First of all, we want to, I want to begin with
Sister Sandra. Sister Sandra Jacobs, who leads
our worship. She has a... She probably feels
like a dunkin' yo -yo. Anybody know what I'm
talking about? Anybody know what a dunkin' yo
-yo is? Come on, I'm talking to a few people.
She stepped up and has stepped down and stepped
back up and stepped back down, stepped back up.
Anything that I've asked of her, she's been not
just willing. Stand still. Every time I back,
she won't back up. Step up here in the light.
See, Eric's trying to get your picture and can't
do it for the pulpit. Come on over this way.
She served with faithfulness. Amen? And the only
thing I'm not worried about is worship on Sunday.
Because I knew she had it took care of. Unless
she was on a knee scooter and in a boot or something
like that. Very rarely is she away. And so I
appreciate that. Don't you? Let her know how
much you appreciate her labor among you. Sister
Becky, that's your cue right there. And Sister
Donna, she's right here. Baskets of blessings.
Amen. Here's some fresh cut to go with it. You
got it? You good? Thank you. Let her know again
how much you appreciate her. Oh, wait a minute.
Here. That's the best part right there. You don't
want me to keep that. I was making early morning
text trying to cover my tracks. Of things that
I'd forgotten and just remembered. I'm not normally
the organizer. I just come up with what I want
done. And they make it happen. Any other men
in the house know what I'm talking about? Your
idea, but they make it happen. I learned a long
time ago, you staff towards your weaknesses.
And you can tell I've got a lot of weakness.
Amen. The next folks we want to honor. It's Sister
Robin, Sister Robin Warren, who is our church
administrator and a whole lot more. She also
works as a subcontractor, or actually a general
contractor. Anything I find torn up, she knows
the people to call and gets it fixed, gets it
taken care of. Amen? Come on up with that, Sister
Carrie. I almost forgot Sister Donna had hers
a while ago. And along with her is Brother Randy.
Come on, Brother Randy. They minister together.
Brother Randy teaches Sunday school. That's his
volunteer role. But on Wednesday night, he spreaches.
He may not call it that, but that's what I call
it. He preaches and leads our adult discipleship
on Wednesday night without compensation, I might
add. When I think about it, close to his birthday,
I have the Wednesday night class, and we'll take
up an offering and we'll get him something. But
for some odd reason, I don't think of that every
year. And so their emotions go up and down. I
say, well, Pastor forgot. He did. Because didn't
nobody tell me. My hope well right hand. There's
some things she won't tell me. But as they ministered
for you, it's unto the Lord. It's unto the Lord.
I've had various administrators throughout my
pastoral ministry. None as efficient. None. I've
had some good ones. But none as efficient as
your service. Everything with excellence. From
the first day that I rolled on this campus as
pastor of the Hopewell Church. We met in her
office, and then I got the news of just how bad
it was. And it was bad. And every instruction,
every direction was taken without question. She'd
been doing this a long time before I got here.
Without question. And just follow the directive.
And we begin to see the tide turn. And look,
when you see the tide, she tell you, I'm about
pretty stingy. But you have to when you don't
have anything. Right? But the tide has turned.
And what was a way out is now a way in. Because
of diligence. Not questioning. Never an argument.
Not one resistance. Unless she's told him. But
I have found out she doesn't tell him. She doesn't.
What's in the office stays at the office. That
is a trait that you can't hardly find. So, where's
the bell? Sister Carrie's got your basket. There's
your card. You can go ahead and give it to her
if you want to. Let Randy hold it. He's big and
strong. Mr. Medium over there. Thank you, Sister
Becky. You followed up. See, I knew I chose you
for a reason. Something that Sister Kathy and
I have discovered over almost three decades in
ministry. When you have a family, you do not
do this alone. Everybody's involved. The children
are involved. And so from the church, we just
have a token, and that's what it is. It's a token,
but to let them know, boys, where you at? Joseph's
here. Samuel, where you at? Come here, buddy.
Haven't they grown? Let me tell you. Tell you
how I know they've grown, especially this one.
For about three or four years, I had to have
them dumb, dumb suckers in my office. And he'd
come by every morning, and we would trade. He'd
rob fireballs off his mama's desk and bring me
three or four fireballs, and we'd swap fireballs
for dumb, dumb suckers. But he's in middle school
now. He's quit stopping by high school next year.
Yeah, so he don't even stop by anymore, just
goes by. I thought, you still eat a sucker, even
though I'm not eating a fireball. Joseph is the
one that keeps dad on his toes. He's the one
we hear the most about on Wednesday. I don't
know if he knows that or not, but he is. And
you don't forget the one that's gone just because
he had to go to college. Right? The quieter one.
Mama's favorite. Sorry, Samuel. I can already
tell. See, you know too, don't you? I guess because
he was the first son of promise. Yeah. Let this
family know how much you appreciate what they
do here. In service to the Lord and in serving
you. Thank you. Thank you so much. I bless you.
Our third. Pastoral couple. I know for a fact
the Lord has sent them our way. Pastor Brian,
you and Sister Erica, come on up. Lights a little
brighter. Now somebody else is going to have
to take your priest. You got it. Y 'all come
over here where it's a little brighter. Light's
a little better right here. We have been blessed
since I've been here to have student ministries
done with excellence. Pastor Brandon, Pastor
Sarah. They're seasoned. Such a time as this.
The Lord brought them back to Hopewell. The call
into the ministry verified. Diligence in serving
the Lord. An ordained minister now. Getting ready
as soon as he's old enough and got enough time
in to get his bishops and to serve at every capacity.
The reason I'm grateful and thankful for the
excellence that they bring is I worry not at
all. If I'm not here. Because I know. The hands
that you're in. When I leave him in charge. Just
for knowing sake. True leaders. Are known by
their servant heart. Not necessarily being out
in the front. From my perspective, true leaders
don't lead from the front. They lead in the middle
of the pack. So they keep the ones in front of
them that are running and they pull along those
who are behind them who are lagging. Where you
got hands on both. If you're just way out in
front, you may not know who's lagging. But if
you're in the middle of it, you know. They're
in the middle of it. Right in the middle. Planning,
organizing, spreadsheeting, anything you need
to know that we've done, you want to chart it
out, Sister Erica's got it. She can show you.
Events from previous years, we did this, we did
this, we did this, we did this. We had this much,
we had this many. And do you know how refreshing
that is? Because I can't remember all that stuff.
And I'm not going to sit in front of a computer
and type it in. She loves it. I know now why
he's as efficient as he is. Hey, he married up
and he married to his weakness. Just like I did.
Starting the first Sunday of October, Pastor
Brian's coming on full time. Full time. So. Keep
on giving. We want to take care of them. Amen.
I appreciate you. The Lord knows. And when I
don't think of it, they've already thought of
it. And already stepped up and prepared it. And
already stepped out and done it. And I just can't
thank you enough. It's the work of the ministry.
If you appreciate them, would you let them know
it? She going to get it anyway. She going to
get it anyway. All right, young 'uns, where you
at? They're not in here? Two of them? Where you
at? Carson, Nealon, come here. Lulu's not in
here? She's in the nursery. There you go. Train
them up right. Yeah, get it real quick if they
got a spare hand. Come on, guys. Nealon, here
you go, buddy. Carson. Spend it however you want
to. Go get you some more earrings. Get whatever
you want. New pocket knife or something. Come
here, baby. Come here, Lulu. I call her Lulu.
That's a Landon. And she indulges me. She's embarrassed.
She indulges Pastor. She knows I love her. So
she indulges me. Here you go, baby. Get you a
new cowboy hat. Amen. Let them know how much
you love them and appreciate them. We love you
guys. Get their picture. I forgot to give you
that. That's the most important. Amen. God is
good. Oh, yeah, your basket. Those would knock
me down. Oh. You see why they do most everything.
I forget it all. I get wound up. Flowers and
baskets and buckets and... Hallelujah. God is
good. And His mercy endures forever. And thankful
and grateful is just a... I don't know how else.
I don't know what else. Other than I know we
would not be the church that we are. Without
those in whom the Lord is assigned here. Amen.
And in January for all of our volunteers. We
have a volunteer banquet. Where we just serve
you. And it's a good evening. Amen. To let you
know how much we appreciate what you do. We've
got ten minutes. The Holy Ghost has spoken. The
spirit has moved. Amen? Lives have been touched.
People have been honored. But we must have some
word. Amen? Woo! Now, how much word really depends
on you. But I do have something the Lord's laid
on my heart. How about I just give you the Pastor
Cliff notes? See how I did that? Forgive it.
I'll just give you the Pastor Cliff notes, not
the whole thing. We do have a meal prepared to
share together in the fellowship hall. Here in
a moment, when I get ready to release everybody,
we want our seasoned saints. To go first. Amen.
So that means hold the chair in back. John's
gospel. You can remain seated. You've been up
and down. Speaking of yo -yo. John's gospel.
In the fourth chapter. It's a very familiar.
Place. Very familiar text. And can be. Applied
in. Many, many, many ways. The application of
the word of God is always according to the need
in which you're in. And the word will apply.
Amen. Isn't that good? The word will apply. And
the word will always get to you when you need
it. The spirit may stir your memory and bring
it to your mind. Or he may run it by you somehow,
some way, but you'll get what you need. In John's
Gospel in the fourth chapter, verse 35 says,
Say ye not, say not ye, there are yet four months,
and then cometh harvest. Behold, I say unto you,
lift up your eyes and look on the fields, for
they are white already to harvest. And he that
reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit
unto life eternal, that both he that soweth and
he that reapeth may rejoice together. And herein
is that saying true. One soweth, another reapeth.
I sent you to reap that whereon you bestowed
no labor. Other men labored, and you are entered
into their labors. Lord, we love you. We thank
you for the power of your word. We thank you
for the power of your presence with us this morning.
Help me now for the next few minutes, Lord, just
to encourage us in your word. We go in grace
and peace. That passage we know is relating to
the lost. We know it's in reference to the vast
harvest that is around us. Millions, even billions
lost. Lost without Christ. Without knowing Him.
And the importance... That Jesus is trying to
emphasize is that the harvest is now. You're
not waiting for anything. You don't have to wait.
You don't have to sit back. The harvest is now.
And how it's maybe not even referencing to a
barley field or a corn field or a wheat field.
But his intention is that we see lost humanity.
Another place he says, pray ye therefore the
Lord of the harvest that he'd send laborers in
the harvest. Why? Because laborers are few. And
as we are nearing the, we're nearing the end
of my time and some of us' time even closer,
but I think we're entering into truly the last
days. Truly we're living in the last day. How
long those days will last, I don't know. The
trumpet. that we just heard sung about a little
bit ago, will sound. We don't know the day. We
do not know the hour because how many of you
know if you knew, you wouldn't do anything for
Christ until just before time? Oh, yeah. If we
procrastinate in life, what do you think we would
do with eternity? If we knew the day we were
going to die or the moment the Lord was going
to return, we would put it off. and put it off
right up to the last moment. That's the reason
the Lord didn't give us anything that we can
really confirm and date his return. No man knoweth
the day nor the hour when the Son of Man cometh,
not the angels in heaven. It's reserved for the
right of the Father. But if we knew, and as we
think about... All that is transpiring around
us this morning, I truly feel as though that
the Bible is just like a picture book, if you
would. You know those, they open up and then
the structures stand up. That's what's happening
before our very eyes. As you look at the world
today, it's just coming alive. The Bible is being
unfolded every day. Prophecies are being fulfilled
every day. The Lord's return could be... Very
near, even today. Jesus said in Matthew 24, 6
and 8, you shall hear of wars and rumors of wars,
nations rise against nations, and all these are
the beginning of sorrows. The end is not yet,
but all of these are the beginning of sorrows.
I think sorrow is upon us. Paul would tell Timothy
in that second letter, third chapter, first verse,
this know also that in the last days, perilous
times shall come. I don't know how it could become
much more perilous in the world than it is now
with just speaking your faith will cost you your
life. Just by being up front and outspoken the
devil becomes so enraged that he deceives others
into taking One's life. Because of their stance
for morality, truth, and righteousness. And that
salvation is in Christ and Christ alone. How
much more perilous does this world have to become?
Our thought today is it's time for my harvest.
It's time. For my harvest. In the midst of these
perilous times, without doubt, these things are
coming to pass. They're coming to full circle
right before our very eyes. And Paul's letter
to Rome in 3 and 11, he says, And that knowing
the time that now it is high time to awake out
of sleep, for now is our salvation nearer than
when we believed. For many people out in the
world, for many believers, they are in a condition
of... Being unsure of the will of God. What is
God's will? John 3, 17 tells us, we know 16,
he loved the world and gave his only begotten
son. But 17 declares, for God sent not his son
into the world to condemn the world, but that
the world through him might be saved. Bottom
line, first order of principle is mankind's salvation.
That is the will of God. Why? Because he's not
willing that any should perish, but that all
should come unto repentance. I saw something
the other day that really stirred me well. Somebody
said, well, why would such a loving God send
people to hell? And the answer was from the preacher.
He said, God doesn't send you to hell. You choose
to go there. He sent every way, every means possible
for you not to end up in hell. So if you go,
you choose to go. You choose to be there. He
sent his son into the world, not that it would
be condemned, but that it might find restoration,
that it might find and have redemption. Peter
writes in his second letter, 3 and 9, the Lord
is not slack concerning his promise, as some
men count slackness, but is longsuffering to
usward, not willing that any should perish, that
all should come to repentance. When we get down
to getting the harvest and receiving the harvest
for our life, the first thing you have to do
is change your perspective. There must be a perspective
change in our life. You've got to change the
way. Simply put, from the Latin root, perspective
means to look through or to perceive. And it's
simplest, a point of view. You've got to change
the way you see the world. This is what Jesus
is saying to those. who are around him. Say ye
not ye that it's four months and then the harvest,
but his declaration is this, lift up your eyes.
You've got to change your perspective. We have
a harvest in many different ways. He's talking
about a global harvest. We think about church
harvest. We think about a physical harvest. It's
almost time to start getting in the beans and
they're going to start combining beans. There's
some cornfields already been gone through. Others
will be coming, but there is a harvest also spiritually.
Folks, you need to understand. that you've not
been left out on an island and it is time for
a harvest in your life. There is time for replenishing.
There's time for renewal. There's time for restoration.
And your time is now. But you have to lift up
your eyes. I believe God is ushering us into
a season of a move of his spirit that we've not
encountered in several years. And I feel God
stirring in my heart and in my soul that our
harvest time is now. But our perspective has
to change. You can't look at church the way you've
always looked at church. You've got to get a
different view. You've got to take a different
viewpoint. You've got a different way of seeing
things. You've got to look around you and see
what it is that the Spirit wants you to see.
See what your eyes are being opened to and then
understand the power of the dynamics of God's
grace and the inner workings of the Holy Ghost
to move that people come in and there's just
a drawing and a pulling. They don't know why
they end up down here. They just end up down
here and pouring their hearts out. because they
need God to help them. They need help in a mighty
way. The time is now, and your perspective and
my perspective must change as we go about the
world. We've got to lift up our eyes and look.
What did the psalmist say? Lift up mine eyes,
I will look into the Lord. Where does my help
come from? I'll lift up mine eyes into the hills.
From which cometh my help? My help comes from
the Lord. Somebody needs to hear it this morning.
Your help comes from the Lord. You've got to
change your perspective. Stop looking horizontally.
Stop looking at what's around you. Stop looking
at the dilemma and the problem and all the hell
that's unleashed against you and lift up your
eyes. Jesus said lift up and look. The psalmist
said lift up and look. It's time that we lift
our eyes toward the heavens. Your help will come
from the Lord. You've got to change your perspective.
You've got to change your point of view and know
that with God all things are possible to those
who believe. It's perspective. It's how you see
it, how you determine. Philippians 4, 8 says,
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true,
honest, just, pure, lovely, whatsoever things
are, they good report. Right? If there be any
virtue and if there be any praise, think on these
things. You and I both know that we are inundated
through social media and every other media output
with negativity. That's all you get. That's all
you hear. You're flooded with it. Can I tell
you, some of you need to turn that junk off.
I think you need to get away from Fox News or
any other news. I've done away with that mess.
No, no, no, no, no, no. I'm just looking to the
Lord. Like I said before, I don't even really
trust the weather. It wasn't supposed to rain
today. I come out to go to the church this morning,
and it was raining at the house. I said, where
did this come from? Not complaining we need it,
but wasn't expecting it. I like to expect it.
Don't you? That's the reason you don't have to
be caught off guard when Jesus comes. If you're
expecting him, your perspective will be changed.
If you're looking to know that I've got to live
right today, I can't act like that today. I can't
talk like that today. I can't watch that today.
The Lord may just come today. I don't know when
he's coming. Today could be the hour. Oh, Lord,
and we begin to tune. I tune my ear for the trumpet.
Hallelujah. I'm listening for the alarm. Amen.
That there is a quickening coming my way. As
soon as I hear the trumpet, I'm going to hold
on and say, Change me, Lord, real quick in the
moment in that twinkling of that eye. Change
me, Lord, so that I'm ready to go. Let's go.
Your perspective must change. When you look at
the evil that is in this world, don't be inundated
by the evil. Amen. You're in this world. You're
not of this world. What's in you is greater than
he that is in this world. It's the love of God.
It's the love of God that's in you. I'm getting
a little deeper than the cliff notes. Let me
move on. Number two, you have to have a new perspective
of faith. You have to see things all differently.
Then your viewpoint and your faith has to change.
You, me, we, we're going to have to release our
faith to another level to begin to believe God
for bigger things. Because he's a great big God.
And I think some of us are living beneath our
true privilege as children of God. And it's our
faith that must be released in him and our trust
and our confidence in him that will enable us.
You can live this life through him, not without
him. You can live it. Your faith must go to the
next level. When we understand that we're not
looking for something that is lost, God's will
is not lost. We don't try to find God's will.
We simply live God's will. We let the mind of
Christ be in us. We let holiness be a part of
our life, for that is the will of God. The will
of God is that we be the expressed image of his
son to a lost and dying world. That the light
that is in you becomes the hope of humanity.
That the glorious love of Christ is leashed unto
others. And they find it, experience it. because
of the hope that is in you, that we show every
man the hope that resides in us. Romans 12 and
2, and be not conformed to this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind, that
you may prove what is that good and acceptable
and perfect, say it with me, will of God. That's
the will of God, that you separate yourself from
the actions, deeds, works, character of the world.
For it is a reasonable service on our part to
present ourselves as living sacrifices. Totally
surrendered to his great help. So we lift our
eyes. We get new perspectives. It's far past
time that some of you have a new refreshed vision
of what life is. And it is a life through faith.
And trusting faith without works is dead. The
substance. A faith is, it's the evidence of things
not seen. Verse 6, Hebrews 11 chapter, for without
faith it's impossible to please him, but he is
a rewarder of those who diligently seek him.
Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word
of God. It's the Word of God that delivers. It's
the preaching and the proclamation of the Word
of God that sets men's hearts free. But how will
they hear without a preacher? And how will they
preach without being sent? Faith cometh by hearing
and hearing by the Word of God. And we now move
from faith to faith as we move from glory to
glory because there's grace to grace to empower
us daily. So after we have a new perspective
of faith, we have to have a new perspective of
the future. And I'm going to close with this.
I believe I've done that in 16 minutes. You have
to have a new perspective of the future. When
you have a new perspective of faith, your new
faith will say greater is he that's in you than
he that is in this world. A fresher and a refreshed
viewpoint of faith declares as Isaiah 54, 17,
no weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper.
You'll hear Romans 8, 28 in your sleep. All things
work together for good to them that love God
and to them who are the called according to his
purpose. That becomes an indictment against every
bad thing that's happening in your life. When
through faith, you allow the word of God to encourage
your situation. Because you're not facing anything
that someone else hadn't faced. It's just new
to you. It's new to me. I've not been in this
crisis before. Right? This is something new.
This is different. But they're all categorized
under all things. Right? All things work together.
It doesn't say all things are good. It says it
works to the good. All things work together for
good to them that love God, to them who are the
called according to his purposes. There are some
things in our lives that are coming against us
that are not. innately good. Sickness is not
good. Disease isn't good. Poverty isn't good.
Right? Mental anguish is not good. Emotional
distress is not good. Depression's not good.
An oppressed, sad feeling all the time is not
good. That's not good. But faith in Christ And
the power of God's Word brings good from those
things. Doesn't mean that they're going to be
good. Doesn't mean that stuff's good. It's hard.
Right? Those knees rubbing bone to bone, you
trying to get up and do what you got to do, there's
no good in that. But somewhere along the way
through the dilemma that we find ourselves in,
by having trusting faith in God's grace and power,
somewhere there's some good going to come from
it. And may I add to you that the good may not
be to you. The good may actually come out through
you. Perspective, are you hearing me? Perspective,
the good may come through you, not to you. And
then by virtue of it coming through you, it becomes
good for you. My, my, my. I hope our stenographer
got that. All things. Faith increases. So much
so that you know if God be for you, then who
can be against you? So much so to the Thessalonians,
the first letter Paul wrote, 518, in everything
give thanks. In everything. One of those all
things. In everything give thanks. For this is
the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
See, we don't, we don't, there's this thing in
our human nature that says I'm not accepting
that. That can't be God's will. Well, he's led
you to wherever you are. And his sovereignty
in some way or another has permitted and allowed
the situations that are occurring in our life.
Was he not faithful to Job? Can we say God was
unfaithful to Job when he lost everything he
had and all the devastation that happened in
his life? Is it fair to say that God let him
down? No good came, didn't it? Good came. Everything
that he had, he got double back, except for children,
and Sister Job was probably happy. That would
have put her at about 30. She had 10. Job was
blessed. Joseph, did everything that happened
to Joseph, was all that stuff good? Was his brothers
wanting to kill him good, throw him in the pit,
drug him out, sold him to the Ishmaelites, in
slavery, in Egypt of all places? Was all that
good? No, but the outcome was. Are you beginning
to follow me? Change your perspective about where
you are and what you're going through. Again,
it may not be good for you until it comes all
the way through you. All things. 2 Corinthians
12, 9. Faith increases and receives. My grace
is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made
perfect in weakness. I'm about as weak in one
way as I've ever been in my life. In one sense
of this word, I'm about as weak as I've ever
been in that certain area. But you know what
I'm finding every day? The all -sufficiency of
his grace. It's not easy for me to admit that
I'm not doing as well in certain areas as I would
like to. How many of you, you like to? No, we
don't like to admit that stuff. We like to think
we're the woo -hoo. You know? The bag of chips
and the bologna sandwich. And you find out you're
not even the chip in the bag, let alone the whole
bag. You have to trust him for his grace. They're
getting the food ready, so they'll be ready when
we get there. I got time. Faith increased will
give you a new perspective for the future. That
future looks a lot like John's on the Isle of
Patmos. They'd done everything they could to
try to kill the old prophet, the old apostle,
and take him out, but they couldn't. So they
thought, we'll just get him away from town. We'll
put him over on Patmos. But it's there in the
first chapter that John finds himself in the
Spirit on the Lord's day. Oh, you're not going
to make me preach that, are you? ostracized,
attacked, hot pot of oil, and he's still going.
Now he's separated and he's put on an island.
Not a paradise either. It's Patmos. Look it up.
Google it. But it was there in everything that
had come against John that John found himself
in the Spirit. Can I tell you, you've got to
get in the Spirit. Your perspective has got to
change. Get out of the flesh and move into the
Spirit. How do I do that? You get in your Word.
You get on your knees and you pray. You worship
privately. Whether you can carry a tune to bucket
or not, it doesn't matter. You lift your voice.
and you empty your heart with praises unto him,
and you will find that the Spirit finds you,
and you're in the Spirit. Well, hallelujah. And
it doesn't have to be the Lord's day, which is
saying it could be any day. You have to change
your perspective of the future. Remember what
Jeremiah, the Spirit moved on the prophet, and
he said, I know the thoughts that I have concerning
you. They are good and not evil and therefore
an expected end. There's an expected end for
you. It's not this old world. You have to change
your perspective toward the future. And you have
to know that Christ who was crucified is not
on a cross. He's not in a tomb. But he is in
the heavenly throne room with the Father at the
throne to his right hand. It's where he is. You
have to get this perspective. And when you hear
the word declared over your life, greater is
he that's in me than he that is in this world,
then that picture immediately comes to your mind.
The picture that John sees, the portrait of the
Christ when he's in the Spirit on the Lord's
day. He said, I heard a loud voice behind me.
Sounded like trumpets and rushing water. I heard
this behind me. And he said, and I turned to
see the voice. How impressive was the voice.
He said, and I turned to see the voice. And when
I did. Here's what I saw. The declaration before
he turned, the voice is declaring, I am Alpha
and Omega. Woo! The beginning and the end. He
who was and is and is to come. And John says,
I turned to see. And then I beheld him. Said
he had eyes like fire. This white, radiant garment.
Feet shining. Like brass. Hair. As woven wool.
And I saw him. The image that John would paint
later would be one that's standing as a lamb
that was slain. That vesture covered in blood.
John would record that I saw him on a white horse.
He had a sword in his hand. He had this name
on his thigh. And out of his mouth, I'm talking
about changing your perspective. I know all the
evil that's going on in this world. I'm trying
to get you to lift your eyes up above this world.
Just for a moment this morning. Get your eyes
lifted up above this world. Your harvest is on
its way. It's time for your harvest. Because
he is on his way. Before John finishes Revelation.
Chapter 19, he says, you can stand, I'm going
to quit with this. John said, and I saw heaven
open. Behold a white horse and he that upon him
was called faithful and true. And in righteousness
he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as
a flame of fire and on his head were many crowns.
And he had a name written that no man knew but
he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture
dipped in the blood. And his name is called the
Word of God. Get this image. And the armies which
were in heaven followed him upon white horses,
clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out
of his mouth goeth a sharp sword. that with it
he should smite the nations, and he shall rule
them with a rod of iron. And he treadeth the
winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty
God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh
a name written, King of kings, Lord of lords.
And I saw an angel standing in the sun. He cried
with a loud voice saying to all the fowls that
fly in the midst of heaven, come and gather yourselves
together into the supper of the great God. John
goes on to see the beast and he begins to see
elders that are worshiping. John's perspective
changes. And he's commanded to write so that
all can read and be encouraged. I know this old
world's in bad shape. I know our nation is trembling.
I know that spiritually it's in as bad a shape
as it's ever been. And the divisive rhetoric
that is spewed every day. It's sinking the wedge
in this nation. Whether you see it or not, it
is. Lines are being drawn. Sides are being separated.
And you know what happens next. Without a move
of God. That's when nations begin to... shake
and shudder when they begin to think that they
are unmovable. Even mighty Rome crumbled. And
every empire throughout the ages has fallen.
That's the reason for a nation to be great. It
must be an humble nation. Blessed is the nation
whose God is the Lord. And so if the senseless
murder of one can be the alarm that wakens the
many, let us awaken. Let us stir ourselves up.
Let's wake up. Let's make up our minds. Are you
in or are you out? There's no middle ground.
What did John say as he records the words of
the Lord? I'd rather you be hot or cold for the
lukewarm. But spew now. There's a decision -making
coming time, and the church is embroaching it
now. Are we in or are we out? Father, I love
you today. I'm in. Hopewell Church of God, Lord,
we're in. We're in. Thy will be done in our life.
Have your way, have your will. Use us, Lord,
to be a beacon of light to a lost and dying world.
I thank you for your grace. I thank you for your
help this morning, Lord. Be with your people
today. Lord, bless our fellowship together. As
the church, the body of Christ, we fellowship,
we break bread, we eat a meal, we eat it together.
Thank you for everyone that prepared a meal,
brought a dish. Let your blessings be upon them
as the dish is blessed. As we go in grace, Lord,
we go in peace. We go in the name of Jesus Christ.
Amen. God bless you. Thank you so much for being
here today. What a wonderful day. What a wonderful,
wonderful day. Amen. If you're visiting with
us, stop by this booth to my left on your way
out. We have something special for you. If you're
first time here with us today, we want to bless
you and let you know how much we appreciate you.
We want our super seniors to start heading toward
the fellowship hall. And directions will be given
to you down there. We want you to stay and eat.
We've got some good meatloaf, chicken casserole,
and all the good stuff to go with it. God bless
you. Thank you.