with gentry today, and just pass any bulletin.
If anybody who doesn't have a bulletin,
you guys can split up the sanctuary
and just open up your bulletins.
Today is September 7th, that quick.
Last week was August, now we're in September.
And welcome to Springcrest Baptist.
And right there on the left, we have our service time.
Tomorrow quick.
Our service times are Sunday morning, 10.30 a.m., Sunday evening, 4.30 p.m., Wednesday
service, 5.30, and then our soul-winning time is 5, I mean, 2 p.m., 2 day, not 5.
We would be in church and you guys would be missing it.
So the memory chapter for the month or for as long as it takes is Philippians 1, and
we're on verse number 5.
for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now so any children
that quoted to a non-family member get ice cream I think we're a little bit
low but if they quoted we run out just let me know we'll get some and then
year-to-date souls won 194 so that's great I still like to push to just like
obliterate that number and I have a couple things lined up but
We're just gonna have to play it by ear. So as far as it's September happening
So I did up the everything correctly except that part, but September happenings we had a
September first we have Avery L Rodgers, and I think she's actually just one year old now
So I hope those birthdays are correct, but she just turned one and then on
tomorrow this pastor cobs 89th birthday, so
Uh, you know, if you guys want to hang around, we're just going to celebrate him a little
bit.
Just shake his hand.
But Pastor Cop's birthday is tomorrow.
It's actually Pastor Cop if you'll stand up and we'll just sing happy birthday for
you real quick and then we'll get all the rest announcements done.
I just, I'd rather not skip it because I'm going to forget.
I'm still a little foggy with all the medicine.
So on the first happy birthday to.
years of life that's amazing that's awesome and then pray for set fast I was
supposed to be with them starting tomorrow but I won't be but a bunch of
guys are already in Mexico City soul winning they'll be there all week and
I'm still looking forward to the report for two reasons number one obviously we
want a good harvest but number two like I have plans to where we as our church
just does great things in Mexico
Since that is my home bird my home country, you know, that's where like I my heart is a special place for Mexican people
And on the back just a prayer request. I did just add one at the bottom Matt Wycliffe. He's new here
But just keep praying for everybody. Thank you for all the prayers on the cert on the
On the healing from the surgery. I am doing better, but I'm not a hundred percent
And I know I look normal
but underneath there's just a lot of pain so just the only thing I would ask is just the kid
to be careful with my arm other than that I mean it is what it is you got we got to keep going so
just keep praying for everybody on the prayer list is there any updates that I need to do on
remove the one you requested but if there's any just let me know and I'll go
ahead and I think I saw one from Christian I don't know the last 25 days or
so been kind of blurry so I'll check all my messages but if nothing else oh and
then I do have a couple announcements just cuz I've been thinking about it and
I just I didn't put it in the bulletin but really quick
The uh, we hit we're just getting a lot more kids now. So a couple of things for the kids
We're gonna put some locks. Oh, I think they already did just we want to keep the kids out of the baptistery area
It is about three feet deep and you know, obviously the older kids are okay
But we don't want any of the younger kids falling and those stairs are pretty steep
I don't think about these things. I'm glad other parents think about these things
But yeah, we don't want anybody just falling in there and just you know
Either that or just going in there and hiding, you know how kids are and then we're looking for them all over the place
And it turns out they're just chilling in the baptistery area, right?
So which is also another possibility if anybody has kids, you know how kids are right the other thing
It's just no running in the church, you know, and if not parents just help us
We do have the sometimes a challenge where kids will run into like an older adult
We don't want anybody just getting hurt and so just if you guys can help me with that and then brother he
spruced up the baby, the mother baby room.
It's for mothers and children only.
So like no, just no one attended children back there.
And then during the service if your kids are being in distraction, of course, you can take them back there
And when I'm talking about distraction, I mean any like basic crying. It's not too crazy
I've learned to preach through that but you guys know what that's like, you know, but if it's just losing it
I mean even at home like if your kids losing you just take them somewhere else. It's just insane, right?
And then if you guys don't mind just if you'll help me clean up after your kids
That would be great. Just because and that includes my kids and you know what I'm talking about
Those little rappers from the Capri Sun pick them up, you know, that's my kid
I just I hate those things, you know, they take the little rapper and just dump them everywhere in LSE
They're like a little trove Capri Sun rappers everywhere
That's my personal pet peeve. I'm just talking about in general. You know, I'm not getting onto it. So and then
The only other thing the refrigerator I've said it before but if we can get it to where the parents
Get stuff for the kids just because it is just it's hard to keep up with all of that
So the the juices and all the coax everything that's for basically the soul winners or so anytime the waters are there
Every Sunday we bring plenty of doughnuts and there's coffee and all that stuff obviously during fellowship time as well
So it's like afterwards. We're fellowshiping just keep you know be be cognizant of the fact that you know
I mean, I don't care everybody gets a drink, but sometimes things can get out of hand and then we just lose track of all that other than that
It's not a big deal, but if you guys can help with that
I would greatly appreciate it and if nothing else let's turn our hymns over to page 143
143
My Jesus, I love the one
Yeah, yeah, okay, oh
Sorry, and then afterwards my wife's just letting me know we're I appreciate her
We're gonna have a cake
Just to celebrate pastor cops. So you know obviously
Parents you're welcome to give your kids cake if you don't want to give your kids cake
I'm okay with that too. It's just gonna be a small little coke it just to celebrate pastors 89th birthday
You got a way pastor next year's 90. That's the big one. We'll throw a big batch for you then away
You know, so this is just a mini one. You got to make it tonight for us to throw the big one
Come on out. So 143 my Jesus. I love the Mike Jesus. I love the
1.96 I think it's not plugged
1.96 we're gonna sing this twice
1.96 and before that I did forget one thing is
The soul winning time right now. I think I had talked to Jared
But anybody who's staying back for soul winning like I need you guys to just I think this will be the last week
And I should be able to join you guys next week
But I'm just not planning on going soul winning right now at least today
In between services I just want to rest up so I can finish the preaching.
I do have a couple of guys lined up to help me during the next month just to keep it simple
because the only challenge is I look like I have energy but then afterwards I just don't
have a lot of energy.
I didn't know so I looked it up apparently after surgery it could be like two to four weeks of just like just feeling really exhausted
That's like telling her I was like I'm not used to not having all this like lack of energy
I just want to go go go so
Telling her meaning my wife, but that's the only thing so if you guys will help me out with the soul winning
Just keep you the numbers and anything let me know what you need
But I do intend to go soul winning next week
I'm just but I am playing it day by day so the other other than that just turn your handles over to
196 seek you first
seek you first
the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.
I mean, I'm sorry, turn your Bibles over to 2 Corinthians 12 and while I read the chapter if I could get Brother Trey to take up the tides and the offerings
Yeah, they're they're by the they're by the desk
Second Corinthians 12 it will read the whole chapters has become our custom
Let me get my timer ready here
Since I haven't preached in several days
There is the danger that I will want to over preach
So, I will do my best to stay within an hour and a half, two hours, so.
Let's read that first verse, right there, chapter 12, 2 Corinthians.
It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory.
I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord, a new man in Christ above 14 years
I cannot tell God knoweth such a one caught up to the third heaven.
I knew such a man whether in the body or out of the body.
I cannot tell God knoweth how that he was caught up into paradise
and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
Of such and one will I glory, yet of myself I will not glory, but in my infirmities.
For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool, for I will say the truth.
But now I forbear lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be,
or that he heareth of me, lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance
of the revelations that was given to me, a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to
For this thing I besought the Lord thrice that it might depart from me and he said unto me my grace is sufficient for thee
For my strength is made perfect in weakness
Most gladly therefore I will rather glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me
Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions,
in distresses for Christ's sake, for when I am weak, then I am strong.
I have become a fool and glorying, yet ye have compelled me, for I ought to have been
commended of you, for in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles, for I be nothing."
Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience and signs and wonders and mighty deeds.
For what is it wherein ye were inferior to other churches?
Accepted be that I myself was not burdensome to you. Forgive me this wrong.
Behold the third time I am ready to come to you, and I will not be burdensome to you, for I seek not yours, but you, for the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children, and I will very gladly spend and be spent for you, though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved."
But be it so I did not burden you nevertheless being crafty. I caught you with guile
Did I make a gain of you by any of them whom I sent unto you?
I desire Titus and with him I send a brother to Titus make a gain of you walk
We not in the same spirit walk. We not in the same steps again
Think ye that we have an excuse ourselves unto you. We speak before God and Christ,
but we do all things dearly beloved for your edifying. For I fear lest when I come I shall
not find you such as I would, and that I shall be found unto you such as you would not."
lest there be debates, envies, wraths, strives, backbiting,
whispering, swelling, tumults, lest when I come again,
my God will humble me among you that I shall be wail,
many which have sinned already and have not repented
of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness
which they have committed. Let's go ahead now. Pastor Cobb, will you pray for
I'm going to follow the council until you get this morning for your goodness,
for his sake, we need it.
Amen.
So we're there in second Corinthians and we're we're focused there on on verse 7
311 that's the focus of it because there's a lot to cover in second Corinthians, but that's not what we're preaching on today
I want to focus on a very set specific set of verses and the title of my sermon this
Morning is lessons I learned from mate breaking my collarbone
So I was like man was well just preach on it because I've been thinking about it for the last 24 days
So the lessons that I have learned from breaking my collarbone and and then even this morning I thought
man, I don't even know if I have all the lessons.
There's just so many things that you learn,
you know, when something severe happens, right?
God's really teaching you some things there.
But where they're in verse seven, it says,
unless I should be exalted above measure
through the abundance of the revelations,
there was given to me a thorn in the flesh.
The messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart for me, and he said unto
me, My grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.
Most gladly, therefore, I will rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ
may rest upon me.
Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions,
than I am strong. I am become a fool and glory. You have compelled me for I have
ought to be been commended of you for nothing I am behind the very chief,
the very chiefest apostles, though I be nothing. And Paul here is talking about the
fact that, you know, obviously in, in this passage here, he feels like maybe God's
humbling him.
And I don't know, that's not one of the lessons, but it's not a bad lesson to learn.
The Lord's always going to be humbling us, right? We want to have the Lord be the one that increases
and we decrease. But here you say, hey, doesn't matter what stage or part of life I'm in,
I'm just going to glory in the Lord Jesus Christ, right? And so I just have a few points for you
today. And I've just been really thinking about, you know, spring crest and
Well, the different things that have gone on, you know, just even in the last year,
and this is a good time to just re re re
Review that or talk about that and I'm gonna try to slow down and ask you guys to be patient with me
I load it up on all the pain pills so I could feel really good because honestly, I'm not a hundred percent
I probably shouldn't be preaching but I didn't have anybody else to fill in the pulpit anymore
So that's like let's just get back to it
But it's been what like 24 25 days
Since I broke my collarbone on August 15th, and then it's been about
19 days from the from surgery, right? So I broke my collarbone
Don't ask me. It's not a great story. I'm gonna be very brief. I was just running a relay race
And like a dumb bunny I tripped
Forward and I stumbled forward and I stumbled forward. I have no idea how I
Catapulted myself into my shoulder, but that's what I did
And so I I will say they told me to tag my partner and I came back and I tagged my partner
So I did finish the race and then I went over there and was writing in pain and then they took me to the ER
The bone was sticking out. So I actually thought I dislocated my shoulder
Which I was like well at least we'll pop it back into place and then when I got there turns out that I had fractured it pretty severely
and they're like, we can't do anything for you. And then it's like in some podonk town out in
Glenrose. So they didn't even give me like my wife was really angry. They didn't ice it.
They didn't give me any medication. So basically I spent four days on just like over the counter
ibuprofen, which is, you know, horrible. I just slept like in a sitting position. But the blessing
was that my dad is a doctor in Mexico. And for those that don't know, I've said it from the pulpit
And if anybody knows the American system, we've got great medicine.
But horrible service. So I was like man
It's gonna take me like a month to get into like a surgery center because I don't necessarily go to the doctor regularly or anything like that
But my dad was able to get me
Into surgery on Tuesday like just a couple days later, and then it's just been recovery from
Since then I've got a bunch of and for those of you who've gotten the pictures if not you can ask me
I'll show it to you. I'm pretty transparent, but I've got a bunch of screws and metal in my collarbone for the rest of my life
So I think some of the people in the audience have metal as well, so I'm with you, you know,
Sister Evelyn, you know, you and I, we, Pastor Cobb's got, you know, you got a metal plate,
right? You got a platinum coil in your head, right? So you and I were good.
You've got metal, there you go.
So, you know, I'm not the only one.
So this is not anything, anything special.
If you guys want to start a club and, you know,
meet for breakfast or something like that,
we know we'll do it, you know, just, I'm just kidding.
But the very first point I have for you
is the one that I've been thinking about a lot
is that we are dispensable, right?
You are dispensable, but you know what?
You're still usable.
There is a difference, you know,
and maybe that's what God's trying to teach.
I don't know, I'm not, I'm not going to try to figure out
what God's trying to teach.
That's my second point.
But the one thing that is a fact is that life will continue to go on right everything that we had planned for the church
Went on without a hitch like I don't need to be here for the church to continue
And actually to me that's a huge blessing because that's the purpose of the church where one body
right, with many members. And the goal is that we all should be zealous and we should all be
excited and we should all be conscious that we need to do the work for the Lord. It's not just
the guy behind the pulpit or maybe some guy that you think is in leadership. You guys are all leaders.
You guys have the same ability and the same opportunity to go do great things for Christ
that I have, right? Sometimes people mistake the guy behind the pulpit as the guy the most excited,
the reality is there's probably people that are way more excited about doing things for
Christ sometimes than even the guy that's preaching behind the pulpit or leaving the church.
But the one thing is, we're still usable. You know, I don't know if God was just giving me a
break. I don't know what he's teaching me. But you know what? I'm back, right? Because that's
what God really wants us to do is that no matter what happens in life, we come back to the thing
that we need to do for the Lord Jesus Christ. All of the rest of the things really don't matter.
Now don't get me wrong, I mean I need to get back to work and I need to provide for my family
and we need to do these things, but we need to do them with the purpose of the fact that,
hey, life is fleeting, I'm dispensable, but I'm still usable for who? For the Lord Jesus Christ,
right? And what is that word dispensable means? It's just capable of being dispensed, right?
You're done away with, you're not necessary, you're not essential, and you've got to think of your
And Job 1, you got to think about your life and the fact that life is
Dispensable, but God still wants to use you. I know it feels like a paradox, but it really is a paradox in the sense that
Nobody is an island to themselves, right?
Everybody thinks that they're going to continue in life and that they're the most important person
You know people in power and in politics and in government think that they're the most they're the you know
What does Donald Trump say like in either one? It's gonna fix America make America great again
But we don't need Donald Trump to fix America. You know what we need
We need men and women that fear God to fix America right those are the ones that God wants to use and
Sometimes when he's using them
He's gonna put some challenges in their way, right?
I mean, that's just the fact of life you go to Job one and you go down to verse 20
And it says then Job arose and rents his mantle and shaved his head and fell down upon the ground and worshiped
And said naked came I out of my mother's womb and naked shall I return the other the Lord gave and the Lord had taken away
Blessed be the name of the Lord and all this Job sin not nor charged God
Foolishly now. I don't know if I did that perfectly. I did preach that afternoon after breaking my collarbone
So I know I at least I praise the Lord later
I don't know if initially that's how I felt, so I'm not gonna lie.
A lot of things went through my mind, but you know what, I love that the Bible reminds
me that in spite of everything that's happening in my life, I need to come back and worship
the Lord and not charge God foolishly.
If you go down to verse, if you go to chapter two, and you're there in verse one, it says
Again, there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord,
and Satan came also among them to present himself before the Lord, and the Lord sent
unto Satan, for whence cometh thou?
And Satan answered the Lord, and said, from going to and fro in the earth, and from walking
up and down it.
And the Lord said unto Satan, has thou considered my servant Job, and there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and upright man, one that feareth God in his shoeeth evil, and still he holdeth fast as integrity, although thou movest me against him, to destroy him without cause."
Job is one of those great books that just always is really interesting because we you know when you first learn it you kind of
You're not really understanding what's going on
But as you really read it, you know Satan said God said that Satan moved him
against Job
God's the one maneuvering everything
Right and Satan answered the Lord and said skin for skin. Yeah, all that a man hath will you give for his life?
But put forth thy hand now and touch his bone and his flesh and he will cause thee
Curse thee I'm sorry to thy face and the Lord said unto Satan behold
He is in thy hand, but save his life
And you know what sometimes when we get attacked in life, it's God giving permission to Satan to do that
We just, I don't know, I'm not going to pretend that that's what happened, and that's my second
point, but I really wanted to get this one across first.
So when Satan went forth to the presence of the Lord and smote Job with sore boils from
the soul of his foot unto his crown, and he took him a pot shirt to scrape himself with
all, and he sat down among the ashes, then said he unto his wife, does thou still retain
But he said unto her this is one of my favorite verses in the entire Bible
Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What?
Shall we receive good at the hand of God and shall we not receive evil and all this
Did not jubes sin with his lips. Hey God's gonna send us good and evil
Right, we don't just expect her the problem with modern Christianity is that like modern Christianity plays this if-then game
Right, if you do all these things then you're gonna receive all these blessings
But sometimes if you do all these things you're gonna receive all these evils before you receive the blessings
Because your gods may be doing a work where he's purging you or he's purified and like I said, I don't know
I'm not going to pretend to be God. I'm just saying, based on the Bible,
there's a couple of things that he could be doing. He could be testing me, because maybe I'm
walking, trying to walk as close to him as possible. But I also know that I'm a sinner,
and I have sin in my life. Or it could just be that maybe I've been a little bit arrogant,
like Paul, and he's trying to humble me. I don't know. And that leads me to my next point.
Go to Psalm 34, but that leads me to my next point, which is, his ways are higher.
Right his ways are way higher his thoughts are higher than ours
But before I do that, let me just read Psalm 34 verse 17. The Bible says
The righteous cry and the Lord heareth and deliver them out of all their troubles
The Lord is nigh unto them that are broken heart and save it such as it be of a contrite heart spirit
Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth him out of all of them look
I mean, I can surmise that many are the afflictions of the righteous.
I'm righteous because I'm saved.
I don't know if I'm always living righteously, but I definitely am righteous in the Lord, right?
I believe them to salvation. I have a clear gospel message and God said, hey, many are the afflictions if you're gonna suffer
But you know what? I'm gonna deliver you out of all of them, right?
And so because we have a tendency when something bad happens, especially something like this, you think of everything that's gonna go wrong
I mean think about it. I haven't worked for several weeks. You know, the bills are gonna pile up
You know, I haven't been at church, you know, my parents helped me out.
Like it's just been this like long list of things that you've got to take care of.
But the Lord will deliver me out of all of them.
Right. The Lord's going to deliver us out of all of those things.
Now, go over to Job 42. Go over to Job 42.
So the first point was that you are dispensable, but still usable.
And there is a difference, right?
I'm not trying to downplay or make you feel bad.
But just remind, remember that you're not.
You're not you're not God's gift to the world, right? God's gift to the world was Jesus Christ
That's the gift that we receive unto salvation and that's why we're able to do great things for the Lord, right?
But if we're on the earth and we're doing great things for the Lord, then he's still going to use you
And he might just put a stop for a little bit.
I mean, Job was doing great things and there was this pause.
Elijah was doing great things.
And then he ran away from Jezebel and he kind of made him rest.
I mean, there's a lot of examples
in the Bible of things like that, right?
But you're there in Job 42.
And I love what he says here.
He says, then Job answered the Lord.
Remember, and I just finished reading through the book of Job.
But basically in 40 and 41, God's like, hey,
He comes out of the world when he says hey gird up thy lorings like a man because I expect an answer
And this is Job's answer then Job answered the Lord and said I know
The dowel can't do everything
I mean, and that's an old English word, right, because it sounds weird that I can't you can do everything, right?
And that no thought can be withholded from thee who is he that hitheth counsel without knowledge?
Therefore have I uttered that I understood not that not
Things too wonderful for me, which I knew not
Here I beseech thee and I will speak I will demand of thee and declare thou unto me
I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine I see a thee
Wherefore I abhor myself and repent and dust and ashes. Hey even Job got to the end of all the trials and he's like
You're too wise for me, I don't I can't understand what you're doing
right and the reason that I put that is because
Go over to Isaiah 55
Go to Isaiah 55.
We know those verses, but I'll read them for you real quick
and then I'll tell you the reason I put these in here,
but in verse 55, verse eight, I'm sorry, Isaiah 55,
is this, for my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways, my ways, saith the Lord,
for as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways,
and my thoughts than your thoughts,
for as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven,
and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth,
and maketheth bring forth, and but,
that it may give seed to the sower,
and bread to the eater.
Social my word be that go forth out of my mouth
It shall not return unto me void
But it shall accomplish that which I please and it shall prosper in the thing where to I sent it
And the reason I
This is the second point is because everybody has an opinion including myself
You know my initial thought was like man is God punishing me. What is he trying to do? You know?
Is it sin in my life that I'm trying to clean up is it a trial my dad was convinced now
I think my dad was wrong
And I love my dad. He took care of me, and I've already told him this, so I have no problem.
But my dad was like, oh, I think the Lord broke your collarbone, so you wouldn't go to Mexico
so winning. Because, you know, Mexico is just really dangerous right now. And he was worried for
me. But I just don't believe that the Lord's going to stop anybody from going so winning.
But I do believe that he could be trying me, right? But honestly, what I came to the conclusion with,
because you read your Bible so much, and I hope you're reading your Bible a lot, is that it doesn't
Right if he's punishing me well, he says hey if I'm chastising you it's good for you, right?
If you're going through chastisement afterwards, it's gonna be great
So then if it's chastisement great if he's trying me like Joe
Well then, at the end, I want to be rewarded tenfold, so great also.
I mean seriously, if he's humbling me like Paul, well Paul's literally considered the greatest apostle in the New Testament.
So great also. I mean honestly, it doesn't really matter.
All I gotta do is just that...
He has a way bigger understanding of life than I do and it doesn't all make sense to me
Why that would happen especially with the growth of the church and things that we're doing and everything
But that's just the way that God intended it to be
And the reason I'm using my examples because it's fresh, but in your life you have things that happen
And you need to look at it like stop trying to figure out what God's doing in your life
Just accept them for what they are and let God do the work that he's doing in your life, right?
Sometimes he just needs to clean you up
Sometimes he just needs to whoop up on you. Sometimes he just needs to humble you
Sometimes he just needs to trial you right the Bible says yay and all the live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer tribulation
Right, I don't know about now. This is not tribulation. This is not persecute. I mean persecution. Sorry, but
It but trials and tribulations and persecutions are just part of life if you're living the Christian life
Jax just expect to have problems. I mean, that's just the way that it is go over to Romans 8 go to Romans 8
And we have to believe that if we're serving the Lord Jesus Christ there is a purpose and a reason for everything that he's doing
Sometimes when there's a big event you you tend to overthink it
But in everything that we're doing the Lord's doing a work, right?
And the one thing that we also want to not focus on is right?
I want to just we also got to think of others in our time of need because other people are still suffering even when you're suffering
You know, you're not you're not the first person to break your collarbone
You're not the first person to lose a job. You're not the first person to have marital problems
You're not the first person to send the way that you think you're the only one that sends that way
You're not the first person to do that
But God is always doing a work in you and just trust the process
Right. We need to just know his ways are higher in Romans 8 in verse 26
The Bible says likewise the spirit also helpeth our infirmities
Hey, Lord Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit is helping our infirmities, for we know not
what we should pray as we ought to, but the Spirit itself make it intercession for us
with groanies which cannot be uttered. And He that searcheth the heart to knoweth what is in
the mind of the Spirit, because He maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God. So to be saved,
You need to believe but if you want all things to work together for good and love God to them who are call the call
According to his purpose for whom he did for know
He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son that he might be the firstborn among many brethren
Moreover whom he did predestinate them. He also called and whom he called them. He also justified and whom he justified
Then he also glorified what shall we say then to these things if God before us?
Who can be against us? He has spared not his own son, but delivering him up as for all delivering him up for us all
How shall he not with him also freely give us all things and by the way always be reminded that?
Number one, it's not as bad as we think and Jesus Christ. I mean God spared his own son and
You know, who are we to think that we're above Jesus Christ?
I mean, that's literally the greatest human being to ever walk the face of this earth, right?
And right there, we see in verse 33, it says,
who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect?
It is God to justify it.
Who is he that condemneth?
It is Christ to die,
yet he rather that is risen again,
who is even at the right hand of God, who also make it intercession for us.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
Shall tribulation or distress
or persecutions, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword.
As it is written, for thy sake, we are killed all the day long.
We are counted as sheep for the slaughter.
Nay, in all things, we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities,
nor powers, nor things presence to come,
nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from
the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. So it doesn't matter what happens in your life
if you love the Lord nothing's going to separate you and everything's working for good.
So I'm actually excited that I broke my collarbone because I just know good things are coming
around the corner because I mean I'm going to be honest with you I'm not always perfect but I do love
Right? I love doing the ministry. I love the work of the Lord. I love leading people to Christ.
I love pulling people out of hell. And so we just got to get excited about the things of the Lord.
Go over to Romans 11, but I'll read for you really quick. Proverbs 8, 16.
Verse 8 says, better is a little with righteousness than great revenues without right, a man's heart
divisive his ways, but the Lord directed his his steps. Let me tell you, I have a ton of plans,
but the Lord always seems to kind of move my plans in a different direction.
Right, that doesn't mean we don't make plans, but we also got to accept that when we make plans and we ask God to guide our plans
He's gonna change him up and it's actually a good thing, right?
He's gonna correct them and he's gonna guide us the best way possible in Romans 11 in verse 33
It says oh the depths of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God
How unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out for who hath known the mind of the Lord or who hath been his counselor
Or who hath first given to him and it shall be recompensed unto him again
Four of him and through him and to him are all things to whom be glory forever amen
Hey, we don't know what God's doing to spring crest. We don't know what God's doing in my life
We don't know what God's doing in your life, but you just got to trust the process, right?
So, the first point was that we are dispensable, but still usable.
Second point is that his ways are just higher.
His ways are better.
Right?
And we just need to trust that.
Then I've seen and remember these are the lessons I learned so it might be different for you
This is just what I've observed is that in all that
God's brought unity to the thing that matters to me the most which is the church
Right in the last 20 we had all these plans
You know supposed to be at the fire breathing Baptist fellowship, which by the way, I think
Liberty and her family were you guys there? I think you guys were there, which by the way
Yeah, let me know who was there and I think Jared and his wife were there
So we had representation at the fire breathing Baptist Fellowship. I was supposed to I was scheduled to preach twice
Like I was headlined. I was supposed to be at the soul-winning missions, you know
trip in Mexico
All that just went out the window.
I was supposed to be here.
I was actually looking forward to it
because I don't know if you guys know this.
Pastor Anderson, I consider him a friend,
but him and I have never really hung out.
I was like, oh, great.
He's finally come in a spring crest
and I'll be able to just like,
I'll take him out with my family to lunch or something.
You know, all that just went out the window.
Like I was not here for any of that.
But you know what was here?
The church.
As a matter of fact, I heard there was like 63 or 65 people at the event, you know, I think you guys stayed until like you shut the door
The you I think it was almost midnight when everybody left the church, you know
And then there and everybody's just been showing up the soul winning marathon we had planned the next day
I think there was like 20 soul winners something like six or seven souls one maybe no nine, right?
It was nine souls one. I mean that's awesome. That's exactly what a church needs to be doing
right? It shouldn't depend on one person, it should depend on the body of Christ,
right? And then it's just a lot of unity that I've seen, right? God never abandons us. Like,
I'm really grateful and I just want to, I also want to take the time to just be grateful to people.
I'm grateful to my wife and my kids and my parents. I mean, my parents really stepped up.
I mean, I called them and in a matter of minutes, my dad already had everything set up.
I stayed in my parents' house, like if I was a teenager, like they took care of me,
like if I was just still living at home, and they took care of my wife and my kids.
My wife, thank God, she's a trained nurse. She took care of my wounds after the surgery. She
taped them up real nice, and she's real meticulous about that. So, you know, I didn't have any,
You know, I'm really grateful to the, I don't know if you guys have ever met him, but brother Samson was there and the previous year, he had hurt his back and he got surgery.
So maybe the mighty men's conference is just like to make men tougher because he had surgery for his back.
So I'm glad I didn't have that.
But as soon as I got hurt, I mean, he, he put me in his truck and drove me.
at 100 miles an hour to the ER, and you know, I was there quickly.
And then when we got there, who's ever met brother Samson?
He's like six, three.
He talks in a really deep voice.
You know, he's like a good old Texan.
He's like, hey, brother, you know, how you do it?
You know, he's very intimidating is what I'm trying to say.
And he walked in and then he parked.
And when he came back, he was wearing like this, this thing around his neck.
And I was like, hey, what is that, brother Samson?
He's like, oh, this is my body cam.
he's like I don't go anywhere without it and I was like okay so I'm gonna record everything
and then when I when they called me to the back room he just walked in with me you know which
is really rare right they only want like family members and so like everybody was intimidated
by him he's recording the whole thing so if they would have done something stupid I'd have it on
And all the men at the at the event because he immediately mobilized, you know
He paid for some guys playing ticket so that they could drive me back because I couldn't even drive
So some young guy named man Jameson. He was 18, which is this is a great story
I'm let me just give me just one minute to tell you this
So Pastor Shelley finds and of course most of the guys are married and they have jobs and stuff
So I'm like, hey, I just need you to if you can find one of the young guys to take me back because I rented a car
And then if they can fly out, I'm like, we'll pay for it, but he paid for it.
Pastor Shelly took care of it all.
And he's like, yeah, I got a young guy named Jameson.
So we in the car and Jameson, I'm like, hey, Jameson, you know, I know you're 18,
you know, and you're from like some tiny little town and
out of state, he just moved to Dallas.
I was like, how long have you had your license?
He's like, oh, I got it last December.
It's like, oh my God, great.
So he's like, you've been driving less than a year.
And then he's like, oh, and I just got to Dallas
three months ago, so I don't really know
how to drive in the city yet.
I was like, all right.
So I really had to be on alert.
I'm like, speed up, slow down, be careful.
Don't do this.
I had to coach him through the whole thing.
I was like, man, I'm just glad we made it, right?
Because I remember being 18 and driving to the city the first time.
It's like it's a little nerve racking, you know, you just, it's not something that you,
uh, that you really do it.
And then I'm grateful brother James Perry, who you guys got to know better.
He preached a bunch of sermons just happened that he's here from the
Philippines and he stepped in and was able to preach a bunch of sermons.
I'm grateful to brother Mike.
who stepped in and preached a great sermon last I mean it was one of my favorite sermons of all
year uh last week on the singing pastor cob of course not only did pastor cob I had to pull all
all the ranks not only was he preaching but he was also leading the the singing with his wife
I mean everybody was just stepping up in a great way right and then even this past sunday I mean
sorry past wednesday we had past brother Diego coming to town and he preached for us a really
Wednesday. So it's just been a really huge blessing. I wouldn't necessarily want to break
my collarbone again, but maybe if I got injured in a lighter way and people stepped up, it
would be great. It's been really fun to watch everybody. But go over to Psalm 133 really
quick. Go to Psalm 133 speaking of unity. It's just amazing how everything's just come
together.
And by the way, these are my longest points. The rest of them they will go very quickly, but in Psalm 133 the Bible says
Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity
It is like the precious ointment upon the head that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard, and went down to the skirts of his garment, as the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion, for there the Lord commanded the blessings, even life forevermore.
And I love that, right? How pleasant it is for the brethren to dwell together in unity. And you know, one of the things that Springcrest has right now is great unity.
And go over to Ephesians 4, but in Acts 16, verse 25, just piggybacking on Brother Mike,
at midnight, Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises unto God and the prisoners hurt them.
When you're in unity, you're able to face the challenges and the battles of life much
better.
Actually, let me not get it. I have here in yeah, my notes
So let me not get my ahead of myself, but in Ephesians 4 go over to Ephesians 4 in verse 1 the Bible says therefore the prisoner of the Lord I
Therefore sorry the prisoner of the Lord beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you're called with all loneliness and
meekness and long suffering for bearing one another in love
endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace.
There is one body and one spirit, even as you are called in one hope of your calling,
one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is above all and through all and in you all.
But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ
Wherewith he saith when he ascended up on high he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men now that he ascended
What is it?
But that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth
He that descended is the same that also ascended up far above all heavens that he might fill all things and he gave some apostles and some prophets and some evangelists and some pastors and teachers for the perfecting of the saints for the work of the ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ till we all come in the unity.
of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man unto the measure of the
stature of the fullness of Christ that we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro and
carried about with every wind of doctrine but by the slay by the slate of men in cunning craftiness
where fought whereby they lie and wait to deceive but speaking the truth and love may grow up into
All in all things which is the head even Christ. Hey, God's doing all this so that we can grow up
Christ and just become more unified and do more more things and one of the things that I you know
I've been thinking about but
Now I can really talk about it is
Right. I want it. I've all I've been wanting for a while. It's been about a year since pure words
Which was just you know across town close and I call it the merger because I'm a business guy, right?
And we had the merger right Springcrest Baptist Church and previous members from the other church
came over and one of the things that I think all these challenges have done is that it's
unified the church. It's no longer this group and that group, it's just spring crest. What's
left after all the battles and all the scars and all the suffering is that we have a unified
church that's willing to serve Jesus Christ, right? And before it was Pastor Cobb and Brother
Trey and Brother Mike, hey, we were doing the work and it didn't matter if people showed up or not,
Alright as a matter of fact Trey is such a good friend that I actually want to thank him because I sent him a text
I said hey man, I have bad news for you guys
I just broke my collarbone and his first response was like what do you need me to do?
And I know Trey like what he meant was if I said hey drop everything you're doing and show up
He would have showed up and actually I wanted not only thank Trey
But his family because they always back him and whatever he does, right?
Trey can't be Trey without Jenny and Gentry and the backing of his family and even Glenis is here today
and Glenis I've known them for a long time so I'm like on a very comfortable
basis with him right but then after the merger other people stepped up right and I don't normally
name names but I'm gonna do it anyways because I hope if I miss you just call me and I'll apologize
and I'll bring it up in the next sermon but you know we have the fits right and
He and Sister Sylvia have stepped up, she's cleaned the church,
he's deciding to paint the whole church. I don't know, I'm gonna let him do whatever he
wants to do back there, right? And then Liberty and her family have been
faithful, Moe stepped in and worked for us for a while and actually fixed a bunch of things.
You know, we've got the Garcia's and the Magruse and the Boteo brothers.
and the Elise and, you know, the Rogers family and the Pettus family and the Levesquies and
the Miranda's and the Queensbury and even now the Wycliffe's. I mean, there's just a lot of
people that have come in the last year that have changed things. And, you know, even sister,
because I say them allude to this, but I want to make sure that Sister Evelyn knows.
I know you're part of that, but you're also independent. She's been faithful.
You know, it's great to see just all the faithful brother Todd, sister Millie, you know, just everybody that just consistently shows up sister Karen.
I don't know if you guys know this for a long time before anybody showed up sister Karen just shows up like on a Monday or Tuesday and cleans up the church.
Nobody even knows that, you know, I'm the one because we see the camera sometimes because, you know, we'll get it like a notice of something.
And so I got to check them and I'm like, what is sister Karen doing? Oh, she's in the church cleaning stuff, right?
And the one thing is that we still have faithful attendance from both parties, right?
It's now just everything's just merging to one and that didn't include all the visitors we've had in the past year
It feels like at least the summer we had a visitor almost every week
You know, we've had all these families come through and do that and that's really I believe I'm not saying I understand
Everything the Lord's doing but I can't see some things that the Lord is doing and in spite of everything that's happened
The Lord is unifying the church
Well one thing I will say though is with unity comes trials and tribulations and so I need
you guys to be mentally prepared and read your Bibles and be spiritually armed with
a full armor of Christ because more attacks will come in different ways, right?
Let's go to the fourth point.
So you are dispensable but you're still usable and I think God sometimes needs to remind
His ways are higher and then we've seen I've seen a lot of unity
But the other thing that I learned from bringing my collarbone is it's a stark reminder
We know this but it's a good reminder sometimes to really know this that we will all die
Right and so our duty should be to redeem and redeem and redeem the time
Right because I'm not saying that I that I that I was close to dying
But man at times when you're feeling in a lot of pain. You're just like should I just die?
I mean, I'm not kidding. There was a day. I started to develop an infection. I didn't know that's what it was
It was just one day, but like Wednesday night. I think or Thursday night
Man, I lost it. I woke up Mary Sarah's like I am in I am in the worst pain
I was like, and she thought I was just like, you know, I mean, they don't, you can't see the pain.
I was like, this is just excruciating. I just, I was like, I literally said, I was like,
if the Lord needs to take me now, just do it. Like, that's how bad it was.
Turns out the next day, my dad looked at the wound, gave me some pills. It was all gone, right?
But I remember that and I was like, that's just not fun, right?
But we got to remember that we're bone and flesh.
And on occasion, we might have some metal added in the mix, but we're just bone and flesh. It's all gonna, it's all gonna perish, right?
When I die, you can take the metal and recycle it, but it's all just gonna perish. You know, the Bible says you don't have to turn anywhere.
I have some really quick verses for you here, but
Hebrews 9-27 says, and it is appointed unto men to die one. I mean men wants to die, but after this the judgment. Hey, we got to remember
we're all gonna die.
and then there's judgment coming so we need to focus on the work of the Lord.
James 4 or 14 says, where as you know that not what shall be on the morrow for what is your life
it is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanished at the way. And it's not just
my mortality I'm thinking about like you know my dad stepped up.
It's a blessing to have such a dad, and I was like, when my dad dies, that goes away.
Like, now I have to go to the American system of medicine, which sucks.
I mean, seriously, in Mexico, it's so much better.
It's weird, because I'll talk to people who've never been to Mexico for medicine, and they're
like, oh, you're going to Mexico?
Is it even safe?
Do they know what they're doing?
I'm like, yeah, they know what they're doing.
It's better than here.
Like, I mean, I was in and out, I mean, I didn't even have pain after the surgery.
It was until after I left the hospital that, you know, everything starts to come to.
Ecclesiastes 7 verse 2 says it is better to go to the house of mourning than to the house
That is the end of all men and the living will lay it to his heart.
Ephesians 5.16 says redeeming the time because the days are what?
Evil. And evil is just harm, right? What happened to my arm? It's an evil thing.
It's not like a wicked thing. It's just, it's just harm. It happens.
We have to take the good and the bad from the Lord Jesus Christ
Colossians 4-5 says walk in wisdom toward them that are without what?
Redeeming the time. Hey, there's not a lot of time left
It doesn't even matter if the world's coming in and your life will end
I look out and I see a lot of young people 20 years will go by like that
Like, I mean, I remember growing up as a kid, you know, we had all the childhood heroes
because I didn't grow up saved and Arnold Schwarzenegger and
Sylvester Stallone and all these guys that we grew up watching and now you look at them. They're old
They don't look the same, you know, just and you wake up when you're like, man, what happened to these guys?
But then you look in the mirror. You're like, oh, that's what happened. I'm old. I got a bunch of gray hair
It doesn't look the same. What's going on? What's all these wrinkles in my forehead? You know, just it's happening
So we just need to remember that we're all gonna die and so our goal should be to redeem the time
You know, my prayer is just to get back and do the work of the Lord as quickly as possible
That's why I mean I keep telling my wife was like, hey, keep me focused on getting recovered properly because the challenge with me is that I do things in haste.
I don't think things through all the time.
And so I'm just the type that, you know, I start to feel better and I'm just going to go, go, go, and then I'll just regret.
So I'm like, just keep me, keep me focused so I can be the best for what we need to do.
Right.
The next point I have for you is that we do not stop and we will not stop.
You know of anything this is kind of invigorated me to just keep doing more for the Lord
You would think it would do the opposite, but I'm just like, no, I mean, I'm not getting any younger
I'm not 20 years old anymore. I went to this thing, which by the way, maybe that's the problem
I will never do this again
I've gone to events and I'm just always like doing whatever I want. I play sports. I do whatever and then I finally get to the point
In my life where I think I'm mature and I told my wife I was like, hey, I'm going to this man's retreat
There's gonna be all these sports and stuff honey. Don't worry about it. I'm gonna be really careful not to get hurt
I told her I said my dad's always getting on to be that I'm not 20 years old anymore
I'm just gonna be really careful. I was super careful the first day. I didn't jump from anything
I didn't do any crazy zipline stuff and the most innocuous like innocent thing was just running down a
Field and somehow I busted myself up real bad, right?
but
Turn over
Turn over to Nehemiah 6 turn over to meet Nehemiah 6 brother Diego was preaching on it and that verse really stood out to me
But just as a recap we're not you are dispensable, but you're still usable
His ways are higher and they're just better, right?
There's been a lot of unity through all the challenges earlier
You know, I've missed out on all the big events this year earlier this year. I got strep and I wasn't here for
Easter and the soul winning and all that stuff and then now we have these big events coming up and I wasn't here for that
Maybe the Lord just doesn't want me to be at events anymore. You know what?
I just got to plan them and then just not show up. That's just the way it seems like I need to do it and then
We have a lot of unity now
You know, it feels like everything's just fully bonded and I am going to make a play on that, right?
Eventually, my bones are going to bond and they're going to be, you know, when bones bond, that section is actually stronger.
And there was a lot of breaks in not only our church, but your church.
For those that came over, you probably don't know, but our church was broken in the sense that we didn't have a church split.
But we just had a lot of death.
In that true pastor cop, I mean just it feels like everybody that we love died in the last five years
Just because it was just an older church and there's just what we had to deal with
Which is that fourth point which we will all die so we need to redeem that time and then that leads me to
Oh, that's the the point we're on right and so what I want to do it when we're dreaming the time is
You know a play on words
But I want to be more surgical more laser focused on her approach for the things of Christ
All right, Nehemiah six verse three. We know that this is when Nehemiah is rebuilding the wall
I'm not gonna we're not gonna go through that but in verse three. I'll just love what he says
He says and I sent messengers unto them
Somebody's trying to coax them out say hey, we need to meet and talk about things and Nehemiah says and I said measures messengers unto them saying
I am doing a great work so that I cannot come down.
Why should the work cease while I sleeve it and come down?
And you know what I love is that the work didn't stop, right?
And that goes out for everybody. We love you. If you're her, we're going to take
care of you. If you're ill, we're going to pray for you,
but the work needs to go. The Lord just wants us to do the work.
You know in James 1 like I said these are I have a lot of verses you don't have to keep go over to 2nd Timothy
That's where I'm gonna. I'm gonna close out. So just go to 2nd Timothy 4
Because I just have a bunch of verses here just as a
Reinforcement but in James 1 verse 2 the Bible says my brother encountered all joy when you fall into diverse temptations
Knowing this at the trying of your faith work with patience
But let patience have a perfect work that you may be perfect and entire wanting nothing
Hey, I've asked the Lord to give me patience. Maybe that's what he's doing
I said, I don't know. I'm just surmising for many things.
In 2 Corinthians 4, the Bible says in verse 8,
it says, we are troubled on every side, yet not distressed.
We are perplexed, but not in despair, persecuted,
but not forsaken, cast down, but not destroyed.
1 Peter 5 verse 10 says but the God of all grace who called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus after that you have suffered a while
Make you perfect
establish
Strengthen settle you and you know really the strength of a Christian is not in his physical strength
It's in his spiritual strength
You know, it's a good reminder to realize that you know, I used to be young, but I'm now I'm getting older
But you know what I can be strong in the Lord at any point in my life
You know, I look at Pastor Cobb and he's gonna be nighting next year
You know what he's still doing? He's still strong in the Lord. He's still serving the Lord
I mean Pastor Cobb and his family don't miss church
Like if they miss church is because they're really ill
You know, that's that's what I like to do when I get to 89
I'll you know why I show up at church even if I'm in pain because I have good leadership that's been doing it before me for a long time
That's really how you redeem the time, right?
Romans 5 verse 3 says not and not only so but we glory in tribulations also knowing the tribulation work with patients and
patients experience and experience hope
And then let's go to the final point I have for you today.
Is it my final point?
Yeah, it is.
And it's when we come back from any trial or tribulation,
we should come back stronger.
We want to fight stronger.
We want to finish stronger.
If anything, I'm more excited now than I was before.
I'm ready to fight more now than I was before.
For multiple reasons. Number one, I'm not that old. I mean, I am getting older, but I still got a lot of youth and a lot of strength
I mean, testament to the fact that it's in 20 days,
I'm back up here preaching.
I mean, it's a serious surgery.
Like they drilled into my body.
They put bones together.
They put me under anesthesia.
I'm in a lot of pain pills, but I'm also 45,
and I was able to recover fairly quickly.
Now, a 20-year-old might recover a little bit quicker,
but it's not the end of the world, right?
I'm still taking care of my family.
I'm still doing the things that we need to do.
to an extent, but it does tell me, hey, we need to do it quickly and we need to do it stronger
and we need to do it better. This has been a great year. You know what I want to do? I want to close
out the year even better. I want to do greater things for the Lord in the last quarter of the
year or last four months of the year than we did in the first eight months of the year, right?
I want to do more soul-winning events. I want to do more soul-winning marathons. And maybe that's
what God's trying to say. Hey, you know, you've been going to all these events. How about you just
Maybe I don't know like I said, I'm not trying to figure it out
But I am I can't think of maybe things that he might be saying right if you think about it
Bible gives us clear
Guidance to that I'm not gonna go into the stories like I said just go to 2nd Timothy
But I'm just gonna kind of give you this right we have Elijah. I brought it up already, but remember Elijah
Fought the prophets. He made fun of them. You remember, he's like, hey, where's your God?
He's probably asleep and then he slaughtered like 400 prophets. I mean literally killed
Committed bloodshed just took them out and then Jezebel sends a letter and he runs away
The God didn't get onto him. If anything, he made him rest
Remember, he's like hey go to sleep and he would wake him up and give him food and nourishment and go to sleep
So maybe that's what the Lord's doing
Because what happened afterwards? Well, he came back stronger
Elijah not only came back strong Elijah. I'm sorry. Yeah, no Elijah came back stronger and
He gave a double portion to who to Elijah
because of the work that he was willing to do.
So the Lord allowed Elijah to leave a double portion.
I mean, Elijah, sorry, those are just,
you know, that's just the worst, right?
Elijah and Elijah, but he allowed Elijah to finish strong.
Elijah actually didn't even die.
He was taken up in a whirlwind,
even in spite of all the challenges,
and he left the double portion to Elijah.
So I don't know. I don't know about me. For me, that seems like a pretty good thing. I mean, Moses
murdered somebody. He left for 40 years only to come back and lead the people to the promised land.
And Caleb was like 80 years old, 85 years old, when he went and said like, hey,
I'm going to take this mountain. So we just don't know what the Lord's doing in our life, right?
We can't look at it as something finite, but we need to look at something like,
this is the beginning of something better.
Here's the second Timothy, by the second Kings 2 verse 9 says,
and it came to pass, when they were gone over, the Elijah said unto Elijah,
ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee.
And Elijah said, I pray thee, let the double portion of thy spirit be upon me.
And what did Elijah say? He said, Hey, that's a hard thing you're asking for.
But if these things come to pass, you're going to get it.
And of course, we know the story, they came to pass and he got a double portion and Elijah did some of the greatest things, some of the greatest works for the Lord that we find in the Bible.
In Galatians 6 verse 9, we know these verses, but the Bible says, hey, let us not be weary and well-doing for in due season we shall reap if we faint not.
We can't be wimps about these things, right?
I'm not trying to put on a strong face. I'm just gonna be honest with you
It's been rough as a matter of fact right now
I'm about to close this thing out because the pain starting to increase but at the same time
One thing is it rough the other thing is giving up you just can't give up
Now I'm human just like you you know there's been moments in this last 24 days where I'm just like what the hell man
Like what happened?
Like this is it this is you know, I mean more so in the beginning than now, right?
Obviously now I can move my arm around and do these things the beginning. It was kind of like man. What's going on?
Go to 2nd Timothy 4 that's where I'm having closed in verse 1. I
Love this closing right?
Paul says to Timothy says I charge thee before
Before God and the Lord Jesus Christ who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom
Preach the word, be instant in season, out of season,
reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering,
for the time will come when they will not
endure sound doctrine, but after their own lush
shall they heep to themselves, teachers,
having itching ears.
You know, I saw a clip this week of this,
like contemporary, you know, this,
what is it, mega church preacher?
Who's ever heard of this guy, Stephen Fertrick,
or whatever?
And he's in there and he's trying to hype the people up and he's clapping and he's hyping them up
And then he says hey, I feel like I just snored a cocaine
Even though I've never snored a cocaine for the record
What does that have to do with anything?
You know, you know what I feel like I feel like the Lord just took me out like some of the prophets in the Bible
Now I'm just ready to come back. I don't know what snoring cocaine feels like
You know, I want to preach the truth if I'm gonna give you examples if you notice everything that I'm telling you is based on what?
the Word of God
Not my opinion not how cool I think it looks or not
And that's my goal is that as we move forward it'll just get even harder
And it'll get better and you'll be more purified in the Word of God
Right, that's what I want. I want to be in season and out of season
I want to be able to preach the word to you what I want to do
I want to reprove and rebuke and exhort with all along suffering and doctrine
Why because the time will come and even it's now where people are just like just tell me what I want to hear
I mean, Christianity in America is still the best Christianity, probably the world, but
even then it's kind of weird, right?
I mean, we could go example after example, it's just strange out there.
I didn't bring them, and that's the time for another sermon, but there's some weird guys
out there, and then we need more men of God to preach the truth of God.
Look, I want to come to church and I want to hear a sermon on singing that I've never thought about and I want to just be like
Me and I need to sing better for the Lord and I'm not just saying that because brother Mike's in the audience
I never even thought about that to me
I've been thinking about it all week because I was just like I've never it just never dawned on me
We always say we need to sing praises unto the Lord. We use those verses, but we never I never thought
Hey, man, maybe I need to take some action. Maybe I need to sing a little bit more so the Lord heals me a little bit faster
because you know what I have not been doing is singing a lot of hymns in the last 24 days.
So maybe the next 24 days I'll sing a lot more hymns.
How about I just need to purify myself and clean up some of the sin in my life
so the Lord can do a better work and use me better for the Lord?
Because that's what he's doing, right? It says in verse 4,
and they shall turn their ears from the truth and shall be turned unto fables.
Hey, I want to preach some more truth so that you won't just be caught up with all the stupid
Because it used to be just the YouTube rabbit trail, but now it's the Instagram rabbit trail
and the TikTok rabbit trail and the whatever Twitter rabbit trail and the Reddit rabbit
trail.
And everybody's got an opinion and nobody is giving you any facts, they're just telling
you what to do.
Who listens to like sermons or anything on rumble?
You know, and they're always interrupting you with a stupid commercial, right?
The truth about how I retain my memory with this one simple trick, nobody told you, I mean, there's like, you're like, wait a second, what's going on here, or you're not a man, my brother, my son loves that one, he's like, you're not a man, if you're not wearing the sweater, what do you mean if I'm not wearing the sweater, I'm not a man, like, you, we gotta be ready, I mean, but this is like, people eat this stuff up, they wouldn't be putting money into those ads, if it wasn't for the fact that people are eating that stuff up, right?
There's this guy. I know he's not a doctor. I forget his name
He wears a shirt and it's like X 10 X your health or something and some of the stuff
He says is true, but some of the stuff he says is like really weird
Right when people say oh, well, you know if you just drink this lime and vinegar and cayenne pepper
Which by the way, I'm not against lime cayenne pepper and vinegar. I think it's a good concoction. I've done it
I don't think it's gonna cure me of everything in my life. That's the problem, right? We need to have truth in our lives
But why do we do this in verse five it says, but watch now in all things
That's why I'm giving you all kinds of example, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist,
make full proof of thy ministry, for I am now ready to be offered in the time of my departures
at hand.
And this is my goal, you know, if anything, I just want to get to the end of my life and
say I have fought a good fight.
I want you guys to get to the end of your life and say you fought a good fight.
Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness
And I love the way Paul words is here because he's talking about himself
Just like I'm talking about myself right now, but then he turns it out says which the Lord the righteous judge shall give me at that day
But he says what and not only me
And not to me only but unto all them also that love is a period. Hey, I want everybody
to get the crown of righteousness, right?
I don't want to, you know, I'm not just preaching.
I mean, this just happened.
So I might as well just preach on it.
Plus it's always hard to come up with like sermon topics.
So I'm going to waste this one and then move on.
But it's just, I have been thinking about a lot of things.
But the one thing that I love is that Paul says,
hey, I'm doing this because I want to do this thing.
But I don't also, I want you to also look at me
I mean, it's been such a blessing to just get all the reports of just like the church
has just been going and, you know, did everything go perfect?
No.
I mean, Brother James preached the last Wednesday and nobody was here and he doesn't know how
to run our equipment.
So then he just left the live stream on for like 20, you know, two days.
And I'm like, Brother James, you really took this preachy seriously, like, he's just, he's just left it going.
I had to get someone to come and turn it off.
So things, things happen, but it's been great, right?
I mean, this is what, what, what a good church does is that it comes together in the time I need.
And I'm really grateful to everyone here.
I'm grateful for all the prayers and the well wishes.
But more importantly, I'm just grateful you just kept showing up.
Because at the end of the day, that's what it's about.
It doesn't matter who's behind the pulpit.
Look, the one that gets affected the most
when you show up to church is you.
You're the one that misses out on that blessing.
Pastor Cobb taught me that a long time ago,
forsaking not the assembling of ourselves.
So, hey, when you don't show up,
you're missing that blessing.
Not me.
I'm getting blessed if I'm here.
You're the one that's not getting edified.
You're the one that's not getting purified.
You're the one that's not getting cleaned up.
You're the one that's missing out.
And by the way, you guys got the best part of it.
You guys got to be here with the guest preacher.
Apparently we over-ordered pizza,
so everybody got to take home a bunch of pizzas.
And there was still a bunch of pizzas in the fridge.
That's my understanding.
Like you guys are the ones
that have enjoyed all that good stuff, right?
And that's what it's all about.
So these are just the lessons I learned. I don't know if there's more lessons
But I do want to make that one final emphasis of all the things that I've learned
I have learned that I'm not trying to figure God out. I don't know why he did what he did
You need to stop thinking about why he did what he did in your life, you know last year, you know
Those that came from pure words. We don't know why that church
you know decided to shut down why God worked it out that way we know that it was for unifying
that's for sure but there's a bunch of other things that we just don't know we don't see
but we probably won't see for decades but we just need to be steadfast and unmovable
in the work of the Lord let's go ahead and close out in a word of prayer and turn your
Thank you for your blessings Lord. Thank you for just the opportunity to be back at church
and to be able to preach. Thank you Lord that we live in modern times where a break like that in
the past could be a death sentence. Number one, number two, thank you we live in modern times
where right now the only reason I'm preaching is because I'm I'm medicated and I have painkillers
Thank you Lord that we have that technology that allows us to just continue to
You know improve. Thank you that we live in modern times where you can go in and you basically
Mechanic or put a few bones back together and do the things that we need to do so Lord
We're really grateful, but more importantly Lord. I'm really grateful for the church
I'm grateful for every one of the members here those that I mentioned and if I forgot anybody's Lord
I love them too.
I'm just grateful that everybody's unified
and that they're excited to do the work of the Lord.
And Lord, I just pray that you would continue
to show us your grace and mercy
and that you would continue to show us more lessons
in the trials and tribulations of our life.
Thank you for all that you do, Lord.
In Jesus' name we pray, amen.
Turn your handles over to 341, and yeah.
Sound the battle cry.
I see the full is not standard high for the Lord.
Gird your armor on stand in every one.
Rest your cock upon his holy word.
Rows and soldiers rally around the banner.
Ready, steady, pass the word.
strong to meet the foe marching on we go while our cause we know must prevail
shield and banner bright clean in the light battling for the right where can
fail brows then soul
This captain of the mighty Thrawn.
Oh, thou God of all, hear us when we call.
Help us, one and all, by thy grace.
When the battle's done and the victory's won,
may we wear the crown before thy face.
This captain of the mighty throne.
Amen.
You are dismissed.
We're.