Worship

I don't like the feedback. I'm sorry. You know ya no feedback from gas smell the feedback. This is kind of been an interesting morning to say the least. Hey, if you are children's church age, that's kindergarten through fifth grade, or if you think you're a child at heart and you don't want to be in here with me.

You're more than welcome to go with Pastor Craig. He's more than willing to take you what hey.

Something not right about that.

How y'all doing today? Good? Because this is not know how are you doing today? Are you good? If you're good Say Amen. Alright, I'll believe you so two weeks ago we talked about oil in the lamp. I don't know if you remember that if you were here that we talked about walking through the valleys and and what it means to be in the valley with the purposes of being in the valley last week Pastor Max talk to you about the salvation to talk to you about the salvation of Jesus and what that means any reference John 3:16, and he went through the 21st verse as he was doing that. He he went into verse 19 and end did the 1920 + 21 +. I kind of was that really spark Revelation for me. And so I thought you know what I'm going to prepare a message for it low and behold the guy gets sick and here I am so I don't want to go back to John 3:1 to start with verse 19 and it says this this is the judgement that the light has come into the world and Men love the darkness rather than the light for their deeds were evil for everyone who does evil hates the light and does not come to the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed but he who practices the truth comes to the light so that his deeds may be manifested as having been raw and God. Okay. So now it's time to rewind let's talk about what the light is and we find that in the first chapter of John when you read John John's whole purpose is to Bear testimony to this light and so we want to go back and find out what he's talking about. She says it's in the beginning was the word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God all things came into being through him and apart from him. Nothing came into being that has come into being in him was life. And the life was the light of men that light shines in the darkness and the Darkness did not comprehend it. Okay. So this light that John is talking about is obviously who Jesus right if you read on in your Bible and you can make note of this I think is verse 14. It starts at the the Bible says John 1:14 says and the word became flesh. So in other words, Jesus came to this earth. Jesus was around from the very beginning but Jesus became flesh and he came to this earth. That's why we celebrate Christmas, right? So this light comes to this Earth. So now we know what this light is and we understand the Judgment but here's the question. How on Earth do we walk in the light? I don't know about you, but I want to walk in the light. Especially if the Bible says that Darkness cannot overcome it, right? We turn we talked about this a couple weeks ago. If we were to close all the curtains in here and if we were to shut all the lights off and one of you turn your phone flashlight on on your smartphone, Some of you who don't have smartphones. They do that. It's pretty cool. You got to get one. Anyway, if we return that one flash light on Darkness could not overpower, right the only way to turn that flashlight off. Is for you to turn that flashlight off yourself or for the battery to run dead for the oil in your lamp this figuratively speaking for the oil in your lamp to run dry. So if Darkness can't overpower the light. I don't want to walk in the light because I don't want to be overcome by Darkness. Amen. Amen. Okay. So before we talk to this when I tell you admitting this is true story. I don't like the dark. Do we have anybody in here? Who's Afraid of the Dark a minute with me? Men and man, man. Thank you. No guys, raise their hand. Come on guys. Thanks Tracy appreciate that. There we go. So I honestly at night I have trouble sleeping because I'll lay there does your mind race my mind races too and when it's racing when my mind is racing or if I have anxiety or whatever the case may be. There is no way. I want to sit in a completely dark room. I want that light right because the light is somewhat comforting to have that on is it's a comfort because Darkness cannot overcome the light so spiritually speaking Darkness cannot overcome the light a child gets made fun of for being afraid of the dark, right how many of you were made fun of for being afraid of the dark?

I'll probably get it after the service is over to write. Will you stand beside me after thank you, but listen, there's an innocence to that there's an innocence to being afraid of the dark. Because we're not meant to be in the dark not meant to live in the dark. We're not meant to exist in the dark Were Meant to exist in light Were Meant to exist or light shines. We can't exist in the door. So there's an innocence to that and as our innocence disappears, have you noticed this has as our innocence disappears as we grow older we lost your Diane and I am Maggie and and Kacy write your name right back in the Addington. That's her name, right? Amanda he sees your sister. So when you get old and you get gray hair, then you can have the excuse of not even remembering names. Okay. So there we go. So unless you're one of us as you get older as your innocence disappears, you kind of become less afraid of the dark right now. I've become less Afraid of the Dark to be honest. If I'm tired, I can go to bed Turn All the Lights Out five minutes. I'm asleep. No problem. Alright, but that's our innocence disappears. We kind of have that but it's the wrong kind of motive, but we don't fear the darkness because sometimes we like the darkness and that's a scary place to be when you like the darkness kind of a scary place to be and I don't want to be in the dark. Okay. So we're at Matthew 28 and I want to talk about how to walk in the light. I want to start with verse 16 it says this the 11 disciples Judas it already committed suicide because he had already betrayed Jesus. So the 11 disciples proceeded to the Galilee to the mountain with Jesus had designated when they saw him they worshipped him but some were doubtful and Jesus came up and spoke to them saying all authority has been given to me in heaven and on Earth go therefore and Make Disciples of all Nations baptizing them in the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit teaching them to observe all that I commanded you and lo I Am With You Always even to the End of the Age. Okay, that is pretty self-explanatory. Right? We're supposed to go out and we're supposed to make disciples were supposed to show people that we live by his commands that you gave us and that's kind of walking in the light, right? We kind of miss something though in this teaching and I want to take you over to Mark 16 and I want to start with the 14th verse because Mark gives a little bit more insight what it means to truly go out and to truly walk in the light. This is this afterward he appeared to the eleven as they were reclining at the table and approached them for their unbelief and Hardness of Heart because they did not believe those who had seen him after he had risen and he said to them go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. He who is believed and has been baptized shall be saved but he who has disbelief shall be condemned. These signs will accompany those who have believed your ears the key in my name. They will cast out demons. They would be able to speak with new tongues. They would pick up serpents and if they drink any deadly poison, it won't hurt them. How many of you are ready to pick up snakes? me neither It will not hurt then they will lay hands on the sick and they will recover. So then when the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was received up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. It went out in the priest everywhere while the Lord worked with them and confirm the word by the signs that followed and they promptly reported all these instructions to Peter and his companions after that. Jesus himself sent out through them from east to west the sacred and imperishable proclamation of Eternal salvation. So I want to say this to you about The all the stuff that was written here. A lot of people think that this was for the early church. This kind of thing can't happen anymore right through all of those amazing Miracles and all that that was for the Bible times, but I want to ask you this. What did Jesus do here on this Earth? Somebody tell me. What did Jesus what are some of the things that Jesus did on the earth when he walked the Earth? Heal the sick what else?

Cast out demons what else?

blind to see the deaf can hear spoke in your tongues if these are the things that Jesus did and our purpose in in this day and age the purpose of the church is to continue the work of Jesus to continue the ministry of Jesus to be the what I'm going to call the Manifest presence of Jesus you're on this Earth until he comes back if we are to represent Christ then why are these things dead today? and I'm going to say to you they're not because if they're not if they were dead Jesus Christ would be irrelevant today in this world, and he would be irrelevant to you and I Okay, so there is a work that needs to be done and there are things that can be that can be done that we are to be able to do to walk in the light. This message is I was putting it together, you know Pastor sometimes searches for three point. So I'm thinking okay. I can do three points. Maybe if I came up with three points and we're good to go. I come up with three points and I ended up with three points to every three point that I have a mic. this I don't know what to make of this. This is not funny. But the first thing that he showed me was there's actually three kinds of baptism. I don't know if you noticed there's the baptism of repentance. That's the one that John was doing when you read about it in the Bible. John was down at the Jordan. He was baptizing people. It was for the repentance of their sins. Then there's the baptism of Salvation. That's to be accepting Jesus as your lord and savior, you're baptized into that. Then the Third Kind of baptism. Is this baptism of the Holy Spirit now a lot of your going I only got baptized one time. I went under water once unless Max didn't soak me enough or unless Max doesn't like me. You know, I only want under once. So what is this three baptism type thing and this is a spiritual deal guys. This isn't like you got to go under three separate times. This is a rendering of your heart. This is a rendering of your mind. This is a rendering of your soul to Jesus and everything that Jesus stands for so I want to give you an example of the fact that there are three baptisms just because the Bible says that where there's two or three witnesses that sort of validates thing. So here it is in Acts 19 1 through 7. It happened that while Apollo's was a Corinth Paul pass through the upper country and came to Ephesus and found some disciples. He said to them. Do you receive the Holy Spirit When You Believe And they said to him know we're not even heard of whether there is a Holy Spirit and he said to them into what then were you baptized and they said into who? John's baptism they were baptized into repentance. Paul said this John baptized with the baptism of repentance telling them that the people to believe in him who is coming after him that is in Jesus. That's the Salvation baptism when they heard this they were baptized in the name of Jesus. Okay, and then when Paul had laid his hands upon them what came on to them. The Holy Spirit came on to them and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying. There were in all about 12 of them. Okay, so there are three kinds of baptism. There's the baptism of repentance. There's the baptism of Salvation And there's the baptism of the Holy Spirit how many of you would like to be baptized into the Holy Spirit? Yeah, how many of you would love to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit? If you broke out in two tongues right without ever having a drink if you broke out into new tongue. Right and people would go. It's 9 in the morning. You went over to the bar already and you'll go I got the power of the Holy Spirit.

Really? Yeah, I got the power of the Holy Spirit I can speak in new tongues and even better if somebody could come up and go. Yeah, and I know what he saying. What you were at the bar to at 9 a.m. Know the power of the Holy Spirit. I want the power of the Holy Spirit. And this is the first thing that I can tell you that the Holy Spirit does. It reveals truth. When I Was preparing A Bible study of praying Daniel Bible study while back and sometimes I thought I told you this before if I if I'm in the church alone, like if there's nobody around nobody can watch me and see me I talk to myself out loud and it's very productive. Actually I preach to myself out loud. It's really productive. Don't make fun of me cuz I'm afraid of the dark in my freak talk to myself out loud. I might talk to myself in bed at night. I have no idea. But anyway, as I do that the Holy Spirit talks to me to study and I'm thinking about all these different things and I want to talk about how God's promises are important in all the the amazing things that he's got promise. And one of them was the fact that Israel's going to come back and be a nation. They're not going to be broken up into two kingdoms anymore. And I'm going on and on and God says, yeah just like in Ezekiel 37 in it, and that comes out of my mouth. Yeah, just like in Ezekiel 37 and I go what's in Ezekiel 37. I don't know. What is Ezekiel 37 that and so I go to open up Ezekiel 37 and it talks about dry bones being restored and it talks about the nation of Israel being restored back to One Nation undecided and I'm going I need to talk to myself more often. But that's what happens to the Holy Spirit can come upon you and he can talk to you and it might not be an audible voice but you can feel it in the center of your being you can feel in your gut and you know it and you can test it when you can go into the Bible you can test it because the Holy Spirit reveals Truth Listen to this therefore I make known to you that no one Speaking by the spirit of God says Jesus is accursed and no one no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit the Holy Spirit reveals to us truth. The Holy Spirit also gives us Authority. He gives us authority over our sickness. It gives us authority over our adversary how many of you would like to walk in healing right now? Yes, how many of you would like to say just be healed and it be done right Don. I'm so glad that you're here today. Don said that when he walked in he says I'm I'm I'm I'm here because you know, I've had some issues and the doctors can't figure it out and you know all these people can't figure it out. Maybe it's time to see the good Lord, right? And you know what, I think all of us are like that at times sometimes we need to come in here because you know what? It's time to see the good Lord and maybe it's time that to understand for all of us that healing comes from God healing comes from the Holy Spirit no matter what they can God can use Physicians doctors medicine whatever he wants but listen all healing comes from God how many of you have seen cancer patients go through chemotherapy, and it did not heal them. Okay, how many of you have taken medicine for something that was supposed to help fix the symptom and it did not fix the symptom. Okay, this is proof. That should be prove to you that healing comes from God and we need to trust in God for the healing first and foremost now God can use whatever he wishes to heal you and he can talk to you cuz he reveals truth, right? And he can use whatever he wishes to heal you but healing ultimately comes from God, so he and he gives us authority over our sicknesses these people the disciples. They went out and part of their signs and wonders for people to believe in Jesus was that they were healing people like they were coming up and they were going Don Hughes be healed in the name of Jesus. And he was healed. And somebody like Don would be I believe because the signs there a testament to God giving us life and giving abundant is Nick. I don't know if you heard him, but he's 93. Can you imagine that 93 years old how many of you want to live to be 93?

some of us.

Some of us are going you know, this world is getting pretty crazy. I don't know if I want to be around for the next. 70 years or whatever it is. I see what would it be for me at the matter. Anyway, thank you Charles. Keep your mouth to yourself.

Anyway, the holy spirit gives us authority over sickness, but he gives us authority over our adversary. Do you know that God does not have an enemy? Listen, the devil can't even come close to God because God is far greater than the devil. Can you believe that? So the devil is nothing that got in fact 2000 years ago when Jesus went out into the Wilderness to be tempted. He defeated the devil because to that point there was no human being that could defeat the Devil and to defeat The Temptations of the devil ever since Adam. No human being could do it. Jesus goes down into the Wilderness 40 days praying and fasting and then he's tempted by the devil. And guess what? He defeats the devil. In fact, he defeats the devil in his own dominion. I understand that it is not like he went to did I offend them?

Really?

Really? Hey Jimmy, turn your lights on.

There you go.

Wow have fun ringing the bell. Sorry, you're missing my sermon.

That's perfect.

Jesus defeated the devil in his own dominion guys. He went into the devil's Kingdom Into the Wilderness and he defeated the devil in his own dominion. That should tell you something that God has all authority over the devil and guess what Jesus said this all authority has been given to me and I give it to you. You have a thority over the devil give us toward if you believe in Jesus Christ, you have authority over the devil. The Holy Spirit also is always forward-thinking. Okay, so that was the third of the second three that you know, I had three of three point. Yeah, that's the third of the second three. Is it the holy spirit is always forward-thinking. So in other words

My favorite I think my favorite passages and it's in Exodus.

And it's so much my favorite. I can't remember the number. But it's in Exodus. I can I can assure you that we're what happens is Moses in the wilderness and God speaks to him and their grumbling about the water and it's so God speak Simmons to strike the Rock and so Moses strikes the rock with his staff and the wall are the rock splits and water comes gushing a little bit later the grumbling about water getting on having water again. And so God says to Moses speak to the Rock. And Moses is going. And he takes the staff and he goes up in strikes The Rock and when he strikes the rock water comes out, but God gets a little upset with him so much so that because of that one incident. Moses can't enter into the promised land. Okay, because God is saying I want you to be obedient to me because God is a forward thinker and we need to understand that too. Sometimes we get into how many of you get into a thing where you go. Well, this is what worked in the past. These are the things that worked. Back then are these are the things that happened back then and so it should work now right how many of us get we all do? I'm sure and what God is saying is I'm I'm done with the past. I was there in the past, but I have something planned in the future. And so the present involves the future the present doesn't involve the past anymore. The present involves the future. I am a forward thinker. I want you to be a forward thinker and I want you to be obedient to me. That's why Moses couldn't enter the promised land because how could he ever leave people if he's not on the same track as God if he's not forward-thinking the way that God wants him to be and so if the holy spirit is forward-thinking and he wants us to be forward-thinkers. Here's my last Set of three for you. Okay, so there are three types of forward-thinking. There's faith. There's Hope can you guess the last one? There's love there's Faith There's Hope and there's love these are the three types of forward-thinking and some of your saying okay forward-thinking worry is a type of forward-thinking, isn't it? When I say this? Yes, it is but worried involves faith. So faith has good and bad attributes. You can have faith in the wrong things. You can have faith in the right things. You can have faith in the wrong people. I'm sure a lot of us have been there. You can have faith in the right people. So worried is a Titleist take Peter. For example, Peter sees Jesus. They all see Jesus out walking on the water. Angie's are Peter cries out. He says Jesus if that's you Lord, if that you call out to me and I'll come out and walk on the water. So Jesus says come right to Peter gets out Peter has faith in Jesus. So he gets out of the water or out of the boat and walks on the water pretty soon logic start setting in. M Peters Cohen, I'm walking on water. This is scary stuff. There's waves coming. There's a storm. There's things going on. I shouldn't be walking on water and Peter's Faith begins to turn from Jesus into something completely different and what happens to Peter. He sinks he begins to drown and so Jesus comes back up and he holds out his hand and he pulls him back up and he says ye of little faith. So face is a huge huge thing when it comes to the Holy Spirit and if we're going to have faith in the Holy Spirit, we have to shift our faith from natural thinking from the logic thinking to the spiritual thinking to thinking you know, what if Jesus has full Authority If Jesus has full Authority and he's given us Authority. Then we can overcome these things, too. Write the Jesus has given us Authority towelettes think logically. If Jesus has given us Authority. And Jesus is overcome. Then that means we ought to be able to overcome too. And that's the thing that we can put our faith in because the word says so so if you're going through a sickness if you're going through an emotional struggle or a battle if you're going through a spiritual battle. Jesus has given us authority to overcome. We have to walk in the Holy Spirit. It's interesting Jesus's Faith the size of a mustard seed can move what mountains and yet he would tell people like Peter ye of little faith faith the size of a mustard seed and then you go ye of little faith. Something's not right there. What's what's that about and I'm thinking this let's go back to the oil in the lamp. If you put oil in a lamp and you burn the wick. Isn't a flame a flame.

I mean a flame is a flame right the only way to make it bigger. Maybe it's to pull the wick out more. So the more of the wick Burns at once but a flame is a flame Faith the size of a mustard seed of faith. The problem is we don't keep our lamp filled up. The problem is we don't keep instilling that faith that that we don't keep hearing the word faith comes from hearing the word an end in the message and in all those things if we don't keep that going in us what happens to that flame. It goes away. Yeah burns out so we need to have that faith. We need to have that hope and most importantly the Bible says the greatest of all of them is what four letter word love. Yeah. It's important to listen to the holy spirit because he is a forward thinker the Holy Spirit reveals truth. The Holy Spirit has given us Authority we can walk in authority through the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit is a forward thinker. So as we move forward in life, I want to ask you one question. Are you ready to walk in the light? Because the Bible says this if there's one unforgivable sin, it's denying the power of the holy spirit. It's denying the very existence of the Holy Spirit. I don't know about you, but that's not something I want to be. I don't I don't want to have to go to God for that one. I want to go to Garden State. I didn't believe in the Holy Spirit. I didn't believe in your power. I didn't believe in your truth in your word. I want to go to God and say man. I craved your power. I craved your truth. I craved your work because I'm afraid of the dark and I'm proud of it. Right? I'm afraid of the dark and I'm proud of it. I want to walk in the light. So as we move forward, are you ready to walk in the light? Are you ready? Are you craving it do you want do you want healing in your life and your family members life? You want healing in your friends lives. Do you want to see salvation sweep over? Do you want to see people going? I don't want to live in despair anymore. I want to live in joy. I understand trials understand having issues in life. Guess what? We're not in heaven I get that. But there are times that I think that we can go through things and go. You know what? I'm okay, because it's not completely dark. It's not completely dark there is a light that exist. And I pray that each and every one of you would seek the light I pray that each and every one of you would crave the light that God has to offer you as prey. Father I thank you so much that you have given us the life and the light I pray that all life and all light we can recognize comes from you. And father I pray that you in Stillness the power of the Holy Spirit. I pray that there's somebody here today that is craving it that that wants it that is not sure that they have it while are pretty right. Now that you would you would lay your hand on them. And that the Holy Spirit would consume them would overwhelm them. I pray all sickness that is in this room today be healed. I pray and I claim it in the name of Jesus. I pray that that all emotional things that are going on in our in our my father. I pray that you would restore balance to it. I pray that that we walk in insecurity and confidence knowing that you've got this I Pray for no more of this worry no more of this fear. And father, I pray that you that that we would understand that we can walk in your ways and walk in your life and we can find joy and peace also and you and I pray it in Jesus name. Amen.

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