when we need God the most. 374 00:20:57,680 --> 00:21:01,040 When you flub up, that's when we need God the most. 375 00:21:06,520 --> 00:21:09,960 Someone came in. Samuel was urging him. 376 00:21:09,960 --> 00:21:13,560 He's a man of experience. Gray headed a node. 377 00:21:14,120 --> 00:21:19,400 Don't leave. God, because you've made a 378 00:21:19,400 --> 00:21:21,240 mistake doesn't mean you have to abandon God. 379 00:21:23,160 --> 00:21:25,280 Making your mistake emphasizes your need. 380 00:21:25,280 --> 00:21:27,120 For. God. 381 00:21:28,400 --> 00:21:31,160 He says, I'll tell you what you do, Israel. 382 00:21:31,760 --> 00:21:37,440 You take your own sinful carcass into the presence of the Lord, 383 00:21:38,400 --> 00:21:42,760 and you worship or you serve God. 384 00:21:43,520 --> 00:21:49,360 Right in the middle of your mess, you worship God. 385 00:21:49,360 --> 00:21:53,800 Even if it's a mess you've made, you worship God. 386 00:21:54,600 --> 00:21:56,360 You know what Samuel was trying to tell them? 387 00:21:56,720 --> 00:22:01,400 You can worship God amidst your imperfection. 388 00:22:01,680 --> 00:22:05,360 You can worship God even though you don't have it all together. 389 00:22:05,520 --> 00:22:09,080 You can worship God although you don't know the the answer to 390 00:22:09,080 --> 00:22:14,280 every question. You someone say, man, Samuel is 391 00:22:14,280 --> 00:22:19,240 very he's very tactical in this. He's not excusing listen, he is 392 00:22:19,240 --> 00:22:23,040 not excusing the fact that they send he said you did all this 393 00:22:23,040 --> 00:22:25,800 wickedness. He's he's owning that for them. 394 00:22:26,000 --> 00:22:28,000 He's he's not closing his eyes to it. 395 00:22:28,240 --> 00:22:32,280 You did what you did, but in the same moment, he's also saying, I 396 00:22:32,280 --> 00:22:36,040 can't ignore the fact that you can also still worship. 397 00:22:36,320 --> 00:22:39,040 You made the mistake, but you can still worship. 398 00:22:42,040 --> 00:22:50,560 Someone say Amen John 4 right. Jesus says I must need to go 399 00:22:50,560 --> 00:22:55,000 through Samaria. Samaritan's a mixed greed breed 400 00:22:55,000 --> 00:22:59,320 of people, Jew and Gentile, looked downed upon by the Jews, 401 00:22:59,320 --> 00:23:02,200 called dogs, didn't have much dealings with them. 402 00:23:02,200 --> 00:23:06,720 But Jesus says I must need to go through Samaria and he goes to 403 00:23:06,720 --> 00:23:09,960 the well which was Jacob's well. Think the Bible says that the 404 00:23:09,960 --> 00:23:15,280 6th hour was it of the day and he's there and a woman who was a 405 00:23:15,280 --> 00:23:19,360 Samaritan meets him there and they begin to have conversation. 406 00:23:19,640 --> 00:23:23,240 The one with the other about drawing water in the world that 407 00:23:23,240 --> 00:23:26,720 they are at. Jesus speaks to this Samaritan 408 00:23:26,720 --> 00:23:29,160 woman who the Bible says he asked her. 409 00:23:29,160 --> 00:23:33,200 He says call your husband. She says I don't have a husband. 410 00:23:33,200 --> 00:23:36,480 He says you've rightly said you don't have a husband, said for 411 00:23:36,480 --> 00:23:40,960 you have had five husbands and the one that you're with now is 412 00:23:40,960 --> 00:23:43,440 not your husband, as you've rightly said. 413 00:23:43,920 --> 00:23:46,200 And so whenever they came to this conclusion of what's going 414 00:23:46,200 --> 00:23:49,200 on, let's back up and say this. She's made a few mistakes. 415 00:23:52,480 --> 00:23:55,760 She's made a few mistakes. But you know what Jesus begins 416 00:23:55,760 --> 00:24:00,320 to talk to her about? He says they that worship God 417 00:24:01,160 --> 00:24:04,000 must worship Him in spirit and truth. 418 00:24:04,920 --> 00:24:07,800 And the time cometh that the fathers. 419 00:24:07,800 --> 00:24:10,600 Seek of true worshippers, he starts. 420 00:24:10,920 --> 00:24:14,120 He learns about all this, and then he starts talking to her 421 00:24:15,240 --> 00:24:17,960 about worship. Why? 422 00:24:18,720 --> 00:24:22,960 Because he's indicating that sincere worship is something 423 00:24:22,960 --> 00:24:27,960 that God is seeking irrespective of our past sins. 424 00:24:30,960 --> 00:24:34,000 Someone say, man, you know what Jesus is conveying to her. 425 00:24:34,160 --> 00:24:40,280 I know you have a flawed life, but God is calling you to true 426 00:24:40,280 --> 00:24:44,360 worship. Jesus is saying, just like 427 00:24:44,360 --> 00:24:47,240 Samuel had said, you've done all of this. 428 00:24:48,280 --> 00:24:51,480 You've had five husbands and the one you're with now is not your 429 00:24:51,480 --> 00:24:54,000 husband. You've had broken relationship 430 00:24:54,000 --> 00:24:57,400 after broken relationship. But you know, the urging of 431 00:24:57,480 --> 00:25:03,160 Jesus to this woman is in the middle of all that worship God 432 00:25:04,080 --> 00:25:06,840 because listen, we've looked at this before, but let's remember 433 00:25:06,840 --> 00:25:10,600 it. Worship doesn't have anything 434 00:25:10,600 --> 00:25:13,360 really to do with you and your status. 435 00:25:14,000 --> 00:25:17,280 Worship has everything to do with the object being 436 00:25:17,280 --> 00:25:21,000 worshipped, in this case being God and his status. 437 00:25:21,760 --> 00:25:24,920 What does that mean? That means my life can be a 438 00:25:24,920 --> 00:25:28,360 mess. But he's still deserving of 439 00:25:28,360 --> 00:25:33,160 worship because worships not about me, not about where I am, 440 00:25:33,360 --> 00:25:36,560 not about where I am in life. It's about who he is. 441 00:25:36,760 --> 00:25:39,520 And as far as I know, he changes not. 442 00:25:39,720 --> 00:25:43,120 There's no variableness in him. There's no shadow attorney. 443 00:25:43,360 --> 00:25:46,960 So it don't matter where I am. He's still who he is. 444 00:25:47,160 --> 00:25:49,960 And you can worship in your perfection. 445 00:25:49,960 --> 00:25:53,440 Perfection. The one who is still perfect. 446 00:25:55,080 --> 00:25:58,080 Yeah. Look at it, look at the 447 00:25:58,080 --> 00:26:00,920 scripture. John 4 verse seven, Brother 448 00:26:00,920 --> 00:26:03,160 Mason. John 4, verse seven. 449 00:26:03,760 --> 00:26:05,840 There come with the woman of Samaria to draw water. 450 00:26:06,080 --> 00:26:07,920 Jesus saved to her, Give me to drink. 451 00:26:08,200 --> 00:26:11,320 Verse 9. Then saith the woman of Samaria 452 00:26:11,320 --> 00:26:16,080 unto him, How is it that thou being a Jew? 453 00:26:16,080 --> 00:26:22,080 I wouldn't say Jew. Ask a strength of me, which am a 454 00:26:22,080 --> 00:26:25,680 woman of Samaria, for the Jews have no dealings with the 455 00:26:25,680 --> 00:26:29,920 Samaritans. Now, when the Lord first started 456 00:26:29,920 --> 00:26:33,200 conversation with this one, he didn't cut to the chase, to all 457 00:26:33,200 --> 00:26:34,600 the negative aspects of her life. 458 00:26:36,400 --> 00:26:39,000 He didn't, he didn't confront all those things. 459 00:26:39,480 --> 00:26:43,440 He could have started there like, well, you really messed 460 00:26:43,440 --> 00:26:46,000 up. He didn't start there, though. 461 00:26:46,000 --> 00:26:49,080 He could have started harping on all of that, but he didn't. 462 00:26:50,200 --> 00:26:56,200 So what caused the confrontation here or or this meeting here? 463 00:26:57,440 --> 00:27:00,720 It's not so much that Jesus asked for something to drink, 464 00:27:01,760 --> 00:27:07,600 but it's that she recognized he was a Jew that was asking from 465 00:27:07,600 --> 00:27:11,440 her a Samaritan, something to drink here many times in that 466 00:27:11,440 --> 00:27:12,320 day their. Their. 467 00:27:12,320 --> 00:27:15,200 Robes a lot of times distinguished who they were and 468 00:27:15,200 --> 00:27:18,680 gave them distinction even between occupations, like a 469 00:27:18,680 --> 00:27:20,080 Carpenter robe could be different. 470 00:27:20,440 --> 00:27:22,880 Amen. Jews, gentiles, all these 471 00:27:22,880 --> 00:27:25,680 things, their robes told a story on their life. 472 00:27:26,080 --> 00:27:30,680 This woman knew who he was, no doubt had seen some indicators 473 00:27:30,680 --> 00:27:33,560 this is a Jew. And when she learned that he was 474 00:27:33,560 --> 00:27:38,360 a Jew, it made her uncomfortable when she realized he was a Jew. 475 00:27:39,960 --> 00:27:44,080 But her response to this realization made a difference, 476 00:27:45,000 --> 00:27:48,240 because she didn't hide. She didn't take her water pot 477 00:27:48,240 --> 00:27:52,680 and go home. She kept conversing until 478 00:27:52,680 --> 00:27:55,560 finally she says in verse 15, what does she say? 479 00:27:55,800 --> 00:27:57,720 They've been talking about this well in this water. 480 00:27:57,720 --> 00:28:02,000 She's talking to a Jew. She says, Sir, give me this 481 00:28:02,000 --> 00:28:04,800 water he's talking about. I got water to drink of. 482 00:28:04,800 --> 00:28:07,440 It would be a well in you springing up into everlasting 483 00:28:07,440 --> 00:28:10,760 life. She says Sir, give me this water 484 00:28:11,320 --> 00:28:16,240 in that statement, Sir, give me this. 485 00:28:16,920 --> 00:28:26,440 She is illustrating that he has something that she don't, not 486 00:28:26,440 --> 00:28:29,320 only that that he has the ability to share. 487 00:28:29,320 --> 00:28:33,800 Something with her that she don't have worship and all 488 00:28:33,800 --> 00:28:35,720 throughout the Old Testament, worship was basically this. 489 00:28:35,880 --> 00:28:38,600 Most times when you read about worship, it's always somebody 490 00:28:38,600 --> 00:28:44,880 falling down prostate before the Lord bowing. 491 00:28:45,280 --> 00:28:47,440 It's always illustrated in that there's the bowing that. 492 00:28:47,600 --> 00:28:50,960 That's the the the the. Bodily demonstration of worship. 493 00:28:51,280 --> 00:28:54,200 And when you do that, whenever two people come together and the 494 00:28:54,200 --> 00:28:58,520 first one to do that was doing this, I'm acknowledging that 495 00:28:58,520 --> 00:29:00,720 then this person is more superior. 496 00:29:01,160 --> 00:29:06,440 Than I am that's worship this woman says you got. 497 00:29:06,440 --> 00:29:10,760 Something I don't. You you, you're superior because 498 00:29:10,760 --> 00:29:13,000 you have. It you know what she was doing 499 00:29:13,000 --> 00:29:16,760 in the moment of her statement. Sir, please give me this water. 500 00:29:17,320 --> 00:29:20,640 She was a woman that had six men in her life at one time. 501 00:29:22,720 --> 00:29:25,280 But in the middle of her imperfection, you know what 502 00:29:25,280 --> 00:29:27,800 she's doing, Brother Malone. She's worshipping. 503 00:29:30,920 --> 00:29:34,320 She's worshipping, she's admitting. 504 00:29:34,320 --> 00:29:37,880 She's she's aspiring to do better, but she's worshipping 505 00:29:37,880 --> 00:29:43,080 through her own imperfection. Jesus tells of another story in 506 00:29:43,080 --> 00:29:45,920 scripture. He tells he actually shares a 507 00:29:45,920 --> 00:29:49,280 parable, the parables of the Pharisee and the publican. 508 00:29:49,560 --> 00:29:52,400 He says that they both come into the temple and they are praying, 509 00:29:52,400 --> 00:29:55,880 and that the Pharisee is is somewhat, well, not somewhat, he 510 00:29:55,880 --> 00:29:58,320 is quite. Self-righteous, Amen. 511 00:29:58,320 --> 00:30:01,600 As he hollers out to the Lord and says, the Lord, you know, I 512 00:30:01,600 --> 00:30:06,120 fast so many days a week and I give of this and that, and I'm 513 00:30:06,120 --> 00:30:12,440 not like some other people. I'm not like some other people, 514 00:30:12,600 --> 00:30:16,320 you know, like this publican over here, you know, other 515 00:30:16,320 --> 00:30:20,920 people like extortioners and unjust and adulterers and even 516 00:30:20,920 --> 00:30:24,160 this publican. Huh. 517 00:30:25,280 --> 00:30:28,840 So even in this Pharisee's words, he's trying to group that 518 00:30:28,840 --> 00:30:31,760 the tax collector or this publican that he has a flawed 519 00:30:31,760 --> 00:30:33,520 character. He he just like the adulterer 520 00:30:33,520 --> 00:30:34,880 and the unjust and the extortioner. 521 00:30:34,880 --> 00:30:36,880 He's just like all those people. Amen. 522 00:30:36,880 --> 00:30:38,320 He's just kind of throwing him in with. 523 00:30:38,360 --> 00:30:40,880 All of that group. But the publican or what's other 524 00:30:40,880 --> 00:30:44,200 known as as the tax collector, the Bible says that he stood 525 00:30:44,200 --> 00:30:48,840 afar off and he's beating his breast and his chest. 526 00:30:49,200 --> 00:30:52,440 He doesn't even. Have the will to lift his eyes, 527 00:30:52,760 --> 00:30:58,520 but he cries out and says, God be merciful to me, a Sinner. 528 00:30:58,840 --> 00:31:00,960 You know what he's saying is I don't have it all together. 529 00:31:02,440 --> 00:31:06,440 I've made some mistakes, I've had some flub UPS, I've made 530 00:31:06,440 --> 00:31:10,000 multiple errors, but be merciful to me God. 531 00:31:10,200 --> 00:31:13,560 Then the Bible says that Jesus said in that parable, he said 532 00:31:13,560 --> 00:31:18,720 those that are exalted, they will be made abased, but those 533 00:31:18,720 --> 00:31:21,240 that are abased, they will be exalted. 534 00:31:21,240 --> 00:31:24,120 What's he's referring to? He's saying that Pharisee came 535 00:31:24,120 --> 00:31:27,240 in high and mighty. He said, but that publican came 536 00:31:27,240 --> 00:31:31,040 in bowing, He came in abased. He came in worshipping. 537 00:31:31,280 --> 00:31:34,280 He didn't have it together, but he was worshipping through his 538 00:31:34,320 --> 00:31:38,640 imperfection because worship doesn't depend upon his status, 539 00:31:38,960 --> 00:31:47,200 it depends upon mine. Oh yeah, other places in 540 00:31:47,200 --> 00:31:51,360 Scripture this bears out even yet again, not just in the New 541 00:31:51,360 --> 00:31:54,680 Testament, it's also in the Old Testament as well and in the 542 00:31:54,680 --> 00:31:56,640 New. But another story that you might 543 00:31:56,640 --> 00:32:01,600 be familiar with is Mark chapter #5 The Bible says that Jesus is 544 00:32:01,600 --> 00:32:04,800 on his way to Gadara or the Gadarenes. 545 00:32:05,280 --> 00:32:07,360 Amen. There is a man who the Bible 546 00:32:07,360 --> 00:32:10,680 says is the demoniac of the Gadarenes. 547 00:32:10,920 --> 00:32:14,640 This man is known for living among the tombs. 548 00:32:14,960 --> 00:32:18,120 I mean, I know some people want water for property, you know, by 549 00:32:18,120 --> 00:32:21,200 the ocean or a river. This guy is like the tombs. 550 00:32:21,200 --> 00:32:24,000 That's what I mean. How morbid can you be for a 551 00:32:24,000 --> 00:32:27,200 place of residence? He says he's going to live among 552 00:32:27,200 --> 00:32:29,680 the tombs. The Bible says that he could not 553 00:32:29,680 --> 00:32:33,000 be down with fetter or chains of times. 554 00:32:33,000 --> 00:32:35,640 They tried, but he would pluck them asunder. 555 00:32:35,960 --> 00:32:39,160 They could not remain upon him. Or keep him. 556 00:32:39,160 --> 00:32:41,200 Bound. And so this is this man's 557 00:32:41,200 --> 00:32:43,240 condition. He's a demoniac. 558 00:32:43,520 --> 00:32:46,400 He cuts himself. The Bible even says he's a 559 00:32:46,400 --> 00:32:48,720 cutter. They can't keep him bound, and 560 00:32:48,720 --> 00:32:51,680 he lives among the tombs and the Bible. 561 00:32:51,680 --> 00:32:54,560 Says whenever Jesus showed up on the property and had 562 00:32:54,560 --> 00:33:00,000 conversation with this man, he asked the unclean spirit, Amen. 563 00:33:00,680 --> 00:33:10,120 What is your name at the spirit said, my name is legion, for we 564 00:33:10,920 --> 00:33:18,280 are many. Someone say Amen now legion. 565 00:33:18,280 --> 00:33:21,640 Not too long ago, I I listened. To Pastor Harold Hoffman. 566 00:33:21,640 --> 00:33:23,760 He just died recently and I wanted to listen to the last 567 00:33:23,760 --> 00:33:25,680 sermon he preached. I don't know. 568 00:33:25,680 --> 00:33:28,000 It's just one of those things. What's the last thing that 569 00:33:28,000 --> 00:33:29,880 someone says? The last chance they had before 570 00:33:29,880 --> 00:33:33,040 they died. And he spoke about this just a 571 00:33:33,040 --> 00:33:37,360 little bit in the sermon. He said a legion. 572 00:33:37,840 --> 00:33:42,160 Many of us know this legion is a military, Roman military 573 00:33:42,160 --> 00:33:44,720 detachment of soldiers or an army. 574 00:33:45,240 --> 00:33:48,800 It can be anywhere from 4000 to 6000 soldiers. 575 00:33:51,160 --> 00:33:54,840 So when this man says, my name is legion, for we are many. 576 00:33:55,840 --> 00:34:02,560 Quite possible then if at the least #4000 unclean spirits 577 00:34:03,400 --> 00:34:07,880 inhabited this man. Follow me here for a moment. 578 00:34:08,760 --> 00:34:13,120 We read in the book of Matthew that if a person has a singular 579 00:34:13,800 --> 00:34:18,840 unclean spirit and that spirit is bound and cast out, and that 580 00:34:18,840 --> 00:34:22,920 spirit walks through dry places, the Bible says, and then says, 581 00:34:22,920 --> 00:34:25,719 I'm going to go back to the place where I was cast out. 582 00:34:26,760 --> 00:34:30,360 See in it swept and garnish and not refilled and occupied by 583 00:34:30,360 --> 00:34:34,679 something that that spirit will take with it seven other unclean 584 00:34:34,679 --> 00:34:38,560 spirits and inhabit the vessel that it had before. 585 00:34:38,760 --> 00:34:42,239 So that whenever it comes back now there's not just one unclean 586 00:34:42,239 --> 00:34:45,120 spirit, but there are 8 unclean spirits. 587 00:34:45,280 --> 00:34:48,679 The one gets the seven. Now watch me if eight then 588 00:34:48,679 --> 00:34:52,480 spirits get cast out and they walk away and come back then to 589 00:34:52,480 --> 00:34:54,719 the place where they were cast out not being filled. 590 00:34:55,040 --> 00:35:02,440 The 8 get 7 Does everybody follow me 8 * 7 is 56. 591 00:35:02,440 --> 00:35:04,840 Then you have the seven original ones that were there. 592 00:35:05,000 --> 00:35:13,360 You have 64 unclean spirits. If the 64 get cast out, then you 593 00:35:13,360 --> 00:35:16,800 got. Each one of them getting 7 594 00:35:17,680 --> 00:35:20,760 within the original 64. That's 512. 595 00:35:22,360 --> 00:35:28,320 This thing grows exponentially. What I'm saying is this the man 596 00:35:28,320 --> 00:35:31,560 at Gadara? This wasn't his first mistake. 597 00:35:34,920 --> 00:35:39,240 Honey, you, you, you've done some playing around to 598 00:35:39,240 --> 00:35:42,080 accumulate at least 4000 spirits. 599 00:35:45,040 --> 00:35:47,160 Come on, hear me. You've done some playing around 600 00:35:47,160 --> 00:35:51,400 to accumulate that many spirits. You've added sin to sin, 601 00:35:52,600 --> 00:35:56,880 transgression to transgression. You flubbed up repeatedly. 602 00:35:57,560 --> 00:36:02,960 But the Bible says in Mark 5-6 that whenever that man filled 603 00:36:02,960 --> 00:36:10,040 with 4000 spirits saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshiped him. 604 00:36:10,040 --> 00:36:13,560 Why? Because you can worship in the 605 00:36:13,560 --> 00:36:17,680 middle of your imperfection. You can worship in the middle of 606 00:36:17,680 --> 00:36:20,920 your mistake. You can worship even though you 607 00:36:20,920 --> 00:36:24,800 don't have it all together because it's based on God's 608 00:36:24,800 --> 00:36:28,080 status and not your status. You can. 609 00:36:30,120 --> 00:36:34,200 Somebody needs to rise on this Sunday morning, lift up hands, 610 00:36:34,560 --> 00:36:38,720 give all and glory to God because he's worth it. 611 00:36:38,920 --> 00:36:42,760 Whether or not you're walking where you need to be, God is 612 00:36:42,760 --> 00:36:53,810 worthy of it, Samuels tell them you don't need to leave God over 613 00:36:53,810 --> 00:36:56,450 this. You need to worship God through 614 00:36:56,450 --> 00:37:07,960 this. Don't you think for a moment 615 00:37:08,160 --> 00:37:11,000 Samuel is an age man is looking at case studies through the 616 00:37:11,000 --> 00:37:13,440 years that he served. I've seen people make mistakes 617 00:37:13,440 --> 00:37:15,560 and leave God. I've seen that Israel, I've seen 618 00:37:15,560 --> 00:37:17,680 that Israel, he said. But that don't need to be your 619 00:37:17,680 --> 00:37:19,560 choice. You know, I because I've also 620 00:37:19,560 --> 00:37:24,280 seen people make mistakes and still raise hands, lift voice, 621 00:37:24,560 --> 00:37:27,600 bow in the presence of the Lord. And you know what, they're still 622 00:37:27,600 --> 00:37:29,240 there. They're still there. 623 00:37:33,480 --> 00:37:34,880 Listen, folk, here's the trace, he said. 624 00:37:34,880 --> 00:37:38,200 Don't do that. Don't leave God, because if you 625 00:37:38,200 --> 00:37:47,120 do, you're going to go to other things, vain things, worthless, 626 00:37:47,600 --> 00:37:55,600 meaningless things, he says, that can profit you nothing, he 627 00:37:55,600 --> 00:37:57,080 says. So do you want to take your 628 00:37:57,080 --> 00:38:03,600 mistake and your sin and then gravitate towards something that 629 00:38:03,600 --> 00:38:07,200 can't help you out of your sin and out of your trouble? 630 00:38:07,440 --> 00:38:11,000 It's worthless, he says. But if you keep worshipping God, 631 00:38:11,320 --> 00:38:16,120 at least your position close to someone who has eyes and sees, 632 00:38:16,400 --> 00:38:25,800 has a mouth that could speak, has ears in someone, say Amen. 633 00:38:38,360 --> 00:38:42,080 The accuser of the brethren that accuses day and night, the Book 634 00:38:42,080 --> 00:38:46,040 of Revelation says he's wanting to do his job well. 635 00:38:48,640 --> 00:38:53,400 He wants you to forfeit and say, well, I'm disqualified to 636 00:38:53,400 --> 00:38:58,480 worship. There's no such thing as being 637 00:38:58,480 --> 00:39:04,880 disqualified to worship God. There could someone off the 638 00:39:04,880 --> 00:39:08,000 street right now, today that has had one of the most hellish 639 00:39:08,000 --> 00:39:11,960 lives come in here and bow and worship the Lord, and nobody 640 00:39:11,960 --> 00:39:14,800 around here should bat an eye because it don't matter. 641 00:39:14,800 --> 00:39:19,920 Who you are, what you are or what you've done, Everybody has 642 00:39:19,920 --> 00:39:25,520 the opportunity to work. I can't believe they're up there 643 00:39:25,520 --> 00:39:29,000 worshiping because of XYZ. It's not about them. 644 00:39:36,600 --> 00:39:40,280 It's not about him. God, listen to me this morning. 645 00:39:40,640 --> 00:39:45,400 God would rather have you worship him in your imperfection 646 00:39:45,600 --> 00:39:53,960 than abandoned him altogether. Don't throw him the towel. 647 00:39:54,200 --> 00:39:56,920 Don't let the doors hit you as you go out and say I'm finished. 648 00:39:56,920 --> 00:39:59,040 No, no, no. Come back on Wednesday. 649 00:39:59,280 --> 00:40:02,600 Come back on Sunday morning, come back on Sunday night and 650 00:40:02,600 --> 00:40:07,080 get in a posture of acknowledging God to be God. 651 00:40:16,820 --> 00:40:20,900 Let me ask you really, what options does this demoniac man 652 00:40:20,900 --> 00:40:27,220 have? His only hope was to worship 653 00:40:29,640 --> 00:40:33,400 through his what would probably have been several wanderings, 654 00:40:34,520 --> 00:40:37,920 several mistakes. I'm urging someone in this place 655 00:40:37,920 --> 00:40:40,120 today. You need to learn to worship 656 00:40:40,120 --> 00:40:48,770 through your wanderings. Come to the Pew and stack your 657 00:40:48,770 --> 00:40:50,850 mistakes next to you and worship. 658 00:40:55,530 --> 00:40:58,170 Because if at least 4000 spirits couldn't keep a man from 659 00:40:58,170 --> 00:41:02,600 worshipping, why should we allow our mistakes and failures to 660 00:41:02,600 --> 00:41:09,760 keep us from worshipping? In scripture? 661 00:41:10,600 --> 00:41:16,320 I'm hurrying alone. Even Saul, the one that was 662 00:41:16,320 --> 00:41:21,760 anointed to be Israel's first king, he made a grave mistake. 663 00:41:22,360 --> 00:41:25,240 He made more than one mistake. But there's one in particular 664 00:41:25,240 --> 00:41:30,000 that seemed to be marked pretty indelibly upon what he could or 665 00:41:30,000 --> 00:41:34,360 could not do. Then for the Kingdom, he 666 00:41:34,360 --> 00:41:40,800 blatantly disobeyed God. Bible says he's instructed to 667 00:41:40,800 --> 00:41:44,440 the Lord go in battle against the Amalekites and utterly 668 00:41:44,440 --> 00:41:47,600 destroy all of them and all of their livestock and everything 669 00:41:47,600 --> 00:41:49,200 that would even pertain unto them. 670 00:41:50,360 --> 00:41:54,480 Many of you know the story, but the Bible bears out that instead 671 00:41:54,480 --> 00:41:57,040 of utterly destroying everything that he kept from some of the 672 00:41:57,040 --> 00:42:03,280 best in choice for the livestock even kept the king Agag and this 673 00:42:03,280 --> 00:42:09,160 was an error on his part, an error that scripture points out 674 00:42:09,400 --> 00:42:15,800 an error that kept him from continuing as king over Israel. 675 00:42:16,760 --> 00:42:18,760 As a matter of fact, the scripture says that the Kingdom 676 00:42:18,760 --> 00:42:21,960 would be stripped would be stripped from him. 677 00:42:21,960 --> 00:42:25,200 You can read of it in first Samuel 15 be stripped from him, 678 00:42:27,440 --> 00:42:29,560 but it's even in this instance and I'm going to read it to you 679 00:42:29,560 --> 00:42:35,560 this morning that Samuel, the one in who in verse 12 who is 680 00:42:35,560 --> 00:42:38,840 speaking to the nation. Fear not you have done this 681 00:42:38,840 --> 00:42:43,360 wrong. Don't abandoned God that Samuel 682 00:42:44,560 --> 00:42:49,440 even had to embrace his own words that God had spoken to 683 00:42:49,440 --> 00:42:52,640 Israel. Follow me here looking for 684 00:42:52,640 --> 00:42:55,200 Samuel chapter 15 Brother Mason. I don't remember if I put this 685 00:42:55,200 --> 00:42:59,240 up there, but if not, please follow along in verse #24. 686 00:43:00,840 --> 00:43:04,120 So all of this has happened. Saul has made a great mistake. 687 00:43:04,600 --> 00:43:11,200 So the verse says in verse 24. And Saul said unto Samuel, I 688 00:43:11,200 --> 00:43:16,680 have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of 689 00:43:16,680 --> 00:43:19,840 the Lord. This sounds very similar to the 690 00:43:19,840 --> 00:43:22,360 nation of Israel to Samuel a few chapters earlier. 691 00:43:23,560 --> 00:43:26,840 And by words, because I feared the people and obeyed their 692 00:43:26,840 --> 00:43:28,520 voice. So he obeyed the the voice of 693 00:43:28,520 --> 00:43:30,320 the people rather than the voice of the Lord. 694 00:43:30,520 --> 00:43:35,280 Saul did, he says, Now therefore listen to him, I pray thee, 695 00:43:35,280 --> 00:43:43,120 pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the 696 00:43:43,120 --> 00:43:46,880 Lord. And Samuel said unto Saul. 697 00:43:47,680 --> 00:43:52,520 I will not return with thee, for thou hast rejected the word of 698 00:43:52,520 --> 00:43:56,320 the Lord, and the Lord hath rejected thee from being king 699 00:43:56,320 --> 00:43:59,440 over Israel, he said. You've made a mistake. 700 00:43:59,920 --> 00:44:03,200 Your mistake has had a consequence that you can't. 701 00:44:03,200 --> 00:44:06,400 Serve in a capacity that you were going to serve in. 702 00:44:07,640 --> 00:44:11,920 And as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid upon the skirt of 703 00:44:11,920 --> 00:44:13,400 his mantle. And it rent. 704 00:44:14,080 --> 00:44:16,640 And Samuel said unto him, The Lord, have print the Kingdom of 705 00:44:16,640 --> 00:44:19,920 Israel from thee this day, and have given it to thy neighbor of 706 00:44:19,920 --> 00:44:21,160 dying. That is better than thou. 707 00:44:21,160 --> 00:44:23,600 Verse 29. And also the strength of Israel 708 00:44:23,600 --> 00:44:25,560 will not. Lie nor repent, for he is not a 709 00:44:25,560 --> 00:44:31,520 man that he should repent. Verse 30 Then he said, Saul 710 00:44:31,520 --> 00:44:35,520 saying, I have sinned yet honor me now I pray thee before the 711 00:44:35,520 --> 00:44:38,520 elders of the people before Israel, and turn again with me, 712 00:44:38,520 --> 00:44:40,080 that I may worship the Lord thy God. 713 00:44:40,080 --> 00:44:41,520 Look at verse 31. So. 714 00:44:41,520 --> 00:44:47,000 Samuel turned again after Saul and Saul worshipped the Lord. 715 00:44:49,720 --> 00:44:56,200 This aged old man had told Israel you all sinned, but don't 716 00:44:56,200 --> 00:45:01,880 abandoned God. But then someone that he had 717 00:45:01,880 --> 00:45:08,680 laid his hands on through the instruction of the Lord, someone 718 00:45:08,920 --> 00:45:15,400 he had had his hands on, made a mistake and then is asking 719 00:45:15,400 --> 00:45:18,480 Samuel, turn with me, will you stand for me? 720 00:45:18,480 --> 00:45:21,400 But I know you're like always. You're like just the standard 721 00:45:21,400 --> 00:45:25,480 illustration, right? He's like, Samuel, I sinned, 722 00:45:26,640 --> 00:45:30,480 I've dishonored God. Will you turn with me so I can 723 00:45:30,480 --> 00:45:34,880 worship the Lord? Samuel says, I'm not doing that, 724 00:45:35,760 --> 00:45:39,160 You rejected God. I believe in the moment that 725 00:45:39,160 --> 00:45:43,680 Samuel is saying all this and verse 31, something comes back 726 00:45:43,680 --> 00:45:51,320 to him that Saul's worship isn't based on Saul. 727 00:45:53,840 --> 00:45:55,960 First he said, no, I'm not. I'm not turning. 728 00:45:55,960 --> 00:45:57,640 You reject it. You made a mistake. 729 00:45:57,640 --> 00:45:59,400 I'm not turning with you, for you can worship. 730 00:45:59,640 --> 00:46:01,520 Something clicked in and says Saul. 731 00:46:01,680 --> 00:46:05,280 Samuel's mind said wait a minute, worship isn't about him. 732 00:46:07,640 --> 00:46:11,840 And so by verse 31, when Saul implores again, will you turn 733 00:46:11,840 --> 00:46:13,560 with me? Samuel says, yeah, I'll turn 734 00:46:13,560 --> 00:46:16,560 with you because it doesn't matter what you've done. 735 00:46:17,640 --> 00:46:19,760 Nobody's disqualified from worship. 736 00:46:22,080 --> 00:46:24,000 Gone. So there's some things you're 737 00:46:24,000 --> 00:46:27,800 not going to be able to serve in anymore, but worship isn't one 738 00:46:27,800 --> 00:46:31,400 of them. There's some things that you're 739 00:46:31,400 --> 00:46:34,800 not going to be able to do anymore, but worships out one of 740 00:46:34,800 --> 00:46:36,680 them. You go on and do what you do. 741 00:46:36,680 --> 00:46:40,760 You can worship, you can't. You can't acknowledge God. 742 00:46:41,000 --> 00:47:00,240 You can't. Someone say man, God, I know 743 00:47:00,240 --> 00:47:04,280 you're upset over his failure. I know his disobedience strips 744 00:47:04,280 --> 00:47:08,960 him from the Kingdom. But I know, I know it doesn't 745 00:47:08,960 --> 00:47:15,840 disqualify him because in all of this, nothing about you has 746 00:47:15,840 --> 00:47:19,760 changed. Folks. 747 00:47:19,760 --> 00:47:23,480 I'm glad that God doesn't vary as we vary. 748 00:47:26,440 --> 00:47:29,360 I'm glad that there's not times that he abdicates his throne and 749 00:47:29,360 --> 00:47:32,240 gets off of it because we've, you know, abdicated our places 750 00:47:32,240 --> 00:47:36,640 being faithful people to Him. No, he is what he is and he will 751 00:47:36,640 --> 00:47:45,520 remain as he remains someone say man, where else where else would 752 00:47:45,520 --> 00:47:47,600 he go? Everything else is is useless. 753 00:47:47,600 --> 00:47:52,040 Everything else is vain. You can stay with me today. 754 00:47:52,040 --> 00:47:54,240 I'll try to come to a close best of my ability. 755 00:47:59,280 --> 00:48:02,280 So Samuel tells Israel, he says you, you need to keep your 756 00:48:02,280 --> 00:48:09,920 connection with God, because if you have been sinning, you have 757 00:48:09,920 --> 00:48:13,480 made mistakes and you've been entangled by all the antics of 758 00:48:13,480 --> 00:48:17,160 sin, then there's nothing else that you can. 759 00:48:17,200 --> 00:48:19,000 You realize this this morning, don't you? 760 00:48:19,200 --> 00:48:24,440 There's nothing else that you can turn toward and follow that 761 00:48:24,440 --> 00:48:29,680 can deliver you. They could turn from God and and 762 00:48:29,680 --> 00:48:33,680 go to Bell or Ashtura false gods, but those gods can't 763 00:48:33,680 --> 00:48:37,000 deliver them. They're like the Psalms 15 says. 764 00:48:37,240 --> 00:48:39,960 These gods that people make, they have eyes and ears and 765 00:48:39,960 --> 00:48:43,760 noses and mouths and all these things, feet, but they can't 766 00:48:43,760 --> 00:48:46,120 hear, see, speak, talk, help deliver. 767 00:48:49,360 --> 00:48:53,480 So they're they're listen. When it comes to deliverance, 768 00:48:53,560 --> 00:48:59,440 there isn't a Plan B. There's not a substitute. 769 00:49:00,720 --> 00:49:06,600 There's not another option. God is the only one that can do. 770 00:49:06,600 --> 00:49:12,320 What you need done, in fact. Listen, folks, if you've made 771 00:49:12,320 --> 00:49:16,440 mistakes, you're better off attempting to worship God in 772 00:49:16,440 --> 00:49:21,560 your imperfect state, then going headlong after other things that 773 00:49:21,560 --> 00:49:26,520 could never benefit you, never help you, never deliver you. 774 00:49:27,920 --> 00:49:31,480 Here's what I know in my years of experience upon this earth, 775 00:49:31,800 --> 00:49:36,600 that too many people have allowed their mistakes and 776 00:49:36,600 --> 00:49:41,160 sometimes their momentary failures in their minds to 777 00:49:41,160 --> 00:49:45,160 disqualify themselves from worshipping God. 778 00:49:47,880 --> 00:49:50,400 But I'm here to tell you today that worship isn't preserved for 779 00:49:50,400 --> 00:49:56,480 the perfect No, it's not. It's not reserved for them. 780 00:49:57,560 --> 00:50:00,800 The the demoniac of Gadera should demonstrate enough to us 781 00:50:01,000 --> 00:50:04,320 that there's no amount of imperfection that can disqualify 782 00:50:04,360 --> 00:50:11,440 you from worshipping God. What God does desire is your 783 00:50:11,440 --> 00:50:14,960 sincere worship, not your perfection. 784 00:50:20,960 --> 00:50:22,880 Some of you have flipped up because you think you got to 785 00:50:22,880 --> 00:50:25,280 approach him with perfection. Wrong. 786 00:50:26,080 --> 00:50:33,040 Approach him with sincerity to see that consequences pass. 787 00:50:33,040 --> 00:50:38,760 For me, Yes, so meant that it has consequences, but it doesn't 788 00:50:38,760 --> 00:50:44,720 have to sever. Your ability for worship, all of 789 00:50:44,720 --> 00:50:48,360 our failures, they don't change God's consistency and God's 790 00:50:48,560 --> 00:50:51,360 faithfulness. If anything, we're going to open 791 00:50:51,360 --> 00:50:54,600 these altars. If anything, recognizing again 792 00:50:54,600 --> 00:50:58,280 our failure should draw us closer to God. 793 00:50:59,960 --> 00:51:03,480 Allow it to draw you closer to God rather than building a 794 00:51:03,480 --> 00:51:09,280 barrier to worshipping God. What are you saying this morning 795 00:51:09,280 --> 00:51:10,080 to me? I'm saying this. 796 00:51:10,280 --> 00:51:12,280 You can approach God with your struggles. 797 00:51:13,640 --> 00:51:15,600 You can approach God with your failures. 798 00:51:16,080 --> 00:51:18,280 You can approach God with your mistakes. 799 00:51:18,280 --> 00:51:22,360 Knowing what? That he welcomes us as we are 800 00:51:23,640 --> 00:51:31,560 because worship is about him, the perfect God, not about your 801 00:51:31,960 --> 00:51:34,480 perfection. We and bow our heads in this 802 00:51:34,480 --> 00:51:39,640 place today. Somebody might be going through 803 00:51:39,640 --> 00:51:44,760 this time right now where they feel like they've been subpar 804 00:51:45,080 --> 00:51:47,800 concerning the relationship with the Lord. 805 00:51:49,320 --> 00:51:52,080 There could have been someone this morning that even question 806 00:51:52,080 --> 00:51:57,080 about coming to church because they've made some current and 807 00:51:57,080 --> 00:52:02,760 recent mistakes and shame and guilt was filling their life and 808 00:52:03,040 --> 00:52:08,240 and that's appropriate, but it should not keep you from coming 809 00:52:08,240 --> 00:52:11,360 into his presence because he's still worthy. 810 00:52:11,840 --> 00:52:12,840 You might have thought this morning. 811 00:52:12,840 --> 00:52:15,600 I thought about not coming just because X&Y&Z. 812 00:52:15,880 --> 00:52:20,240 Sure, ma'am, let me be a Samuel today and say don't abandoned 813 00:52:20,240 --> 00:52:31,720 God, Don't abandoned God. I've done wrong. 814 00:52:32,640 --> 00:52:36,280 You've done wrong. I'm not excusing that. 815 00:52:37,440 --> 00:52:41,440 But we're not ignoring the fact that you can worship. 816 00:52:42,720 --> 00:52:47,800 Please don't think that this is a congregation of perfection, 817 00:52:48,520 --> 00:52:52,880 because you'd be gravely wrong. This is a congregation of 818 00:52:52,920 --> 00:52:57,480 imperfection that humbles themselves to worship a perfect 819 00:52:58,080 --> 00:53:01,480 God. So the call is whosoever will, 820 00:53:01,960 --> 00:53:06,200 whatever stage of life you find yourself in, whatever error you 821 00:53:06,200 --> 00:53:10,160 may find yourself, come to him. Don't abandoned him because 822 00:53:10,160 --> 00:53:13,640 there's nothing outside of Him that can deliver. 823 00:53:13,840 --> 00:53:16,560 There's none outside of him that can help. 824 00:53:16,680 --> 00:53:19,840 There's none outside of him that can set you free. 825 00:53:20,000 --> 00:53:22,640 So bring your mistake, bring your struggle, bring your 826 00:53:22,640 --> 00:53:24,920 failure to the Lord and worship him. 827 00:53:24,920 --> 00:53:28,000 This altar is open. I wish as many as could we could 828 00:53:28,000 --> 00:53:31,440 come and worship today, right? We could bow down. 829 00:53:31,440 --> 00:53:36,560 We we could acknowledge him and and the all who he is, right 830 00:53:38,960 --> 00:53:42,440 God, I'm imperfect. And I come with a voice of 831 00:53:42,440 --> 00:53:48,920 sincerity. Today I've done wrong, I've 832 00:53:48,920 --> 00:53:56,120 sinned, I've made mistake. But you're still God. 833 00:53:59,080 --> 00:54:01,080 You're still the ruler of the universe. 834 00:54:01,880 --> 00:54:04,360 You're still the creator of all beings. 835 00:54:04,640 --> 00:54:07,880 You're still God. You're excellent. 836 00:54:08,400 --> 00:54:11,840 You're altogether lovely. You're everlasting to 837 00:54:11,840 --> 00:54:15,120 everlasting. I said silly worship you in the 838 00:54:15,120 --> 00:54:19,080 middle of my failure. I said silly worship you in the 839 00:54:19,080 --> 00:54:20,760 middle of my mess. It matters. 840 00:54:21,080 --> 00:54:24,200 I don't care what the trajectory of your life is look like. 841 00:54:24,440 --> 00:54:29,000 I don't care what a has happened between A&B, you might had an A 842 00:54:29,200 --> 00:54:32,520 moment you was here, now it's B you're here and then between 843 00:54:32,520 --> 00:54:34,960 there's been a lot of mess. That's all right. 844 00:54:34,960 --> 00:54:37,720 You can still worship whoever you are. 845 00:54:37,840 --> 00:54:42,080 You can still worship and God is well pleased with somebody that 846 00:54:42,080 --> 00:54:48,640 recognizes His superiorness and He's the only one that can help 847 00:54:48,640 --> 00:54:51,120 you where you are. He's the only one that can 848 00:54:51,120 --> 00:54:53,800 deliver you. He's the only one that can free 849 00:54:53,800 --> 00:54:57,040 you. Don't waste time on vain things. 850 00:54:57,400 --> 00:54:59,640 Don't waste time on worthless things. 851 00:55:00,000 --> 00:55:02,240 Don't waste time on meaningless things. 852 00:55:02,520 --> 00:55:06,840 It's in God, and you're not disqualified from worshipping 853 00:55:06,840 --> 00:55:11,240 Him. Let's talk to Him right now. 854 00:55:11,600 --> 00:55:15,880 Oh, He has a ear that draws near to the voice of sincerity. 855 00:55:16,560 --> 00:55:17,920 Yes, he does woo. Oh yes. 856 00:55:26,520 --> 00:55:30,360 It's not about me, God, It's about you. 857 00:55:32,000 --> 00:55:34,960 Thank you, Lord, for allowing this space. 858 00:55:34,960 --> 00:55:39,200 Still, I know, Lord, there's some things in my life that may 859 00:55:39,200 --> 00:55:43,240 disqualify me from some things, but it will not disqualify me 860 00:55:43,240 --> 00:55:45,480 from worship. And I'm going to take advantage 861 00:55:45,480 --> 00:55:47,080 of it. I'm going to honor you. 862 00:55:47,320 --> 00:55:50,560 I'm going to lift up my voice and say you are God and I am 863 00:55:50,560 --> 00:55:53,920 not. You are God and I am not. 864 00:56:05,560 --> 00:56:07,600 Thank you for listening. If you would like more 865 00:56:07,600 --> 00:56:10,800 information about our services and activities, you can find us 866 00:56:10,800 --> 00:56:15,680 on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter with the username FACMC. 867 00:56:15,840 --> 00:56:20,080 Again, that's FACMC. Thank you and have a blessed 868 00:56:20,080 --> 00:56:28,080 day. You can go to Facebook.