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This Night - 3/8/26 - Meadows Baptist Church - Pastor Charlie Branch · Meadows Baptist Church Podcast

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  Welcome to the podcast of Meadows
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  Baptist Church of Walnut Cove, North
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  Carolina. We're so glad you joined us
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  today. If you enjoy today's message, be
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  sure to subscribe, follow, and share
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  with your friends. Now, let's join
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  Pastor Charlie Branch with a word from
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  God.
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  man looked at Jesus one day and Jesus
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  asked him said do you believe and he
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  said Lord I believe but you know he said
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  after that he said help my unbelief
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  and uh Curtis Hudson said this you may
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  not agree with it but I think he was
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  right about it he said wherever there's
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  faith there's always going to be doubt
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  accompanying it
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  wherever there's faith there's always
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  going to be a little bit of fear You
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  say, "How is that, preacher?" You You
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  said the Bible says, "Perfect love
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  casteth out fear." Well, it doesn't say
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  it gets rid of all of them.
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  There are questions we have, things we
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  don't know. We may never know on this
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  side, but I tell you this, there's one
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  that does know.
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  >> We're headed to where he is. Amen. And I
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  thank him for his mercy and his grace.
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  And I appreciate Donna, you sister, you
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  and brother Eric singing that for us
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  this morning. The good touch of the Holy
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  Spirit on it. Truth is, nobody could do
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  for us what Jesus did. Amen. And I love
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  that song. Thank the Lord for anointing
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  it this morning. If you have a Bible, I
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  invite you to turn with me to Luke's
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  Gospel.
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  Luke's Gospel, chapter 12.
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  Just trying to be obedient to the Holy
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  Spirit this morning.
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  You find your place if you would stand
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  on reference to the reading of God's
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  word.
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  Luke's Gospel chapter number 12
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  verse number 13.
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  Luke's Gospel chapter number 12 verse
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  number 13. Brother Chris came on Friday
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  and set all the clocks forward and uh
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  bless his heart that would have give me
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  an extra hour. Amen. But uh not going to
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  have it today and so Amen. But uh
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  anyway, he don't want me to preach too
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  long. So anyhow, but uh we'll still get
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  you out about 12:30. How's that? Amen.
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  I'm just kidding. We'll be done
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  directly, but I won't preach what God
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  put on my heart. Amen. Luke 12:13,
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  Bible says, "And one of the companies
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  said unto him,"Master,
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  speak to my brother, that he divide the
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  inheritance with me." And he said unto
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  him, "Man, who made me a judge or a
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  divider over you?" And he said unto
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  them, "Take heed and be aware of
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  covetousness,
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  for man's life consisteth not in the
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  abundance of things which he
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  possesseth." And he spake a parable unto
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  them, saying, The ground of a certain
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  rich man brought forth plentifully. And
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  he thought within himself, saying, What
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  shall I do because I have no room where
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  to bestow my fruits? And he said, "This
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  will I do. I will pull down my barns and
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  build greater. There will I bestow all
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  my fruits and my goods. And I will say
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  to my soul, soul, thou hast much goods
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  laid up for many years. take thine
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  knees, eat, drink, and be merry.
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  Verse 20, the Bible says, "But God said
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  unto him, thou fool, this night, this
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  night, thy soul shall be required of
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  thee. Then who shall those things be
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  which thou hast provided?" And Jesus
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  says in verse 21, "So is he that layeth
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  up treasure for himself, and is not rich
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  toward God. And he said unto his
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  disciples, "Therefore I say unto you,
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  take no thought for your life, what you
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  shall eat, neither for the body, what
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  you shall put on. The life is more than
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  meat, and the body is more than
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  raignment." Father, I ask you humbly
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  this morning, God, as we've come before
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  you, God, I don't know the need of this
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  service, Lord. I don't know uh Lord, the
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  need that's on anybody's heart. And God,
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  I realize I don't really even know what
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  I need myself. But God, you know what we
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  need. And Lord, I've come seeking you
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  this morning. God, I've come, Lord,
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  desiring to hear from you. And God, I
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  pray that you would speak to every
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  heart. I pray uh God, that the Holy
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  Ghost of God would speak, Lord, and move
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  in every life. God, I pray that you
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  would help us to be obedient to the word
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  of God as it is shared. I pray you'd
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  help us to preach with power and
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  demonstration of the spirit this
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  morning. God, I pray you give us
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  uncction and liberty, God, to preach the
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  gospel. And I ask you, Father, you'd
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  help us to receive with meekness the
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  engrafted word. God, I pray you'd open
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  our eyes that we might behold wondrous
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  things in thy law. And God, I pray we'd
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  see no man save Jesus only. And God, I
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  ask you, Lord, that you would be exalted
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  and glorified as a result of this
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  message. And Lord, I pray sinners would
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  be convicted and drawn unto you. And
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  Lord, for those that's not right with
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  you. God, I pray, God, that they would
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  get right with you before this service
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  is over. And Lord, I pray for whatever
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  fellowship needs to be restored, God. If
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  there's any hindrance, Lord, here this
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  morning, any malice or any anger, Lord,
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  or strife, God, I pray you'd remove that
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  this morning. And and God, I pray you'd
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  work in the places, God, that we cannot
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  see. Lord, I pray every heart, Lord,
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  will open up to you the deepest parts.
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  And God, I pray you'll do an internal
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  work today that is eternal in every one
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  of our lives. And God, we'll be sure to
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  give you the thanks and all the honor
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  and glory for what you do because we ask
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  it in Jesus' name. And God's children
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  said, "Thank you for standing. You can
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  be seated this morning."
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  When praying about this service this
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  morning, the Lord directed my heart to
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  this passage of scripture and really
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  zeroed in on one little phrase found in
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  these verses. Now, I'm going to deal
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  with the entirety of what I've read to
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  you this morning. Try to be as brief as
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  I possibly can. But in verse number 20,
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  the Bible says, "But God said unto him,
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  thou fool," notice those next two words.
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  This night,
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  this night, look what he says. Thy soul
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  shall be required of thee. Then who
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  shall those things be which thou hast
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  provided? I want to preach for a little
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  while on that subject this morning, on
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  this night. Now the truth is this
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  morning we don't know what's going to
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  befall us before nightfall comes. The
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  Bible says in the book of Proverbs
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  chapter number 27 and verse number one
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  boast not thyself of tomorrow for thou
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  knowest not what a day may bring forth.
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  And James says this. He says for what is
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  your life? It's even a vapor that
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  appearth for a little time and then
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  vanishth away. And we know this morning
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  that we are not promised tomorrow. We're
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  not promised tonight. Matter of fact,
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  we're not promised this afternoon and we
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  wasn't promised yesterday, but here we
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  are this morning. And I want to say this
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  to you. What matters is what you do with
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  where you're at right now.
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  >> What you do with Jesus in the life that
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  you presently live. Now, there's many
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  folk that you come across in a daily
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  life that they are working to build a
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  future. But let me say this. I'm not
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  working to build a future. My future's
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  already been built. Somebody say, "Amen.
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  Heaven is my home." Amen. And just as
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  sure as I'm standing before you, there's
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  a mansion over there in glory that is
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  built for me. And I've heard people say
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  it and we understand what they mean.
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  Well, Jesus, it took him six days to
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  build the heavens and the earth and all
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  that in them is, man, he's been gone for
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  some 2,000 years building my mansion.
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  And I understand that makes for good
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  preaching, but it just ain't good
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  biblically. Amen. What the matter of
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  fact is when Jesus said, "I go to
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  prepare a place for you," he said, "In
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  my father's house are many mansions."
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  He's not going to build them. Amen. But
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  they're already presently there. Amen.
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  And so, let me say this to you this
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  morning. I'm not working to build a
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  future. My future's already been built.
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  Amen. But when I think about this life,
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  I realize what matters in my life and in
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  yours is what we do with the nasty now
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  and now for Jesus. Amen. I can say this
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  without a shadow of a doubt this
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  morning. That in our flesh, it is a
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  painful and a miserable trial that we
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  have to walk in. But aren't you thankful
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  that we don't have to just walk it in
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  the flesh. Amen. But we can walk in the
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  fullness of the spirit. And the Bible
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  says if we walk in the spirit, we'll not
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  fulfill the lust of the flesh. Amen. And
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  so we can have comfort today knowing
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  that our future is settled. But also in
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  this life, we can know that our future
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  here can be fruitful
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  >> for the glory of God. And Jesus in this
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  chapter here, he's presented with a
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  problem. And I want to lay four things
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  on your heart this morning. And I'll
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  give you the four here. There's the
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  problem, the principle, the parable, and
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  the poverty that's mentioned in our text
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  this morning. And when you come to this
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  chapter in Luke's gospel, chapter number
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  12, Luke is recording here. Jesus is
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  speaking to a multitude of people
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  according to verse number one that
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  there's an innumerable multitude in so
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  much that they trod upon one another.
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  And Jesus begins to preach unto them in
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  the text and give them the exhortation
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  of this scripture. and he's dealing with
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  the leaven of the Pharisees. You notice
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  that in verse number one, he describes
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  it as hypocrisy. And now we know that
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  this subject we're going to deal with
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  this morning concerning wealth, it was
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  the number one problem for the
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  Pharisees. They thought that their
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  righteousness equated material, physical
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  wealth. But let me say this to you this
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  morning. You can own all the you can
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  have all the money and own all the stock
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  and own all the real estate and still be
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  just as wicked as the devil himself.
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  Amen. It has nothing to do with your
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  wealth. It makes you righteous. Amen.
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  I'll say this THIS MORNING. YOUR WEALTH
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  doesn't have to make you unrighteous.
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  Somebody say amen right there. If God
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  has blessed you, he didn't say money is
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  the root of all evil. He said the love
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  of money is the root of all evil. Amen.
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  And so your money doesn't have to make
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  you amen unrighteous before God. But if
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  you'll take that thing and use it as God
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  has blessed you, he can bless you in
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  that in your life. Amen. And I'll say
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  this, this preacher is not against you
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  having things, but I am against things
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  having you. Somebody say, "Amen."
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  >> And Jesus in this text, you note number
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  one here as he's given this message,
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  there's a man that comes to him in verse
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  13, the Bible says in one of the company
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  said unto him, "Master, speak to my
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  brother that he divide the inheritance
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  with me." So obviously there may have
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  been some sort of family situation, a
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  death in the family. I don't know. The
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  scripture doesn't tell us but it does
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  tell us that his this brother has come
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  and evidently his brother is there with
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  him. These two brothers there and they
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  speak to Jesus and they say master speak
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  to my brother that he divide the
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  inheritance with me. And now I want to
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  say this this morning. We a lot of times
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  in our life try to invite Jesus into
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  situations where he should have been
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  invited a long time ago. Amen. He should
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  have been invited when we had a problem
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  that was just dealt with on a moral
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  sense. But now we've got a bigger
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  problem and now we want to handle it.
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  Amen. Let me say this. Jesus is not
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  obligated to fix any of our moral
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  issues.
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  >> Amen. That's right. Listen to what he
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  says in verse number 14. And he said
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  unto him, "Man, who made me a judge or
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  divider over you?" That word divider
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  simply means an arbitrator.
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  He says, "Look, son, it ain't my duty to
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  fix your problems for you." Amen. Now, I
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  firmly believe, Amen. If it matters to
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  you, it matters to the Lord. Amen. Let
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  me say this to you. There's a lot of
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  things we think matter that really don't
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  matter. Amen. Let me say this. This the
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  stuff in this life. Jesus said, "Lay not
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  up for yourselves treasures upon the
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  earth." Amen. Remember why he said not
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  to lay them up on the earth. He said,
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  "Where moth and rust doth corrupt and
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  thieves break through and steal." Amen.
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  Everything in this life's temporary.
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  >> Amen.
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  >> Amen. It's borrowed. And you know what?
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  It don't matter how much value some man
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  or some lady puts on what you have. In
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  the eyes of God, it's worthless. That's
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  right.
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  >> Amen. And I'm going to say more about
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  that as the message goes on this
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  morning. But Jesus here, the problem is
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  that there's division in the family
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  because the inheritance is not being
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  divided. And so obviously the testator
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  here in this family that was entrusted
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  with keeping up with the books of the
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  inheritance that this man left behind
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  obviously did not want to divide the
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  inheritance as the will had stated. But
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  Jesus says, why does that really matter?
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  Let me ask you this morning, why does
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  the temporal things in this life really
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  matter to us?
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  Because we're selfish.
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  >> You say, "Preacher, but I didn't get my
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  fair share." Oh, no.
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  There's your problem. See, if you got
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  what was fair, you'd be in hell now.
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  >> And the truth is, anything outside of a
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  blessing from God. Amen.
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  >> And you say, "Preacher, WELL, I DIDN'T
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  GET MY FAIR SHARE." WELL, LET me just
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  remind you, Jesus didn't get treated
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  fair either when he went to the cross.
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  Amen. He took your sin, shame, and
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  suffering on Calvary. Amen. And died in
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  your place so that you could have life.
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  I don't know about you, but that's the
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  most unfair thing I've ever seen in my
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  life. I'm saying that God of all glory,
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  who was perfect AND HOLINESS AND
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  RIGHTEOUSNESS, WOULD DIE IN A
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  SINNER'SSTEAD. THERE'S NOTHING MORE
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  unfair than that.
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  >> When you have a problem in your family,
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  it's good to remember that. Amen.
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  the problem. Look what he says. Who made
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  me a judge or a divider over you? They
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  thought Jesus was going to fix their
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  issues. But you see, Jesus sees the
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  deeper problem here. He doesn't only we
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  we we we see the problem of the surface
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  in the text. And you know, we could talk
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  about that for a while, but I want to
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  get to the message this morning. Notice
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  the principle here. Second of all, in
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  verse 15, and he said unto them, take
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  heed
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  and beware of what? Covetousness. Now
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  what is covetousness? It's desire to
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  have that which is not ours. Amen.
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  Covetousness in the marriage world is
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  adultery. It's desire to have another
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  spouse that does not belong to us. Amen.
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  Covetousness in the physical world is
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  that love of money, that lust of mammon.
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  Amen. And here in the text, he says,
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  "Take heed and beware of covetousness."
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  Look at what he says. For a man's life
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  consisteth not in the abundance of
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  things which he possesseth. Now the
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  problem with this boy right here in the
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  text, he says to speak to my brother
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  that he divide the inheritance with me.
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  The problem in the text is is that he he
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  put the inheritance before his brother.
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  You say, preacher, well the other
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  brother wasn't being fair with him.
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  Well, you know what the Bible teaches
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  about that? Jesus said, if a man smite
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  you, what did he say? He said, you turn
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  and let him smite the other cheek. I
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  know we don't like that. Amen, preacher.
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  I'm I'm going to ball my fist up and
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  give him what he deserves. Well, you'll
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  find out you might get something hold of
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  something you can't handle. Amen.
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  That's exactly right. And what I'm
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  saying is Jesus gives the principle here
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  things in this life. THERE ARE CERTAIN
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  things it's not worth dividing over.
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  There's certain things that's not worth
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  being bitter over. There's certain
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  things that's not worth being afflicted
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  over because in the grand scheme of
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  eternity, it makes no difference.
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  >> Amen. And let me just say this to you
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  this morning. The truth is your family
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  might be perfect and you might get along
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  at all times and you say, "Preacher,
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  well that'll never happen to me." Let me
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  just say this. If you live in this world
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  any amount of time, you will be treated
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  unfairly to your own liking.
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  >> Amen. You will be treated unfairly, you
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  will feel like you're treated unfairly.
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  Matter of fact, most time you probably
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  ain't been. It's just how you feel.
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  Amen. Somebody say amen right there.
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  Jesus says you need to be aware of
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  covetousness.
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  He says, "You want something, number
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  one, that you don't have, number two,
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  that you don't need."
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  Let's just be real this morning. We're
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  all clothed. Thank God for that. There's
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  some churches that can't get that down.
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  Amen. But we're all clothed. Amen. And
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  we're in our right mind and we're fed.
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  Amen. Most of you eat breakfast this
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  morning. And some of us didn't cuz we
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  couldn't preach if we did. Amen. But
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  what I'm saying is God's been better to
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  us than we deserve.
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  >> Amen.
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  >> Why do we want to argue over petty
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  things that make no difference for
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  eternity? Jesus said, "Beware of
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  covetousness." Why is this principle
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  shared? Because man's purpose does not
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  consist in his possessions.
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  Look what he says. For a man's life
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  consisteth not in the abundance of
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  things which he possess possess
• 17:03
  possesseth the platform of our life. So
• 17:06
  many people they make their platform out
• 17:08
  of their possessions.
• 17:10
  They make their purpose, what they own,
• 17:12
  what they do, their business, their
• 17:14
  possessions. That is their platform for
• 17:17
  life. All right. And the thing is, the
• 17:19
  reason why we're that way is because
• 17:20
  that's the American dream. Amen. Let me
• 17:23
  say this. For 95% of people, the
• 17:25
  American dream turned into the American
• 17:27
  nightmare real fast. Amen. And you'll
• 17:30
  find out that you'll come up a day late
• 17:32
  and a dollar short every time when you
• 17:34
  follow that dream. Amen. Jesus said,
• 17:36
  "Beware of covetousness." He said,
• 17:38
  "Because your life, the purpose of your
• 17:40
  life is not to have things." The purpose
• 17:44
  of your life is not to get as big as you
• 17:46
  can and be as broad as you can and have
• 17:48
  as much influence as you can. You say,
• 17:51
  "Preacher, but Jesus wanted to influence
• 17:53
  the whole world." Let me remind you
• 17:55
  something about Christ. When Christ came
• 17:57
  to this world, you know what? When
• 17:58
  people were reaching out to him, you
• 18:00
  know what he did? He withdrew himself.
• 18:02
  All these influencers in this day and
• 18:04
  time, putting themselves out there on
• 18:07
  every platform known to man, they
• 18:10
  broadcast theirel. They broadcast their
• 18:12
  platform so that you can buy their
• 18:14
  product. Amen. And they're robbing you
• 18:16
  blinds what they're doing. Amen. You
• 18:18
  say, "Well, Jesus wanted to propagate
• 18:20
  the gospel to the whole world." Well,
• 18:21
  let me ask you this. Why did he get 12
• 18:24
  men to do that for?
• 18:26
  Jesus is God. He could have made a loud
• 18:29
  speaker that spoke to the whole world
• 18:31
  and spoke to every person on planet
• 18:33
  Earth and said, "I'm God." But you know,
• 18:34
  that's not what he wanted to do because
• 18:36
  Jesus, what's the Bible say? He came as
• 18:38
  a servant.
• 18:40
  >> Oh man, we don't like that mentality, do
• 18:42
  we?
• 18:43
  >> Amen. Where's Where's the revival of
• 18:44
  servantthood at in our churches in this
• 18:46
  dead time? People that are willing to do
• 18:48
  the baser jobs, the things that don't
• 18:50
  get recognized. Amen. The things that
• 18:52
  don't get a standing ovation from
• 18:54
  everybody that's around. I'm saying we
• 18:56
  need some servants.
• 18:58
  >> The reason why we don't have service is
• 19:00
  because people are full of this very
• 19:02
  thing Jesus was talking about. It's
• 19:03
  covetousness. We want the platform. And
• 19:07
  we think it's going to be possessions
• 19:08
  that gets us there. Just like the story
• 19:11
  I told in Sunday school this morning,
• 19:13
  your riches in this church, it does not
• 19:14
  matter how big your offering is, that
• 19:16
  does not mean you have control over what
• 19:18
  this church does.
• 19:20
  >> Amen. And you say, "Preacher, will I
• 19:22
  withdraw my offering?" Well, God can put
• 19:24
  in three times as much as you without
• 19:26
  you.
• 19:27
  >> Amen. That's exactly right. This morning
• 19:29
  and so just get it out of your mind this
• 19:31
  morning. The principle is your life,
• 19:34
  your abundance does not constitute your
• 19:36
  life. Notice the parable this morning. I
• 19:38
  want to preach here for a few minutes. I
• 19:40
  notice in the text, the Bible says in
• 19:42
  verse 16, "And he spake a parable unto
• 19:44
  them, saying, "The ground of a certain
• 19:46
  rich man brought forth plentifully." So
• 19:48
  you notice in verse 16 his supplement.
• 19:51
  Obviously, this guy is a farmer. He's
• 19:54
  got much land. And this land was not
• 19:56
  only He didn't only have much land, but
• 19:58
  he had much fruit that came from this
• 19:59
  land. This land was very fruitful. Been
• 20:02
  blessed by the Lord God of heaven. Let
• 20:04
  me say this this morning. It doesn't
• 20:06
  matter how much fertilizer, how much
• 20:08
  seed you put in the ground, God's got to
• 20:10
  send the rain. Amen. And if you've got
• 20:12
  anything in this life, let me put it
• 20:14
  this way. God has given it to you. Amen.
• 20:17
  You didn't get anything on your own. You
• 20:19
  say, "Preacher, well, I work for it
• 20:20
  myself." Well, friend, you couldn't have
• 20:22
  worked for it if God hadn't given you
• 20:23
  ability to work for it. Amen. I'M SAYING
• 20:26
  GOD HAS GIVEN it to you. And this rich
• 20:28
  man, his land brought forth plentifully,
• 20:30
  so you needed see his supplement in
• 20:32
  verse 16. Notice his sentiment. In verse
• 20:35
  17, and he thought within himself,
• 20:37
  saying, "What shall I do because I have
• 20:39
  no room where to bestow my fruits?"
• 20:42
  He said, "I He said, "I brought in so
• 20:44
  much, I ain't even got enough room for
• 20:45
  all of it." Man, I'm telling you, I'm
• 20:47
  thankful God's able to bless that way,
• 20:49
  aren't you, man? He can open the windows
• 20:51
  of heaven. We talked about it this
• 20:52
  morning. He can open the windows of
• 20:54
  heaven and pour you out a blessing.
• 20:55
  Amen. So big you can't receive it. Amen.
• 20:58
  And I notice not only his supplement,
• 21:00
  his sentiment. He's he's thinking about
• 21:02
  what am I going to do? Notice not only
• 21:03
  his sentiment, but notice his
• 21:05
  development in verse 18. And he said,
• 21:07
  "This will I do. I will pull down my
• 21:09
  barns and build greater, and there will
• 21:12
  I bestow all my fruits and my goods."
• 21:14
  Now, you say, "Preacher, what's the
• 21:15
  problem?" Well, there ain't no problem
• 21:17
  up to this point. What he's doing is is
• 21:19
  just the natural course of life. God has
• 21:21
  blessed him. And so, in order to take
• 21:22
  care of what he's been given, he says,
• 21:24
  "All right, I got to pull my barns down
• 21:26
  and build greater. That way, I can keep
• 21:28
  what God's blessed me with." AND THERE'S
• 21:29
  NO problem with that. The problem
• 21:32
  doesn't show up to the next verse.
• 21:35
  >> Let me say this to you this morning.
• 21:36
  God's not against you having things.
• 21:39
  God's not against you having nice things
• 21:41
  in your life. But I I want to remind you
• 21:43
  this morning, that is not the primary
• 21:44
  goal of life. That's not the purpose why
• 21:47
  we're here. If God allows you to have a
• 21:50
  little money and have some nice things
• 21:51
  along the way, you ought to say thank
• 21:53
  him for you ought to bless his name for
• 21:55
  it because there's people all over the
• 21:57
  world that's starving to death just
• 21:59
  looking for their next meal because
• 22:00
  they've got no way to make ends meet.
• 22:03
  I'm saying you ought to lift your eyes
• 22:04
  under the heavens and bless the Lord for
• 22:07
  how good he's been to you. CUZ I CAN
• 22:08
  TELL YOU THIS FOR MYSELF THIS MORNING. I
• 22:11
  feel like this man, HE'S GIVEN ME SO
• 22:13
  MUCH MORE THAN I EVER COULD HAVE ASKED
• 22:15
  FOR. THE FIELD THAT HE PUT ME IN, IT'S
• 22:17
  BROUGHT FORTH MORE THAN I EVER THOUGHT
• 22:19
  IT WOULD. I BLESS HIS NAME FOR IT. HE'S
• 22:21
  BEEN GOOD. AMEN.
• 22:24
  >> But you see, none of that was the
• 22:26
  problem. His supplement wasn't the
• 22:28
  problem. His sentiment wanting to build
• 22:30
  bigger barns, his development, doing the
• 22:32
  doing the project, none of that's the
• 22:35
  problem. But the problem comes in verse
• 22:38
  number 19.
• 22:40
  We've seen his development in verse
• 22:41
  number 18, but notice his retirement
• 22:44
  in verse 19. Look what he says. And I
• 22:47
  will say to my soul,
• 22:50
  soul, thou has much good laid up for
• 22:52
  many years. Take thine knees, eat,
• 22:55
  drink, and be merry. Now, the problem in
• 22:58
  this text is, and there's a lot of
• 23:00
  things we could allude to here in the
• 23:01
  text, and I may some, but but what I
• 23:03
  want to point out to you here in his
• 23:05
  retirement, there's three things that he
• 23:06
  miscalculates here in the text. You say,
• 23:09
  'What do you mean he miscalculates? The
• 23:11
  Bible says that it brought forth
• 23:12
  plentifully and he has abundance. Well,
• 23:14
  notice what the Bible says in verse 19.
• 23:17
  And I will say to my soul, number one, I
• 23:19
  will say this. He miscalculated his
• 23:22
  treasure.
• 23:23
  Look what the Bible says. Soul, thou
• 23:25
  hast much goods. Now, you say, preacher,
• 23:29
  well, the Bible says that he does have
• 23:30
  much goods. Well, I would agree with you
• 23:32
  with that. Amen. It does say that he has
• 23:34
  much goods. But the problem is is the
• 23:37
  emphasis
• 23:39
  on those goods. You see, he
• 23:41
  miscalculated what those goods was going
• 23:44
  to do for him. You see, what you have is
• 23:47
  not going to sustain you.
• 23:49
  Amen. The truth is, you could sit you
• 23:52
  could be locked in a supermarket for the
• 23:54
  rest of your life and starve to death.
• 23:58
  >> That's exactly right. if you don't have
• 24:00
  the ability to partake.
• 24:02
  Notice this. He didn't only miscalculate
• 24:05
  his treasure, but he miscalculated his
• 24:07
  time. Notice verse 19. Thou hast much
• 24:09
  goods laid up for what?
• 24:12
  Many years.
• 24:14
  He's got all this abundance. And what
• 24:16
  he's thinking is is, man, this is enough
• 24:18
  to keep me just as long as I want to
• 24:20
  live off of it. It's enough to do what I
• 24:23
  want it to do for the rest of my life.
• 24:25
  And I won't have to plant that field
• 24:27
  again. I won't have to go back out there
• 24:29
  and plow it. I won't have to weed it. I
• 24:31
  won't have to water it. Amen. Take care
• 24:32
  of it. It's enough for many years.
• 24:38
  But here's where the real problem comes
• 24:39
  in. He's miscalculated his treasure. Let
• 24:42
  me say this. What we think is much in
• 24:44
  this life is nothing to God.
• 24:46
  >> Let me remind you that, okay? The reason
• 24:48
  why his treasure was mis miscalculated
• 24:50
  because what we think is big in the eyes
• 24:52
  of God's nothing. And that can be gone
• 24:53
  in just a moment. You could ask some of
• 24:56
  those men that lived back in the
• 24:57
  depression days how their millions
• 24:59
  disappeared overnight. They would tell
• 25:00
  you, "Don't matter how much you have, it
• 25:02
  ain't enough."
• 25:04
  >> And that's the truth in this day and
• 25:05
  time. It's still true.
• 25:07
  >> It don't matter how much you have, it
• 25:09
  ain't enough.
• 25:12
  >> I know we don't like to hear that. You
• 25:13
  say, "Preacher, you you're not helping
• 25:14
  me this morning. Preacher, I work hard
• 25:16
  and it's just I know it's not enough.
• 25:18
  You don't have to remind me of that."
• 25:19
  Amen. Here's the truth about it this
• 25:21
  morning. The mindset's the problem.
• 25:24
  Notice the text. He miscalculated his
• 25:27
  treasury. He miscalculated his time. He
• 25:29
  thinks that he's got all these many
• 25:30
  years left to live it out. But I tell
• 25:34
  you what he really miscalculated. He
• 25:36
  miscalculated his trust. Look what the
• 25:39
  Bible said in verse 19. Thou is much
• 25:41
  goods laid up for many years. Look what
• 25:43
  he says. Take thine ease. Eat, drink,
• 25:48
  and be merry. Now you say, "Preacher,
• 25:51
  what does that have to do with his
• 25:52
  miscalculating his trust?" Well, where
• 25:54
  is his trust at?
• 25:56
  What he's got stored up. He's looking at
• 25:59
  them barns that's going up and he's
• 26:01
  thinking about all the thousands of
• 26:03
  thousands of dollars of crops that's
• 26:05
  going to be stored in there. And I can
• 26:07
  just put that over there and live off of
• 26:09
  it the rest of my days and I've got all
• 26:11
  these years and it's going to take care
• 26:12
  of me for the rest of my life and that's
• 26:15
  all I'm going to need.
• 26:18
  The reason it's quiet this morning is
• 26:20
  because that's the way a lot of people
• 26:20
  are, their 401k. Amen. I've got it put
• 26:24
  up over here and it's going to be just
• 26:26
  enough for me to live off of. Now, I'm
• 26:27
  not against retirement this morning. But
• 26:29
  notice what happens in this text. He
• 26:32
  said, "Take thine knees, eat, drink, and
• 26:34
  be merry." You say, "Where is the
• 26:36
  problem in this text?" Well, notice what
• 26:38
  he says in the first part of the verse,
• 26:39
  verse 19. and I will say to my soul, you
• 26:44
  know, the problem was not the works that
• 26:47
  he did to get the blessing. The problem
• 26:49
  was not the wealth that he attained out
• 26:50
  of that work. The problem was his will.
• 26:55
  He was operating off what he wanted to
• 26:57
  do. And the thing is, what you want,
• 27:00
  what I want is inevitably going to fall
• 27:03
  through one of these days. Your plans
• 27:06
  are always going to have to take second
• 27:07
  seat to God.
• 27:10
  Sir, you may not ever live to see that
• 27:12
  retirement come to pass.
• 27:13
  >> Ma'am, you may not ever live to see that
• 27:15
  retirement bless you in this life. And
• 27:17
  I, like I said, I'm not against that. I
• 27:19
  think you ought to prepare for the
• 27:20
  future. You ought to take care of your
• 27:22
  family if something happens to you and
• 27:23
  you leave this world. Your family ought
• 27:25
  to be taken care of when you're gone.
• 27:27
  >> I'm all for that. But the problem is not
• 27:30
  when you're gone. The problem is what
• 27:31
  you do with it when you're here.
• 27:34
  >> This man trusted in it. He said, "I
• 27:36
  don't need nothing else." His will was
• 27:38
  this. Well, I've got all that I need.
• 27:42
  What can come at me now?
• 27:45
  You know what? That's what sinners are
• 27:46
  doing
• 27:48
  every day of their life. They're saying,
• 27:50
  "Well, I've got my good works piled up.
• 27:52
  They're going to outweigh the bad. I'm
• 27:55
  just going to trust that."
• 27:57
  >> Those that know that they're not going
• 27:58
  to make it. Well, I'm just going to live
• 28:00
  out my life here and make the best I can
• 28:02
  here and live to the best of my ability
• 28:04
  and then I'll just die and go back to
• 28:06
  the dust.
• 28:08
  But the truth is what you're trusting in
• 28:09
  makes a difference.
• 28:12
  You better be careful about
• 28:13
  miscalculating your trust. Notice this.
• 28:16
  We see his retirement in verse 19, but
• 28:19
  notice his announcement in verse 20. You
• 28:21
  see, that very same day, he said to
• 28:24
  himself, "Well, I've got a lifetime
• 28:26
  supply of everything that I need." A
• 28:30
  voice came to him
• 28:32
  and spoke to him. And look what your
• 28:34
  Bible says. But God said unto him, "Thou
• 28:37
  fool,
• 28:38
  this night
• 28:40
  thy soul shall be required of thee." The
• 28:43
  announcement comes from heaven. God
• 28:46
  says, "You're a fool."
• 28:50
  I don't know about you, but that's harsh
• 28:51
  words from God.
• 28:54
  YOU SAY, "PREACHER, BUT HOW COULD HE BE
• 28:55
  A FOOL? HE'D WORKED HARD AND HE HAD
• 28:57
  BUILT BARNS SO he could preserve
• 28:59
  himself." Let me say this. People that
• 29:01
  are doomsday prepping and building
• 29:03
  bunkers and holes and hollers ACROSS
• 29:05
  THIS LAND, THEY'RE FOOLS.
• 29:11
  Why is that?
• 29:13
  BECAUSE THIS LIFE'S INEVITABLY GOING TO
• 29:14
  END.
• 29:16
  YOU MIGHT be protected from World War
• 29:18
  II, but let me tell you something. One
• 29:20
  of these days, your heart's going to
• 29:21
  quit beating, friend,
• 29:25
  >> but a whole lot better than a bunker is
• 29:26
  the will of God. Somebody say amen right
• 29:29
  there. I'M SAYING YOU'RE WASTING YOUR
• 29:30
  TIME LAYING UP THINGS in this life. You
• 29:33
  got to understand something. The
• 29:34
  announcement one of these days is GOING
• 29:36
  TO COME. YOU SAY, "WHAT IS IT,
• 29:38
  PREACHER?" WELL, GOD SAID, "Thou fool,
• 29:40
  this night, tonight, your soul's going
• 29:43
  to be required of you.
• 29:45
  I want to give you three things right
• 29:47
  here and I'm done.
• 29:50
  This night,
• 29:52
  you know, for this man,
• 29:55
  this punishment was ours. This this
• 29:57
  death, this this this event coming to
• 29:59
  him was just hours away.
• 30:02
  I wonder what's hours away from you.
• 30:05
  I wonder what's minutes away from you,
• 30:08
  >> from me.
• 30:09
  >> You say, "Preacher, what is it?" Well,
• 30:11
  let me just give you a a a u I guess a
• 30:15
  three-point sermon
• 30:17
  on what he lost. Notice this. First of
• 30:19
  all, and the worst thing, verse number
• 30:22
  20. This night, this night, number one,
• 30:24
  that night he lost his soul.
• 30:28
  Look what the Bible says. Thou fool,
• 30:30
  this night, thy soul shall be required
• 30:31
  of thee. What does this say? This means
• 30:33
  this man was not saved. Number one, his
• 30:36
  soul was going to be required of him.
• 30:38
  What was that? has death coming to take
• 30:40
  him away. You know what? Death's coming
• 30:42
  for all of us.
• 30:44
  >> Death. You say, "Preacher, well, I'm
• 30:46
  saved." Well, you still going to die one
• 30:47
  of these days
• 30:48
  >> if the rapture don't take place.
• 30:50
  >> You're still going to go to a grave. And
• 30:52
  you SAY, "PREACHER, WHAT'S THE TRUTH?"
• 30:54
  WELL, THIS MAN HAD invested his life in
• 30:56
  his wealth and in his work. And and it
• 30:59
  seemed as though he was blessed. HE HE'S
• 31:01
  GOING TO BUILD HIS BIGGER BARNS. He's
• 31:02
  developing. Things are happening. BUT
• 31:04
  ALL IN ONE MOMENT, IT'S ALL GONE.
• 31:09
  And you know what the thing that he
• 31:10
  infailed to he failed to invest in was
• 31:13
  the most expensive thing that he had.
• 31:17
  What does the Bible say? What shall it
• 31:19
  profit a man if he gain the whole world
• 31:22
  >> and lose his own soul?
• 31:25
  This man had spent a lifetime building
• 31:27
  his wealth, a lifetime building his
• 31:29
  repertoire, a lifetime building his
• 31:31
  reputation amongst people in the
• 31:33
  community as being a wealthy man and a
• 31:35
  working man and a a man that HAS GIVEN
• 31:37
  HIS LIFE to his labor.
• 31:41
  But in a moment, you know what? He lost
• 31:43
  the most valuable thing he had.
• 31:46
  >> More valuable than his barns, more
• 31:48
  valuable than his bread, more valuable
• 31:50
  than anything he had around his table,
• 31:52
  even his own family. He lost his soul.
• 31:54
  HE SAID, "THOU FOOL, THIS NIGHT SHALL
• 31:57
  THY SOUL be required of thee." Let me
• 32:01
  say this. A man may voice his plans for
• 32:03
  his life, but God's voice gave him life.
• 32:07
  Oh, did you hear me, church? A man may
• 32:10
  voice his plans for his life, but God's
• 32:12
  voice gave him life and is the final
• 32:15
  authority concerning his living.
• 32:20
  You can say and do a lot of things in
• 32:22
  this life, but there's only one that
• 32:24
  determines WHEN IT'S ALL SAID AND DONE,
• 32:26
  AND THAT'S GOD.
• 32:27
  >> GOD SAID, "SON, you're this night your
• 32:30
  soul IS GOING TO BE REQUIRED of thee."
• 32:32
  OH FRIEND, I'D HATE to know that I'd
• 32:34
  spent my life trying to get an
• 32:36
  education, going to college for four,
• 32:38
  six, eight, or 10 years AND GETTING A
• 32:40
  DEGREE AND THEN SPENDING THE REST OF MY
• 32:42
  LIFE WORKING hours upon hours upon HOURS
• 32:45
  TO BUILD A REPUTATION AND BUILDING a
• 32:48
  retirement. And we get to the end OF ONE
• 32:50
  OF THESE DAYS AND REALIZE THAT I FAILED
• 32:52
  TO INVEST IN THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN
• 32:55
  THIS LIFE, AND THAT IS MY SOUL. MY NEVER
• 32:59
  DYING SOUL.
• 33:03
  WE'LL SPEND OUR LIFE AND SPEND OUR LAST
• 33:05
  DOLLAR GIVING OURSELVES TO THE WORLD.
• 33:08
  WHEN GOD SAYS, "IF YOU'LL JUST COME UNTO
• 33:10
  ME, I'LL GIVE YOU RICHES ETERNAL AND
• 33:13
  GRACEAL, THINGS THAT MONEY CANNOT BUY.
• 33:16
  THINGS IN ETERNITY WILL NEVER EXPRESS TO
• 33:19
  YOU AND I." GOD WANTS TO GIVE IT TO YOU,
• 33:22
  BUT YOU'RE TOO BUSY.
• 33:24
  >> AMEN.
• 33:25
  >> Investing in yourself.
• 33:30
  He lost his soul. Let me say this
• 33:34
  this night.
• 33:37
  Let me ask you, if
• 33:39
  death was to come to your house tonight,
• 33:41
  would you lose your soul?
• 33:45
  You say, "Preacher, well, I'm saved."
• 33:47
  Well,
• 33:48
  comes on from there.
• 33:51
  Notice also he didn't only lose his
• 33:53
  soul, but he left his supply behind.
• 33:57
  Look what the Bible said.
• 33:59
  This night thy soul shall be required of
• 34:01
  thee. Notice this. Then who shall those
• 34:06
  things be?
• 34:09
  All those things, all that supply, all
• 34:12
  them barns and all that bread and all
• 34:15
  that money AND ALL THAT WEALTH of wheat
• 34:17
  AND CORN AND EVERYTHING ELSE THAT WAS
• 34:19
  STORED UP. He lost his soul. Now you
• 34:22
  know what he's doing? He's leaving all
• 34:23
  of that stuff behind that he piled up.
• 34:28
  Solomon knew very well about this.
• 34:31
  Ecclesiastes chapter number three, he
• 34:33
  talks about it. He says, "It's the
• 34:35
  vanity of vanities that I'm going to
• 34:36
  work my entire life to build up this
• 34:38
  great wealth, and the man that's going
• 34:40
  to come behind me is not even going to
• 34:41
  care."
• 34:45
  You say, "Preacher, well, I want to
• 34:46
  leave my children something behind."
• 34:47
  I'll tell you what you need to leave
• 34:49
  them. You need to leave them a Bible
• 34:51
  >> full of prayers and
• 34:55
  >> prayers and notes in it. A a notebook
• 34:57
  FULL OF PRAYER REQUESTS and and and and
• 35:00
  THE DESIRE FOR THEIR SALVATION. You need
• 35:02
  to LEAVE THEM SOMETHING THEY CAN TAKE
• 35:03
  WITH THEM INTO ETERNITY. NOT WEALTH, NOT
• 35:06
  A 401K, NOT MILLIONS IN THE BANK. You
• 35:09
  need to LEAVE THEM SOMETHING THAT'S
• 35:10
  BIGGER THAN ALL THAT. YOU NEED TO LEAVE
• 35:12
  THEM A SUPPLY OF ETERNAL THINGS, NOT
• 35:15
  earthly things.
• 35:18
  You can leave them enough money for them
• 35:20
  to live the rest of their life and live
• 35:22
  it three or four times over. And you
• 35:23
  know what they'll do? They'll blow it
• 35:24
  within the next two years.
• 35:28
  >> Well, it's funny, but it's the truth.
• 35:31
  >> Nobody's going to appreciate what you
• 35:33
  work for the way you do.
• 35:35
  >> Here's what you need to remember this
• 35:37
  morning. You need to leave them
• 35:39
  something that they can't lose.
• 35:41
  >> Oh, friend, hear the preacher this
• 35:43
  morning. You need to leave them a
• 35:44
  wealth, friend, that they cannot lose.
• 35:47
  Amen. I'm thankful, bless his name, that
• 35:50
  there is an eternal WEALTH FOR THE
• 35:52
  CHILDREN OF GOD. And aren't you thankful
• 35:53
  for mamas and daddies and grandmas AND
• 35:56
  GRANDPAS AND CHURCH SAINTS THAT HAVE
• 35:58
  LEFT US A WEALTH BEHIND SO THAT WE CAN
• 36:00
  WORSHIP, SO THAT WE CAN KNOW THE
• 36:02
  BLESSING OF KNOWING GOD AND FEELING THE
• 36:04
  HOLY GHOST IN THIS DAY AND TIME. THOSE
• 36:07
  PEOPLE WERE NOT CONCERNED ABOUT MONEY,
• 36:09
  BUT THEY WERE CONCERNED ABOUT THE
• 36:11
  MINISTRY. THE MINISTRY OF THE HOLY
• 36:14
  SPIRIT OF GOD IN YOUR LIFE AND MINE. I'M
• 36:16
  SAYING FRIEND, THEY DIDN'T LEAVE A
• 36:18
  SUPPLY OF MONEY, BUT THEY LEFT US TO
• 36:20
  SUPPLY THE MASTER. BLESS HIS NAME. AMEN.
• 36:23
  THEY LEFT US THE WORD OF GOD IN OUR
• 36:25
  MEMORIES, IN OUR HEARTS, AND IN OUR
• 36:27
  MINDS. THEY LEFT US THE SERVICE, THEIR
• 36:29
  FAITHFULNESS TO THE HOUSE OF GOD. AND
• 36:32
  THAT IS WHAT'S GOING TO MAKE THE
• 36:33
  DIFFERENCE.
• 36:37
  >> Hundred years after you're gone, ain't
• 36:39
  nobody going to know you ever had any
• 36:40
  money.
• 36:44
  But they'll know what you did with
• 36:45
  Jesus.
• 36:49
  >> He left his supply. Then who shall those
• 36:52
  things be?
• 36:54
  Let me ask you, what are you hanging on
• 36:55
  to?
• 36:57
  Let me tell you who's it's going to be
• 36:59
  after you leave. The devil.
• 37:03
  You say, "How is that, preacher?" Well,
• 37:05
  if you don't give it to the Lord now,
• 37:06
  your kids ain't going to give it to the
• 37:07
  Lord later. I've heard people say,
• 37:09
  "Preacher, I'm going to leave my
• 37:11
  inheritance to my children, and they are
• 37:13
  commanded in my will to give it all to
• 37:15
  the church.
• 37:18
  Ain't going to happen.
• 37:20
  I'm telling you truth this morning,
• 37:22
  okay? You leave it behind if it's in
• 37:24
  your hands to do it." The Bible says,
• 37:25
  "To him know do good doeth not, to what?
• 37:27
  Him it is sin."
• 37:30
  Oh yes, friend. That's right. This
• 37:32
  morning, notice this. Thirdly, this
• 37:35
  night. But God said unto him, thou fool
• 37:38
  this night, thy soul shall be required
• 37:41
  of thee. Then who shall those things be?
• 37:43
  Notice this last phrase.
• 37:46
  Which thou hast
• 37:49
  provided? You know, I don't want to miss
• 37:51
  this. Okay, this is the one thing this
• 37:53
  man had going for him.
• 37:56
  He lost his soul. He left his supply
• 37:59
  behind. But you know what? This was his
• 38:02
  last shot.
• 38:06
  Say, how is that, preacher? Well, notice
• 38:07
  what it says. Which thou hast provided?
• 38:11
  You know what this man had an
• 38:12
  opportunity to do? He had an opportunity
• 38:15
  to leave the eternal behind. But you
• 38:18
  know what he did instead?
• 38:20
  He wasted his opportunity
• 38:23
  and used it to build wealth,
• 38:26
  to build a world that centered around
• 38:28
  him.
• 38:30
  You know what happened when he was gone?
• 38:31
  You know what happened? that world that
• 38:32
  he had sent around him, you know what it
• 38:34
  was going to do? It was just going to
• 38:35
  crumble
• 38:38
  because he wasted his only shot.
• 38:41
  Let me remind you, you don't get another
• 38:42
  chance at this thing.
• 38:44
  >> You get one shot,
• 38:46
  >> right?
• 38:48
  >> And as the old adage says, you better
• 38:49
  shoot straight.
• 38:51
  Amen. We can't afford to miss
• 38:56
  >> cuz here's the truth. The announcement
• 38:57
  came and there was nothing he can do
• 38:59
  about it. When the announcement comes in
• 39:00
  your life, there's going to be nothing
• 39:02
  you can do about it.
• 39:05
  When your number's called, you've heard
• 39:07
  it said before, it doesn't matter where
• 39:09
  you are, what you're doing, or how good
• 39:11
  of health you're in. I've watched people
• 39:14
  Amen. The the healthiest man I ever
• 39:16
  knew, I grew up beside of him, and and
• 39:18
  he lived just down the road from me, a
• 39:20
  mile away. He was 75 years old. And the
• 39:22
  day before he died, he rode his bicycle
• 39:24
  to his mailbox.
• 39:26
  Rode his bic 75 years old. picture of
• 39:29
  health. Nothing wrong with him. He goes
• 39:31
  to bed that night and you know what? He
• 39:33
  doesn't wake up the next day. And then
• 39:35
  I've seen people, amen, that have smoked
• 39:37
  and drank and and did all the other
• 39:39
  stuff her entire life live to be a
• 39:41
  hundred. I mean, I'm just telling you
• 39:42
  the truth, okay? We don't know when
• 39:44
  death's going to come.
• 39:46
  >> But I'll tell you this, when God says
• 39:48
  that's when it's going to happen.
• 39:51
  >> And notice this.
• 39:53
  this night he gave his last shot which
• 39:57
  thou hast provided. Man, I tell you, I'd
• 39:59
  hate to know my life's labor would be in
• 40:01
  vain. When I get to the end of my days,
• 40:05
  minutes before I'm about to make the
• 40:07
  cross and brother Mike and I look back
• 40:10
  and all I see is a bunch of waste.
• 40:14
  You know how miserable that'd be to know
• 40:16
  that I had spent it all up
• 40:19
  to take the opportunity that I'd been
• 40:21
  given to live a life for God and wasted
• 40:24
  it on myself. And you know what it
• 40:26
  looked like to him when he turned around
• 40:28
  and looked at it? It just began to fall.
• 40:32
  You know, it's like the domino effect.
• 40:34
  When you build your life on yourself and
• 40:36
  you're pulled out, you know what's going
• 40:37
  to happen? Everything else is going to
• 40:38
  fall down.
• 40:40
  >> Notice verse 21.
• 40:43
  Jesus gives the parable. Now he
• 40:45
  describes the poverty in verse 21. So is
• 40:48
  he that layeth up treasure for himself
• 40:50
  and is not rich, notice this, toward
• 40:53
  God.
• 40:55
  >> Let me ask you, where's your investment
• 40:56
  at?
• 40:59
  What are you investing in?
• 41:01
  If we were to look at your life this
• 41:03
  morning and examine it from the inside
• 41:05
  out, what are you investing in? What are
• 41:07
  you giving your time to? What are you
• 41:10
  giving your treasure to? What are you
• 41:11
  giving your talent to? Man, I'll tell
• 41:13
  you this. You look at people's church
• 41:15
  attendance and that'll tell you what
• 41:17
  they're investing in.
• 41:21
  We'll miss church for everything. We'll
• 41:23
  do anything. I know it's quiet, but I'll
• 41:25
  be honest with you, I don't care.
• 41:28
  The truth is this morning, if Jesus come
• 41:30
  back this afternoon, every one of us
• 41:32
  would be ashamed of the days and the
• 41:34
  hours we missed. But I can tell you
• 41:36
  this, from this day forward, you can be
• 41:38
  different.
• 41:38
  >> Amen.
• 41:40
  You don't have to miss for everything
• 41:42
  under the sun. And it's like I told him
• 41:44
  in Sunday school this morning, the truth
• 41:46
  is you shouldn't build church around
• 41:48
  your life. You ought to build your life
• 41:50
  around church. If there's something
• 41:52
  going on at the house of God, you ought
• 41:54
  to be there come hell or high water.
• 41:57
  >> You say, "Preacher, but what about those
• 41:59
  that are sick?" You know that I got more
• 42:00
  common sense than that.
• 42:03
  >> If you're sick and you can't get out of
• 42:05
  bed,
• 42:07
  >> stay at home.
• 42:10
  But if you've got ability to get up and
• 42:12
  go to the supermarket or go down to the
• 42:14
  fast food joint, you can walk through
• 42:16
  those doors and sit down on a pew and be
• 42:18
  at church.
• 42:20
  >> That's right.
• 42:21
  >> I'm just being reasonable this morning.
• 42:23
  And the thing about it is you show what
• 42:25
  you're investing your life in. You say,
• 42:27
  "Preacher, well, I'll send my tithe up
• 42:28
  there through the mail." That ain't
• 42:30
  That's not getting it done.
• 42:32
  >> I told the church this this morning. I I
• 42:34
  should have just preached it again. What
• 42:36
  I should have done, preach Sunday school
• 42:37
  again. But the truth is, God don't care
• 42:40
  about what you give. God cares about how
• 42:42
  you give.
• 42:44
  >> Amen.
• 42:45
  >> God cares. He loves a cheerful giver. He
• 42:48
  would rather have that widow's might
• 42:51
  >> then he have the millions OF THE
• 42:54
  BILLIONAIRE THAT WOULD GIVE IT AND be
• 42:56
  grudging
• 42:58
  >> in that gift. God don't need your
• 43:00
  millions. He don't need your thousands.
• 43:02
  He don't NEED YOUR HUNDREDS. HE DON'T
• 43:04
  NEED MY 10 CENTS. All he needs is a
• 43:07
  heart that's WILLING AND WANTING TO
• 43:08
  SERVE HIM.
• 43:12
  >> And I'll tell you this, we'll know by
• 43:15
  the end of this week revival meeting
• 43:17
  comes to a close how invested you are in
• 43:19
  the things of God.
• 43:21
  >> You make an effort to get here maybe one
• 43:23
  night.
• 43:25
  You say, "Preacher, well, my work
• 43:26
  schedule won't allow it." God knows I
• 43:28
  understand that. Okay? But you listen to
• 43:30
  me. If you can get here, you better be
• 43:32
  here.
• 43:34
  Let me tell you, one of these days you
• 43:35
  get the judgment seats, you wish you had
• 43:37
  them.
• 43:38
  >> Amen. I'm not being ugly or mean this
• 43:40
  morning, but I'm telling you, it could
• 43:42
  be tonight could be the last night.
• 43:45
  >> Let me ask you, if we go all week
• 43:47
  through this revival meeting, you go out
• 43:48
  on Friday night and you didn't show up
• 43:50
  one night and you stand before God, what
• 43:52
  are you going to say?
• 43:57
  >> I don't know about you, but I wouldn't
• 43:58
  want to waste my life doing the things
• 43:59
  of this world.
• 44:03
  When I know the only thing that matters,
• 44:05
  hear me church, the only thing that
• 44:07
  matters, the only thing that'll last is
• 44:10
  what's done for Christ.
• 44:12
  That's it.
• 44:15
  >> That's it.
• 44:18
  But this night,
• 44:20
  what's going to happen this night?
• 44:24
  Will you lose your soul?
• 44:28
  I hope not. I hope you're saved.
• 44:31
  But if you are saved, you going to leave
• 44:32
  a supply behind that's useless.
• 44:36
  You going to leave wealth built up that
• 44:38
  ain't going to mean anything to anybody?
• 44:42
  Are you going to leave him something
• 44:43
  eternal?
• 44:44
  And if tonight is the last night for
• 44:47
  you, have you wasted your opportunity?
• 44:51
  Have you missed it?
• 44:53
  Every head bowed and every eye closed,
• 44:55
  this altar's open.
• 44:58
  I tell you this,
• 45:03
  I'd hate to know I wasted the only shot
• 45:05
  I ever got.
• 45:12
  Cuz the truth is,
• 45:14
  when we stand before him, all that's
• 45:16
  going to matter is what we did for him.
• 45:25
  You say, "Preacher, I
• 45:28
  I got to support my family. I got to We
• 45:31
  got to do things with them.
• 45:34
  Why don't you come be at church with
• 45:35
  them
• 45:43
  instead of taking them to all the places
• 45:44
  of the world,
• 45:47
  letting them see everything the world
• 45:49
  has to offer.
• 45:51
  Then we what when they get grown up, we
• 45:53
  wonder why they decided to go to the
• 45:55
  world. while you've done their entire
• 45:56
  childhoods, take them to the world and
• 45:58
  show them everything it has to offer.
• 46:01
  When Abraham and Lot went down into
• 46:04
  Egypt
• 46:06
  because Abraham's lapse of faith, Lot
• 46:10
  never could get Egypt out of his mind.
• 46:11
  And so, you know what? When Abraham
• 46:13
  said, "Son, choose." You know what he
• 46:15
  chose? Chose him all the plain of
• 46:17
  Jordan.
• 46:19
  What'd he do? He pitched his tent toward
• 46:21
  Sodom.
• 46:23
  Let me tell you, daddy,
• 46:25
  mama,
• 46:27
  if all you do is show them the world,
• 46:31
  worldly music,
• 46:35
  worldly dress,
• 46:38
  worldly lifestyle.
• 46:42
  Say, "Preacher, but I want my children
• 46:43
  to be joyful, AND ALL I'LL TELL YOU,
• 46:45
  THERE'S PLEASURE IN SIN FOR A SEASON."
• 46:51
  But boy, I'd hate to know
• 46:54
  I I wasted
• 46:57
  my opportunity with them
• 47:02
  trying to fulfill the lust of the flesh.
• 47:06
  Let me ask you this this morning. You
• 47:08
  say, "Preacher, I I'm here today. I
• 47:11
  realize I'm lost.
• 47:13
  Preacher, if I died tonight, I know that
• 47:16
  I'd go to hell because I've never
• 47:17
  trusted Christ.
• 47:21
  be honest between you and God. Nobody's
• 47:23
  looking around but me. You just slip
• 47:24
  your hand up. I want to pray for you.
• 47:29
  Preacher, I'm lost.
• 47:36
  Anybody? Preacher, pray for me.
• 47:39
  Preacher, I don't know I'm saved. Would
• 47:41
  you pray for me? Somebody be honest
• 47:43
  between you and God. Slip your hand up.
• 47:44
  I want to pray for you. God's been
• 47:46
  dealing with your heart. You know it.
• 47:49
  Say, "Preacher, I'm saved, but preacher,
• 47:53
  I've invested my life in the wrong
• 47:55
  things.
• 47:58
  Preacher, I'm not invested in the church
• 48:00
  like I should be. I'm not invested in my
• 48:02
  family like I should be.
• 48:05
  Too busy. Preacher, would you pray for
• 48:07
  me?
• 48:09
  Anybody be honest?
• 48:12
  God sees that.
• 48:18
  Truth is, every hand in here ought to
• 48:19
  went up on that.
• 48:22
  We're all too busy.
• 48:27
  When's the last time you spent 30
• 48:29
  minutes in prayer?
• 48:33
  If you can't remember, you're too busy.
• 48:38
  When's the last time you sat down and
• 48:39
  read your Bible for more than 10
• 48:41
  minutes?
• 48:43
  If you can't remember, you're too busy.
• 48:47
  It takes more.
• 48:50
  You can't live mediocre and get by.
• 48:55
  It takes more, child of God.
• 49:00
  I'm not worried about the ones that
• 49:01
  raised their hand. I'm worried about the
• 49:03
  ones that didn't.
• 49:06
  You need help.
• 49:09
  Father, I pray in Jesus name.
• 49:13
  God, you put this message on my heart
• 49:15
  cuz it's where we're living at. Lord,
• 49:16
  I'm going into revival meeting. Lord, I
• 49:19
  know there'll be people come this week
• 49:20
  that won't be here because of everything
• 49:23
  else.
• 49:27
  Lord, I pray God you deal with their
• 49:29
  heart.
• 49:32
  Lord, they show where their investment
• 49:34
  is when they're not here.
• 49:41
  God, I pray please, Father, you'd deal
• 49:42
  with their heart this morning. And God,
• 49:45
  I pray you'd help all of us, Lord, to
• 49:47
  re-evaluate our lives. God, we're too
• 49:48
  busy.
• 49:53
  Lord, I realize just from this challenge
• 49:55
  I gave the church last week, how busy I
• 49:57
  myself am.
• 50:00
  Lord, you put me in neutral for a day.
• 50:01
  And I thank you for that.
• 50:04
  God, help me to sit at your feet more,
• 50:08
  not to be so cumbered about much
• 50:10
  serving.
• 50:12
  Cuz Lord, service don't mean nothing if
• 50:14
  I ain't spent time with the Savior.
• 50:16
  Lord, I pray you'll help us to be
• 50:18
  obedient. Help us to be faithful to
• 50:20
  revival meeting this week, Lord. God, I
• 50:23
  know these men of God's going to share
• 50:25
  what you've put on them. And Lord,
• 50:26
  they've studied fervently and prayed for
• 50:27
  this meeting. And God, I pray that we'll
• 50:30
  be faithful to be here and be in our
• 50:31
  place. Lord, I sure love you and I ask
• 50:33
  it all in Jesus name.
• 50:36
  Amen.
• 50:37
  Amen. Well, I appreciate the Lord. Don't
• 50:40
  you?
• 50:42
  >> Thank you for joining our service today.
• 50:44
  We'd love it if you'd join us in person
• 50:46
  the next time you are able at Meadows
• 50:49
  Baptist Church. Our physical address is
• 50:52
  2988 Stewart Road in Walnut Cove, North
• 50:55
  Carolina. Our service times are Sunday
• 50:58
  school at 10:00 a.m., Sunday morning
• 51:01
  worship at 11:00 a.m., Sunday evening
• 51:03
  worship at 6:00 p.m., and Wednesday
• 51:05
  evening Bible study at 700 p.m. For more
• 51:09
  information, visit us at
• 51:10
  meadowsbaptisturch.com.
• 51:13
  Thanks again for tuning in.