January 26, 2025 | Sunday Morning | Chris Vowell
Sunday Jan 26, 2025 Message
Sunday Jan 26, 2025 Message
Transcript of Sermon:
Praise the Lord amen amen folks you go ahead and be seated y'all did a an amazing job praising the Lord man that first song as y'all kind of turned it Loose man it's just like the word says He inhabits the Praises of his people he just man he just comes when we begin to to praise and give thanks I want you to if you'll take your Bibles and go to First Corinthians sounds like we got some good rain coming down and I'm just going to try to preach louder okay while we then I'll back off uh 1 Corinthians chapter 1
is where I want to start just a second but before we do I want to want to say a
lot of uh Thanksgiving I want to give some Thanksgiving but I just want to
celebrate you know there there are weeks around here that there are so many
things that go on that you're just like how does it all get done and when I look
around at y'all that's that's just how it gets done yesterday we had uh Tony
wigs memorial service had it here and then our Hospitality team did this amazing job feeding the family well then miss birdie Mirad like most of you know that she passed away it was kind of a sudden change this past week and so uh they had a grave side that Mortimer handled and then they came back here for the family to be a part of that and then
uh last night we had the healing service that was just just special just God
ministering to through each of us to one another just some special stuff but but
yesterday you know Beaver had kind of rolled in I don't if it was before 8 to kind of get things kind of ready for all
of that last night as they were they were talking about the praise and worship Zach pson said there were 14
songs that the praise team they just we were here for about two hours and and God just kind of kept we did communion
we washed feet we had just I mean God just it was something but I just want to
say with with our whole praise team uh there there have been some real
sacrifices they've made whether it's been for Wednesday nights with youth Thursday nights with
recovery so many of you as you do your life groups all of this stuff it is just
U people just keep taking up their crosses and following and so we just say
praise the Lord and we just want want to give thanks for that because what what give honor where it's due right is kind
of part of what I'm trying to share so this morning it's going to be kind of an interesting teaching going to be a little different it's going to be some
some preaching in there but it's going to be kind of teaching as we look around y'all realize it's a rainy Sunday right
when we got to LIF group with some of our 20s and 30s year old folks I thought
well oh ye of little faith I thought well it's raining we may have about five you know and uh cuz that's what Baptist
people used to say right man nobody's coming on a rainy day and and then because of what he's doing in so many of
us I mean look at y'all right this is sunshine in 70 man this is storming
right and so so we've come in because God's just he's doing a thing in and through us so so with that there's a lot
of moving parts that's a good place to say amen amen that there are so many
moving parts and with that have you noticed when there are a lot of moving Parts there can be friction good place
for amen there right so see see sometimes when when things are moving and you're like I can't believe so and
so did that or I can't believe they didn't make a better decision or I feel left out or that there's all types of
things that are just going going on all the time right so I want to give you some some keys this morning from
scripture to how we're going to cooperate with God on what he's building
right if I'll stay in my Lane if you'll stay in your lane he's doing something really special and if you understand who
you are as a child of his and you just do what he's called you to do and you be
who he's called you to be he is doing Ephesians uses the the word he's like
building a masterpiece right there there's like this masterpiece coming together that that sometimes I don't
know about y'all sometimes I'm like when a new person walks in or when it's somebody who's been here for 20 years
that just comes to life right you're like you say this Lord I didn't see that
coming Lord I I didn't I didn't expect that I mean and so he's just doing this thing right but but one of the keys for
us this morning is I don't want to get in the way of that I I want to encourage
you to not get in the way of that let's let him build it so notice what Paul
says Paul was the guy I'm going to read to you in just a second about the love chapter that whole 1 Corinthians 13
where love love love now what we're going to talk about today is as we try
to become United more and more and walk in unity and we love each other here's
where it gets real how how do we deal with conflict how do we deal with differences
of opinion H how do we when because you know in the past I don't know if any of y'all would like to come give testimony
real quick in the past I've heard stories of how some of you got
sideways and so y'all didn't y'all never really dealt with it it was like years down the road when something else would
blow up y'all would say things like well you know I've never liked him or I I never really thought they would change
Don Don's smiling over here man that's good Don see see I'm I'm I'm hitting on it a little bit this is not we're going
to have fun today this is going to be good uh progress we make because one of
the things we discussed last night God is able to
change every one of us in this place you say not that one preacher yes
okay and he's doing it man there there's like thing that he's up to so so notice what Paul Paul's the one who wrote about
love but I'm going to give you two examples today of how Paul he just
seriously dealt with some stuff you're say well how does that balance how do you balance love love love love love
with I disagree with you and then how do you move forward after that have you
ever heard one of those you may be we may have a few of y'all in here you ever heard any of those married couples say
never had a cross word in our marriage we've been married 60 years we've never had a cross word well Stacy and I hadn't
been married quite 60 and we have we have okay so so I celebrate
y'all that never have but some of us have learned to work together on the
other side of some of those words right that's re-engage again I'll plug it
again Sunday nights re-engage we're doing that because the truth truth of life is if you don't deal with those
challenges and conflicts you begin to just live aart
not just in marriage but from people that you were intended to be in relationship with that that we really
need and so so here's what Paul says 1 Corinthians chapter 1 beginning in verse 10 he says I appeal to you dear brothers
and sisters by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ to live in harmony with
each other that that's where he starts at let's live in harmony let's get along let's be in unity let there be no
divisions in the church and and I want to make sure before we get into this I would say we have come a long way baby
okay I would say y'all are amazing I would say there has been so much change
and growth and coming together so this is not that sermon right I just want you to see where he starts he says rather be
of one mind United in thought and in this good purpose see what's the purpose
he's called us to as the body of Christ right here at Emanuel for some members of Khloe's household have told me about
your quarrels my dear brothers and sisters your disagreements your quarrels some of
you are saying I'm in this Camp over here I'm a follower of Paul others are saying I follow Apollos or I follow
Peter or I follow only Christ has Christ been divided into factions was I Paul
crucified for you were any of you baptized in the name of Paul of course
not and it's something how you know we kid about it with Robbie pson you know you come in on a Sunday morning and we
love the Mississippi State hats and the old Miss jokes and all this and but but naturally we find a way to divide
ourselves right it just the enemy helps but sometimes we're like well they came
from a family that had a lot of money or or we just never had what we went to that school all of these things that we
divide but but Paul said look if you've got a little of those div divisions on small stuff when a real conflict comes
it'll really show the crack right and and so so he says let's make sure even if you believe some things a little bit
different from the scripture or if you're experience or this or that do you understand that they say that that in
all of the denominational discussions some people say there's like 90 to
95% of things in the Bible that we all agree on that's kind of crazy now but
man we can kick and scream and fight over 5 or 10% right and and sometimes
when we do the enemy out there just laughs he's like man y'all just chew each other up spit each other out
sometimes it's not doctrinal stuff sometimes it's just tradition stuff some sometimes it's just this is the way I've
always done it so Paul starts it out I want you to see this cuz he's fixing to show out in just a second you may not
remember this text but I'm fixing to show it to you right after this Paul who said let there be no divisions he said
let's be together he's about to say let's love love love love one another
right so 1 Corinthians 13 notice what the same Apostle Paul right inspired by the Holy Spirit as he
gave us the word of God he says if I could speak all the languages of Earth
and of angels but didn't love others I would only be a noisy gong or clanging
symbol if I had the gift of Prophecy and I understood all of God's secret plans
and possessed all knowledge and if I had such faith that I could move mountains
but didn't love others I would be no is that not something he doesn't say I'd
I'd kind of be hitting on a little he said I'd be nothing he said man if you
had a great life group this morning you you walked through you fed biscuits you did everything but then somebody crossed
you and you just bit their head off man I can't believe you did that right and and and in the heart of it we said oh
man forgive me I I didn't love you like I should have right now we all stumble
right but we're trying to get back to this right because I want you to understand I wish we could say all the
conflict is in the rearview mirror I wish we could I wish we could say man Kum by yah we're all going to agree
about everything moving forward but the truth of it is as more people come as
more challenges take place there's going to be a lot of little stuff and here here's what here's what God wants us to
get today if you've not dealt with some of
the differences in the past or you've held on to offenses like well I I
believe they were right but the way she said that to me I just can't forgive her
okay whatever it is right when those things kind of get in there it starts to
affect all of us in this body right because we are is this beautiful we are one body is that not something you say
you know all of us have our differences our different we are are one body right that that he's building and so so how
about this as he comes on down and talks about this he says if I've got that Faith all of that but verse verse three
if I gave everything I have to the poor even sacrificed my body I could boast
about it but if I didn't love others I would have gained nothing right so so a
good interjection right here is Lord help me as the pastor and every one of us in this place do a better job loving
one another with you on the inside doing it through us right only only Holy
Spirit leading right because we had got to raise hands or amen we are selfish
people right at the core of it that that's why Jesus that's why he died
right he died while we were yet sinners we were doing our thing our way right
and so so to love here's what you have to do verse four this agape love the
kind that Jesus had for us the reason he calls us to love that way he says that agape love is patient It's Kind it's not
jealous or boastful or proud or rude anybody got a list yet that he's already pointed
out does not Dem its own way it's not irritable keeps no record
of being wronged does not rejoice about Injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out love never gives up never
loses Faith it's always hopeful and endures through every circumstance is
that not beautiful see see I wanted y'all to see that that's just kind of intro right because Paul is fixed into
the Bible go to Galatians 2 with me y'all remember Paul and Peter have a let's say this a passionate discussion
huh they had a passionate discussion and these are two what pillars of the church
man these are Mighty Men of God that on this side we say wow how could one of
them be right one of them be wrong but I'm not even asking that today what I'm asking is how did they get over it and
forgive each other and love each other again on the other side because I I
would I would I would share with you if Jesus said a lot about be careful that you don't get offended because offenses
will end up leading you to betrayal it it'll even lead you to apostasy you
you'll get to the point that you'll just kind of Fall Away you'll just kind of man because I'm just upset I just I'm
just holding on to that and here's what happens that stuff when it's
inside nobody really notices except the people close to you but
when it pops everybody sees it and they say
something like my goodness I cannot believe sweet little soand so just
cussed you know and you're like man where did this come from right so so today what what God's saying is do we
want unity in the body more than we want our own way or just what we want right
and so so notice Galatians 2 this is oh my goodness is something this was a serious if you want
to say doctrinal issue in the early church verse 11 Galatians
2 this is kind of early on in Paul's stepping into Ministry you know don't
don't how about this let me share this with y'all some of you love
conflict some of you love it at work you love it at home some people people live
for it can you say Amen I'm not one of them right my my wife will tell you I
usually avoid conflict almost any way I can so when I get put in a situation and
I have to do what I believe God wants me to do I'm not out there wanting to fight
okay I just want you to understand that some some people are kind of different so here with Paul I think he was kind of
like this it says but when Peter came to Antioch here this is just Bible right
Paul says this is the love love love guy love love love Love's patient Love's kind L's all this he said I had to
oppose him to his face do you feel something in that text he said I had to
get up in his face and say man you're wrong but led by The Same
Spirit he had to somehow through that conversation and on the other side say
Peter I love you man I love you I love what you've done
for the church I I love the story of you stepping up at Pentecost and preaching and thousands coming to Christ I love it
but Peter you're wrong notice what kind of happens with this this is really pretty powerful
verse 12 when he first arrived this is the issue he ate with the Gentile
believers who were not circumcised but afterwards when some friends of James came Peter wouldn't eat
with the Gentiles anymore he was afraid of criticism look at that wo man I feel
something coming in here on this he was afraid of criticism from these people who insisted on the necess necessity
excuse me of circumcision as a result other Jewish Believers followed Peter's
hypocrisy and even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy I I want you just for a
moment prophets were carried along by the Holy Spirit and gave us the word
pretty powerful stuff is it unbelievable that Holy Spirit let Paul
put that in the letter to say Peter was full of
hypocrisy man I'm almost like did Holy Spirit not dial that back a little man I
cannot believe holy spirit let Paul say I called Peter on his hypocrisy because
here's what he did he was here's the the prin principle he was one way around certain
people and he was another way around other people woo see see some of this is
some of us don't like conflict and so some people if you if you don't have a backbone you can describe it other ways
but if you don't have a backbone you just kind of move with the crowd but there Comes A Time if holy
spirit's on the inside you got to stand up and you got to call a spade a spade
you you got to kind of deal with some things right so so that was his first one I want you to see that with Peter
Paul the one who said let's be United let's love love love but when Peter was
wrong and he was being a hypocrite he face to face said Peter
you're wrong now now understand this we all have different personalities some of us can say one thing and pretty much say
the same thing as somebody else and people will almost feel like you kissed them on the cheek and then some
of you can say things and man they'll
think you just divorced them or kicked them out of the church right because some some people just come
along say the same thing right so so we need to be aware that however God's
geared you when you say certain things it's not just what you say it is how you
say it right and and so so I so I just when when I see that Peter went face to face it must have been this was one of
those Adrien Rogers one of my old preaching Heroes said there are some
heels that we need to be willing to die on okay not every little an heill we're
supposed to be out there fighting okay we're just really not okay so so go with me to the book of Acts real quick I want
you to see another one that was with Peter and I would submit to you they all worked it
out after it was over after Peter realized oh man I think you're on the
right side of that issue and I'm not I think they loved loved loved I think they moved on and I think God used both
of them in some incredible ways but acts 15:36 remember a guy named John Mark and
I want you this is just this is just how the New Testament Church had it dealt with stuff right John Mark it says in
verse 36 after some time Paul said to Barnabas let's go back
and visit each City where we previously preached the word of the Lord to see how
the new Believers are doing Barnabas agreed and he wanted to take along look
at this he said man I want to go let's call John Mark let's go get John Mark
let's invite John Mark to be a part he didn't Paul didn't Paul's the love guy now Paul's the love guy who said let's
be in unity let's love love love verse 38 but Paul disagreed strongly man you
almost you read those two stories and you think how in the world did he preach about love man looked like he was always
wanting to get in somebody's face always just disagreeing strongly right but notice what happens it says since John
Mark had deserted them is that what your translation says woo anybody L
deserters anybody loves somebody who was in it with you and they bailed and
somebody you say something like this three strikes and you're out baby some of us say man we were in it you let me
down I'm not going to let you do it again right now you're going to see in the book that down the
road Paul and John Mark were loving each other
again how do you do it h h how do you disagree strongly how do you how do you
have an issue where you say and move forward the only way you move Lord is see I want you to please
hear this from me as a pastor as as we just some weekends like yesterday when it was justoo just FL thing to thing to
thing to thing right but when we come in here this morning I'm like wow what's he going to do today because I know I've
tried to keep mine in the lane and I've walked with him in Holiness and confession and as I've kind of gone
through this thing I want you to hear that if we disagree or you don't be something quite
like I do or any of that my heart is that I want the best for you
and your family do you hear that man there's some Authority in that I'm just telling that's just the truth you and me
can disagree but at the end of the day I want your marriage better your health
better your family better your kids better our community better okay now now this that this to get to that place you
don't have to just be a pastor you have to live an offense free life
okay it's possible I'll tell you I when first time I heard it my head spun I thought cuz my family we grew up and
there were just a few people that my daddy didn't like okay and so when
situations would come up we would hear about it now my dad's an incredible guy man I love him and I honor him and I
bless him but the pattern I had was whether it was in family or in politics
or business if somebody crossed us unless they came back across the
aisle to make it right and even sometimes when they did that there was always a
suspicion that they're just a snake that there must be an agenda that
there there must be something there's there's no way what what the remember the old story about the Hat Fields And The McCoys it happens in the Delta just
like it does in the Hills right people dig in right but Church stuff
biblical New Testament stuff is when people hurt us we forgive
them when people hurt us we release the offense there's even a little word about
do whatever you can to help make it right huh as we can't do it for other
other side we can't work that see I sense God's really doing this with some of y'all today because what if you've
lived in the Delta very long you've had some people hurt you steal from you
maybe they said something about you or your family and isn't it something how the enemy man you don't even have to work at
it very good the enemy brings it back to mind is it is it is it tough on a Monday
you're heading to work you're getting the kids to school and all of a sudden in the traffic you see somebody you just
meet them in the traffic you you say well I think that's their car I think that's their truck and about the time
you see them face to face something flies through your mind that's that
sorry scoundrel and all of a sudden on Monday
we maybe you've come out of your Jesus Calling you've read your devotion you've had your coffee you've had your prayer
time You' prayed for your pastor and all of a sudden when you see that scoundrel it flies through your mind and
what does it do it takes away the peace right takes away the joy and you even
walk in the office ready to slap somebody when they hadn't even done
anything is this how work God is truth Jesus is the truth so
so when he tells us Let It Go he means let it go it's better for you and
everybody else right doesn't mean we don't deal with it doesn't mean we don't discuss it right but hear me on this
there has to be a point for you to keep going with God that you let it go and
that you move on so so notice as this kind of finishes up it says right there
that John Mark had deserted deserted them in pamphilia had not continued with
them in their work verse 39 their disagreement was so sharp that
they separated see see some of you are saying brother Chris you talking about old Paul nobody nobody hit anybody
nobody pulled a gun nobody cussed anybody you don't know what I've been through you don't know what my stepdad
did you don't know what you don't you don't know what I've been through right but he does right and and so all he's
saying to you and me today is you can hold on to it till you take your last
breath at Delta Regional you can but today he's saying you better put
it under the blood and Let It Go because here's what I think's happening I think is this thing's getting so real
what the holy spirit's doing I think it's getting uncomfortable for people to
hold on to their sin I I I think some of the stuff we're just like well I I'll deal with that
later I'll deal with it later right and and so so when he says this their disagreement was so sharp they separated
Barnabas took John Mark with him and sail for Cyprus Paul chose Silas and as
he left the Believers in Trust trusted him to the Lord's gracious care then he traveled throughout Syria and cissa
strengthening the churches there is that not something now here's what I want you to come over to if you go to the little
letter to phiman I want I want to go to that one first if you can it's right there before Hebrews and uh CU right
there with John Mark if that was the last part you read in your daily Bible
reading you'd think man that John Mark I don't want anything to do with him and he a deserter okay please hear me on
this in our immaturity or in our pride
of thinking we have it all figured out we've all done some stupid stuff
we've all said some stupid things and some of us if it's in our
bloodline we'll dig in and hang on to it till Jesus comes may I mean and and some
of you pride pride in it I really try to take pride in that I just try to say he's still working on me he's still
working on me so so how about this phiman if you come down here to verse 23
and 24 24 is actually the place that says so do Mark arist starus Deus and
Luke my co-workers he said we send you greetings and so in verse 24 he says we
send greetings to John Mark we send greetings to John Mark that
old deserter oh you and me had a disagreement I didn't want him on my team you
did but later on make sure old John Mark knows I love
him and it's really powerful whatever God's about to do in this because I knew this is where we were supposed to go I
think some of you before the day is out are going to send text messages or call
or reach out to people I think holy spirit is doing such a quick work last night when we were in here and whatever
was going on in this place I just I when you look over and people are just loving on each other and crying on each other
and just I mean man he was just touching right see see God is jealous for his
church right he's serious Jesus is serious about his bride okay he's serious and so so so sometimes I just
want y'all to know sometimes he'll grab a hold of this big ball preacher and say
straighten up big boy and what I try to do is listen and
straighten up but when he tells big boy to stand and not make everybody happy
I've learned to stand and and and I don't rejoice in it
I just do it because when I look around and people are getting saved and people
are getting healed and people are getting their marriages put back together I realize there's something so
much bigger than any of us that God's doing in this moment right F folks I
wish we could pull a video of y'all singing about three years ago and then
put what y'all did on that first song this morning man sitting here when I listened when y'all started that first
song I mean I thought I was just going to get blown up on the stage right I mean I was like and then when y'all
started singing Made for More I thought these folks believe it we believe we're
Made for More We believe we're on the the front end I was we're pulling in this morning to Dro silus off in the
kids building Stacy was doing something on her phone and Silas out of the blue now most of the ride I told our life
group this he was talking about River's birthday party where they skated yesterday in Cleveland and he had the
time of his life it was great stuff but right before we pulled in he said
Daddy Why does the devil hang around the church so much man I don't even know where I mean
we had we hadn't had a great devotion at the house that brought that up right and so so when he ask that and here's
what I I really am trying to do more is sometimes I've got a song on I'd ra rather listen to and he asked a question
and the Lord just says Chris is this about you and your song or is this about raising up a
warrior and so so many ask it I said wow it kind of took me back I said well
because this is what I believe I said the Gates of Hell shall not Prevail against Christ and his his church his is
eklesia there's a big strong word a lot in that when the church gets healthy
hear me the city starts to change don't just give me a Bible study
don't just give me a recovery program don't just feed a few hungry people down on Broadway no when the church starts
acting like the church we start to legislate we we start to dictate because
God's put Authority in us he starts saying you can change those schools you can change those
situations but when we can't even get over an offense with a brother we don't
have power worth nothing bad English but that's where we are right and so he's
he's saying today he's saying oh y'all are starting to taste a little of it y'all starting to see that I love y'all and I want to come and he wants to be
with us but he's saying today one kind of one last time if we want to keep dealing with
things the way we've always dealt with them we don't know how much longer we all
have right I had a 52 there was a 48-year-old AT&T phone guy back at home
he did some work on our internet uh for Stacy now before we left Philadelphia and I saw his oit man when I look back
some of the mlan Hayes and thought my goodness I I can remember seeing him right there in my living room right he's
out of here baby Tony wigs as we shared the story Tony was hunting in Southwest
Texas not too long ago in the fall and now he's in the presence of the Lord and
and so some of us here's the just quick word from the preacher some people assume that they'll
get to keep doing what they've always done for a whole lot longer and he's patient he is
longsuffering but if he's been kind of nudging you the fear of the Lord is the
beginning of wisdom okay and so when he really starts to kind of turn it up a not it's time to say well maybe the way
I've always been isn't the way I need to stay can we say Amen in Jesus name so so
go with me to Second Timothy and we're about to finish this we're about to close and I I'm G to finish up I'm I'm just going to write it down candra
Hollman I'm finishing up early okay I am I'm going to wind her down okay so funny
C Sandra she was the one who said Chris you land that plane about five times you know and uh so we're just going for two
today cuz and we they those two were take helping take care of kids on re-engage nights and it's so funny
Michael Hollman you'll come in and you know he's got some hair and it'll almost look like his has been blown back man
but they are loving and serving in there on Sunday night so that
what our marriages can get better and we just we appreciate that man it's just beautiful picture of the body right and
so uh second Timothy 4:1 here's one other place that he mentions John Mark it
says only Luke is with me bring Mark
bring old John Mark when you come for he will be helpful to me in my Ministry
that is that not is that not I mean for Paul to have said I don't want John Mark
on this trip I don't care where John Mark ends up going I just don't want to fool with him and then at the end after
you you think I think Paul had a few quiet times where the Lord said man you need to let go of that
buddy you you need to you need to start forgiving and how about this let's this is where I feel like he wants us to say
some of us so brother Chris I've forgiven and I've let go a good question for you is how much are you praying for
that person to change is that I he's just he's in the
room is what all I'm telling you I'm just kind of here as a vessel but here's what it comes down you say oh I still
don't like the family but I forgave them or I don't expect them to ever change
but I forgave them no love is that we start hoping for change it starts
believing that one day see how about this so you can't control the other person right some of us just need to let
it go and if we really let it go and start praying for them I think some of
them are going to show up at our house saying man I'm sorry I want you to hear this
it's not about right or wrong come on it's not about you
winning it's about I love you more than
I'm bothered by how you acted in your flesh man I just felt him kind of walk
in there on that right see you know we've talked about some of these texts we've gone into them but but I think it's so powerful that Paul says Let's Be
You United let's love love love and then he got in Peter's face and said buddy you're a
hypocrite and then he said John Mark's a deserter and then at the end he
says make sure old John Mark bring him if you can he's still working on me he's still
working on you so so so why is this important you say brother Chris in the whole big scheme go to Psalm 133 just
for a second this is our last text this is it this this is it this is
it I'm really winding down I telling you y'all are going to wonder what's going on
okay and we're about to land baby see sometimes we need reminders
like Robbie or Cassandra to help us we do I I I want you to understand I I I
try to be really teachable I try to win conflict and disagreement
happen sometime I'm a little quicker than most people expect to look
inside I know God's given me a lot of authority a lot of favor a lot of
blessing a lot of opportunity and the word says to whom much is given much is
required there's going to be some real accounting right Psalm 133 this is why it matters
you say well who really cares if I'm holding on to that inside who really care well who's it really hurting
Psalm 133 how wonderful and pleasant it is when Brothers live together in
harmony and you how wonderful how wonderful it is to walk in on a rainy day and see a big ball guy or a big
hairy guy beautiful woman whoever that just meets you and says it's good to be
in the house of the Lord today man better is one day in your courts and a thousand elsewhere because some of us
you realize this some people who walk in the door on Sunday mornings they're looking for a whole lot
more than a smile some of them are looking for a rope a hopeus and they've just about given up
you've heard the stories I've heard the stories so why does it matter if you hold on to that little offense why does
it matter if you just say those little things about your sister or your brother because people die every
day and when they die die we we shared it yesterday at Tony's funeral right
when they die there's a incredible Heaven that none of us deserve that
Jesus is he's working on my place baby now you may just want the cabin over the
hilltop I want one of those Palisades Mansions okay that didn't burn down
okay cuz I'm what storing up Treasures man that's what the word teaches us
right but there are folks that leave here every day that some of us say wow I didn't know he was struggling with
depression and I didn't even know they were having marriage problems well how about this good example do you think
maybe you would have heard the Lord tell you if you weren't so hacked and
self-absorbed with whatever you were dealing with right some sometimes he just can't break through we're like well
I hear God he'll get it to me no some of us there's such a wall there's such a a
cut off that we just keep doing the same old religious stuff and God's saying oh
if you'll obey me I'm fixing to show up right fixing to show up he says harmony
is precious as the anointing oil that was poured over Aaron's head that ran down his beard I'm growing a little
beard did you notice that somebody said Lee Gordon said are you trying to grow a beard I'm trying baby it's about two
weeks on me okay ran down the beard onto the border of his robe Harmony is as
refreshing as the you from Mount Herman that falls on the mountains of some of you need refreshing today see some
refreshing can't come through a preacher's word can't come through somebody praying on the altar down here
some refreshing just comes when the body is in Harmony when we love each other
we're in unity right and here we go this is where it closes and there the Lord has pronounced his
Blessing you know I know some of you cuz will talk and some of you kind of work through you say well you know brother
Chris God paid our debt off well brother Chris God we baptized
over 150 well brother Chris well brother Chris all these things right and some of
you feel like we've just about gone as far as we can go it's just where some of
you are right and the Lord says the Lord says there some of you good old Delta
boys that love to get out in the mud and love to get out there and rough it if some of you want to catch another gear
if some of you really want to catch another gear get in right
relationship with one another right he's doing it folks I'm not even trying to I'm not even trying to help you I'm just
telling you the word the Lord is we're about to get the blessing okay because
Harmon's coming and what goes with that is this is not ugly but it's just true
some people are about to R really start getting close and some people are about to
change directions how can two how can two go in the same how can two work together
unless they go in the same direction right I think it's it's beautiful just
share this it was kind of a neat I went to Bessie Mirad uh birdie excuse me birdie
mad's visitation down there yesterday and walked in I saw Wilson Wilson shave that beard off to get ready for for the
family and ran into Tommy berford and Janet saw them man I spoke to Tommy and
I just loved him up I said Tommy I said man I'm so excited about this opportunity if you saw it on Facebook
he's about to be part-time at First Baptist Greenville right I just congratulate I said man I'm so excited
I'm so genuine man it was just love man telling you when you live offense free when you just love and you pray and you
bless right and I came on around the circle and spoke to Janet I said Janet I said said good to see I said
congratulations on that God's putting you'all at First Baptist right now the reason I'm telling you that is really
didn't know how Michelle and everything she was going to say but you can't even make that up right that that that's on
Facebook this week and then our committee steps up today to say not just
a part-time children's Minister we're about to call a full-time children's
minister right here's what I want you to hear it's not about you and me it's not
about about your differences it's not it's really not there's something bigger he's doing and with a little bit of eyes
of Faith you start realize how about this Chris Johns he had lunch with Peter
Alle ledge first of the week and Chris John's is going to Nigeria with our team
baby is that not just beautiful is that not just kind of a a kingdom picture but but see see what's so important though
is whether you've said I've said you've held on whatever all that today's the
day just to say Lord I want life flowing through me and I want to speak life and
I want to love and bless right and holy spirit's the only one that can help us
let go and move on with him okay bow your heads with
me father thank you so much for your patience with us Lord oh you've been
patient with me been patient with my wife and my son our family Lord there
are days that man I feel like we've we've broken through we've made it we're seeing such
breakthrough and then there are days like all of us have that we're like wow but Lord you're trying to show us
today that we need each other we need the body and Lord even with that with
Paul and Peter Paul opposed him to his face but man he sure didn't keep running
around talking about how sorry Peter was he loved him and he prayed prayed
for him and Lord Peter finished well the book of the Martyr says that what
crucified upside down because he didn't feel worthy to be crucified like Jesus
his Savior and Lord Paul who kept going and kept going
and so today the word of the Lord is don't let those little foxes remember
that in Song of Solomon don't let those little foxes spoil your Vineyard you
think it's just hurting other people you think you're just hanging on to it but a root of bitterness will grow up to do
what defile many it'll just vomit out on people all over and so so whatever is
going on with you and the Lord in your mind in your heart whether it's some jealousy whether it's some Envy whether
it's well I can't believe so and so is oh that preacher just doesn't know about
him or just doesn't know about we're all in a place of saying
Lord we want us all to finish way we want us all saved and we all want us
when it's all said and done how about this now you say oh that's not even possible I'm just saying let's ask for it well done my good and faithful
servant we don't want one of our brothers over in the ditch because they they blew it and we shot them when they
were down we we don't want them over there because they overheard the women in the coffee room saying something
about their child no no Holy Spirit as you bring those things to mind today
help us to to to get the ground Gravity the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and help us Lord just to go make
it right and put it under the blood and so we come corporately right now we just say father forgive us forgive us for how
we've let you down how we've hurt your body how we've sinned against you Lord and so father we pray that today you
would clean our lips like Isaiah when that oh that hot
coal cleaned him up father I believe the change is here I
believe it's here Lord thank you that your word does not return void it has gone out and it's going to accomplish it
in all of us we pray it in Jesus name amen please stand if you need to receive
Christ today if you need to come home to the Lord today man we will lead you there everyone who calls upon the name
of the Lord Jesus shall be saved right he's ready he's ready [Music]
are you hurting and broken within overwhelmed by the weight of your
sin Jesus is Calling have you come to the end of
yourself do you thirst for a drink from the well Jesus is Calling
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