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Welcome to the Word of the Lord, the weekly television

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broadcast of Living Word Christian Church, proclaiming

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the good news of the gospel of the Lord Jesus

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Christ. Pastor Mark Clements, in -depth, relevant

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biblical teachings will help you in life and

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living in today's world. Now, let's join Pastor

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Clements in the service already in progress.

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And we're taking up, we're not making very fast

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progress. But that's all right, isn't it? Yeah.

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Thorough as opposed to speedy. We've been talking

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since the first of the year, and the Lord prompted

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me, spoke to me, directed me to teach on what

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we believe and why we believe it. What we believe

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and why we believe it. If it's something that

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I believe, if it's something that I embrace,

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if it's something that I cling to, if it's something

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that I am established on, if it's something that

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I'm trusting in, I better know it's true. I better

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know it's true. See, we just had a verse up here.

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And by the way, welcome to all of you who are

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streaming. Seem to have a little dry cough this

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morning, but I know many of you are struggling

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physically with some things, with some symptoms.

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I've been in prayer for you this morning and

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will be yet again this afternoon and this evening.

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And we're lifting you up. I trust you've already

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benefited from this service. great time worshiping

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our God and then receiving those elements of

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communion. And I want to encourage you, as I

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encourage all, to receive those elements for

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yourself. It wasn't just His body and His blood

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that was shed for the entire body of Christ.

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It was shed for me. His body was broken for me.

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And really examine yourself. Now sometimes, sometimes

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we hear those words Before you receive communion,

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examine yourself. And we think about sin. Well,

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certainly that can be one application. Examine

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your attitude. Examine your words. Examine your

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activities and conduct and acts and works. And

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yet 2 Corinthians 13 verse 5 says examine yourself

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whether you be in faith. Examine yourself whether

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you be in faith. And I do that. I'll take...

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Communion is more than just a quarter of a cracker

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and not even one little sip of juice. It's am

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I in faith? Am I receiving these elements? Appropriating

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the blessings of God's covenant made available

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through his son. Examine yourself. Are you in

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faith? We've been taking up what I believe and

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why I believe it. There's got to be a why behind

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what I believe. I've told you many times, I'm

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not ashamed of it. I'm not happy about it. I'd

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be a lot farther ahead, I believe, if I wouldn't

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have been raised that way. But I was raised,

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and good morning again, those of you streaming

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with us. Glad you're here. I was raised to believe

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that God changes his mind. You just never know

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what God's going to do. He might get up on the

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right side of the bed. He might get up on the

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wrong side of the bed. Then I read my Bible and

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said, he don't go to bed. Neither sleeps or slumbers.

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I was raised to believe that sometimes God will

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answer one way and the next time He asks for

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the same thing under the same circumstances,

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He answers a different way. Then I read my Bible.

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It says there's not even a shadow of turning

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in God. That He's the same yesterday, today,

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and forever. Hebrews 13 .8 Malachi 3 .6 I am

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the Lord. I change not. I was told he changed.

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He changed from one part of the Bible to another

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part of the Bible. That somehow he changed. And

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he changed from being an ogre and mean and ornery

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and nasty and judgmental. And then now he's a

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pushover. He didn't get away with anything. The

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God of the Bible has never changed and he never

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will. this little bit of history of human beings

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on a planet that he created. You know, I saw

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one of the most ridiculous things yesterday I've

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seen in a long time. Someone trying to explain

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to me why the Earth was tilted on its axis. And

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it was in a little article about astronomy. And

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you can go out and look at the moon. And if you've

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ever wondered where the moon came from, and then

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it said, here's what we believe happened. It

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made my head hurt just reading it. That the moon

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was actually a screaming comet through the sky

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and it smashed into Earth so hard that it tilted

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it onto its axis 23 and a half degrees and then

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bounced off and hung there in space and has never

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moved since. Where's the flat spot? You run your

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head into a wall, let alone a planet hard enough

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to cause it to 23. And why did it stop at 23

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and a half? And why isn't it still doing this?

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Take a beach ball out in the pool and just hit

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it with your finger and it's just going. And

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it's tilted at 23 and a half degrees because

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that's the absolute perfect angle to cause there

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to be seasons on the planet Earth as it revolves

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around the sun. And the earth is hung there on

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purpose to be read in the book of Genesis. How

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about this? How about take that whole article

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and just white out the whole thing and said,

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God said. And it was so. God created the heavens

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and the earth. And one day he said there'll be

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a great light for the day and a lesser light

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for the night. And I mean, that thing tracks

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28 days and it's never varied for the history

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of the world. It's never changed. You can set

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your calendar by it. They do. I've got a fishing

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calendar. It'll tell me what day the full moon

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is on, what day the half moon is on, what day

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the darker the moon is going to be on for the

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next 25 years. For the next 250 years. It's not

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going to change. Now one day it's going to change

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because this heaven and earth as we know it will

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be replaced by a new heavens and a new earth

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wherein dwelleth righteousness which will be

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filled with the glory of God. Amen. Why do we

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believe that? Because we've seen it? Because

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so -and -so predicted it? Because we think that's

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the most plausible explanation? No, we say it

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because it's in the Bible. When this church,

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when we as a church, as an assembly of God's

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people, Answer the question, why do you believe

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what you believe? The answer is debated by some,

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disagreed with by many, but it's absolute and

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it's simple to us because the Bible tells me

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so. Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible

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tells me so. Now, for years, I didn't believe

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that there was a benefit to believers called

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the baptism with the Holy Spirit. I didn't believe

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it because I'd never heard of it. Never heard

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about it. When I started asking people in our

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church where we were attending, when I started

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asking them about it, they said, well, that's

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not for us today. I said, well, then who's it

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for? Well, that was just for the early church.

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Well, who's the early church? And then finally,

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they just said, you ask too many questions. I

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couldn't get anybody to talk to me. And I would

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read my Bible and I'd read things. I couldn't

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find anything about the early church or when

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the last apostle died. I couldn't find any of

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that. All I found was on the day of Pentecost,

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Jesus, Jesus told, Jesus, remember Jesus? Yeah,

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Jesus told him, don't leave Jerusalem until you

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are endued with power from on high. John truly

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baptized you with water, but you'll be baptized

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with the Holy Ghost not many days from now. And

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seven days later, they were up there in the upper

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room, just praising God, singing, worshiping,

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having a great time. You just thought there was

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spirit filled already. And there came a sound

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from heaven as a rushing mighty wind filled all

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the house where they were assembled. And every

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one of them were filled with the Holy Spirit

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and spoke with other tongues as the Spirit gave

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them utterance. And then he never went back.

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He never went back. He's still here. Yeah, he's

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still here. And then right in that same chapter

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when Peter was preaching and he preached in verse

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38 and 39 of that particular verse, because then

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I'd go to my church and I'd say to some leadership

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in that church, well, here's what the Bible says

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happened on the day of Pentecost. They said,

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yeah, but that's not for us. Well, first thing

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they said was, well, that's not what he was talking

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about. That's not what Jesus was talking about.

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Well, I looked at what Peter read in that chapter

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and it said, this is that. This is that which

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was spoken by the prophet Joel. So you say that

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this wasn't that, but Peter said this is that.

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This is that that Joel prophesied and that Jesus

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said was going to come. This is that right here.

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Well, yeah, but it's not for us. And then I just

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kept reading in the chapter. And in Acts chapter

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2, verse 38 and verse 39, then this is what I

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read. Peter said to them, repent, be baptized

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every one of you in the name of Jesus for the

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remission of sins, and you shall receive the

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gift of the Holy Ghost. For this promise is for

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you. That's what it says. I mean, the devil lied

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to me. I had misinformed people. I don't think

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they were lying to me. I don't think they were.

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purposely trying to steer me away from one of

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the greatest benefits that will come into the

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life of any believer and every believer. I don't

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think they were doing that on purpose. They were

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victims of false doctrine, just like I was at

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that particular point. It says this promise is

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for you and your children and all that are far

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off. That'd be us. Many is the Lord our God shall

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call. Why do we believe that Jesus hung on a

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cross and died? Because the Bible says he did.

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And people, they can't wrap their puny imagination,

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little brain around it. And so they say, well,

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he didn't really die. Well, you say he didn't,

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but the Bible says he did. He died. He was buried.

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He was there for three days and nights. He descended

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into the lower parts of the earth and into the

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abyss. He suffered there just like Jonah did

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in the whale's belly. And then he was raised

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from the dead. And then he ascended up on high.

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And on and on and on, all through the Bible.

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Well, that's the basis of our faith. The basis

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of what we believe is not what we feel. It's

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not what we see. It's not what some other person

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said. It's not, now we're going to wrap this

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up and finish this up today. It's not some spectacular

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or supernatural experience that I or someone

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else has had. It's because it's in the pages.

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Of Scripture. God is eternal with no beginning

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and no end. Why do we believe that? Nothing else

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in life is like that, Pastor. Everything has

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a beginning. Everything is end. Why would we

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believe that? Because the Bible says it. Because

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the Bible, the Word of God, the inerrant, eternal,

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inspired in its entirety, Bible says so. And

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so we took that whole first week. And we just

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gave you scripture after verse, after reference

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from the Bible about the Bible itself. That John

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17, 17 says, it is truth. That 2 Timothy 3, 16

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and 17 says, it's inspired in its entirety. That

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Hebrews chapter 4, verse 12 says, it's alive

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and powerful. That 1 Thessalonians 2, 13 says,

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it's not the words of a mere man. But as it is

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in truth, the word of God, and it produces results

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in the lives of those who believe it. Matthew

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24, 35, we gave you that heaven and earth will

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pass away, but my word will never pass away.

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Psalm 119, verse 89, forever, O Lord, your word

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is settled in heaven. 1 Peter 1, 23 -25, it says

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this is the word of God that you're born again

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by. And in those verses, it says the grass withers

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and the flower fades, but the word of God endures

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forever. The Word of God endures forever. In

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Jeremiah 1 .12, we see that God watches over

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His Word to perform it. In Isaiah 46 .11, He

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said, I said it, I'll do it. I promised it, I'll

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perform it. In Isaiah 55 .11, He said, My Word

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shall not return to me void or without accomplishing.

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It will accomplish what I send it to do and prosper

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in what I send it to. Mark 16 .20, He watches

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over His Word to perform it. I love these verses,

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Psalm 19 and verse, matter of fact, long as we're

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here in Psalm 19, we don't have to just read

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the eighth verse, we'll read verse seven too.

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Psalm 19 and verse seven, the word of God is

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perfect. Well now. See, the instruction. I just

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looked that up as I was meditating these verses

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again last night and looked that up. And some

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say the commandments. Some say the instructions

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of the Lord. Some say the statutes of the Lord.

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The word of the Lord. The law of the Lord is...

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Come on, help me. The law of the Lord is... Remember

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that in just a minute when we get to 1 Corinthians

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13. Please remember that. The word of God is...

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Perfect. Converting the soul, the testimonies

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of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.

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Verse 8, the statutes of the Lord are right.

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I love the simplicity of my Bible. God is right.

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Yeah, right. Rejoicing the heart, the commandment

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of the Lord is pure. enlightening the eyes. And

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we're not going to go through, I'm not going

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to go through that entire section that we did.

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We preached that. You can go on our website and

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you can glean from and benefit from that. We

00:14:54.059 --> 00:14:58.120
took up a section on what the benefit of God's

00:14:58.120 --> 00:15:00.019
word is to your and my life, that we're born

00:15:00.019 --> 00:15:03.250
again by it. That it's life to us who find it.

00:15:03.289 --> 00:15:05.750
That it's health to all of our flesh. That he

00:15:05.750 --> 00:15:08.509
sent his word and healed us. That it's the word,

00:15:08.570 --> 00:15:11.669
the bread of life that we live by. That it renews

00:15:11.669 --> 00:15:13.769
our mind. That it saves our soul. That it's the

00:15:13.769 --> 00:15:16.450
sword of the spirit. The only offensive part

00:15:16.450 --> 00:15:19.389
of our armor. That faith comes by hearing. That

00:15:19.389 --> 00:15:22.370
we're sanctified by his word. That Psalm 119

00:15:22.370 --> 00:15:25.169
verse 165 says, Great peace have they which love

00:15:25.169 --> 00:15:28.190
thy law. And verse 130 says, There's light and

00:15:28.190 --> 00:15:29.750
there's understanding. We talked about other

00:15:29.750 --> 00:15:32.730
verses that promise blessing. Blessing. Blessing.

00:15:32.730 --> 00:15:35.850
And then we ended in 2 Peter, and I want you

00:15:35.850 --> 00:15:40.570
to turn there, 2 Peter chapter 1. 2 Peter chapter

00:15:40.570 --> 00:15:46.470
1. The Bible never gets old. 2 Peter chapter

00:15:46.470 --> 00:15:54.129
1. And we talked about the virgin birth, the

00:15:54.129 --> 00:15:57.190
Red Sea parting, Jonah being three days and nights

00:15:57.190 --> 00:15:59.889
in the dark, smelly belly of the very big fish.

00:16:01.009 --> 00:16:04.269
Heaven and the existence of heaven and the makeup

00:16:04.269 --> 00:16:08.110
of heaven and the inhabitants of heaven and hell

00:16:08.110 --> 00:16:11.529
and the existence of hell and the makeup of hell

00:16:11.529 --> 00:16:14.610
and the inhabitants of hell. We talked about

00:16:14.610 --> 00:16:17.870
Noah's Ark, Saul meeting Jesus on the road to

00:16:17.870 --> 00:16:21.649
Damascus, David slaying Goliath, the manna coming

00:16:21.649 --> 00:16:24.129
out of heaven, water coming out of a rock, three

00:16:24.129 --> 00:16:26.610
Hebrew boys walking through a fire, the bones

00:16:26.610 --> 00:16:32.659
of Elijah, Jesus died, Jesus... Was buried. Jesus

00:16:32.659 --> 00:16:35.519
on the third day rose again. Jesus ascended into

00:16:35.519 --> 00:16:39.740
heaven. And Jesus will return. And why do we

00:16:39.740 --> 00:16:41.860
believe those things? Because the Bible teaches

00:16:41.860 --> 00:16:44.200
them. Because the Bible reveals them. Because

00:16:44.200 --> 00:16:48.059
the Bible tells me so. That's why. Now here,

00:16:48.179 --> 00:16:52.259
maybe, possibly, the most powerful statements

00:16:52.259 --> 00:16:55.679
in regard to God's Word that we have recorded

00:16:55.679 --> 00:16:58.580
for us. But they are recorded for us. These are

00:16:58.580 --> 00:17:00.679
for our admonition. These are for our enlightenment.

00:17:00.799 --> 00:17:05.220
These are to help us through life. And it says

00:17:05.220 --> 00:17:08.759
that verse 14, the Lord showed Peter that he

00:17:08.759 --> 00:17:12.720
was going to have to put off that body. And he

00:17:12.720 --> 00:17:16.380
said in verse 15, after I endeavor that after

00:17:16.380 --> 00:17:20.039
I'm deceased, you'll have these things in your

00:17:20.039 --> 00:17:22.819
remembrance. And so what Peter was saying there

00:17:22.819 --> 00:17:29.490
is what a good number of quality. faithful servants

00:17:29.490 --> 00:17:32.750
of God have said since that time. And that is,

00:17:32.849 --> 00:17:35.549
I hope after I'm gone, you don't remember my

00:17:35.549 --> 00:17:38.130
voice. You don't remember my suit jackets. You

00:17:38.130 --> 00:17:40.470
don't remember the car I drove. You don't remember

00:17:40.470 --> 00:17:44.789
the jokes I told. You don't remember how handsome

00:17:44.789 --> 00:17:49.690
I was. Yeah, thank you. Thank you, Mrs. Clements.

00:17:50.509 --> 00:17:53.309
No, no, after my decease, I want you to remember

00:17:53.309 --> 00:17:56.440
the things I told you from God's word. Because

00:17:56.440 --> 00:17:58.039
that's the thing that's going to change you.

00:17:58.140 --> 00:18:00.099
That's the thing that's going to help you. That's

00:18:00.099 --> 00:18:01.880
the thing that's going to develop you. That's

00:18:01.880 --> 00:18:03.359
the thing that's going to strengthen you when

00:18:03.359 --> 00:18:05.740
you feel weak. That's the thing that's going

00:18:05.740 --> 00:18:08.299
to buoy up your trust in the God who you can't

00:18:08.299 --> 00:18:10.420
see, can't touch, can't taste, can't hear, can't

00:18:10.420 --> 00:18:15.119
feel. And you can know Him not by the sunrise,

00:18:15.359 --> 00:18:17.759
not by the sunset. You can know Him by the Word

00:18:17.759 --> 00:18:21.720
of God. So after my decease, I want you to have

00:18:21.720 --> 00:18:24.420
these things in remembrance. Verse 16, for we

00:18:24.420 --> 00:18:30.539
have not followed cunningly devised fables, cleverly

00:18:30.539 --> 00:18:33.980
designed myths and stories. It says in the margin

00:18:33.980 --> 00:18:38.259
of my Bible. Now we tell stories and use them

00:18:38.259 --> 00:18:40.859
as examples, but that's not what we believe.

00:18:41.539 --> 00:18:45.859
We believe chapter and verse. We believe God's

00:18:45.859 --> 00:18:49.380
word. We've not followed cunningly devised stories

00:18:49.380 --> 00:18:52.180
when we made known to you the power and coming

00:18:52.180 --> 00:18:55.859
of the Lord Jesus Christ, but we're eyewitnesses

00:18:55.859 --> 00:18:59.599
of his majesty. So he says right there, I saw

00:18:59.599 --> 00:19:02.940
him. And he's going to start referencing here

00:19:02.940 --> 00:19:09.960
Matthew chapter 17. What's the date? The 19th.

00:19:11.720 --> 00:19:15.730
So two days ago, Friday the 17th. chapter of

00:19:15.730 --> 00:19:19.170
Matthew was our Bible reading for that particular

00:19:19.170 --> 00:19:21.769
day. If you're following that Bible reading plan

00:19:21.769 --> 00:19:24.490
that most of us are here in this church congregation.

00:19:25.529 --> 00:19:28.890
But he says, we were there and I was an eyewitness

00:19:28.890 --> 00:19:31.150
of his majesty. That means he saw him with his

00:19:31.150 --> 00:19:34.880
actual naked eye. And he did. He went up there

00:19:34.880 --> 00:19:38.059
with James and John and Jesus was transfigured

00:19:38.059 --> 00:19:40.480
before them and became glistening white in the

00:19:40.480 --> 00:19:43.339
glory of God all around them. Even seeing into

00:19:43.339 --> 00:19:47.160
the realm of spirits and saw Elijah and Moses.

00:19:48.079 --> 00:19:51.099
Even commented about it. And then a voice came

00:19:51.099 --> 00:19:53.319
right out of heaven. This is my beloved son.

00:19:54.319 --> 00:19:56.539
And he's going to reference both of those right

00:19:56.539 --> 00:19:58.660
here. He's going to say we were eyewitnesses

00:19:58.660 --> 00:20:01.839
of his majesty. Verse 16, verse 17. He received

00:20:01.839 --> 00:20:06.049
from God the Father honor. and glory, when there

00:20:06.049 --> 00:20:10.710
came a voice to Him from the exalted, from the

00:20:10.710 --> 00:20:16.309
excellent glory, this is my beloved Son, in whom

00:20:16.309 --> 00:20:18.869
I'm well pleased. And this voice which came from

00:20:18.869 --> 00:20:22.490
heaven, we heard. And so Peter's saying right

00:20:22.490 --> 00:20:25.569
here, we saw the Lord Jesus in all of His resurrected

00:20:25.569 --> 00:20:28.970
glory, and we heard the voice of God the Father

00:20:28.970 --> 00:20:33.210
from heaven itself. when we were with him on

00:20:33.210 --> 00:20:36.170
the holy mount and then he says this in verse

00:20:36.170 --> 00:20:44.970
19 20 and 21 we have also a more sure word now

00:20:44.970 --> 00:20:47.049
i'm not a greek scholar i've got a number of

00:20:47.049 --> 00:20:49.890
of greek study helps and i'm not sure how to

00:20:49.890 --> 00:20:52.710
pronounce this word but it's spelled b -e -b

00:20:52.710 --> 00:20:56.690
-a -i -o -t -e -r -a -s i don't know how to pronounce

00:20:56.690 --> 00:21:01.869
that beatrice or something like that But here's

00:21:01.869 --> 00:21:05.769
what it means. It means certain, stable, immutable,

00:21:05.990 --> 00:21:10.609
dependable, and reliable. And he says we have

00:21:10.609 --> 00:21:14.609
a more certain, a more stable, a more immutable,

00:21:14.829 --> 00:21:19.250
a more dependable, and a more reliable word of

00:21:19.250 --> 00:21:22.789
prophecy. And you would do well if you would

00:21:22.789 --> 00:21:26.609
take heed. And that means fix your eyes and your

00:21:26.609 --> 00:21:29.839
gaze upon it. You'd do well if you would fix

00:21:29.839 --> 00:21:33.880
your eyes and gaze upon this word as a light

00:21:33.880 --> 00:21:36.500
shining in a dark place until the day comes and

00:21:36.500 --> 00:21:38.819
the day star rises in your hearts, knowing this

00:21:38.819 --> 00:21:44.240
verse, that no prophecy of the Scripture is of

00:21:44.240 --> 00:21:48.079
any private interpretation. It's not by any single

00:21:48.079 --> 00:21:53.000
man's idea. For this prophecy came not in old

00:21:53.000 --> 00:21:57.940
time by the will of man. But holy men of God

00:21:57.940 --> 00:22:02.539
spoke as they were moved, as they were motivated,

00:22:02.759 --> 00:22:08.039
as they were impelled by the Holy Spirit. We

00:22:08.039 --> 00:22:09.779
go back to Timothy and it says, all Scripture

00:22:09.779 --> 00:22:12.380
is given by inspiration of God. See, the Holy

00:22:12.380 --> 00:22:15.039
Spirit inspired them and they wrote in accordance

00:22:15.039 --> 00:22:17.220
with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The

00:22:17.220 --> 00:22:21.119
Scriptures are inspired. Now there's a word along

00:22:21.119 --> 00:22:24.829
in those verses. And it's contained in all three

00:22:24.829 --> 00:22:28.289
of those verses, and that's prophecy. Again,

00:22:28.430 --> 00:22:31.029
verse 19, we have a more sure word of prophecy.

00:22:31.309 --> 00:22:33.309
See, what does that mean, we have a more sure

00:22:33.309 --> 00:22:35.529
word of prophecy? A more certain, more stable,

00:22:35.630 --> 00:22:37.470
more reliable, more dependable, more immutable

00:22:37.470 --> 00:22:41.049
word than even if you heard the voice of God

00:22:41.049 --> 00:22:45.130
Himself. See, when you make God's Word... Your

00:22:45.130 --> 00:22:49.430
firm foundation. When you make God's Word the

00:22:49.430 --> 00:22:52.349
foundation of everything you believe, when you

00:22:52.349 --> 00:22:56.529
make the Word of God the solid rock and solid

00:22:56.529 --> 00:22:59.289
ground on which you stand and you judge everything

00:22:59.289 --> 00:23:03.910
else by the Word of God, you're sure, you're

00:23:03.910 --> 00:23:05.490
certain, you're reliable, you're dependable,

00:23:05.569 --> 00:23:08.950
you're immutable. And it says you'd do well if

00:23:08.950 --> 00:23:12.210
you take heed to that. But again, this word prophecy,

00:23:13.099 --> 00:23:15.500
It shows up there. It says we have a more sure

00:23:15.500 --> 00:23:17.779
word of prophecy than even if we would see with

00:23:17.779 --> 00:23:20.319
our eyes and hear with our ears. Because see,

00:23:20.339 --> 00:23:22.720
you can be deceived by what you see with your

00:23:22.720 --> 00:23:26.599
eyes. You can be deceived by what you hear with

00:23:26.599 --> 00:23:29.000
your ears. You can be deceived, sure enough,

00:23:29.059 --> 00:23:31.400
by what you don't hear with your ears, but you

00:23:31.400 --> 00:23:37.539
think you hear. But you can't be deceived with

00:23:37.539 --> 00:23:40.670
God's Word. It's stable, it's reliable, it's

00:23:40.670 --> 00:23:43.150
dependable, it's never changing, it's eternal,

00:23:43.250 --> 00:23:45.390
it's everlasting. God watches over it to perform

00:23:45.390 --> 00:23:49.130
it. It'll never pass away. It's inerrant, completely,

00:23:49.349 --> 00:23:52.809
totally. But the Bible tells us some things about

00:23:52.809 --> 00:23:56.569
prophecy. And he says here, he says in verse

00:23:56.569 --> 00:23:58.470
20, knowing this first that no prophecy of the

00:23:58.470 --> 00:24:02.190
scripture. Now he defines it. And what the prophets

00:24:02.190 --> 00:24:05.349
spoke. And for us, what the apostles recorded.

00:24:06.150 --> 00:24:10.589
That's scripture. That's Scripture. And this

00:24:10.589 --> 00:24:13.329
prophecy, the Scripture, did not come by the

00:24:13.329 --> 00:24:17.829
will of man. It came only by the will of God.

00:24:17.970 --> 00:24:20.269
Holy men of God wrote as they were moved by the

00:24:20.269 --> 00:24:23.589
Holy Spirit. Now, we took up this term, prophecy,

00:24:23.869 --> 00:24:27.450
and we looked up 1 Corinthians chapter 14. Does

00:24:27.450 --> 00:24:30.730
the Bible speak about prophecy? Absolutely, unequivocally,

00:24:30.730 --> 00:24:35.109
yes. Is prophecy one of the nine gifts of the

00:24:35.109 --> 00:24:39.299
Spirit? Found in 1 Corinthians 12, verses 8 -10.

00:24:39.740 --> 00:24:42.019
Well, let's read it and see. We'll see tongues,

00:24:42.119 --> 00:24:44.880
interpretation, prophecy. We'll see the gift

00:24:44.880 --> 00:24:47.180
of special faith, working of miracles, gifts

00:24:47.180 --> 00:24:49.579
of healings. We'll see the word of wisdom and

00:24:49.579 --> 00:24:52.680
the word of knowledge and the discerning of spirits.

00:24:53.000 --> 00:24:56.420
We'll see those nine gifts. 1 Corinthians 12,

00:24:56.619 --> 00:24:59.400
8 -10. You count them with me. For to one is

00:24:59.400 --> 00:25:04.339
given by the Spirit the word of wisdom. Anybody

00:25:04.339 --> 00:25:10.809
over here can count? How many? Word of wisdom.

00:25:10.950 --> 00:25:15.890
Word of knowledge. By the same Spirit. To another,

00:25:15.970 --> 00:25:18.950
faith. By the same Spirit. To another, gifts

00:25:18.950 --> 00:25:22.630
of healings. By the same Spirit. To another,

00:25:22.769 --> 00:25:25.869
the working of miracles. To another, prophecy.

00:25:26.589 --> 00:25:29.910
To another, discerning of spirits. To another,

00:25:30.089 --> 00:25:33.529
various kinds of tongues. To another, the interpretation

00:25:33.529 --> 00:25:37.079
of those tongues. So we saw prophecy. Prophecy

00:25:37.079 --> 00:25:39.759
is one of the nine gifts of the Spirit. All right,

00:25:39.759 --> 00:25:42.440
we look over to chapter 14, and we have some

00:25:42.440 --> 00:25:46.619
things spoken about, just a few, just the, actually,

00:25:46.740 --> 00:25:50.559
the verbal gifts, the gifts that are spoken.

00:25:50.740 --> 00:25:52.680
And that would be a tongue, an interpretation

00:25:52.680 --> 00:25:56.000
of the tongue, or a prophecy. In verse 2 says,

00:25:56.259 --> 00:25:59.480
he that speaks in an unknown tongue speaks, what

00:25:59.480 --> 00:26:03.400
does it say? Not unto men. Does not speak to

00:26:03.400 --> 00:26:05.200
men. No man understands Him in the Spirit. He

00:26:05.200 --> 00:26:08.579
speaks mysteries. But see, I heard people for

00:26:08.579 --> 00:26:11.740
the first 20 years of my life say, well, you

00:26:11.740 --> 00:26:13.759
know, when a person speaks with tongues, there's

00:26:13.759 --> 00:26:15.319
got to be somebody there that understands that

00:26:15.319 --> 00:26:19.559
language. See, I learned it's interpretation,

00:26:19.740 --> 00:26:26.240
not translation. And the Bible, in the previous

00:26:26.240 --> 00:26:28.839
chapter, calls it the tongues or languages of

00:26:28.839 --> 00:26:33.160
angels. Not the tongues of men. It says if I

00:26:33.160 --> 00:26:36.319
speak in the tongues of men and of angels. So

00:26:36.319 --> 00:26:38.500
it says here about other tongues, it says they

00:26:38.500 --> 00:26:41.579
don't speak to men. They do not speak to men.

00:26:42.420 --> 00:26:47.039
But unto who? For no man understands him. That

00:26:47.039 --> 00:26:50.349
would include myself. No man understands him

00:26:50.349 --> 00:26:52.630
in the spirit. He speaks mysteries. But he that

00:26:52.630 --> 00:26:55.750
prophesies speaks to men. And then it gives three

00:26:55.750 --> 00:26:59.730
qualifications for a prophecy to be what we would

00:26:59.730 --> 00:27:04.009
say of God. When we judge it. Not judge him or

00:27:04.009 --> 00:27:06.990
her. It. And we'll cover that here in just a

00:27:06.990 --> 00:27:09.410
second. So it says he that prophesies speaks

00:27:09.410 --> 00:27:14.490
to who? To men. You don't prophesy to God. God

00:27:14.490 --> 00:27:17.130
doesn't need to be edified. God does not need

00:27:17.130 --> 00:27:20.569
to be exhorted, and he does not need to be comforted.

00:27:21.390 --> 00:27:24.509
He's the source of all comfort. 2 Corinthians

00:27:24.509 --> 00:27:28.309
chapter 1. He's the source of all comfort. Verse

00:27:28.309 --> 00:27:30.769
3 and 4. And so he that prophesies speaks to

00:27:30.769 --> 00:27:33.849
men, and it has to fit in one of these categories.

00:27:34.309 --> 00:27:37.069
To edify, that's to build up. To exhort, that's

00:27:37.069 --> 00:27:40.130
to stir up. Or to comfort, that's to bring peace

00:27:40.130 --> 00:27:45.549
and hope and help and calmness. So that's what

00:27:45.549 --> 00:27:52.170
prophecy, defined by the Bible, does. Now there's

00:27:52.170 --> 00:27:54.210
a lot in here. We covered some of that before.

00:27:54.390 --> 00:27:56.509
So let's just get down a little bit further in

00:27:56.509 --> 00:27:59.690
the chapter here. He's going to talk about a

00:27:59.690 --> 00:28:02.210
church service. So verse 26, when you come together.

00:28:03.589 --> 00:28:07.009
When you come together. And he puts some guidelines

00:28:07.009 --> 00:28:11.289
here. He puts some boundaries down. And he says

00:28:11.289 --> 00:28:13.569
in verse 27, if anyone speaks in an unknown tongue,

00:28:13.710 --> 00:28:17.470
first he says in verse 26, every one of you has

00:28:17.470 --> 00:28:19.369
a psalm, a doctrine, a tongue, a revelation,

00:28:19.529 --> 00:28:22.089
an interpretation. Let everything be done to

00:28:22.089 --> 00:28:27.390
build others up. Edify. If any man speaks in

00:28:27.390 --> 00:28:30.609
an unknown tongue, let it be two or at most three

00:28:30.609 --> 00:28:33.029
and let one interpret. If there's no interpreter,

00:28:33.109 --> 00:28:35.049
let him keep silent and speak only to himself

00:28:35.049 --> 00:28:38.589
and God. Verse 29, let the prophet speak two

00:28:38.589 --> 00:28:42.109
or three and let the other do what? Now this

00:28:42.109 --> 00:28:46.930
is a huge component of prophecy. And it doesn't

00:28:46.930 --> 00:28:50.369
only include prophecy. It should include anything

00:28:50.369 --> 00:28:56.190
outside of God's word. Because it has to be judged

00:28:56.190 --> 00:29:00.599
by God's word. There's something that judges

00:29:00.599 --> 00:29:03.079
every prophecy. I've had people get mad at me,

00:29:03.160 --> 00:29:05.480
Reverend Kimberly. You know, want to prophesy

00:29:05.480 --> 00:29:07.440
to the church and then don't want the prophecy

00:29:07.440 --> 00:29:09.440
to be judged. Well, I'd rather have you mad at

00:29:09.440 --> 00:29:12.599
me than I would Jehovah. He said the other will

00:29:12.599 --> 00:29:16.099
judge. You judge that prophecy. And as I said

00:29:16.099 --> 00:29:17.759
on Wednesday night, some of you, you just haven't

00:29:17.759 --> 00:29:20.799
been around much. And that's okay. There's nothing

00:29:20.799 --> 00:29:23.980
wrong with that. It's okay just to stay chaste

00:29:23.980 --> 00:29:26.759
to the Lord. It's okay just to stay in a good

00:29:26.759 --> 00:29:32.339
firm. founded solid church. And it's good to

00:29:32.339 --> 00:29:37.759
just stick with your Bible. But no, no, no. I've

00:29:37.759 --> 00:29:40.599
had people come to address me for 40 straight

00:29:40.599 --> 00:29:44.940
years. In my 41st year now. Pastor, I got a prophecy.

00:29:46.039 --> 00:29:50.940
All right, where did you go, first of all? Where

00:29:50.940 --> 00:29:56.579
did you go? Who did you call? Whose meeting did

00:29:56.579 --> 00:29:59.319
you attend? See, you may not have it now. Please

00:29:59.319 --> 00:30:02.420
don't try it. This is not an endorsement, okay?

00:30:02.619 --> 00:30:05.900
But for a long time, you could call 1 -800 -PROFIT.

00:30:07.140 --> 00:30:09.220
You could enter your credit card. I'm not making

00:30:09.220 --> 00:30:11.000
this up. You render your credit card every day,

00:30:11.099 --> 00:30:12.980
multiple times a day, many times you want to

00:30:12.980 --> 00:30:14.859
pay for it, and you could get your daily prophecy.

00:30:19.440 --> 00:30:21.720
You just call me. I'd only charge you $3 .99.

00:30:21.779 --> 00:30:37.339
I'd tell you, get out of bed. See, I missed the

00:30:37.339 --> 00:30:39.940
meeting, but I watched the recording of it afterward,

00:30:40.140 --> 00:30:42.740
and I watched the so -called prophet stand right

00:30:42.740 --> 00:30:46.339
up and call people out and prophesy money out

00:30:46.339 --> 00:30:58.019
of their pocket into his hand. Let's all stand

00:30:58.019 --> 00:31:03.089
to our feet, and anyone who has at least... $10

00:31:03.089 --> 00:31:06.190
,000, you remain standing. Everybody else sit

00:31:06.190 --> 00:31:08.150
down and then walk around and prophesy to those

00:31:08.150 --> 00:31:11.190
people and prophesy money out of them. You know

00:31:11.190 --> 00:31:13.450
what? I don't care what that person does. I'm

00:31:13.450 --> 00:31:15.789
not that person's judge. I'm not in that congregation.

00:31:16.170 --> 00:31:18.609
I'm not part of that church. It's not my job

00:31:18.609 --> 00:31:20.690
to get up and correct that. It's my job to protect

00:31:20.690 --> 00:31:28.230
you. And when they get up and they prophesy direction

00:31:28.230 --> 00:31:31.269
to you, Listen, you don't swallow that hook,

00:31:31.269 --> 00:31:33.190
line, and sinker. I'm looking around to see if

00:31:33.190 --> 00:31:37.390
I see any baby robins here today. Because you

00:31:37.390 --> 00:31:38.789
know, a baby robin, you know what they'll do?

00:31:38.930 --> 00:31:41.230
They'll just look up and open their mouth, and

00:31:41.230 --> 00:31:44.150
you can stick anything down them you want. You

00:31:44.150 --> 00:31:45.650
see a robin's nest, you just walk over there

00:31:45.650 --> 00:31:46.950
and shake the branch. They think that's mama

00:31:46.950 --> 00:31:49.210
coming with a worm. Big old fat juicy night car.

00:31:52.630 --> 00:31:56.009
And they just tip their head back. You can stick

00:31:56.009 --> 00:32:00.839
anything in there. Stick, bug. Piece of gum?

00:32:02.339 --> 00:32:09.019
I've never done any of that. Christian people

00:32:09.019 --> 00:32:11.279
shouldn't be like that. Shouldn't be so gullible.

00:32:11.640 --> 00:32:16.059
See? See? The Bible says judge it. The Bible

00:32:16.059 --> 00:32:20.880
says judge it. Pastor, pastor, no, no, I'll just

00:32:20.880 --> 00:32:24.599
take you, because I was used to be wrong. I said

00:32:24.599 --> 00:32:28.279
you met in kindergarten. I won't ask how old

00:32:28.279 --> 00:32:32.799
you are today, but how old's your boys? 17 and

00:32:32.799 --> 00:32:40.579
14. So we know you're at least in your 20s. See,

00:32:40.619 --> 00:32:45.359
I used to say they met in kindergarten. And then

00:32:45.359 --> 00:32:47.259
they corrected me one day and said, no, we met

00:32:47.259 --> 00:32:52.180
in daycare. We met in daycare. I've watched young

00:32:52.180 --> 00:32:56.309
people. I've watched him. We'll just use you

00:32:56.309 --> 00:33:02.950
as an example. You met in daycare. I mean, you

00:33:02.950 --> 00:33:05.150
went to school together, lived in the same town

00:33:05.150 --> 00:33:08.170
together, at some point went to the same church

00:33:08.170 --> 00:33:10.390
together, and just grew closer and closer and

00:33:10.390 --> 00:33:12.630
closer, and then they both went off to college.

00:33:15.710 --> 00:33:19.670
I noticed that he came here to this city to college.

00:33:20.750 --> 00:33:22.730
She went somewhere else all the way across the

00:33:22.730 --> 00:33:24.910
state on a scholarship. That lasted nine months.

00:33:27.730 --> 00:33:32.589
Then she was inspired to move. I think Kent had

00:33:32.589 --> 00:33:38.250
a word for her. Thus saith the Lord. No, you

00:33:38.250 --> 00:33:40.049
laugh about that and smile about that, but I've

00:33:40.049 --> 00:33:43.130
seen that happen. Walk into a church and say,

00:33:43.170 --> 00:33:44.990
you two married? Well, the Lord says, you're

00:33:44.990 --> 00:33:47.849
wrong for each other. You've been together since

00:33:47.849 --> 00:33:52.170
you were in daycare. You're engaged. You're going

00:33:52.170 --> 00:33:54.930
to get married this Saturday. Now, you better

00:33:54.930 --> 00:33:59.750
judge that. Could be right. You better judge

00:33:59.750 --> 00:34:04.569
that and make sure you're not stepping into something

00:34:04.569 --> 00:34:09.449
that would be very detrimental for you. But you've

00:34:09.449 --> 00:34:12.130
already submitted it to your pastor. You've already

00:34:12.130 --> 00:34:15.190
submitted to both your parents. You've already

00:34:15.190 --> 00:34:17.489
been on your face and fasted before our God.

00:34:18.010 --> 00:34:20.389
You both love Jesus, you're born again, you're

00:34:20.389 --> 00:34:22.010
Spirit -filled, you meet all the qualifications,

00:34:22.349 --> 00:34:23.969
and you're going to let somebody that you've

00:34:23.969 --> 00:34:27.449
never met before and you don't know, you see

00:34:27.449 --> 00:34:29.510
on a TV program and point his finger and say,

00:34:29.550 --> 00:34:32.250
there's somebody in this audience out on TV tonight

00:34:32.250 --> 00:34:35.829
that's going to, and you're going to put the

00:34:35.829 --> 00:34:38.030
brakes on and change your whole life because

00:34:38.030 --> 00:34:42.730
somebody said something? I had one person come

00:34:42.730 --> 00:34:50.099
up to me, I think, I don't, I... To me, just

00:34:50.099 --> 00:34:55.139
me personally, it's easier for me to discern

00:34:55.139 --> 00:35:02.079
when I'm out of God's will than when I'm in it.

00:35:05.119 --> 00:35:07.820
Because when I'm in the Lord's will, He leaves

00:35:07.820 --> 00:35:11.880
me alone. When I get out of His will, He wakes

00:35:11.880 --> 00:35:14.360
me up in the middle of the night. I mean that.

00:35:16.219 --> 00:35:19.670
I have no peace. I mean, it's scratching on the

00:35:19.670 --> 00:35:22.409
inside of me. Finally, I'll just stop. I'll stop,

00:35:22.550 --> 00:35:24.610
walk in, shut the door and say, let's have it

00:35:24.610 --> 00:35:29.250
out. What? What? Where am I wrong? You shouldn't

00:35:29.250 --> 00:35:31.329
be doing this. You shouldn't be involved in this.

00:35:31.670 --> 00:35:33.670
We pulled the plug on a number of things that

00:35:33.670 --> 00:35:36.230
me personally, yours truly, thought would be

00:35:36.230 --> 00:35:38.050
a great idea and we should move forward. And

00:35:38.050 --> 00:35:39.989
sometimes I had a lot of influence and a lot

00:35:39.989 --> 00:35:44.869
of help making those decisions. But the head

00:35:44.869 --> 00:35:46.989
of the church didn't think it was right. We're

00:35:46.989 --> 00:35:48.849
going to submit everything to the Lord. Everything.

00:35:49.530 --> 00:35:51.429
And it doesn't matter who the prophet is and

00:35:51.429 --> 00:35:55.409
what the prophecy is. Your Bible's pattern is,

00:35:55.530 --> 00:35:58.849
and let another judge. Not the prophet who speaks

00:35:58.849 --> 00:36:02.289
it. Let another judge. Not the person who receives

00:36:02.289 --> 00:36:06.250
it. Let another judge. Here's a great verse.

00:36:07.190 --> 00:36:09.969
We had you look at 1 Thessalonians 5, verse 18

00:36:09.969 --> 00:36:12.690
a few minutes ago. Isn't that a great, powerful

00:36:12.690 --> 00:36:15.650
section of Scripture? Just say yes. It is, because

00:36:15.650 --> 00:36:19.190
they all are. But look at verse 16 through 18.

00:36:20.190 --> 00:36:26.050
Verse 16 through 18. Now that's 18. 16 through

00:36:26.050 --> 00:36:34.010
18. Rejoice forevermore. Rejoice evermore. Next

00:36:34.010 --> 00:36:36.949
verse. Pray when you get a little extra time.

00:36:38.829 --> 00:36:44.250
Pray when it's convenient. No, pray without ceasing.

00:36:44.679 --> 00:36:47.920
And the next verse? In everything give thanks.

00:36:48.019 --> 00:36:51.000
Let's go back prior to that. Let's look at verse

00:36:51.000 --> 00:36:56.519
15. Look at verse 15. I mean, this is all just

00:36:56.519 --> 00:36:59.119
great, great portions of Scripture. See that

00:36:59.119 --> 00:37:02.099
none render evil for evil to any man, but ever

00:37:02.099 --> 00:37:04.639
follow after that which is good. See, don't pay

00:37:04.639 --> 00:37:17.789
back. Go back one more verse. 14. Now we exhort

00:37:17.789 --> 00:37:20.869
your brethren, warn them that are unruly. Here's

00:37:20.869 --> 00:37:22.369
one you might have to exercise more than you

00:37:22.369 --> 00:37:26.369
think. Comfort the feeble -minded. Support the

00:37:26.369 --> 00:37:28.190
weak, be patient toward all men. Go back one

00:37:28.190 --> 00:37:30.190
more, verse 13. Then we're going to go in the

00:37:30.190 --> 00:37:32.510
other direction. Esteem them very highly in love.

00:37:32.889 --> 00:37:35.389
That's connected to verse 12. This is such a

00:37:35.389 --> 00:37:37.050
great portion of Scripture to be able to apply.

00:37:37.949 --> 00:37:43.250
But now let's read 19, 20, and 21. 1 Thessalonians

00:37:43.250 --> 00:37:48.159
5, 19. Do not quench the Spirit. Judging prophecy

00:37:48.159 --> 00:37:50.440
is not quenching the Spirit. It's being a doer

00:37:50.440 --> 00:37:53.260
of the Word. That's what the Bible tells you

00:37:53.260 --> 00:37:58.900
to do. Despise not prophesying. So we're not

00:37:58.900 --> 00:38:03.599
supposed to go so far as to just say, ah, that

00:38:03.599 --> 00:38:05.159
was that person. That was what they thought.

00:38:05.219 --> 00:38:08.400
That was out of their own mind. That was just

00:38:08.400 --> 00:38:11.590
their thoughts on the matter. No, we don't despise

00:38:11.590 --> 00:38:13.969
prophesying. To judge prophecy is not quenching

00:38:13.969 --> 00:38:17.449
the spirit, and to judge prophecy is not despising

00:38:17.449 --> 00:38:21.130
it. It's doing what the Bible says to do. Judge

00:38:21.130 --> 00:38:23.110
prophecy. It doesn't say judge the prophets.

00:38:23.170 --> 00:38:26.309
It says judge prophecy. Now, just leave that

00:38:26.309 --> 00:38:28.289
verse right there for me, because it says do

00:38:28.289 --> 00:38:31.510
not despise prophesying. What is the very next

00:38:31.510 --> 00:38:40.510
phrase in the Bible? Judge all things. hold fast

00:38:40.510 --> 00:38:44.190
to that which is good so he talks about prophecy

00:38:44.190 --> 00:38:46.909
and he says don't despise prophecy and then he

00:38:46.909 --> 00:38:53.449
says prove all things all things say it all things

00:38:53.449 --> 00:38:56.849
so he says don't quench the move of the holy

00:38:56.849 --> 00:39:00.590
spirit don't quench that don't just say oh there's

00:39:00.590 --> 00:39:05.079
so much flakiness there is there is I remember

00:39:05.079 --> 00:39:08.079
somebody, some person who was attending this

00:39:08.079 --> 00:39:10.260
church at that time, he called me up when he

00:39:10.260 --> 00:39:12.960
was so excited. He got on Christian TV and he

00:39:12.960 --> 00:39:14.880
found out they were having a revival somewhere.

00:39:16.960 --> 00:39:18.739
We're going to have a revival. You ought to be

00:39:18.739 --> 00:39:22.630
in revival. He said, oh, no, the supernatural

00:39:22.630 --> 00:39:25.210
is breaking out. I mean, things are happening.

00:39:25.269 --> 00:39:27.550
Things are floating. Things are flying through

00:39:27.550 --> 00:39:32.170
the air. I mean, deaf ears are opening and blind

00:39:32.170 --> 00:39:34.570
eyes are opening and the dead are being raised.

00:39:34.769 --> 00:39:36.409
And I stopped him and I said, hold up, hold up,

00:39:36.409 --> 00:39:38.269
hold up. I'm going to tell you what else is happening.

00:39:39.949 --> 00:39:44.110
People are running from near and far. People

00:39:44.110 --> 00:39:46.650
are traveling from the four corners of the nation

00:39:46.650 --> 00:39:49.949
and from other nations all to get there for the

00:39:49.949 --> 00:39:54.429
show. Because that's what Christian people do.

00:39:56.070 --> 00:39:58.889
They don't go there to be edified, which is what

00:39:58.889 --> 00:40:00.829
the Bible says the ministry gifts are supposed

00:40:00.829 --> 00:40:04.449
to do. The Bible says in Ephesians 4 .11, he

00:40:04.449 --> 00:40:07.650
gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastor

00:40:07.650 --> 00:40:11.630
teachers to edify and to equip and to build up.

00:40:11.710 --> 00:40:13.489
They don't go there for that. They go for the

00:40:13.489 --> 00:40:19.809
show. I promised him I would. And so I got on

00:40:19.809 --> 00:40:29.659
there. The quote -unquote minister, I don't know

00:40:29.659 --> 00:40:31.960
where you find this in the Bible. He had a gallon

00:40:31.960 --> 00:40:34.900
of olive oil, the anointing oil. Had a gallon

00:40:34.900 --> 00:40:38.900
of it. And he was drinking it. And he was staggering

00:40:38.900 --> 00:40:41.119
around, drunk in the Spirit from drinking the

00:40:41.119 --> 00:40:43.119
anointing oil. And then he gave it to the first

00:40:43.119 --> 00:40:45.380
row. And they were all drinking the anointing

00:40:45.380 --> 00:40:51.639
oil and falling out in the Spirit. And I'm a

00:40:51.639 --> 00:40:54.579
pastor of a small church, local church, small

00:40:54.579 --> 00:40:58.519
at that time, and I have to stand up and tell

00:40:58.519 --> 00:41:03.340
a fledgling congregation of 18 or 20 or 25 people

00:41:03.340 --> 00:41:08.960
that there's no God in that. Well, you just don't

00:41:08.960 --> 00:41:11.199
understand, pastor. You're quenching the spirit.

00:41:11.719 --> 00:41:15.690
No, there is no spirit in that. You'll just have

00:41:15.690 --> 00:41:18.809
to find me somewhere in the Bible where there's

00:41:18.809 --> 00:41:22.110
anything remotely close to drinking the anointing

00:41:22.110 --> 00:41:25.429
oil. And it's going to make you drunk in the

00:41:25.429 --> 00:41:27.369
Spirit. Where's that found in the Scripture?

00:41:27.670 --> 00:41:30.070
See, what are you doing there? You're judging

00:41:30.070 --> 00:41:34.639
that particular... that particular activity,

00:41:34.920 --> 00:41:38.599
which is being portrayed to God's people so that

00:41:38.599 --> 00:41:42.139
now somebody wants to come to the church that

00:41:42.139 --> 00:41:45.639
you pastor down here on 7th and Cass or 6th and

00:41:45.639 --> 00:41:47.260
Cass, and the church that you've pastored, well,

00:41:47.260 --> 00:41:50.380
you've pastored 17 of them, you know, the one

00:41:50.380 --> 00:41:52.079
up in Antigo, and they come to your church and

00:41:52.079 --> 00:41:53.800
they want to do the same thing in your church

00:41:53.800 --> 00:41:56.260
because they saw it there and you're quenching

00:41:56.260 --> 00:42:00.809
the spirit if you don't. and say, okay, well,

00:42:00.869 --> 00:42:02.590
at least we'll try it. No, we won't try it. We'll

00:42:02.590 --> 00:42:04.170
judge that according to the Bible and say it's

00:42:04.170 --> 00:42:12.789
flaky. Well, Pastor, don't you just think, here's

00:42:12.789 --> 00:42:16.170
what I think. Just stand back and watch and see

00:42:16.170 --> 00:42:17.590
what happens to it. That whole thing crashed

00:42:17.590 --> 00:42:19.730
and burned, and a whole bunch of them went to

00:42:19.730 --> 00:42:31.900
jail. Human beings like the spectacular. See,

00:42:31.940 --> 00:42:34.719
what's happening right here is spiritual. And

00:42:34.719 --> 00:42:38.679
I am the first one to say, Lord Jesus, let me

00:42:38.679 --> 00:42:42.179
just go back here in the instrument pit here

00:42:42.179 --> 00:42:44.679
and just crawl on the floor and put my head under

00:42:44.679 --> 00:42:48.360
a chair and get out of your way. And if you want

00:42:48.360 --> 00:42:50.340
to knock people over, if you want to stand them

00:42:50.340 --> 00:42:52.360
back up, if you want to float them around, if

00:42:52.360 --> 00:42:54.440
you want to open blind eyes and deaf ears, if

00:42:54.440 --> 00:42:56.579
you want to raise the dead, if you want, you

00:42:56.579 --> 00:42:58.840
just do absolutely, if you want the appearance

00:42:58.840 --> 00:43:01.519
of angels, if you want us to see the bow in the

00:43:01.519 --> 00:43:03.579
clouds as in the day of rain that's around the

00:43:03.579 --> 00:43:11.519
throne of God, say the word. But with the Lord

00:43:11.519 --> 00:43:18.449
Jesus Christ himself. It would have to meet the

00:43:18.449 --> 00:43:22.889
Word of God. Because there have been too many

00:43:22.889 --> 00:43:25.670
people, Christian people, and they heard a voice.

00:43:25.829 --> 00:43:28.150
And they said, well, the Lord spoke to me. Well,

00:43:28.150 --> 00:43:29.670
you don't know that unless it agrees with the

00:43:29.670 --> 00:43:33.909
Word. Because 1 John 5 tells you that the Word

00:43:33.909 --> 00:43:38.489
and the Spirit are in agreement. And the Holy

00:43:38.489 --> 00:43:41.630
Spirit wrote everything in that Word. And so

00:43:41.630 --> 00:43:46.269
when it says, do not quench the Spirit, Don't

00:43:46.269 --> 00:43:49.809
despise prophesying. Prove all things. And what's

00:43:49.809 --> 00:43:52.829
the rest of that verse say? Prove all things.

00:43:53.550 --> 00:43:57.849
Hold fast to that which is good. See? Prove all

00:43:57.849 --> 00:44:01.110
things by give me a copy of this Bible, and if

00:44:01.110 --> 00:44:03.269
I don't know it well enough, I'll go to an elder,

00:44:03.369 --> 00:44:05.650
I'll go to another minister, I'll go to our pastor,

00:44:05.769 --> 00:44:10.170
I'll read it until I find it. But I'm going to

00:44:10.170 --> 00:44:12.230
prove it out through here. And that means all

00:44:12.230 --> 00:44:15.829
things. That means my dreams. That means my visions.

00:44:16.610 --> 00:44:21.329
That means my... See, see, I... Do whatever you

00:44:21.329 --> 00:44:24.309
want. I mean, I... If you haven't read Numbers

00:44:24.309 --> 00:44:28.050
16 lately, just go ahead and read Numbers chapter

00:44:28.050 --> 00:44:31.789
13, 14, and chapter 16. You read about a couple

00:44:31.789 --> 00:44:34.309
people, one named Miriam and another named Korah,

00:44:34.329 --> 00:44:36.570
who was joined with Dathan and Abiram. Don't

00:44:36.570 --> 00:44:37.929
look for them. You can't find them. The earth

00:44:37.929 --> 00:44:39.929
opened up underneath them and swallowed them.

00:44:41.010 --> 00:44:45.539
And this person came. And they were part of our

00:44:45.539 --> 00:44:49.900
music team. Came and said, Pastor, I've got a

00:44:49.900 --> 00:44:52.960
few questions that you need to answer. I said,

00:44:53.019 --> 00:44:54.679
well, if you have questions, I'll be happy to

00:44:54.679 --> 00:44:56.400
help you. No, no, no. I mean, these are about

00:44:56.400 --> 00:44:59.760
you. Because the Holy Spirit told me during a

00:44:59.760 --> 00:45:02.880
time of fasting and prayer that I could come

00:45:02.880 --> 00:45:05.239
and I could demand answers of you and I could

00:45:05.239 --> 00:45:11.440
question you. No, that's what you want to do.

00:45:12.599 --> 00:45:15.019
You want to do, and you're looking for a real

00:45:15.019 --> 00:45:18.119
good reason or excuse, and you're going to tell

00:45:18.119 --> 00:45:21.280
me because, Pastor, Romans chapter 8 says, they

00:45:21.280 --> 00:45:23.340
that are led by the Spirit of God. And so the

00:45:23.340 --> 00:45:25.739
Spirit of God is leading me. I said, okay, give

00:45:25.739 --> 00:45:29.340
me some scripture. Just give me some verses.

00:45:30.380 --> 00:45:32.059
Because he inspired all of them. There ought

00:45:32.059 --> 00:45:34.159
to be a whole chapter full of them somewhere.

00:45:34.780 --> 00:45:37.780
But you can't find one to support what you want

00:45:37.780 --> 00:45:41.630
to do, so you tag on the Spirit told me. Well,

00:45:41.690 --> 00:45:43.570
guess what my Bible says? My Bible says I have

00:45:43.570 --> 00:45:46.769
to prove that. I have to judge that. And I have

00:45:46.769 --> 00:45:49.429
to prove that it's going to be good. That it

00:45:49.429 --> 00:45:51.750
is good. That it's good. God's word is good.

00:45:52.730 --> 00:45:56.289
And so I have this pastor friend. He was up there

00:45:56.289 --> 00:46:02.769
fairly close to you. Up there. Wish he would

00:46:02.769 --> 00:46:06.710
have been closer to you. And he told me, when

00:46:06.710 --> 00:46:08.550
the prophet comes to our church and prophesies,

00:46:08.730 --> 00:46:12.699
that's the same as God's word. That's identical

00:46:12.699 --> 00:46:14.639
to the word of God because it's God speaking

00:46:14.639 --> 00:46:18.480
through the ministry gift. I completely disagree

00:46:18.480 --> 00:46:21.519
with him. No, why do I disagree? And this is

00:46:21.519 --> 00:46:24.960
what he said, and it cannot be judged. And that

00:46:24.960 --> 00:46:28.840
prophet said it. He showed me the video of it,

00:46:28.980 --> 00:46:32.219
the DVD at that time, and he showed it to me.

00:46:32.280 --> 00:46:33.760
Now I'm going to speak by inspiration of the

00:46:33.760 --> 00:46:35.340
Spirit of God, so therefore it can't be judged.

00:46:39.869 --> 00:46:42.250
For one thing, I'm done. I'm done at that part

00:46:42.250 --> 00:46:45.150
because the Bible says it has to be judged. Let

00:46:45.150 --> 00:46:47.190
the prophets speak. I'm still open to 1 Corinthians.

00:46:47.269 --> 00:46:50.090
I hope this is helping you. 1 Corinthians 14.

00:46:50.869 --> 00:46:54.170
I'm not despising prophecy. Prophecy in its form.

00:46:54.210 --> 00:46:57.769
We had two this morning, and they both fit into

00:46:57.769 --> 00:47:03.869
Bible definition that says it has to edify, exhort,

00:47:03.869 --> 00:47:05.789
or comfort, or two of the three, or all three.

00:47:06.329 --> 00:47:08.969
But it has to fit into that. It doesn't correct

00:47:08.969 --> 00:47:12.550
and it doesn't direct. It doesn't rebuke. It

00:47:12.550 --> 00:47:20.329
doesn't even reveal. It edifies, exhorts, and

00:47:20.329 --> 00:47:23.190
comforts. Now again, as I said last week, there

00:47:23.190 --> 00:47:25.650
are gifts of the Spirit, word of knowledge, and

00:47:25.650 --> 00:47:30.070
word of wisdom that do reveal present or past,

00:47:30.230 --> 00:47:32.809
or in the case of word of wisdom, reveal the

00:47:32.809 --> 00:47:36.650
future. How do I know if that's God? Hide and

00:47:36.650 --> 00:47:39.460
watch. That's what the Old Testament said. Wait

00:47:39.460 --> 00:47:42.280
and see. And if it comes to pass, then they're

00:47:42.280 --> 00:47:44.519
truly a prophet. If it doesn't come to pass,

00:47:44.579 --> 00:47:46.340
they're a false prophet and they need to be stoned.

00:47:48.360 --> 00:47:50.940
That's Old Testament. That's not for us. Relax.

00:47:52.179 --> 00:47:54.820
Somebody bring a suitcase full of bricks in here

00:47:54.820 --> 00:48:00.500
next week. Now, verse 29 says, let the prophet

00:48:00.500 --> 00:48:08.750
speak two or three and let the other judge. Then

00:48:08.750 --> 00:48:11.469
it goes on to say, if anything is revealed to

00:48:11.469 --> 00:48:15.170
another, let the first hold his peace. All may

00:48:15.170 --> 00:48:18.929
prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and

00:48:18.929 --> 00:48:20.889
all be comforted. The spirits of the prophets

00:48:20.889 --> 00:48:25.429
are subject to the prophets. And then we look

00:48:25.429 --> 00:48:28.469
at 1 Corinthians chapter 13, and this is where

00:48:28.469 --> 00:48:33.250
it really gets clear for me, because it says,

00:48:33.349 --> 00:48:38.090
it gives all of the... The definition of love.

00:48:39.269 --> 00:48:42.590
Love doesn't behave itself unseemly, verse 5.

00:48:44.230 --> 00:48:47.650
It isn't puffed up, verse 4. Doesn't rejoice

00:48:47.650 --> 00:48:51.650
in iniquity, verse 6. Hopes and bears and endures

00:48:51.650 --> 00:48:54.730
and believes all things. And then verse 8, charity

00:48:54.730 --> 00:48:58.769
never fails. Now here's where, again, it gets

00:48:58.769 --> 00:49:00.989
really clear for me when a person says, well,

00:49:01.170 --> 00:49:04.969
if it's a prophecy, it's the same as God's Word.

00:49:05.530 --> 00:49:08.710
Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. If it's identical

00:49:08.710 --> 00:49:12.269
to God's Word, then let's settle this right now.

00:49:14.210 --> 00:49:20.150
Psalm chapter 19 and verse 7. What does Psalm

00:49:20.150 --> 00:49:27.510
19 verse 7 say? God's Word is perfect. Needs

00:49:27.510 --> 00:49:29.309
nothing added to it. Needs nothing taken away.

00:49:29.409 --> 00:49:31.869
Does not need to be judged. Does not need to

00:49:31.869 --> 00:49:34.650
be proven in all things. God's Word is perfect.

00:49:35.119 --> 00:49:38.019
Come on, I'm waiting to hear it. God's word is

00:49:38.019 --> 00:49:42.579
perfect. So it says here in 1 Corinthians 13,

00:49:42.800 --> 00:49:51.559
for we know in part and we prophesy in part.

00:49:52.880 --> 00:49:57.880
Verse 9. Verse 10. But when that which is perfect

00:49:57.880 --> 00:50:03.639
is come, then that which is in part shall be

00:50:03.639 --> 00:50:09.880
done away with. It's like, I want to hammer the

00:50:09.880 --> 00:50:12.619
bench and say I rest my case. But it's not my

00:50:12.619 --> 00:50:16.940
case. I want to help you. I want to help you

00:50:16.940 --> 00:50:21.480
be a firmly founded, established, settled, and

00:50:21.480 --> 00:50:26.099
stable. Established, settled, and stable believer.

00:50:27.539 --> 00:50:33.300
Established, settled, and stable believer. The

00:50:33.300 --> 00:50:37.940
Lord, He's God. He is God. And he can do whatever

00:50:37.940 --> 00:50:41.039
he wants, wherever he wants, however he wants.

00:50:41.179 --> 00:50:43.719
If he wants the wind to start blowing in a circle

00:50:43.719 --> 00:50:46.440
in this sanctuary and that flag to stand out

00:50:46.440 --> 00:50:48.960
straight like it's in a 55 mile an hour wind,

00:50:49.039 --> 00:50:52.980
he can do that. But we're not going to manufacture

00:50:52.980 --> 00:50:57.440
things to get people to feel goose bumps and

00:50:57.440 --> 00:51:00.380
their hair stand up. We're not going to drop

00:51:00.380 --> 00:51:02.679
gold dust around. We're not going to drop feathers

00:51:02.679 --> 00:51:05.980
around and say it was God when the cameras...

00:51:09.589 --> 00:51:12.130
You may not have even a clue what we're talking

00:51:12.130 --> 00:51:14.110
about, but there have been ministers who've been

00:51:14.110 --> 00:51:16.610
caught dropping gold dust and then telling everybody,

00:51:16.690 --> 00:51:19.230
God is raining gold out of heaven right here

00:51:19.230 --> 00:51:21.949
in our very midst. And they were up there picking

00:51:21.949 --> 00:51:25.550
it up and scooping it up, and it wasn't gold

00:51:25.550 --> 00:51:29.409
dust at all. And the one woman, bless her heart,

00:51:29.449 --> 00:51:31.369
Lord, she's your servant, she's not mine. I'm

00:51:31.369 --> 00:51:34.579
not going to name her. Having everybody close

00:51:34.579 --> 00:51:37.280
your eyes and pray and dropping feathers, dropping

00:51:37.280 --> 00:51:39.699
white feathers across the platform. And then,

00:51:39.699 --> 00:51:41.639
okay, let's all open our eyes and I'm going to

00:51:41.639 --> 00:51:45.059
quit. Oh my, oh my, oh my, look at the Holy Ghost,

00:51:45.079 --> 00:51:47.940
like a dove, has been flying around up here during

00:51:47.940 --> 00:51:57.539
the, oh man. And then the person that they had

00:51:57.539 --> 00:52:01.610
recording it all on their own equipment. Took

00:52:01.610 --> 00:52:04.190
it home and watched it and saw the whole thing

00:52:04.190 --> 00:52:07.469
and revealed it and got crucified by the church

00:52:07.469 --> 00:52:12.170
for being so unloving and unkind and for judging

00:52:12.170 --> 00:52:14.250
and criticizing. He didn't do anything of the

00:52:14.250 --> 00:52:16.170
sort. He made the tape available. I got one.

00:52:18.590 --> 00:52:22.050
Thousands and thousands and thousands of mostly

00:52:22.050 --> 00:52:25.010
ladies at that particular meeting. It was a ladies'

00:52:25.090 --> 00:52:29.610
meeting. And all of them hoodwinked. Every one

00:52:29.610 --> 00:52:33.239
of them hoodwinked. Every one of them deceived.

00:52:33.579 --> 00:52:37.800
I don't have to deceive you. Our leadership team

00:52:37.800 --> 00:52:39.719
doesn't have to deceive you. Any of the ministers

00:52:39.719 --> 00:52:43.760
or ministries that we partner with or are here,

00:52:43.860 --> 00:52:47.599
you don't have to be deceived to stir you up

00:52:47.599 --> 00:52:49.659
and get you thinking that something's happened

00:52:49.659 --> 00:52:52.980
when something isn't. I mean, who's got that

00:52:52.980 --> 00:52:55.719
little light switch? Start flickering the lights

00:52:55.719 --> 00:52:57.300
right now and turn them down and turn them up

00:52:57.300 --> 00:53:00.360
and we'll just go, oh, oh, oh, look. Say, if

00:53:00.360 --> 00:53:02.420
the Lord wants to do that, we can shut all the

00:53:02.420 --> 00:53:04.539
power off to this building and he'll still light

00:53:04.539 --> 00:53:07.760
it. Or we can turn everything as high as we can

00:53:07.760 --> 00:53:11.699
and he'll still make it dark. He's God and he

00:53:11.699 --> 00:53:14.199
doesn't need our permission to do anything. He'll

00:53:14.199 --> 00:53:16.139
do what he wants, when he wants, how he wants,

00:53:16.260 --> 00:53:19.699
however often he wants and where he wants. He

00:53:19.699 --> 00:53:21.900
doesn't need our permission to part the ocean.

00:53:22.000 --> 00:53:23.719
Doesn't need our permission to jump down in the

00:53:23.719 --> 00:53:25.800
fire and walk around with three boys. Doesn't

00:53:25.800 --> 00:53:28.659
need our permission to cause a sun to stand still

00:53:28.659 --> 00:53:30.880
in the sky. Doesn't need our permission to cause

00:53:30.880 --> 00:53:34.099
water out of a rock for 40 years that they can

00:53:34.099 --> 00:53:39.119
carry along with them. How he sustained all those

00:53:39.119 --> 00:53:41.119
people's clothes for 40 years out there in the

00:53:41.119 --> 00:53:43.960
desert? I don't know. Defies explanation. Doesn't

00:53:43.960 --> 00:53:47.440
need my explanation. He's God. He's God. But

00:53:47.440 --> 00:53:51.019
nor does He need us to manufacture things that

00:53:51.019 --> 00:53:54.320
did not come from and originate with Him. And

00:53:54.320 --> 00:53:57.739
that would include dreams, all things, prove

00:53:57.739 --> 00:54:02.219
all things, dreams, visions, supernatural appearances,

00:54:02.619 --> 00:54:07.820
the Lord told me, a prophecy by somebody else.

00:54:15.119 --> 00:54:19.460
Just go to your Bible. Just know your Bible intimately

00:54:19.460 --> 00:54:22.539
enough. And if you don't, have enough trust in

00:54:22.539 --> 00:54:27.559
church leadership and be able to go and just

00:54:27.559 --> 00:54:31.420
say, how's this line up with God's word? How's

00:54:31.420 --> 00:54:35.440
this line up with God's word? See, one of the

00:54:35.440 --> 00:54:40.619
most frequent, I'm done, but I'm gliding in right

00:54:40.619 --> 00:54:42.519
now. I shut my motors off. I'm just gliding in

00:54:42.519 --> 00:54:45.989
right now for the landing. One of the most frequent

00:54:45.989 --> 00:54:53.429
experiences during my lifetime has been, see,

00:54:53.510 --> 00:54:58.090
it's really hard to manufacture when you're blind.

00:54:58.710 --> 00:55:03.030
And now you can see. It's really hard to manufacture

00:55:03.030 --> 00:55:06.670
when a person is D -E -A -D, dead right there,

00:55:06.750 --> 00:55:10.630
D -E -R -T. And the Lord raises them up, especially

00:55:10.630 --> 00:55:14.699
when they stink. It's hard to manufacture that.

00:55:17.280 --> 00:55:21.960
But for all the people that have sold all the

00:55:21.960 --> 00:55:25.539
books and made movies and done circuits around

00:55:25.539 --> 00:55:31.119
churches because they went to heaven? And for

00:55:31.119 --> 00:55:33.239
quite a while, there was one young man, and when

00:55:33.239 --> 00:55:38.280
he was eight years old, reportedly, God took

00:55:38.280 --> 00:55:41.039
him to heaven. I mean, you couldn't get on his

00:55:41.039 --> 00:55:43.300
schedule for a year and a half. Everybody wanted

00:55:43.300 --> 00:55:47.880
to hear about it. Back when I was eight, I was

00:55:47.880 --> 00:55:56.280
watching Doogie Howser, M .D. And that's where

00:55:56.280 --> 00:55:59.960
I had my first problem. Because everybody that

00:55:59.960 --> 00:56:04.610
the Lord Jesus appears to in my Bible, It's when

00:56:04.610 --> 00:56:06.530
they're on their face. It's when they're on their

00:56:06.530 --> 00:56:10.090
bellies in front of God. It's they want to crawl

00:56:10.090 --> 00:56:12.829
away from Him and get out of there. It's Isaiah

00:56:12.829 --> 00:56:16.329
and it's Ezekiel. On their face before God. It's

00:56:16.329 --> 00:56:18.949
Peter, James, and John when Jesus appears and

00:56:18.949 --> 00:56:21.530
they fall right down on their face. It's John

00:56:21.530 --> 00:56:24.190
on the Isle of Patmos who's in the Spirit on

00:56:24.190 --> 00:56:27.329
the Lord's day. And the Lord Jesus appears and

00:56:27.329 --> 00:56:29.989
the sound of many waters is His voice. And His

00:56:29.989 --> 00:56:32.610
hair white like wool. And His eyes as flame of

00:56:32.610 --> 00:56:35.610
fire. And His feet shine like brass in a furnace.

00:56:35.829 --> 00:56:38.349
And His name is written on His thigh called the

00:56:38.349 --> 00:56:43.530
Word of God. And it's like Saul of Tarsus. Unbeliever.

00:56:44.710 --> 00:56:47.670
He's on his way to Damascus and brighter than

00:56:47.670 --> 00:56:50.309
the noonday sun, the Lord of heaven appears to

00:56:50.309 --> 00:56:53.690
him and says, why are you persecuting me? And

00:56:53.690 --> 00:56:56.269
I'm supposed to believe you're watching Doogie

00:56:56.269 --> 00:56:59.750
Howser on TV on a Thursday night and Jesus walks

00:56:59.750 --> 00:57:02.429
through the wall and sits down on the couch next

00:57:02.429 --> 00:57:04.730
to you and says, hey, can I have some of that

00:57:04.730 --> 00:57:07.730
popcorn? And laughs with me and then takes me

00:57:07.730 --> 00:57:10.429
up to heaven and we splash around in the river

00:57:10.429 --> 00:57:13.250
of life together. I'm supposed to, I'm just.

00:57:15.279 --> 00:57:24.539
Really? And people gobble it up. Year and a half

00:57:24.539 --> 00:57:28.179
wait. And this is when he was in his late teens.

00:57:28.260 --> 00:57:34.079
Year and a half to hear his story. I got a better

00:57:34.079 --> 00:57:37.400
story for you to hear. Turn to the last two chapters

00:57:37.400 --> 00:57:39.559
of any gospel in our Bible and read the one about

00:57:39.559 --> 00:57:41.780
the Lord Jesus Christ becoming sin for you on

00:57:41.780 --> 00:57:45.260
a cross. and descending into hell, and being

00:57:45.260 --> 00:57:48.599
raised up into heaven, and promising to come

00:57:48.599 --> 00:57:51.780
back again. That'll help you. That'll help you.

00:57:51.800 --> 00:57:53.719
That'll build you up. That'll discipline. That'll

00:57:53.719 --> 00:57:58.960
disciple you. Take your own Bible and read, the

00:57:58.960 --> 00:58:03.260
just shall live by faith. And this is the victory

00:58:03.260 --> 00:58:06.880
that overcomes the world, even our faith. And

00:58:06.880 --> 00:58:09.699
that faith comes by hearing. See? See? I get

00:58:09.699 --> 00:58:12.400
persecuted every single time I minister this

00:58:12.400 --> 00:58:19.139
way. It won't be any different this time. And

00:58:19.139 --> 00:58:21.639
it's gotten to the point at some time, sometimes,

00:58:21.760 --> 00:58:24.380
well, you know, just nothing happens in our church.

00:58:27.500 --> 00:58:29.559
We want to go somewhere where there's something

00:58:29.559 --> 00:58:35.679
supernatural happening. So you want to go watch

00:58:35.679 --> 00:58:39.719
a show. And it's okay. Chase them if you want.

00:58:40.559 --> 00:58:42.320
I'm not your God. I'm not your Lord. I'm not

00:58:42.320 --> 00:58:45.500
prophesying telling you not to go. I'm just going

00:58:45.500 --> 00:58:51.780
to tell you this. Who's your Savior? A couple

00:58:51.780 --> 00:58:54.860
of you know. Who's your Savior? Who's your Redeemer?

00:58:55.719 --> 00:58:59.860
Who's your Lord? He said. Your Lord, your Savior,

00:58:59.920 --> 00:59:03.360
your Redeemer. He said, an evil and adulterous

00:59:03.360 --> 00:59:06.519
generation seek after a sign. That's right. Amen.

00:59:06.880 --> 00:59:09.699
That's what he said. Amen. That's what he said.

00:59:10.619 --> 00:59:16.219
See, signs, according to our Bible, signs follow

00:59:16.219 --> 00:59:22.739
the word. Signs are not followed by God's people.

00:59:24.800 --> 00:59:27.300
Signs follow the word. The word goes forth, God

00:59:27.300 --> 00:59:29.869
confirms his word. What's he confirm it with,

00:59:29.929 --> 00:59:32.889
Pastor? A renewed mind. That's what it says will

00:59:32.889 --> 00:59:37.190
happen. A renewed mind. Peace. Peace. Strength.

00:59:38.309 --> 00:59:42.230
Strength. Provision and divine protection. Healing

00:59:42.230 --> 00:59:44.730
and health and restoration and wholeness. How

00:59:44.730 --> 00:59:48.210
about this one? Joy. Unspeakable and full of

00:59:48.210 --> 00:59:53.550
glory. Yeah, they came to Jesus and they said,

00:59:53.610 --> 00:59:55.349
show us a sign. We want to see a sign. We want

00:59:55.349 --> 00:59:57.260
you to do something. Come on. Make a bird out

00:59:57.260 --> 00:59:58.420
of the mud and throw it up in the air and let

00:59:58.420 --> 01:00:01.559
it fly away. Do something. And we want to see

01:00:01.559 --> 01:00:03.320
a sign. We hear about all this other stuff, but

01:00:03.320 --> 01:00:05.820
show us a sign. He looked right at him and said,

01:00:05.860 --> 01:00:08.480
an evil and adulterous generation seeks after

01:00:08.480 --> 01:00:11.719
a sign. Shouldn't live our life seeking after

01:00:11.719 --> 01:00:15.519
signs. And supernatural occurrence. When they

01:00:15.519 --> 01:00:18.199
happen, so be it. Let them happen. Listen, the

01:00:18.199 --> 01:00:23.300
greatest spiritual, supernatural event. and or

01:00:23.300 --> 01:00:26.420
occurrence that you will ever experience, see,

01:00:26.579 --> 01:00:29.659
hear about, experience personally yourself, is

01:00:29.659 --> 01:00:31.719
not a dream, not a vision, not being jerked out

01:00:31.719 --> 01:00:33.900
of your socks and taken up into heaven and brought

01:00:33.900 --> 01:00:36.400
back. The greatest is you're being born again.

01:00:38.099 --> 01:00:41.300
You're being born again. Ephesians chapter 1

01:00:41.300 --> 01:00:47.260
is the exertion of God's mighty power which He

01:00:47.260 --> 01:00:50.039
wrought in Christ when He raised Him from the

01:00:50.039 --> 01:00:54.170
dead. And that same power was exerted in you

01:00:54.170 --> 01:00:56.610
when you were translated out of the kingdom of

01:00:56.610 --> 01:00:59.650
darkness and into the kingdom of God's dear Son.

01:01:00.190 --> 01:01:03.389
It'll never get any better. Oh, pastor, pastor,

01:01:03.650 --> 01:01:05.769
do you like? Yes, I do like, but that's not my

01:01:05.769 --> 01:01:08.050
assignment today. I like the presence of God.

01:01:08.170 --> 01:01:11.349
I like to feel his presence. I like to be in

01:01:11.349 --> 01:01:13.210
worship and praise like we were this morning

01:01:13.210 --> 01:01:16.349
and just feel God come in. I just like being

01:01:16.349 --> 01:01:21.489
sore and stiff and sick this morning and nauseous

01:01:21.489 --> 01:01:23.389
this morning and couldn't even hardly stand up

01:01:23.389 --> 01:01:25.630
knowing that when we get into church, we're going

01:01:25.630 --> 01:01:28.070
to worship our God and I'm going to hop and jump

01:01:28.070 --> 01:01:30.579
and dance before the king of glory. and the power

01:01:30.579 --> 01:01:32.760
of God is going to manifest right here in that

01:01:32.760 --> 01:01:37.099
place. I love feeling the presence of God. I

01:01:37.099 --> 01:01:39.360
love it when He comes right into my bedroom.

01:01:39.579 --> 01:01:41.260
I love it when He wakes me up in the middle of

01:01:41.260 --> 01:01:43.320
the night and speaks just as clearly a conversation

01:01:43.320 --> 01:01:47.199
as we're speaking right now. But I have to make

01:01:47.199 --> 01:01:52.079
sure that every experience, not just what some

01:01:52.079 --> 01:01:55.039
other person prophesies and says, thus saith

01:01:55.039 --> 01:01:57.980
the Lord, you're going to become the next president.

01:01:59.630 --> 01:02:01.550
Oh yeah, we know that young man. Don't laugh

01:02:01.550 --> 01:02:03.969
too hard. We know that young man that they prophesied

01:02:03.969 --> 01:02:06.590
that to him. He's going to be the next president

01:02:06.590 --> 01:02:13.530
of the United States. I don't think they have

01:02:13.530 --> 01:02:15.989
a bad heart. I'm not judging their heart. I'm

01:02:15.989 --> 01:02:18.269
not judging their motivation. I'm not judging

01:02:18.269 --> 01:02:23.449
them at all. I'm judging me. I better know because

01:02:23.449 --> 01:02:27.630
I know because I know. And if I'm going to say

01:02:27.630 --> 01:02:30.559
something that's going to Just get them off track

01:02:30.559 --> 01:02:48.619
for all the rest of their days. I've had so many

01:02:48.619 --> 01:02:50.679
times with the Lord and just have enjoyed all

01:02:50.679 --> 01:02:53.579
of them. I enjoy the Lord's presence. I enjoy

01:02:53.579 --> 01:02:59.190
Him just arresting me. I enjoy the Lord surprising

01:02:59.190 --> 01:03:03.309
me. I enjoy the Lord confirming His Word with

01:03:03.309 --> 01:03:10.190
signs following. I enjoy miracles unexplainable

01:03:10.190 --> 01:03:14.489
by any other explanation. I love to watch the

01:03:14.489 --> 01:03:18.010
Lord order people's steps. They don't even realize

01:03:18.010 --> 01:03:20.170
it, don't know where it went, and they go, wait

01:03:20.170 --> 01:03:23.670
a minute. Wow, God's involved here. The God of

01:03:23.670 --> 01:03:26.989
heaven. Look at this. I enjoy having testimony

01:03:26.989 --> 01:03:29.309
after testimony after testimony after testimony

01:03:29.309 --> 01:03:32.329
after testimony of people's prayers being answered.

01:03:43.289 --> 01:03:47.050
But I personally, I had to come to a place real,

01:03:47.289 --> 01:03:51.329
real, real early on, not even in pastoring, before

01:03:51.329 --> 01:03:57.409
that. I mean, there were just so many things

01:03:57.409 --> 01:04:01.110
that, you know, were questionable and in the

01:04:01.110 --> 01:04:03.809
long run hurt people's lives, didn't help them.

01:04:08.409 --> 01:04:14.030
And I had to take my Bible. I had to take my

01:04:14.030 --> 01:04:18.550
Bible. I had to take my Bible and all by myself,

01:04:18.670 --> 01:04:20.690
not because I ever wanted to tell it to anybody.

01:04:20.710 --> 01:04:23.869
I've never told anybody this. I would stand and

01:04:23.869 --> 01:04:28.650
I would embrace my Bible. And I'd say, Lord,

01:04:29.329 --> 01:04:35.050
you're God. You're God. And I would never tell

01:04:35.050 --> 01:04:43.210
you how to do anything or what I thought you

01:04:43.210 --> 01:04:48.989
should be like. But Lord, if I never have another

01:04:48.989 --> 01:04:52.409
supernatural experience, If I never have a dream

01:04:52.409 --> 01:04:56.969
or a vision, I'm here because of a vision. When

01:04:56.969 --> 01:05:00.329
the Lord himself audibly said, I've called you

01:05:00.329 --> 01:05:03.170
and I've anointed you to be a pastor in my body,

01:05:03.210 --> 01:05:05.510
a shepherd over a flock of my sheep, go forth

01:05:05.510 --> 01:05:07.449
and from this day forward, you will never again

01:05:07.449 --> 01:05:17.550
doubt that call. I'll tell you today, just like

01:05:17.550 --> 01:05:20.719
I would have told you, On that day in August

01:05:20.719 --> 01:05:24.599
in 1985, the 23rd day of August, Thursday night,

01:05:24.719 --> 01:05:26.760
I would have told you that the Lord of Heaven

01:05:26.760 --> 01:05:30.940
spoke clearly, audibly, and just embedded it

01:05:30.940 --> 01:05:36.079
into me. And I say it today. And I didn't ever

01:05:36.079 --> 01:05:38.800
memorize it. It's just branded on the inside

01:05:38.800 --> 01:05:42.599
of me, for lack of a better term. It's just indelibly

01:05:42.599 --> 01:05:51.760
just a part of me. But I had to say, if I never

01:05:51.760 --> 01:05:53.559
hear another voice, never have a vision, never

01:05:53.559 --> 01:05:56.900
have a dream, never have a supernatural appearance,

01:05:57.019 --> 01:05:58.940
never have an angel. I had an angel walk right

01:05:58.940 --> 01:06:04.480
into my bedroom one day. You know, everything

01:06:04.480 --> 01:06:06.920
else could have disappeared, and I just see the

01:06:06.920 --> 01:06:09.820
angel. I don't know why. I don't run everything.

01:06:10.980 --> 01:06:13.139
But we had eight -foot ceilings in that house,

01:06:13.219 --> 01:06:17.489
and he walked into the bedroom like this. And

01:06:17.489 --> 01:06:19.150
his whole head and shoulders would have went

01:06:19.150 --> 01:06:20.769
through the ceiling if he would have stood up.

01:06:25.750 --> 01:06:30.630
I never left my knees. I just... You know, I

01:06:30.630 --> 01:06:35.969
don't know why that would happen. I've had people

01:06:35.969 --> 01:06:38.230
come and say, Pastor, I've never had anything

01:06:38.230 --> 01:06:40.570
like that. I've never had a dream. I've never

01:06:40.570 --> 01:06:42.769
had a vision. I've never had an angel appear

01:06:42.769 --> 01:06:45.130
to me. I've never heard the voice of God. I just

01:06:45.130 --> 01:06:48.110
try to do my best. and I try to be a good Christian,

01:06:48.170 --> 01:06:50.349
and I come to church, and I read my Bible and

01:06:50.349 --> 01:06:52.610
study it with you, and I just want to be a doer

01:06:52.610 --> 01:06:57.190
of it and please God. Is there something wrong

01:06:57.190 --> 01:06:59.690
with me? You know what I tell them? No, there's

01:06:59.690 --> 01:07:03.130
probably something wrong with me. I'm not sure

01:07:03.130 --> 01:07:08.550
why I needed that extra, but I guess I did. And

01:07:08.550 --> 01:07:11.269
see, right at the end of... Actually, I know

01:07:11.269 --> 01:07:13.250
that's not right, because the Bible talks about

01:07:13.250 --> 01:07:16.130
a truly called minister has some supernatural...

01:07:16.610 --> 01:07:20.969
and evidences as well. Everyone. But right at

01:07:20.969 --> 01:07:24.269
the end of John, you remember this? Right at

01:07:24.269 --> 01:07:32.230
the end of the 20th chapter of John, Thomas.

01:07:34.889 --> 01:07:37.650
Thomas says, oh, you all saw the Lord? He appeared

01:07:37.650 --> 01:07:41.269
to you? Well, I'm not going to believe until

01:07:41.269 --> 01:07:48.900
I see, until I can feel it. The next Sunday morning,

01:07:48.940 --> 01:07:52.340
they all came together. Thomas with them, the

01:07:52.340 --> 01:07:56.480
Bible says. Can you imagine? You come just to

01:07:56.480 --> 01:08:00.219
prove them all wrong, and Jesus appears. Just

01:08:00.219 --> 01:08:05.619
walks right through the wall. And walks right

01:08:05.619 --> 01:08:08.440
over, oh no, walks right past Bartholomew, walks

01:08:08.440 --> 01:08:11.619
right past Nathaniel, walks right past Matthew,

01:08:11.880 --> 01:08:14.800
Levi, walks right past Peter, John, walks right

01:08:14.800 --> 01:08:22.039
over to you. Says Thomas, go ahead. Go ahead.

01:08:22.180 --> 01:08:24.520
Put your finger in there. Put his finger right

01:08:24.520 --> 01:08:27.720
in that hole. Go ahead. Thrust your hand right

01:08:27.720 --> 01:08:29.979
up in that spear wound in my side. Go ahead.

01:08:31.340 --> 01:08:34.239
And quit being faithless and start believing.

01:08:38.079 --> 01:08:41.739
Thomas falls on his knees and says, my Lord and

01:08:41.739 --> 01:08:49.560
my God. And Jesus says, Thomas, you believe because

01:08:49.560 --> 01:08:53.479
you've seen. You believe because you saw me in

01:08:53.479 --> 01:08:55.359
my resurrected form. You believe because you

01:08:55.359 --> 01:08:58.020
got to touch my crucified body. That's why you

01:08:58.020 --> 01:09:03.840
believe. More blessed are they which do not see

01:09:03.840 --> 01:09:09.220
and yet believe. It doesn't take any faith when

01:09:09.220 --> 01:09:13.300
there's sight involved. It takes faith to open

01:09:13.300 --> 01:09:17.569
up this book. Look at the bare word of God and

01:09:17.569 --> 01:09:25.569
say, this Bible says it. I believe it. That settles

01:09:25.569 --> 01:09:31.729
it. I believe it. That settles it. We believe

01:09:31.729 --> 01:09:36.829
what the Bible says. Believe what the Bible says.

01:09:38.210 --> 01:09:43.050
And what we believe, we believe because the Bible

01:09:43.050 --> 01:09:47.729
says. Are there things that happen that we can't

01:09:47.729 --> 01:09:51.310
see exactly in detail in the Word of God? Absolutely,

01:09:51.470 --> 01:09:54.810
yes. But the principle is always there, and it

01:09:54.810 --> 01:09:58.329
does not cut crosswise with any principle of

01:09:58.329 --> 01:10:00.449
the Bible. See, when somebody comes to me and

01:10:00.449 --> 01:10:09.869
says, the Lord spoke to me this week, and I had

01:10:09.869 --> 01:10:14.109
to lie about my age on this wedding license application.

01:10:15.000 --> 01:10:18.779
And you didn't, did you? Okay, all right. Man,

01:10:18.819 --> 01:10:19.880
wouldn't that be something if you got called

01:10:19.880 --> 01:10:25.199
out in front of church? How long have you been

01:10:25.199 --> 01:10:28.500
married? Three weeks. Two weeks. Three weeks.

01:10:28.760 --> 01:10:34.319
Correct me. That's okay. Spent three weeks. People

01:10:34.319 --> 01:10:37.140
have done that. Walk up and say, I had to lie

01:10:37.140 --> 01:10:40.180
on a job application, but the Lord told me it

01:10:40.180 --> 01:10:49.220
was okay. Really? See, God's not going to make

01:10:49.220 --> 01:10:52.659
an exception for you. There's nowhere in His

01:10:52.659 --> 01:10:56.739
Word, nowhere, where it says, but it's okay to

01:10:56.739 --> 01:10:58.739
lie if it's just going to make it more convenient

01:10:58.739 --> 01:11:03.779
for you. I've had church members walk up and

01:11:03.779 --> 01:11:06.579
say, Pastor, I know what you're going to think.

01:11:06.960 --> 01:11:11.720
Well, then just don't tell me. But the Lord told

01:11:11.720 --> 01:11:16.420
us not to tithe this month. And that we should

01:11:16.420 --> 01:11:19.239
take that money and we should spend it on our

01:11:19.239 --> 01:11:22.399
children so they know how important and how precious

01:11:22.399 --> 01:11:27.520
they are. Do what you want. I don't care. You

01:11:27.520 --> 01:11:33.439
curse yourself. God is never going to speak anything

01:11:33.439 --> 01:11:39.000
to you contrary to His written Word. Never. Because

01:11:39.000 --> 01:11:40.859
the Spirit and the Word are in total agreement.

01:11:41.699 --> 01:11:46.119
See, if you allow yourself to do that, You just

01:11:46.119 --> 01:11:49.340
become wishy -washy and there's no firm foundation.

01:11:51.020 --> 01:11:53.800
You're just going to slog through life, slosh

01:11:53.800 --> 01:11:57.600
through life, have no certain, sure, immutable,

01:11:57.779 --> 01:12:01.180
reliable, dependable foundation to judge everything

01:12:01.180 --> 01:12:05.239
else by. But if you'll take God's Word and make

01:12:05.239 --> 01:12:09.739
it the first place that you go for advisement,

01:12:09.739 --> 01:12:12.420
for direction, for correction, for information,

01:12:12.760 --> 01:12:16.239
for promises. for revelation, for illumination.

01:12:16.359 --> 01:12:18.300
It's the first place you go, and then it's your

01:12:18.300 --> 01:12:20.979
final authority. It's just the final authority.

01:12:21.800 --> 01:12:24.840
Whenever there's a question, it's just the final

01:12:24.840 --> 01:12:30.359
authority. Say it. I am. Who my Bible says I

01:12:30.359 --> 01:12:35.020
am. I have. Stand to your feet. What my Bible

01:12:35.020 --> 01:12:40.220
says I have. I can do. Everything my Bible says

01:12:40.220 --> 01:12:47.149
I can do. And my Bible is God's Word. And it

01:12:47.149 --> 01:12:52.930
is right. And it is perfect. And needs no correction.

01:12:53.710 --> 01:12:59.449
And no addition. And nothing subtracted. Thank

01:12:59.449 --> 01:13:05.890
God I have a Bible. It is God's Word. Amen. Thank

01:13:05.890 --> 01:13:10.270
you for watching The Word of the Lord. A weekly

01:13:10.270 --> 01:13:12.170
television broadcast of Living Word Christian

01:13:12.170 --> 01:13:14.909
Church. Living Word Christian Church welcomes

01:13:14.909 --> 01:13:18.189
you to join us at 2015 Ward Avenue in La Crosse,

01:13:18.189 --> 01:13:24.010
Wisconsin. And Wednesday evenings at 7. For more

01:13:24.010 --> 01:13:25.789
information on Living Word Christian Church,

01:13:25.970 --> 01:13:30.210
visit us on the web at lwcclax .com.