Hallelujah. It's going to be a great and glorious
day. Amen. You can be seated in the house of
the Lord just a moment before we move on today.
It is Father's Day. We commemorate the role of
Father. Amen? We honor the role of Father. So
we want to honor those who are unable to speak
with their fathers today because they are no
longer here in eternity. Absent from this world,
my prayer, present with the Lord. Amen. So if
you would today, if you don't mind, if you would
stand and let us just honor you today. We're
going to honor you with just a moment of silence.
And then I want to ask the Lord to touch you
especially today. If your father is no longer
with you, would you please stand this morning?
Let's bow our heads for just a moment. Heavenly
Father, we honor those standing in our presence
today. I ask, Lord, that you would comfort them
with a peace that passes all understanding, where
heavy hearts reside. I ask, Lord, that as this
day goes forward and memories come, may they
be the fond memories, the good times, the happy
days, the happy moments. Whether few or many,
I pray your blessings on your people today. On
this day, as we celebrate our earthly fathers,
we glorify you, our heavenly father. I'm going
to read one, you can be seated, I'm just going
to read one passage of scripture this morning
as we move forward today. Again, happy Father's
Day to you, those of you who are fathers and
operating and functioning in the role of father.
We probably all have at least one. who's not
our biological father that we see as a father
figure in our lives. I hope you've had that extra
opportunity. I have those people and I'm grateful
for them. Amen. Those are the people that will
look at you and tell you the truth. Amen. And
most of the time I take it better from them than
I do actually my dad. Because after all, I still
know more than he does. Y 'all know what I mean,
right? I want to read to you this morning from
1 Corinthians chapter 16, where I'm going to
take my text. It is good to see you in the house
of the Lord. Man, I tell you, we've been on a
roller coaster this morning. Just since our time
together. The spirit of the Lord is moving. Amen.
And I already feel, I just feel drained. I feel
pulled out of me. I do. I just feel the presence
of the Lord today in a mighty way. It's good
to have some folks visiting with us from one
of our earlier CAMS classes. Folks in the ministries,
so grateful for them. They actually said, we
enjoyed you so much there, we just thought we'd
come visit your church. And I thought, whoo.
Amen. Don't get to hear that much. They're the
only ones that showed up, though, over the years
I've been doing that. So thank you. 1 Corinthians
16. I want to look at verse 13 for just a moment.
A lot of times it's a challenge to just pull
a verse out of that theological term. Brother
Randy uses it some on Wednesday. To pull one
verse out of the pericope or the story, the storyline
out of the midst of the chapter. But I want to
do that this morning. I want to pull this verse
out and I want us to look at it for just a little
bit. Paul writing to the Corinthians in that
first letter says, Watch ye, stand fast in the
faith. Quit ye like men and be strong. Watch
ye stand. Be brave. Be courageous is what he's
telling the brethren at Corinth. I want to speak
to you with the help of the Lord for a little
while. Let's see where we're at. Oh, Lord, I've
got 45 whole minutes. On this thought, be the
better man. Be the better man. Now, today's going
to be largely focused toward the male gender
in this room, and you heard me say that, the
male gender in this room. But it's also going
to be applicable for all of us because we are
all mankind. So I just don't think we can pull
a scripture and just target one group and it
totally missed the other group. Right? Because
this right here, watch, I think that's for all
of us. Right? Stand fast, that's for all of us.
Correct? In the faith, that's for all of us.
Be courageous, be brave. Right? That can be all
of us. Be strong, but only a few of us get to
be men. Where'd Scotty go? He normally gives
me a, when I get a good little zinger, that one
was pretty good. What I'm trying to do is get
you around to where I can preach to you. We're
getting there. Amen? We're getting there. You're
coming around, and I'm going to preach to you
here in just a minute. Be the better man. Father,
I do love you. I thank you for your word. And,
Lord, I need your help today. I need your help
in more ways than one, Lord. Lord, we're so grateful
for it. I'm just thankful for the anointing that
I feel in this room. Your presence, Lord, is
so rich, so full in your house today. And I ask
God that you'd help us now. Help me, Lord. Let
me speak that which would edify the body and
glorify you. And Lord, that when we all together
leave this place, we'd be better for being here.
We already are because of your presence. But
now, Lord, let your word strike on the hallways
of our heart and soul. Lord, we'll be quick to
praise you for it. In Christ's name, church said,
amen. The culture of our day has a lot to say
regarding manhood. They call it toxic masculinity
and just on and on and on. There's an attack.
While many struggle to accurately define what
a woman is, Greater struggle is to determine
what a man is. And for some reason, our culture
has just gone, I wanted to say dumb, but I don't
know that that's strong enough. But anyway, our
culture has gone so absent -minded as to where
we've allowed, as alluded to early, the deception
and the deceiver of humanity to really creep
in and begin to attack our society from within
to without. Knowing that if he can destroy God's
divine design, then he can destroy God's design,
the designed plan for humanity. If he could subvert,
invert, and otherwise do away with the divine
design, then he can do away with the divine destiny
that each individual has and can have access
to through Christ to the Heavenly Father. Know
this, the devil knows that better than any of
us ever could. He knows that if he can abort
the divine design in the mind of the creation,
that the Creator made a mistake, then He has
us at His whim and will. We would just almost
be like a ball of twine to a kitten. He would
just play and play and play and play. And as
we are making our way through this greater struggle,
it's not just trying to identify what a man is,
but what is a godly man. I think there is even
another distinction that takes it a step further.
And so when we think about how the enemy is coming
against humanity, trying to destroy us, I fully
believe that the enemy knows that his time is
running out. I think the devil knows the urgency
of the hour more than the church knows the urgency
of the hour. I watched a little documentary last
night about the Eastern Gate. of Jerusalem and
how they are seeing some dust begin to come out
and nobody's got a reason for it. There's others
who have actually testified to hearing like groanings
and moanings coming from behind the gate. And
there's a shifting in the stonework. Mind you,
the eastern gate has been blocked up for over
500 years, almost half a millennia. But one day
it's going to open up. Could it be that even
the earth itself moans and groans? I know that
the scripture declares that it moans and groans
waiting for the day of its redemption. You do
remember that the fall also affected the earth
itself. Amen. But now we understand that the
hour is drawing near. Just look at the events
of this past week. Again, Israel has unleashed
and war is raging in the Middle East. And all
of these things could be coming into the alignment
of the Lord's return. And we have to learn to
be. the better man in the age in which we are
living so that we can proclaim the glorious good
news of Jesus Christ. I know there's a devil
out there, but never forget there's a God who
still sits on the throne of eternity. I know
the enemy seeking whom he may steal, kill, devour,
and that lion that he roars going to and fro,
but I know that there is a God who sits on the
throne, and I know that at his right hand is
his loving son who is the... redeemer of lost
humanity unto all those who would call upon his
name he's sitting at the right hand waiting for
the announcement son go get my children Do you
know the joy that will be on the Savior's face
when he hears and begins to turn to the trumpeter
and say, sound it now. And he looked to the other
and see the archangel and say, give the shout
now. Dad says it's time to go and let us go.
I'm looking forward to that day. No matter how
messed up culture is, no matter how messed up
society is, it lets me know that the urgency
of the hour is growing greater day by day. Oh,
my God. When people don't, when... Evil is spoken
good of and good is spoken evil of. And people
don't know right from left and up from down and
in from out. I'm telling you, the Lord is on
his way. And we must become the better man, the
better woman of this world so that a lost and
dying world may know before it's too late. We
must become like the men of old and renowned.
Somewhere along the way, Ezekiel... Begin to
say in 22 and 30, God said, I sought for a man.
Right? I sought for a man among them. That should
make up the hedge and stand in the gap before
me. For the land that I should not destroy it.
But the saddest words in scripture. But I found
none. I still think God is looking for some humanity.
Who will stand up so that he does not destroy
the land. But I'm telling you today. That as
the world grows worse and darker. And humanity
gets more away and misaligned with God. Getting
ready to ratify and just begin to take care of
everything that is out of order. He's about to
get ready to put things back in order again.
I sought for a man. And I'm telling you, there
was none that could be found in Ezekiel's day.
The prophets of the day. The priests of the day.
They were just saying whatever made people feel
good. Does that not sound familiar? Whatever
encouraged them in their wrongdoing. They just
said you could buy them off. You could pay them.
They would tell you whatever you wanted to hear.
God said, I've had enough of that. I'm looking
for a man. I'm looking for somebody. He will
come up out from among them and be separated.
I'm looking for someone who I can impart my word
to. I'm looking for someone that I can give my
voice to, who would speak for me in a day, in
an hour, so that they may know that I still love
them. You do understand that's what it's all
about, that God would begin to proclaim again.
Someone would be the voice for him to say, I
still love you. I know we get this in our mind,
this picture of God just wanting to destroy humanity.
No, no, no, no, no. He's trying to redeem humanity.
He couldn't find a man, so he sent one. Well,
whoo, about to get ahead of myself. Somehow in
our earthliness and in our humanity, we must
become like men of old and renowned. Those who
through faith conquered kingdoms according to
Hebrews 11. Enforce justice. Obtain promises.
Stop the mouths of lions. Quench the power of
fire. Escape the edge of the sword. We're made
strong out of weakness and become mighty in war
and put foreign armies to fly. Somehow or another,
you and I must find the resolve, young men, as
you're growing up now. Hear your preacher today.
You need to be a man of faith. You need to start
seeking God now early while he still may be found.
I don't know today the trumpet could sound. Tomorrow
the trumpet could sound. The Lord could come
any day. But we cannot just wait and sit back
on our leaves and just be in leisure saying,
well, the Lord's going to come and take care
of it. No, we have a mandate. We have been mandated
that we have a heart after God and that we seek
God, that we long for God. For do you remember
John declared, the Father seeketh not to worship
him who would worship him in spirit and in truth.
Why? Because God is a spirit. Oh, that we become
men and women of renowned and old. That we be
as the prophets of old and those who sought after
God of old. Characteristics of a godly man or
a godly woman, either one. They go hand in hand.
One righteousness, faith, love, steadfastness,
gentleness, courage, honesty, integrity, servanthood.
That we would be authentic worshipers. That we
would have a state and a heart of forgiveness.
And that we would be generous and that we would
be totally obedient to God. That's what God's
looking for today. That's what God has always
looked for. The criteria hasn't changed. The
demands haven't changed. The characteristics
haven't changed. Humanity's heart has changed.
I even take that back. Our hearts haven't changed.
They've always been hardened since the fall.
Man's heart is the most deceitful thing. Read
the Bible. Man's heart hasn't changed. Sin isn't
any different than it ever has been. You look
back through humanity's historical documentaries
and you'll just see how wicked humanity is. At
least we're not burning people at the stake anymore.
We're progressing some instead of digressing.
Humanity has always sold its fellow man into
slavery. You do know that, right? And it still
continues to this day. It doesn't matter the
color, the race, the creed. No, humanity has
always sold itself into slavery to others. Perversion.
Perversion is no worse now than it's ever been.
Oh, I know it seems to be. It's because it's
at your fingertips. Perversion everywhere and
stuff that you used to not know, now you know.
Things that we used to in rural America, back
where I was at over in Holler, you didn't hear
all that junk. So you didn't know what was going
on. When you did, you was like, oh, really? True.
Couldn't believe people do stuff like that. But
now that I'm older and I've studied and see what
history has to say, well, it's just the same
old stuff. No more perverse now than they've
ever been. No more wicked than it's ever been.
How bad was it when God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah?
How bad was that sin? This world stands in a
state of apology to those who have been stricken
by fire. If it was not worse than it is now.
The characteristics of the godly must rise up.
We must watch. I think that's a failure of the
church today. We are no longer watching. Watching
for what? Watching for the return of the Savior.
When I was growing up, it was prevalent. We heard
about hell and we heard about heaven. Amen. There's
a few other topics that you got, but it always
got right back around to you wanted to stay out
of hell and you wanted to go to heaven. My pastors
could preach hell so hot it felt like my feet
were burning. And then they could turn right
around and preach heaven so sweet that you felt
like you wanted to go now. Amen. And why? We
were always watching. We were always singing
reminder songs. Amen? Oh, there's going to be
a meeting in the air. Oh, page 10, the old red
back, right? We would sing those songs and we'd
think about heaven. I was thinking about after
I watched that documentary on the Eastern Gate,
my mind automatically went to that song just
inside the Eastern Gate over there. You know,
I thought, well, where'd that come from? It come
from a past. It came from my learning. It come
from my upbringing just inside the Eastern Gate
over there. And then I begin to notice I'm alone.
I'm longing for the Lord to put his foot down
on top of the Mount of Olives. I'm longing that
I want to try to be the better man today, that
I choose to be the better man that I was yesterday,
that the godly characteristics begin to flow,
that I'm always watching, that I'm always standing
firm in the faith, unmoved, unshaken. I'm telling
you today, and you know very well, many of you,
that the world can set against you, that life
can turn against you, that chaos can erupt at
any moment, but you have to be steadfast. and
grounded in the faith that you're watching, amen,
and that you're longing. I am longing for the
return of the Lord. And when I see things about
maybe the eastern gate starting to shift a little
and shake a little and maybe some dust coming
off the wall, who knows why and who cares why
if it causes man to lift his eyes toward the
heavens and begin to watch toward the eastern
sky knowing that the promise of the word of God,
that God's word will be fulfilled, that God's
word will come to pass. will set his foot again
upon the Mount of Olives. To watch. To watch.
We've stopped watching men of old and renowned
continue to watch. We can never allow ourselves
just to be nice for being nice sake. You hear
me? You know the old adage, nice guys finish
last. This isn't about being nice. It's about
being tenacious. It's about being zealous. It's
about being full of desire to know God, to be
His emissary here while we are on this earth.
Amen. And to see Him when He returns in the clouds
of glory. If you're not zealous, you're not going
to have that longing and that desire. I saw a
little meme the other day. It said something
about things that keep... Don't let things keep
you out of church. These are the things that
used to we didn't miss church for. Now these
are the things that cause us to miss church or
something like that because our passions are
being diverted. Our passions are being watered
down. We cannot afford to become lukewarm in
this hour. You cannot hear me church today. I
know it's Father's Day. And men, we've got to
stir ourselves like never before. This culture
needs to see men of God, men of faith, men of
power to stand up and not be a... ashamed to
lift a hand and shed a tear for the glory of
God and the cause of Jesus Christ. We need men
to do that but we need some women to stand beside
them with hands lifted up as well and when we
fall in our weakness that they are on their face
interceding on our behalf. My God today we must
be the better man. Blaise was zealed for the
glory of God like never before. For the health
of the church. For the souls of lost people.
Amen. Zeal for his glory. Not cultural civility.
Not that we just don't want to rub against the
culture. Look, you and I walk against a different
grain anyway if you're following Christ. You're
already at odds with the world, or you should
be. Maybe that's part of our problem. If we're
walking alone with the world and we don't have
enough of God in us to stir the dander up of
people that are around us so that they don't
want to be around us, amen, I think there must
be a problem somewhere. And we must align our
hearts with God. I'm telling you, if you're not
an offense to the sinners that are around you,
then you need to pray up some more. I'm not saying
don't be friendly, not display love. That's not
what your pastor is saying to you this morning.
But what I'm saying is this. If you can walk
in the same grain as the world in your life,
not convict them of anything going on in their
life, then honey, we got something backwards
and something wrong. Something isn't right because
everywhere Jesus went, amen, it kind of stirred
up a little bit of stink. Why? Because his presence
alone. His presence alone convicted men of their
actions. And that's what it means to be a true
believer. born -again, blood -bought, sanctified,
Holy Ghost -filled believer that where you are,
yes, folks will tolerate you for a little while,
but when that glory starts oozing off of you,
they don't want anything to do with you. Why?
Because you crimp their style. Amen? You disrupt
the flow of what's about to go on. And the most
important thing you can do for them is leave.
In their eyes. But the most important thing we
can do is be Christ. You don't have to point
a self -righteous finger at anyone. But our lifestyle,
be the better man. Be the better of mankind wherever
you are. So that there is a resolve in people
when they see you and they understand that you
are different. That when the wheels fall off
of your wagon, you don't fall off the track.
Come on, somebody. That when all hell is standing
at your door, you don't run and hide. You stand
boldly and firmly knowing that the Word of God
is your aid and your comfort and that when the
enemy comes in like a flood, that God is going
to raise up a standard against the flood that
has come against you because His Word promises
He'll not allow the water to overflow you. He'll
not allow the fire to kindle up against you and
overcome you because His promise is for you.
Why? Because you belong to Him. How do we improve
our character? How do we improve our character?
How do we improve godly character in our life?
Well, we follow the examples that have been left
out before us to see. We consider those who have
gone before us. We consider their life. We consider
their faith. We consider the hardships that they
encountered. We consider their successes. We
consider their failures. Sometimes we can learn
more from failure than we ever thought about
learning from success. We learn from men like
Moses. As we consider him who would be the meekest
man on all the earth. Numbers 12 and 3. But yet
as he's spending 40 days in the presence of God
on the mountain. And God with his own finger.
with his own finger in his presence, is writing
out the commandments for the people to live by.
God, you getting this? And the people are at
the bottom looking at the smoke and the fire
and the shaking and the thundering and the quaking
of the mountain and thinking, Moses is still
in there. But halfway up the mountain, Moses
is not by himself. Come on, somebody. Don't you
need a Joshua to go a little bit with you? Joshua's
halfway up. He's as far as he could get, but
he's on the mount. And the mountain, he's hearing
the voice of God and no doubt smelling the fume
and the smell of the finger of God as it carves
into stone the commandments whereby we are to
live so that we may please him because of our
fall and because of our sin. God is making a
way. He's made a substitute, which is the law
that we might be able to live pleasing to him.
Moses turns to make his way back down to the
people. He's excited. You know how like pastors
are sometimes. We've been in the prayer closet.
We come out. And we get in front of you. It's
like, who dropped the stones? We take the revelation
we just got. And because we're so flabbergasted
with the lack of interest. Lack of engagement.
Lack of involvement. Lack of commitment. I could
go on, but you get the point. So Moses is coming
down the mountain. He picks Joshua up, and they're
on their way to the people. He's so excited.
He's been in the presence of God so much that
his face is shining from the glory of God. It's
illuminated like laser beams coming off of his
face. And when he gets down to them, he gets
a little closer, yet not to see. He said, whoo,
man, they're worshiping down there. Joshua said,
that's not worship, Mo. That's a party. He gets
down to see them. bowed down before a golden
image in idolatry, worshiping and just carrying
on, would never worship God in that fashion,
would never praise God in that form, would never
give. They would never take the jewels off their
head and throw in the offering bucket for God.
But oh, let's give it all for the idolatry and
the appeasement of our flesh. And now they're
bowing and worshiping this golden image. And
Moses, this meek man, gets a little saw bone
up his backbone. And he stands up and casts those
stones down. And what does he do? He says, you
take that calf, you grind it up, melt it down,
grind it up in a powder, you put it in a Kool
-Aid. And I think this is where they coined the
phrase, and they drunk the Kool -Aid. They drunk
the Kool -Aid. He made them ingest their idolatry,
my Lord, and went back up. And this time he had
to whittle out his own stones. The people saying,
hide your face, Moses. That's the way they do.
When you in the glory and they ain't. Moses,
we can't even look at you. We better move on
past Moses. Consider David. You remember David.
Moses was a meek man, but he was also a man after
righteousness. In the presence of God, David,
that harp playing, poetry writing, song singing,
you know, shepherd boy. Makes his way to his
brothers who are in war. Brings them food sent
by their father. And as he's approaching, he
hears something echoing in the background that
doesn't ring well in his ears. There's something
that just begins to cause the hair on the back
of his neck to stand up. And he begins to get
very irritated. And he finally gets to his brothers
and here's lunch. Who's that? Dad says, here's
lunch. Who is that? And what are you doing still
standing here? Why are you not down there? For
David, it's not a matter of life and death. It's
a matter of God's glory and God's honor. It wasn't
a matter whether Goliath killed you or not. Has
somebody not been down there? Has someone not
made their way there to deal with this? David,
who would have his failures of his own? Psalm
51 is a recording of one of his failures. But
yet that repentant heart of that shepherd, as
he could be so rough, they sung songs about him.
David has slain his tens of thousands, Saul his
thousand. He was a man of war. But yet so tender
he could pen those words, the Lord is my shepherd.
I shall not want. He could pin those words under
the hand of the great Almighty. And God used
him. God can use you and I in spite of our failures
if we make ourselves available. Consider the
characteristics of the man of God, Elijah. 1
Kings 18 and 20, tormented by the unbelief of
God's people, he called a public showdown. He
said, if God's going to be God, then we're going
to serve him. But if Baal's going to be God,
then we'll all bow and serve him. But here's
what we're going to do. The God that answers
by fire, let him be God. And this is going to
settle it. You know, the same prophet who prayed
and it hadn't rained for three and a half years.
The same prophet who called down she -bears out
of the mountainside. Hello? I'm talking about
a man of God, but yet... In his frailty, after
the fire falls and the rain makes its way, when
the threat from Jezebel comes against his life,
in fear and tribbling, he runs. But God finds
him in that cave, doesn't he? He finds him there
lonely. He found him under the juniper tree way
before we ever made it to the cave, 40 days before.
He's there wishing that he had not even been
born and that he could die right there. But no,
God sent the ravens and they fed him and he went
40 days. And he makes his way to that cleft in
the rock. And he's in there. The mountain begins
to shake. Fire goes and the wind rages. But God
wasn't in it. But now the heart of the prophet
hears the still, small, gentle voice of God.
And he's melted like butter. If you ever read
that story, read it again and look and see that
God never chastised Elijah for being in the cave.
He didn't. He did not chastise him. What are
you doing here, Elijah? And then he says, here's
what I want you to do when you get out. You're
going to find an old boy over there in the plow
field. Go anoint him. The next king's in line.
Go anoint him. Now let's go. Isn't that good?
That's the characteristics of God toward the
godly. Amen. He knows our mistake and he don't
rub our face in our mistakes. He gives us our
next assignment. What are you doing here? You
don't have to be here. You shouldn't be here.
But here you are and here's your next assignment.
Thank you, Lord. Stand with me. I'm going to
try to quit. I promise. Consider Jeremiah, the
weeping prophet, who exclaimed, Oh, that my head
were waters and my eyes a fountain of tears,
that I might weep day and night for the slain
of the daughter of my people. But yet, continuing
in verse chapter 9, he would say it around verse
15. He'll make this declaration. Therefore, thus
saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Behold,
I will feed this people with bitter food. Give
them poisonous water to drink. I will scatter
them among the nations whom neither they nor
their fathers have known. And I will send a sword
after them until I have consumed them. And he
would find them. In that chapter, I think around
64, he begins to declare. He looks up to the
heavens and said, Oh Lord, I would that thou
would rend the heavens and come down. It's not
about being without mistakes, folks. To be the
better man, we just have to repent them and move
on. And allow the godly characteristics of faith
and hope and love and honesty and integrity,
righteousness, generosity, forgiveness. We're
in a world that needs a better man. We're in
a world that needs a better woman. I considered
the prophet Isaiah, the old eagle -eyed prophet
who could see through time. But in that ninth
chapter, he had his own meeting with God. And
one of the most difficult lifetime events that
he could remember. It had to be. It must have
been. Because the Bible says in the year that
King Uzziah died, I also saw the Lord high and
lifted up. And his train did fill the temple.
And one of the most devastating moments and times
of the prophet's life, he said, I also saw the
Lord. Let me tell you something. Life gets rough,
doesn't it? Life gets difficult. Brother Randy
talked Wednesday night about chaos and how that
chaos can erupt at any moment. But I'm so glad
that out of the chaos, God speaks. In the year
the king Uzziah died, I saw also the Lord high
and lifted up. In other words, the calamity of
my moment and my time. God is still elevated
above my calamity. Are you hearing me? His throne
still sits above your calamity. I saw him there.
His train, his victories are sewn together. Too
numerous to tell. And the temple is filled. And
his voice, his voice. Isaiah said, at his voice,
the pillars shook. My God, I need some pillars
to shake. How many of you need some pillars to
shake at the utterance of his voice? The prophet
said, and I was hearing this thunderous roar.
And I began to distinguish what it was. There
were some seraphim flying, six -winged creatures.
They're covering their face, they're covering
their feet, and two of them are flying. And their
voices, together in unison, are declaring, Holy,
holy, holy is the Lord God. Here he is in his
chaos and calamity, and he's standing, seeing
pillars shake in God's glory, filling the temple
and the whole earth full of his glory as well.
And he's standing there, hearing these angelic
creatures declaring the holiness of God. And
then he hears, who's going to go for us? Who's
going to go? I'm looking for a man. Remember,
that's Ezekiel's day. Here's Isaiah. I need someone
who will go. Who will go? Now, we're in the sixth
chapter. Isaiah started at one. He'd been doing
this a little while. That's three in front of
nine. Who's going to go? Then Isaiah makes the
declaration, Woe is me, for I am undone. I am
a man of unclean lips. And then one of the seraphim
flew and took the tongs from off the altar and
plucked a live coal. And he said, I'll go. Send
me. I'll go. I'll go. Who wants to be the better
man or woman today? Who wants to be the better?
I want to be the better. In the midst of the
chaos and the calamities of life, the devil breathing
down your collar. I don't know about you, but
I'd hope for a little bit of stability in our
country. I thought for a minute few moments that
maybe for a few years we'd have a little bit
of reprieve. Devil's not going to let this nation
have a reprieve. Simply because of our declaration
of in God we trust. In this chaos. You have to
take a lot of care when you're talking about
peace in Israel. You have to know what all that
entails when you're talking about when there's
peace declared. Until the Lord returns, saints
of God, this world's not going to be in peace.
Not in peace in the sense that this world is
wanting, just like the Pharisees and the high
priests of the day when Christ came to begin
with. That was not the Savior they were looking
for. That was not the role they were looking
for, the promise to fulfill the Messiah. They
didn't want saved. They wanted to rule. They
didn't want a Redeemer. They wanted their own
king on their own throne. Father, I love you
today. I don't know how to go about this altar
call this morning. I don't know what to do with
it. You'd think as long as I've been doing it,
you'd have something for every occasion. I don't
know what you need from God or want from God,
but I was just about to close us out with a nice
pretty prayer and I got checked. So here, if
you want to be the better person, the better
of mankind, You want to have those godly characteristics
flowing out of your life. You want to have zeal.
Just make your way to the altar this morning
and just stand here with me. This world can have
peace, but not peace as we know it. Not the absence
of conflict. Not the absence of war. But we can
have peace as Christ is. Remember? Remember Bethlehem's
birth and the angelic proclamation on earth.
Where you at Bible readers? On earth. Peace.
And good will toward men. Christ. Christ and
Christ alone is our goodwill. He's the goodwill
toward humanity. And the only peace that humanity
is going to know is through Him. There may be
seasons that individual nations may not be at
war. But until, until the final reign is made,
Christ sits on the throne forever. Peace like
you and I want are going to come. But Brother
James, the peace that I need meets me every day.
I'm telling you right now, it's tough this morning.
It's tough this morning. It's hard not to preaching.
The being here this morning. Just me being here.
Standing there alone. See what I'm saying? But
peace. Peace. Oh, my God. I'm telling you, you
can stand. You can make it. We gonna make it.
We just have to be the better man and the better
woman. In the face of chaos and calamity, we
build our character and our resolve by seeing
those who've walked through the faith and the
fire never alone. Because He's faithful. What
a Father's Day. What a word for Father's Day.
Be the better. Father. Over all of us today.
As we stand here in your presence. We stand in
your peace. For your declaration is you provide
peace. That passes all understanding. Since we're
talking about Isaiah. His declaration is this.
Thou will keep him in perfect peace. Whose mind
is stayed on thee. Help us keep our minds focused
on you Lord. In spite of the calamity and the
chaos. In spite of everything, Lord, just to
be the better human being in a dark, dismal world.
The signs of the times are all around us. And
there's a glorious day coming and it's going
to be a great and grand one. But until then,
equip your people with your grace. Equip your
people with your grace that we be the better.
While heads are bowed, if you don't know Jesus
Christ in this house today, you can. All you
have to do is repent of your sin and accept Him
into your heart and life is Lord. Is it that
simple? Yes, it is. As the Spirit is drawing
you, yes, it is. Yes, it is. You need Him. You
need him for the grand effect of life. Father,
I pray today. I repent of any sin that I've committed.
I ask your forgiveness and your cleanness. Wash
me with your precious blood. Cleanse me. Purify
me. Forgive me. Redeem me. Remain Lord of my
life. And lead me by every step. As I go throughout
the way in the days, if you pray that prayer,
the Word of God says if you're faithful just
to confess your sins, He's faithful and just
to forgive you of your sins and to cleanse you
of all unrighteousness. Now, do what Jesus said.
Go and sin no more. Go and sin no more. Amen.
Father, I love you today. Touch every heart and
every mind. Add the richness of your grace and
your peace. Forever I pray in fathomless billows.
Let's sing this chorus and then I'll dismiss
you. It's peace. Peace. Oh, wonderful peace.
Coming down from the Father above. I like this
part. I like it. I like it. Sweep over my spirit
forever. pray and find them less billows of love.
Give the Lord good praise. Sister Erica, you
got those handy?