All right, if you have your Bibles, turn over to 1st John
chapter 2. I'm excited today because who I
am today, probably there's an individual in my life that
probably did more in my life than they know this side of
heaven. Now they are in heaven and they
may know today. But you know, I'm appreciative
of the ministers that God has placed in my life that still
invest in my life. But Pastor David EMI.
He was amazing to me. I'm not the only one in the room
that he was my pastor. Randy and Melanie, they were
Word of life fellowship for how many years before he moved here?
23 years, 23 years they were there.
That's where I met their family. Joshua was in their son.
Joshua was in the youth ministry when I became the youth pastor.
I only youth pastored at that church for three years.
And I remember the day that Pastor David interviewed me, I
think it was in November when they flew me up maybe.
And I came and my wife and I met with the board and the staff and
he had some conversations with me and different things.
And I remember he asked me the question in the office.
He said, do you believe your pastor one day?
And I said, yes, Sir, I do. Now, honestly, I tried to do the
pastoring first. My wife and I had just graduated
from Raymond 2000, and I was personally tired of moving my
family around so much. I'm like, let let's go do what
we know we're supposed to do. We're going to go past.
We're going to start a church. However, the timing is not
there. Just because you know something
don't mean you should do something.
And I knew from God I would pastor a church.
I would start one and I wanted to do that.
So I came back to Florida, was going to plant a church in
Gainesville and started to develop a little bit of a team
that was going to go and actually had a job in
Gainesville. I was looking for property.
I actually looked at a theater that was no longer a theater to
go into it and rent it. Ironically speaking, here we
are. I was just off a few years and
in the wrong city, but when I was there, the Lord spoke to me
and he says you're not ready, you need to go get on staff.
And so there was another location that I do believe that
the Lord had an assignment for me.
However, some people needed to move in order for that to take
place. They did not move.
So God move me. I know this is true because when
I came back to Pastor Anchor Faith Church here, I ran into
the individuals that needed to move out of the position so I
could be in that position. And when I went back to that
particular church, they said, ah, we are leaving going to
start a work in a particular country and we should have done
it three years ago. If we had, you probably would
have been in this position that we're in today.
You understand God won't make people move.
And so we had an assignment where I didn't have to leave the
state before we came here. Unfortunately, because they
didn't, God upgraded. I call it an upgrade and I'm
convinced of that today. He upgraded me.
And so we ended up going back to Oklahoma where this pastor by
the name of David E my hired me. Now I'm going to be honest with
you. I was different as a gift for
Word of Life. Word of Life Pastor David is a
phenomenal teacher, man. He could teach the word line
upon line, precept upon precept. And I'll be honest with you,
most teaching gift pastors love the teaching gift and that's
typically who fills their pulpits.
I, on the other hand, was a preacher.
Totally different style. Nothing the church was used to
at all. But you know, I was ignorant of
that fact. And he had not heard me preach
really. So I think we were all surprised
at the end of the day. But we were the right gift.
He knew and I knew it. But I'll never forget.
He asked me. He said, do you believe you,
pastor? I said, yes Sir, I do.
He said, well then I'll train you to be a pastor.
Wow. And man, he opened the door for
me in a lot of areas. The advantage that I had right
out the gate is the youth ministry wasn't even in the
church. It wasn't even in the building.
It was a mile and a half away. And so, you know, we could treat
it like it was his own church to a degree, although you never
knew that because I always said the depot was the ministry of
Word, life, fellowship. And so we always kept bridging
the gap. But he went on to be with the
Lord. I can't remember what year now.
Do you remember 2011? Really.
Wow, 2011. And the church that he planned
in Sand Springs, OK, is totally different today.
But I ran across a minister who's in Tulsa still.
His name is James Johnson and James Johnson was given the
rights to his material, his books, and I said James, if
you'll allow me, I'll get his books and print.
The world needs to still hear his voice.
I think he did 4 books and today I have his first book.
Knowing the father, I really encourage you to get a copy of
this. So we obviously have it on sale
today for 10 bucks. Could I have given it away?
Yes. But the reality is you should
invest in your life. I will give 2 away to some
fathers because I have two books up here.
And so I'm going to give those away.
So if I can get Nick to help me out here and Brian, if you'll
help me out here, I put the burden on you.
You decide what man gets that all right and give those away.
So I'm going to be. Speaking in line with this,
because Pastor David was a man who grew in his relationship
with his father. He was a drug addict.
I'll never forget Pastor David told me one time, he said, now,
Pastor, when I was in the Army, I did some drugs, really bad
drugs. He said, I remember one time
because it's during the 70s. He said, I think it was over in
Germany at the time. And he said, you know, our
hallways were brown and orange. That was the colors back then
and he said the doors were orange and he said I was
tripping on some LSD coming in and he said the doors turned
into tongues. He said I had a friend of mine
that was in the service that went on a trip and he never came
back. So he lived a rough life, grew
up in West Tulsa, and God radically delivered him, changed
his life. He was a stocky man, probably
511, I would say, you know, barrel chest is real stocky, had
a full beard. If you get the book, you'll see
his face in the back. But he grew through the years
and I think there was a lot that God had to knock off him.
He was a tough guy and he had to knock some things off, you know,
and as a pastor, you know, when you first start, you know,
there's things that God. That's why we always say I'll be
a better pastor in five years, you know, because you're
growing. I'm not saying that the man was
in sin. I'm just saying that the man had
to grow in his relationship with God and how he dealt with
people. The problem was is that he,
which isn't, which is, you know, not always common, but he had
staff that had been with him a while, which means they saw the
growth process. And so when I came in at his
20th year, I was hired at his 20th year, the staff had things
to tell me about their pastor. I learned some lessons pretty
quick. And they would tell me about how
he would respond in certain. Things.
You know, and almost. Warning me to a degree.
But you know, I was young, 2830, I was 30 when I took the
position. And I just decided I'll apply
this part of love. Love believes the best.
Because at the end of the day, I'm going to take my own
relationship with him for it. Not just your word.
OK.
And so I had AI just hung out with him.
Pastor asked me to go work out with him one time.
I said sure, I love to work out. He liked to work out.
Nobody else on staff worked out. Nobody.
You know, me developing and walking with him this way put me
a little bit at. Odds with the staff.
I was known as the Golden Boy. Now that wasn't a compliment,
but that's OK. At the end of the day, I just
wanted to know the man for himself.
I realized pretty quick that Pastor David didn't care to
confront. That was his least enjoyable
part of pastoring, and when he realized I didn't seem to have a
problem with it, he enlisted me. I think Randy used to do it
first. And then I showed up and I took
the title and so he would have me confront.
Now, it's easy to confront when you're not the person, when
you're not the final say I mean. Pastor told me to have a
conversation, you know. Well, here we are.
Let's go. You know, let's talk, let's talk
about your life and let's do it in line with the word.
And, you know, so obviously you're there to try to get them
to a whole another place because again, when someone's correcting
you or you're being confronted, it's because they're trying to
get the best out of you, you know, And so Pastor would use me
along those lines. Not only do you allow me to do
youth ministry, but he allowed me to go into young adults.
I ended up going into prisons. I went into the three prison
systems. I mean, man, we were doing so
much. He let me do men's ministry with
him. I had a ball with Pastor David
EMI. He was.
He was never the guy I was told he was.
I was never the guy. He was never that guy.
And I concluded if he had been, he's grown.
And the problem, that's the lesson I learned by being on
staff was don't hold a person in a position they were at some
point in their lives because they can grow and be different
if you will allow them. And you know what's crazy, I
learned that on staff is that it's amazing how the Saints want
the pastors to grow to for the past to accept them and their.
Growth process. But the Saints won't reciprocate
that for the pastors. We need to fix that.
And so I realized that the person they told me he was was
never the person. And if again, if he had been,
he's grown past this and I never experienced that man.
Now, did he correct me? Yes.
I remember the time he had to confront me about something and
you know, he wasn't real comfortable about it, but I gave
him great comfort. I said Pastor, I have 1000 ideas
for the vision of. We're life fellowship if you
don't like. It just say it.
We'll throw it out and I'll bring another one.
It doesn't bother me. You have the final say.
I'm good boy. He fell back in his seat.
He was so excited, you know, because at the end of the day,
you're the pastor. I am here to run in this vision
with you. And if the idea doesn't stick,
don't do it. Now let me tell you.
About the idea that I had, the idea that I had is that we ran
to services, his wife did the worship and I suggested someone
else do worship for the early service.
She sang the contemporary songs. They just came out Grand Ole
Opry. It was just a style.
Now, was it effective? Yes.
The church grew. It was effective.
And it's in Oklahoma, people. OK.
I mean, it's Cowboys and all that kind of stuff, right?
So it was effective. However, I knew there was a
group that it needed a different sound.
And if we're talking about how to grow, it's an idea.
Well. They that idea got shot down,
but after I left, I think it was maybe a year or two, the person
I suggested to do worship in the first service they did.
So sometimes the God idea is not for when you're there.
Anyway. And I was never offended by
that. Why?
Because I'm just here to help. Pastor David was amazing man to
me and I cannot recommend his materials more.
I remember when I went to Paul, Albania for the first time.
And I went to. Pastor fought mirrors church we
going to preach. Just hold on a second.
I'm gigging me back stories. I went to Pastor Fought Mirrors
Church and I remember walking in and all of a sudden here are
Pastor David's books in Albania. And I was like, how do you know
this guy? And he's like, oh, he came over
often. And then I remember when I was
on staff, Albania had just opened up not too long and he
was going over and he was training the first generation
pastors. This is why I support Pastor
Fatmir today is because Pastor David is no longer with us.
He's no longer supporting, nor is the church.
And so I said I'll continue what he started.
Now there's a pastor in Africa right now that pastor used to do
some things with, and I'm praying about whether I should
continue the course. Now why would I do that 'cause I
honor my father in the faith, who did more for me to develop
me as a pastor than anyone else still to this day.
He did more for me in those three years, even by not
instructing, just giving me the latitude to hear God.
It's amazing what He did in my life, and I'm very thankful and
grateful for him. And His voice is necessary.
And so I'm going to reproduce all of his books, and we're
going to sell them here, and I'm going to take them wherever I go
because his voice is necessary. So I encourage you to pick up
his book, Knowing the Father. First.
John chapter 2, verse 15 to 17 says this.
Do not love the world nor the things of this world.
In this world. If anyone loves the world, the
love of the Father is not in Him.
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust
of the eyes, the boastful pride of life is not from the Father,
but it is from the world. The world is passing away and
also its lust, but the one who does the will of God.
Lives How long? Smith Wigglesworth said this, I
cannot understand, he said. I cannot understand God by
impressions. I cannot understand God by
feelings I cannot get to know Him by.
Sentiments. If I am going to know God, I'm
going to have to know Him from His Word, for He is everything
the Word says He is, and He will do everything the Word says He
will do. In order for you to know your
Heavenly Father, you cannot look at the world.
It's impossible to find Him in the world.
He's not here, He's not in the world, he's not of the world.
And you cannot. And as great as even today
natural men can be to do the best they can to model our
Heavenly Father, they still fail in comparison to to how the word
describes. Him.
It is only through the Word that you can find and know the
character and heart of your Heavenly Father and many again,
if I had Pastor Mike come up today, he would be an
encyclopedia of information concerning the attack on manhood
and the role of the Father. The minute the enemy can come
into a society and downgrade the need for a father, if he can
destroy the father in the whole, then he has the greatest chance
of destroying the whole family. In fact, the church puts a lot
of investment in children. Yet if a child is born again,
what is it? It's still like, you know, small
percentage. I mean it's less than 50.
I think it's like in the 20% range that the family would be
changed if the wife and it could even be single digits.
If the wife is born again, it is still small percentage that it
will change the household. But if the father is born again,
the percentage is like in the 80.
Percentile that the whole family will become born again.
That is amazing, the influence of a father in the home, yet our
heavenly Father has never blown it, never made a mistake, never.
He's amazing, and in order for you to know him, you're going to
have to go to the Bible. Pastor David EMI said it this
way. To recognize God's will for Adam
is to recognize God's will for believers.
Today. He highlighted that if you want
to see or get to know your Father, the first thing you're
going to need to do is go back to the Book of Beginnings.
Oh, it's very good, because when we go back to the Book of
Beginnings, when God is dealing from a Father perspective with
humanity, we get the clearest picture of who He is.
Let's look at this together, man.
We've been in this verses so many times, but let's read them
again and again. They're not here by reputation.
Please do not get bored with them.
There is revelation in these verses still to this day in
Genesis 126 to 31. We're going to go to the end of
the book. It says that thing God said,
then God said now God has said a lot up to this point.
God has created the heavens and the earth.
God has created water, land, He has created vegetation, He has
created animals. I mean God has done a lot with
his voice, created stars, all kinds of things.
Then God said, let us make man in our image according to our
likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea, over the
birds of the sky, over the cattle, over all the earth, and
over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.
God created man in his own image, in the image of God, He
created him. What?
Male and female, He created them.
Verse 28 God bless. Them.
And God said to them, what Be fruitful, multiply, fill the
earth, subdue it, and rule over the fish of the sea, over the
birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the
earth. Then God said, Behold, I have
given you, I have what I have what I have given you, every
plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth,
and every tree which has fruit yielding seed, it shall be food
for you. Verse 30 And man, this is
powerful stuff. Now.
Verse 30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of
the sky, and to everything that moves on the earth which has
life, I have given every green plant for food.
And it was. So here it is.
Verse 31 And God saw all that he had made, and behold, it was.
Now this is the first time He uses the word very in front of
good. Up to this point he said it was
good, it was good, it was good. But after this he said it is.
Why is it very good? Because the one whom He had
ordained to govern and rule this earth has now come into the
earth, and He has assigned him with the responsibility to rule
and to rule with Him. Are you hearing me?
God saw that all that He had made, and behold, it was very.
And there was evening, and there was morning the 6th day.
So in the very beginning we see that God makes man and woman,
and they are in the garden. And it is very good, which means
the Father only has good things for you.
The Father had nothing in it that was bad to teach you
something. He didn't use bad things to
teach you. He didn't try to manipulate you
to teach you. He created a perfect world, no
sin, and gave you the ability to rule.
In essence, you're already Co laboring with your Father
because now you function like him in the earth as He.
Functions in heaven. Hallelujah.
This is your destiny. This is what our Father wants to
do with his children. He wants you to rule like he
does. Amen.
Isn't that amazing? He wants you to rule like he
does. And he provided everything.
Everything. What in the world did Adam and
Eve lack? Not a thing.
This shows the nature of our God, how much He cared for them.
He provided everything for them. They did not have a want at all.
And what He provided for Adam in Genesis 1 and 2 is the same
thing He's providing for his children today.
Hallelujah. His way of parenting has not
changed. I'm going to say that again.
His way of parenting has not changed.
Amen. So don't wait till you get to
heaven for this stuff to occur. Are you hearing me?
So then we go on. And and David, Pastor David said
it this way. He said he created a family
after his own likeness to enjoy a kingly way of life, to have
dominion over all the earth and to be in fellowship with him.
What a powerful dad, what amazing dad that is, what a
awesome heavenly Father we have is that when he thought of us
humans created in his image, he wanted us to function in a
kingly way on the earth and be in full fellowship with him.
And everything around us is good.
Not just good, but very good. Amen.
Isn't that awesome that your heavenly Father, this was his
idea for us. Genesis 2 seven through 9 y'all
wait today. I know that our youth isn't here
to get you stirred up, but you know y'all need to stay stirred
nonetheless. All right?
Genesis 27 to 9 says this. Then the Lord God form man out
of the dust of the ground, and he breathed into his nostrils
the breath of life, and man became a living being.
Then the Lord God planted a garden toward the east in Eden,
and there was a play there. He placed the man whom he had
formed out of the ground. The Lord God calls to grow every
tree that is pleasing to the site and good for food, and what
for food, good for food, and the tree of life also in the midst
of the guard and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
And if we continue to read the next few verses, we begin to see
that there is a river that runs through that breaks into four
rivers, OK, And there's different lands that are
associated based upon these rivers.
Gold is in abundance, there's other precious mineral and all
of this is for man. Again, what do we know about the
Scripture that God owns a owns all the silver and gold.
So silver and gold is not bad. It was ours.
It was for us to enjoy anyway, right, Because the whole earth
says the Lord's and then he's given it demand to manage rule,
to have dominion over. I mean, so you see the nature of
our Father that he was so well thought out, thought out of what
He wanted to provide for his children.
This is amazing. This is amazing stuff that our
Father did for us. Then if we jump down to verse
15, it says, then the Lord God took man and put him into the
Garden of Eden to cultivate it and to keep it.
And the Lord God commanded man, saying, from any tree of the
garden you may eat freely, but of the tree of the knowledge of
good and evil, you shall not eat.
From the day that you eat from it, you will surely die.
So he puts him in the garden and he has everything he can eat
what freely? There's one tree he cannot eat.
And the reason that tree is there is so that man can prove
to the Lord he loves him by keeping his word.
I mean every other tree he can eat, which tells me there is
more that you can do with God then you.
And there's nothing wrong in the context of the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil other than God says don't eat it.
That's it. So let's look at what we can
learn from the 1st 2 verses, our first two chapters of Genesis
concerning our Heavenly Father. The first thing that we learn is
that He provides. Are you hearing me?
He provides. Now what you have to do is you
have to take off the lens of what you're in today.
You cannot. Well, I don't have.
This is what your father wants to do.
This is original intent. I'll get to the fall here in a
minute. But original intent has not
changed. I mean, even a believer right
now that is barely getting along, thinking, you know what,
man, I just man, I, I don't want nothing.
I can't have nothing. You know, life's so tough.
It's so hard to come by stuff, that's the thing.
But I can't wait to get to heaven.
They believe that when they get to heaven, everything's going to
be taken care of. But you don't actually have to
wait. I said you don't have to wait
because the nature of our Father is in play today.
So you understand provision or prosperity is not sin.
Covetousness is sin, greed is sin.
But what's not sin is prosperity and provision.
Because God created a planet that He gave to His Son, right?
Well, I gave my son inheritance, OK, but my Heavenly Father gave
me a planet. I mean, who's given a planet in
their will? Well, I leave my I leave
Jupiter. Nobody owns Jupiter but God,
right? So that's pretty big, Father,
that he leaves you a planet. Well, I'm not going to leave you
a family business, you know, just the business.
I'm not going to leave you. Stop.
I'm leaving you the planet. And everything in it.
That's pretty good. He provides what's it say in
Philippians 419 it says this and my God will supply all your
needs according to his riches and glory in Christ Jesus.
God's a provider. In the first two chapters He has
provided the whole planet for man.
It's very good. There's no sin in it.
There's no Thor's, no thistles, no issues.
I mean, in fact, it is implied that all Adam had to do prior to
sin was speak to the land and it would have produced.
He didn't have to labor with sweat that came with the fall.
All he had to do was speak to it.
God created an environment that His Son could rule with his
words 'cause God rules with his words.
Wow, can we rule with our words today?
You bet we can. Why 'cause my God shall supply
how many? Oh, my knees.
I don't have to get two or three jobs to make ends meet.
I just need a word from the king, 'cause he's going to be my
supplier. I mean, my dad's already showed
me from the beginning that, son, I'll take care of you.
I made a planet for you. Amen.
He is a provider. Get it out of your head that he
is withholding. He doesn't want you to have down
here. That is not our God.
He doesn't want you to be had by the things you have, but he has
no problem with you having the second verse 'cause I'm going to
give you 2 and let everything be confirmed with two or three
witnesses and for the sake of time you only get 2.
You can study some more for yourself, but to prove that our
father is a provider, he is not a dad.
Dead beat dad. I mean, with some people today,
you would think I got born again, but he doesn't take care
of me when he says I won't leave you as an orphan.
I'm not going to let somebody else care for you when you get
in my house. I'm going to take care of you.
And he doesn't just take care of you a little bit.
He's an exceeding abundant beyond what you can ask or think
kind of Father Hallelujah. You need to see yourself that
way with your heavenly Father. Luke chapter 12 verse 29 to 32.
And he says, do not seek what you will eat or what you will
drink, and do not keep worrying for all these things the nations
of the world eagerly seek. But you're who?
But your Father knows that you
need these things, but seek his Kingdom.
And these things will be subtracted, divided, no, added
to you. Do not be afraid, little flock,
for your come on. You're what?
Your Father. You're who your Father has
chosen. Gladly not.
Your Father is withholding his Kingdom until you come to
heaven. Just be glad you're saved.
That's not our Father. Our Father has chosen gladly.
To what? What's he want to do?
What's he want to do?
You have not because you, your dad, provides for.
There's not a thing in your life that God will not provide when
you are walking according to His plan and purpose.
There's nothing that your Father will not provide for you.
He is a God. He is a father of provision.
So do not be afraid, little fly, for your Father's chosen gladly
to give you his Kingdom. So our father, according to the
first two chapters we see very clearly is he's a provider.
He's not someone who gives birth to kids and leaves them.
He's not this Father who's in heaven.
We're on earth and we're fending for ourselves until maybe one
day we see him. He's not an estranged father.
That's so far up that you can't and away from you that you can't
contact him, talk to him or he bring provision for you and he
sure ain't trying to pay you off.
This comes with his nature. He provides.
I said he provides. Come on, he provides.
And let me say this, if you got, if you have put yourself in a
position that you're in a need, you know He forgives and still
will provide for you because he's just that good.
He gladly gives you the Kingdom. The second thing we learned the
first two chapters is that our Father wants us to live and not
die. He wants us to have life eternal
with Him. That was his purpose.
He said, Adam, you can eat from any tree of the garden, but of
the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not
eat. For the day you eat you will.
And we've said this multiple times.
Let's say it again. If Adam had never eaten the
fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and Evil,
where would he be today? He'd be here because he wouldn't
have died. He would be here.
Now, I'm not saying that God didn't know that he was going to
eat it, but when God says, and he's saying, and God always does
his word, the minute he said to Adam, you can eat from any tree,
but this tree you don't, you do not eat you.
When you do, you die or you're separated from me.
So the power is not in God's hands now.
The power is in the hands of Adam.
It's in his choice. And if Adam had every day
chosen, my dad always provides for me.
And he said do not eat this one tree, nobody's going to tell me
to eat it. I will always obey my daddy
because I love him. And we could go shake his hand
today. In fact, the whole world would
look different if he had not. If he had not.
So what does that tell us? God never wanted his children to
experience death. No.
Which tells me God is not taking people from the planet.
Well, the Lord just wanted to take them.
No, no, not at all. Not at all.
He wants us to live and not die. Look what it says in Psalms 100
and 1817. I shall not die, but live and
declare the works of the Lord. Because when you're alive unto
God, then you'll declare His works.
When you're separated from God, then you're separated from His
nature, character, blessings, all kinds of things, and you
can't declare anything. But He wants us to live so you
can declare the works of the Lord.
Look at Acts 1728, says this. Acts 1728.
It says, For in Him we live and move and exist.
One translates into have our being, even as some of your own
prophets have said, we for we are also His children.
Aren't you glad you're a child of God?
I mean, you're not a servant of God, although you serve him.
You're not a slave of God, although you should make
yourself a slave unto righteousness.
Meaning I'm going to obey whatever God says.
I will make put myself in a position that I will yield to
that. But you are a child of the Most
High. You have access to your Heavenly
Father. Isn't that amazing?
So in him we live and as long as you're with him, it is life and
life more abundantly, and God wants us to live that way.
Now good news is that ultimately one day we'll all put on
immortality in that amazing because God always wanted the
those humans are man that he created to live with him
forever. And for us who choose, that's
exactly what we will do Amen. Our Father doesn't want to be
separated from us. He doesn't want to be apart from
us. He doesn't even take time out
from us. Well, you know, I need to take
some time. You know, you just go on over
there. Your daddy needs some me, Tom.
You know our father doesn't need me, Tom.
Hallelujah. He loves us.
You know, the third thing we can learn from this is he.
Our Father wanted us to reign with him.
That is powerful. Look at this right here in
Romans 517. For if by the transgression of
the one death reign through the one much more those who receive
the abundance of grace and the gift of righteous will, what
reign in life through the one Jesus Christ and you can reign
with him. Now we're not talking about
during the millennial reign. We're not talking about in the
new heaven and new earth reigning.
We're talking about reigning with him today.
Amen. I said Amen because we are his
children. I don't know about you, but I'm
really excited about being his child.
Now. I had a natural father.
I love my natural father and I have no problems telling you
that my natural father was not the best father.
Not that he was horrible as other fathers, but he did not
live according to the standard of the word.
He did not do that. He later in his life, in fact
the last 18 months of his life, gave his life to the Lord and
honestly he was in rebellion to God because he was blaming God
for the divorce of his parents. But with that being said, you
know, when it push comes to shove and your life is staring
you in the face and you know you're going to go on, He knew
enough about God and my mom, you know, raised us in church and
was born again. And there was enough of an
example that he realized I need to be right with him.
And he was. And there was a pastor by the
name of Albert Rollins Rawlinson.
Who was very instrumental in leading my father to the Lord.
I'll never forget the Sunday he did.
My dad actually painted the church.
I could take you to that church today in Gainesville.
And he painted that church, you know, helped out for free.
And I'll never forget we were in service and the door opened
during service and my dad came down in the middle of service
and went to the altar and. Pastor Rollins stopped
preaching. And LED my dad to the Lord.
It was awesome. Now my dad never had the
fullness of that experience because he was later diagnosed
pretty quick, you know, with some tumors and some challenges.
But you know, that was self-inflicted in in the way he
lived his life. And but he's he's with the
father today and I'll see him again.
But man, my heavenly Father has taught me a lot on how to be a
father that my natural father did not.
And I, you know, I'm not mad at him for that.
I'm not mad at my natural father.
For that, I'm not mad because at the end of the day, he made that
choice and his choices do not have to be my choices.
Period. They do not have to be my
choices. In fact, because of my mom, you
know, I really have no excuse because of her righteousness of
them for God. I could have, you know, been
more successful quicker if I had just studied and done some
things on my own. Anyway, we are to reign with him
and we can reign with him now, Isn't that amazing?
Revelations 510 says this. For he, for you have been made
to be a Kingdom and priest to our God, and they will reign
upon the earth. They'll reign where on the
earth, and that's not when we come back with the Lord during
the millennial reign. We can reign now.
God from heaven wants us to reign with him today.
So these are three things real quick that we can see in the
book of Beginnings that when the Father created his children,
provision and lavish provision, no lack provision.
And when I'm talking, I'm just talking about natural provision,
you understand, Adam and Eve were not sick, so they were
healthy. This was the environment where
they were healthy. There was no sin, nothing bad,
evil or wrong. All provision was there.
He gave them the environment to have life and never experienced
death once. When death was experienced, it
was Adam's choice, not our fathers.
Our father just wants life for us.
Are you hearing me? And then he gave us the ability
to rule and reign with him. He didn't say, now I'm the
father. I'm going to do everything.
What he was doing is like, I'm the father.
I'm going to lead and guide you. And I'm going to entrust you
because I'm going to give you the example of what it looks
like to rule and reign in your environment.
Are you hearing me? And we will rule and reign in
life. All right, Pastor David said
this. He said, I believe there was a
time when Adam lived and walked in the glory of God and reigned
as a king in life on the earth. How many believe Adam did that?
How many believe you can do that now because he's the king of who
are those kings we are? So there may be protests for no
kings. Come on, come.
On But the reality is I'm looking at a bunch of them.
Amen. Hallelujah.
I'm looking at a bunch of kings right now.
Now, what's dangerous about that is not about policy.
If there's an underlining message that can get into the
psyche of people and they can reject Jesus King because Jesus
is king, because Jesus does not come back as a suffering
servant, He comes back as a reigning king.
And as the church, we must be wiser than this because this is
how the enemy causes the world to reject the kingship of Jesus.
This is how this works. And we have to be wiser than
that. Are you hearing me?
And we are to walk as kings in the earth because you understand
when you understand King Jesus and then you're not intimidated.
That's right. Because Jesus nor our Father was
ever a tyrannical ruler, which means you are not to be 1
either. Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Amen.
But unfortunately man sinned. And did it change our heavenly
Father? Genesis chapter 3 verse 8
through 12 it says they heard the sound.
Of the Lord walking in the garden in the cool of the day,
and the man and his wife hid them, hid themselves from the
presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
Then the Lord God called to the man and said to him, where are
you? You know, he's still asking that
question today, he said I, the man Adam, he said I heard the
sound of you in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked,
so I hid myself. And he, that's our heavenly
Father, said, Who told you you were naked?
Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to
eat? And the man, that's Adam said.
The woman you gave to me to be with me, she gave me from the
tree. And I ate.
We jump down to verse 15, the father dealing with a serpent.
He said, I will put enmity between you and the woman and
between your seed and her seed. And he will bruise you on the
head and you will bruise him on the heel.
Who is this seed that will come from a woman?
What's his name? Come on, what's his name?
What's his name? I went to breakfast with Rolando
last week, maybe 2 weeks ago maybe.
I don't know. I mean, it goes fast.
So it's pretty close. It's within two weeks.
OK, So when I say soon, I mean it this time, not like a year
ago, but we were discussing Genesis 3 and he had Rolando
says, you know, there's something that I'm seeing here
in three. Tell me if I'm right and I
listen, I said. Yeah, you're right.
That's exactly right. And so we're going to talk about
it today because it reveals our Father.
Now here's our Father in Genesis 1 and 2.
He's all provision. No sickness, no disease, no
poverty, no lack. You are all taken care of and
because of that you, you'll live forever.
This is what his desire and you will reign with him forever.
That is the desire of our Father, who would not want to be
his child. That's what I'm asking.
Who does not want to be his child?
You know, my dad provides everything for me.
I never get sick, you know, I never have a lack and I can just
live forever and I reign with him.
I actually have purpose and destiny and he wants me to
participate. Who does not want that as a
father, right? However, man blows it and turn
go back to the Genesis, the first one there Genesis 8.
Let's do a look at this progression together.
It says that when the the Father comes in the cool of the day to
meet with man and his wife, Adam and Eve, they're hiding
themselves and look what happens.
The Lord God called to man and said to him, where are you?
That is the voice of repentance, the desire for repentance.
Now do we know that God knows what happened?
So let me take it from how a lot of times people, even in the
church view our Father, it would have been more like this boy,
where are you? I know you blew it.
You better get over here and and take your weapon right now.
That wasn't how he responded. He first came in with where are
you, which is a question that gives way for repentance.
So here we are in the garden. The first sin the the the
transgression that is going to cause the whole world to change
and uranize life change. Yet God is offering a pathway
of. Repentance right now.
The first response our Heavenly Father has with us if we ever
make a mistake. And unfortunately, unlike Adam,
we were well versed in disobedience.
And even when we become born again, without the renewal of
the mind, we will maintain levels of disobedience because
we're well versed. In being selfish.
Your heart can be right with God, meaning your spirit can be
born again and the Holy Ghost can live in you, but your mind
can still do what it wants to do, still do what it wants to
do. Yet God's first position was not
to lash out at the wrong, but to give an occasion for repentance.
The man says to him, We heard you in the garden, we were
afraid and we were naked. So he's telling his
circumstance. So then he says, who told you
you were naked? Next question, who told you you
were naked? Did you eat from the tree of the
knowledge of evil that I told you not to?
What are we at? I mean, how many of you, as
parents says, did you are you're looking for us?
For them to what? Be honest, take responsibility,
admit they disobeyed? That's all you're looking for.
Did you not? Because you're like did did you?
Please tell me you did so I can lower the boom on you.
I'm going to take your phone. I'm going to ground you.
I'm going to beat you so bad right now that you're going to
wish that you never made this much.
I mean, that is not our posture. And it sure is not the Heavenly
Father's posture. His posture was where are you?
Something meant right? You know what?
I know it. OK, so who told you you were
naked? And now he starts to let on.
Could you understand as a parent, some of our children
were really good at letting you know only what they thought you
knew. Come on, y'all know what I'm
talking about? They're like no.
And then you ask, OK. Yeah.
What did you do this too? Yes.
Why don't you just tell me at all?
That's it. Well.
What about this? Oh yeah, that too.
Right. So the Lord kind of cuts through
the chase and says, who told you were naked?
Did you eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil?
Because that's where we're at. And and Adam has an opportunity.
But what does Adam say? Well, it's that woman you gave
me no responsibility, no ownership, no repentance.
And this was powerful. When Roland and I was talking,
he said, notice that God quit talking to his son after that
because if there's no repentance, then there's the
full of the consequence. So here we already see in the
first two chapters the nature of our Father.
But even when failure came, of which He knew before the
foundation of the world, because the Lamb was slain before the
foundation of the world, He's already offering a pathway to
restoration. Our Heavenly Father, His first
action is a pathway to restoration.
And if they and if, if, if a pathway of restoration is not
there, then we're not modeling the Father wrong is can be
wrong. But is there pathway to
restoration? Because did did God make the
pathway? Yes, Genesis 315.
He says, listen, I'm going to come as a man so that I can keep
my word true that I'm making man in my image according to my
likeness and he have dominion. And the only way that's going to
happen now is I'm going to have to pay the price for the sin
that man's going to do. I'll take it because I want to
have that original relationship with my children that they'll
have all provision, not no care in the world that they'll live
forever and that will rule and reign together.
And is that not what's going to happen in the new heaven and new
earth? Is that not what's going to
happen? Because repentance in the
context of repenting from sin or disobedient will not even be in
play in the new heaven, new earth, but in this time, what's
our heart of our Father? I, I want you to repent.
What's it say in Matthew 417 from that time Jesus began to
preach and say repent for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Second Peter 39 it says the Lord is slow, is not slow about his
promises as some count slowness, but is patient towards you, not
wishing for any to perish, but for all to come to what you
understand that our heavenly Father with those outside of his
family. He wants them to repent.
He does not desire for them to die.
We know the Father's hardest for you to live with him forever.
Now if you choose it, He is just and He'll give humanity what
they want, and if they want eternity without Him, He will
give them what they want. He will honor His word
concerning a pathway of disobedience.
However, His position is they just wants them to repent.
So even when a lost person is in all of their sin, God is always
in His mind wanting this, Hey, if you could just repent.
He's not going saying, oh, man, yeah, you keep doing that.
You just keep doing that. Yeah, big boy, go ahead and keep
doing that because your day's coming.
Your day's coming, man. I can't wait.
Your day is coming. This is what I love you.
Just thank you. That's not his position.
The Father's heart is. You don't have to do this, don't
have to be like this. I've already provided your way
of escape. I have already paid the price.
This is not where I want you, man.
Please do not put me in the position to have to act on what
you're sewing for. Please come on, change this
thing. And that's why he sings people
by your path. This is why he sends people to
talk to you about the word on how you can repentance, why he
sends people. Because he wants you to have
relationship. Now, if you resist, it's going
to happen. In fact, Romans tells us that
he'll even give them over to their pray mind.
You know, today I've done everything I can to get them to
repent. They don't want to repent, don't
want nothing do with me. And I'll give them what they
want. And then there's no more
conversation. But it's not that he's walking
around thinking, ringing his hands.
And I can't wait to show them that's not it.
Because it's grieves him that he's having to deal with
humanity in that way, especially since he's already paid the
price with his blood. Y'all doing all right?
Amen. And so Pastor David said this as
you walk in obedience to His Word, God will bless you.
He will perform a father's duties in your life.
He will perform a Father's duties in your life.
God cannot bless sin or doubt and unbelief, so we must remove
these things from our life. This is why He wants us to
repent. Change your thinking.
Come on back home. Get out of your sin.
Let me make you a new creature in Christ.
Let me bring you back over into the family.
Change the way you process and think.
Obey me at my Word, and let me start giving you.
What I originally wanted you to have the whole time full
provision, nothing but life. And you and I are going to reign
together. My Mama.
What a great father, I said. What a great father.
You know what else he is in this distance?
He's full of mercy and compassion.
Ephesians 2, four to six, says this.
But God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love with
which he loved us even when we were dead, in our transgression,
made us alive together with Christ.
By grace you have been saved and raised us up with him and seated
us with Him in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
Hallelujah, Hallelujah. I mean, Christ's death, burial
and resurrection and Him pouring His blood on the mercy seat in
heaven has already entitled you to His throne.
Wow, how amazing our Father is. His Father's like son, go pay
the price so they can take their seat back in the Kingdom.
Man, how awesome is that? And he did this because he's
full of mercy. Does God have a wrath side?
Yes. Will God judge the dead?
Yes. But all the while, He wants you
to come into His Kingdom, have life, repent.
And he does it because he's extremely merciful.
And why is he merciful? Because he paid the price for
all your wrongdoing. There's really no reason for you
to do. People who go to the lake of
fire, which is the second death and it exists, are there because
of their sin, but this is what gets them there.
It's really because they never make Jesus Lord.
The sin is really a dealt with issue because of the blood, but
because the blood is not on their account.
So it's actually. The rejection of Jesus as Lord
supreme and authority that was throws them into the lake of
fire because the sin really is not an issue if you accepted him
as Lord. It's already paid for.
James 511 says this. We count those blessed who
endure. You have heard of the endurance
of Job and have seen. The outcome of the Lord's
dealing for the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.
Aren't you glad our Father is full of compassion and is
merciful? The last thing I want to cover
today is this concerning our heavenly Father.
You want to know your God, You want to know your Father.
You have to go to the Word. And we've already seen that He
provides. We've already seen that He wants
you to live and not die. We've already seen that He wants
you to reign with Him. And I'm going to come.
That's His. Intent.
And but because we've blown it, his first look towards us is
not, I want to punish you. His first look is I want you to
repent. His next is I'm full of mercy
and compassion. So quit telling me about what
you did. Talk to me.
Let let me tell you what I've done, you know, and if we
wouldn't go to the Lord and talk to him about all we've done, all
we've done and just listen to what he's done, then we could
get into this relationship a little bit quicker.
Now, Lord, you know what I did? He's like, yeah, but what I've
done is I've already paid for it.
You don't have to remember that anymore.
And it's not according to, it's not on your account when you're
in the under the blood. Amen.
The last thing that we see here about our father is he wants us.
To be rewarded, rewarded, rewarded again, although we will
be judged for our deeds. That's true.
But yet that's in a good sense. But there is a judgment to those
who disobeyed, there is a punishment to those who
disobeyed, and there is a wrath, although wrath can come on God's
covenant people, but that's because of disobedience.
That can happen. OK, But His primary is for you
to be rewarded. He wants you to not be.
He does not want your reward stolen or taken away.
Look at this in Hebrews Chapter 11, verse 6.
It says, and without faith, it's impossible to please Him.
For he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He
is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
He is a what? He's a rewarder.
You understand? If you're truly seeking the Lord
with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind and all your
strength, you will be rewarded, not taken from, not without, not
lacking, not, you know, disregarded like you know, I
come after you. Don't do nothing for me, Lord.
Then you're not coming after him because God is not a man that he
shall lie. If you are truly seeking him and
you're following him, He is a rewarder to those who seek Him.
And man, I could testify my God has really rewarded me.
My Father has rewarded me, and he is not a respecter of his
children. Revelations 2212.
Oh my goodness, we're at the end of the book.
We started in Genesis 1. Let's end in Revelation 22.
Hallelujah, man. How many churches you get to go
to? We get to go through the whole
Bible. Revelation 2212.
It says, behold, Jesus said, behold, I am coming quickly.
My, my reward is with me to render to every man according to
what he has done. Aren't you excited?
He wants to reward us, the Father saying Jesus, go give the
reward to those who have been faithful and obeyed and followed
and and went after me. Pastor David concluded it this
way. He said it is God's will that
you walk in his blessing and prosperity, but you must walk in
obedience so that he can bless and prosper you.
Hallelujah. Why would I not be obedient to
such a good good father? And good doesn't even can't even
comprehend the magnitude of our Heavenly Father.
How gracious, merciful, kind, loving, forgiving, Oh my
goodness, he's amazing. Because all the while he just
wants to get you reset where you've completely provided for.
You don't like anything. All you do is live and you reign
with him. He's the best father ever,
Hallelujah. And he's willing for me to
accept the price of his son. Let's pray.