Latest / Meadows Baptist Church Podcast / How To Make Everyday Count - 1/4/26 - Pastor Charlie Branch

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How To Make Everyday Count - 1/4/26 - 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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  Amen. Take God's word tonight. Turn with
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  me to the book of Psalms. Psalm division
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  number 90. If you would please, when you
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  find your place, if you would stand.
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  Honor reverence for the reading of God's
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  word,
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  Psalm division number 90. And uh I just
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  want to say to you church, I hadn't
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  preached out in a while until here this
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  just this past week. Preached there in
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  that watch night service. And I was
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  telling somebody uh this morning, I love
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  Brother Howard and I love their church,
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  but I'll tell you what, there's nothing
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  like this place
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  >> and I love preaching here and I preached
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  in a lot of churches than my eight
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  years, a little over eight years of
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  preaching. And there's nowhere I'd
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  rather preach than here. And I'm so
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  thankful for that. There's some
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  preachers that pastor their church and
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  they have to endure it until they get uh
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  to go out and preach somewhere else. And
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  I'm thankful that it's not that way.
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  Amen. And God sure has been good to us
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  here. And if I could say anything to you
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  as your pastor, I don't know much, but
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  let's keep it that way. Amen. And keep
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  the liberty here and the presence of
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  God. And it sure was good to have sister
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  Donna back playing for us again tonight.
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  And Miss Melody's done such a good job.
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  I'm going to be I'll talk to them in the
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  days to come. Ain't it good to have
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  talent?
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  >> Amen.
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  >> In the house of God. And uh we're
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  blessed with that. Sister Amber and all
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  these ladies have stepped up and really
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  helped. And I appreciate that. I'm glad
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  Miss Donna's making a full recovery.
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  Amen. And you continue to pray for her.
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  The Lord will touch her.
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  >> And I sure appreciate each one of you.
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  I'll tell you this, it wouldn't be the
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  church without you. And we come in here
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  and I can sit and look at empty pews,
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  but without you, it wouldn't be wouldn't
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  be the church. Amen. And I appreciate
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  you. Psalm number 90, I want to read the
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  whole chapter tonight if I may. Uh just
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  17 verses here. We'll look at these.
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  They're pretty short. Let's read them.
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  Read them tonight. Verse number one,
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  Psalm number 90. If you found your
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  place, say amen. Amen.
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  >> Bible says here, Lord, thou has been our
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  dwelling place in all generations.
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  Before the mountains were brought forth,
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  orever thou hast formed the earth and
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  the world, even from everlasting to
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  everlasting, thou art God. Thou turnest
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  man to destruction, and sayest, "Return,
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  ye children of men. For a thousand years
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  in thy sight, are but as yesterday, when
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  it is passed, and as a watch in the
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  night, thou carest them away as with the
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  flood. They are asleep in the morning.
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  They are like grass which growth up. In
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  the morning it flourisheth and growth
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  up. In the evening it is cut down and
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  witherth. For we are consumed by thine
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  anger and by thy wrath are we troubled.
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  Thou has set our iniquities before thee.
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  Our secret sins in the light of thy
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  countenance. For all our days are passed
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  away in thy wrath. We spend our years as
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  a tale that is told. The days of our
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  years are three score years and 10. And
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  if by reason of strength they be four
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  score years, yet is their strength labor
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  and sorrow. for it is soon cut off and
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  we fly away. Who knoweth the power of
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  thine anger, even according to thy fear,
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  so is thy wrath. So teach us to number
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  our days that we may apply our hearts
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  unto wisdom. Return, O Lord, how long?
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  Let it repent thee concerning thy
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  servants. Oh, satisfy us early with thy
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  mercy that we may rejoice and be glad
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  all our days. Make us glad according to
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  the days wherein thou hast afflicted us
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  and the years wherein we have seen evil.
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  Let thy work appear unto thy servants,
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  and thy glory unto their children. And
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  let the beauty of the Lord our God be
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  upon us, and establish thou the work of
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  our hands upon us. Yay, the work of our
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  hands, establish thou it. Our father, I
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  come before you tonight and I ask humbly
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  that you would help me this evening.
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  God, I stand in a place where I cannot
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  stand alone and I do not want to stand
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  alone tonight. And Lord, I pray that you
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  would remove every sin from me, cleanse
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  me of flesh, God. And I pray you'd bind
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  the devil, and uh you would help us
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  tonight. Help us to uh receive with
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  meekness the engrafted word. Fill us
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  with thy spirit, cloak us in our
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  calling, and uh use us for your glory
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  and honor alone tonight. And I pray,
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  God, that you'll calm my nerves here for
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  just a minute and help me to preach this
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  tonight and share this truth with these
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  precious people that I love so much. And
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  God, I ask you that you would help us in
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  these days. Bless this year, God. have
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  your hand upon our church and save many
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  lost souls and get glory to yourself.
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  And we'll be sure to thank you for what
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  you do because you alone are worthy of
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  all glory and honor and power. And we
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  ask it all in Jesus name. Amen. Thank
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  you for standing. You can be seated this
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  evening. One of you boys over there, if
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  y'all don't mind, y'all step back there
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  and get me a water, please. I appreciate
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  it. Amen. I was looking here in this
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  text, praying about the service this
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  evening, praying what God would have us
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  to say. And uh I was thinking about
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  these verses now, it's been I guess it's
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  probably been 3 years since I preached
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  this. Actually, it's been 5 years. I
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  preached this January the 1st of 2021 on
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  a New Year's Day service. And I preached
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  it standing in the portico of a church
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  in Mount Air, North Carolina because of
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  COVID. Amen. And I remember preaching
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  this message and the Lord laid this
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  thought on my heart. We've come a long
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  way since CO. Hallelujah for that. Amen.
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  and uh it's going to be the next thing
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  that comes around. Amen. But I was
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  thinking about this text here and and
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  the thought is verse number 12. If you
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  notice verse 12, you've probably heard
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  this verse before. Notice what he says
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  there. He says, "So teach us to number
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  our days that we may apply our hearts
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  under wisdom." And I preached this this
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  little thought here on making every day
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  count or how to make every day count.
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  See, understand our life. James says
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  it's but a vapor that appearth for a
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  little time then vanishth away. And so
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  if we're given only a loted amount of
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  time, if there's a day of our birth and
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  a day of our death that God already
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  knows about both of them, we ought to do
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  our very best, dead level best to make
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  the most of the days in between.
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  Somebody say amen. And I was thinking
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  about this text. Now, you notice if your
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  Bible's got a heading in it over this
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  chapter, you'll note that this is a
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  psalm of Moses. Now, we think most of
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  the time of the Psalms, we think of
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  David. We think of Asaf. We think of
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  Solomon. We think of many people. But
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  most time when you consider the Psalms,
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  you don't think about Moses. But this
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  psalm really we believe to be the oldest
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  psalm that is recorded. God bless your
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  heart, my friend. Thank you. My sight
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  was going away while I was reading the
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  scripture.
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  >> And so this is a psalm of Moses. All
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  right. And Moses here in this text, what
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  this this time period in which this is
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  recorded is Moses is looking at the
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  children of Israel at the end of the
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  wilderness wanderings.
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  >> 38 years have passed more than likely
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  here and Moses is viewing the children
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  of Israel. He is looking upon them and
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  what is he seeing? He's seeing death.
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  You see, there was a generation that had
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  to die off completely before the
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  children of Israel could enter into
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  Canaan land. You think about this. Moses
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  was one of those Moses and those others
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  that refused to believe the command of
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  the Lord. They were all going to have to
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  die before Joshua and Caleb and the
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  children could enter into the land. And
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  so Moses is viewing here the children of
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  Israel. And he is seeing that they are
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  dying. He's seeing that their life is
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  being cut short. And in this chapter, I
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  want you to notice here, first of all,
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  by way of introduction tonight, the
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  Bible says in verse number one, Moses
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  says, "Lord, thou has been our dwelling
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  place in all generations." Now, I think
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  it's fitting to understand the context
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  that Moses is talking to a people who
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  are dwelling in tents in the wilderness.
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  They have no permanent abode. The place
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  where they were supposed to go, they've
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  not made it there because of their
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  unbelief. But even in the wilderness,
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  and I can say hallelujah for this
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  tonight. He looks at th that crowd of
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  people dwelling in tents and dwelling in
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  tabernacles and the ark dwelling in the
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  tabernacle in the wilderness. Amen. And
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  he looks at them and he says, "Though
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  we've got no dwelling place that's
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  permanent. Though we've got no place to
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  lay our head where we could stay for the
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  rest of our life, as soon as we die, our
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  children's going to go over." He said,
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  "But even in spite of that, Lord, you
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  have been our dwelling place throughout
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  all generations." Amen. And I can say
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  this, it does not matter where whether
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  where you pill pillow your head tonight,
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  God is your dwelling place. Amen. I
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  notice in this text, I would say first
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  of all, you know, the people of God in
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  verse number one, look what he says.
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  Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place.
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  Moses looks at the congregation of
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  Israel, some two million people probably
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  at this time they are in the wilderness
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  and he looks at them and he says, "My
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  family, the people that God brought out
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  of Egypt, delivered us out of bondage
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  and even while we were in Egypt, God was
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  still our dwelling place. And now here
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  in the wilderness in a place of
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  desolation where we're being fed with
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  mana and and we're being kept by the
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  power of God each and every day. God has
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  been our dwelling place. I wonder can
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  you say that of your family tonight?
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  That God has been your dwelling place. I
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  note not only the people of God but the
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  place that's in God in verse number one.
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  Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place,
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  the place where we reside. And that
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  brother preached there on this on that
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  past Wednesday night. He preached out of
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  Psalm 91 where he said in verse one, "He
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  that dwelleth in the secret place of the
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  most high shall abide under the shadow
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  of the almighty." And I'm glad tonight
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  as children of God, we have a dwelling
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  place that's in God the Father. Amen. We
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  are hidden under the shadow of his wing.
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  And I'll say that it's much better than
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  that. Amen. We're not under the shadow
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  of his wing in the day of grace, but
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  we're in his hand. Amen. And Bible says
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  if God puts them if he take puts us in
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  his hand no man's able to pluck them out
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  of my father's hand. And so there is the
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  people and there is the place. But then
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  there is the position in verse one.
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  Notice the text. Lord thou hast been our
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  dwelling place. Notice this in all
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  generations.
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  Now when you look at that thought
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  generations there, we would often think
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  there of the of the lineages or every
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  generation of man, every different
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  family from the grandparents to their
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  grandparents to their grandparents and
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  so on and so forth. But it goes beyond
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  that. That word generation is is not
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  just talking about people, but it's
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  talking about the literal revolving of
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  time. That you see from eternity past
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  unto eternity future that God is to be
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  our dwelling place. The revolving of
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  time. He said, "Lord, thou has been our
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  dwelling place in all generations." You
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  see, before Abraham ever left the of the
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  Caldes, and while the godly line of Seth
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  was still being raised there in that
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  land before God ever called Abraham out
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  unto himself, those men that followed
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  God, and the Bible says they began to
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  call upon the name of the Lord, every
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  one of them, Amen, regardless of where
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  they dwelt, their dwelling place was
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  God. And their position was in God the
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  Father.
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  >> Right?
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  >> Their dwelling place was God. And their
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  position here is in every generation
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  those that would call upon him were
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  close to the father. And I notice in
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  this text, you see Moses here is
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  pointing out to the father first of all
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  that he is their dwelling place. And I
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  notice verse number two. Look what he
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  says. Notice that first word of verse
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  two before. You see Moses begins to
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  remember. Now I want you to think about
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  this with me for just a minute. Who
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  wrote the first five books of the Bible?
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  Moses did. Right? And so when we think
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  about creation, when we think about the
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  history, Amen, that goes all the way
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  back to the Garden of Eden, Moses had
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  been inspired by God to record those
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  truths. And so hundreds of years after
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  uh Adam and Eve had already died, Moses
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  is pinning the truth of creation as well
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  as the truth of their historical lineage
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  and genealogy. And Moses goes even
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  before Adam, even before creation, and
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  look what he says in verse two. Before
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  the mountains were brought forth, or
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  ever thou hast formed the earth and the
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  world, even from everlasting to
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  everlasting, thou art God. You see, time
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  is just an island
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  >> in the sea of eternity.
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  >> And where you and I live tonight is so
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  small.
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  It is so small that our mind could not
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  conceive the smallalness of our day. You
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  say, "What do you mean by that?" Well,
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  as the size of an atom is to the size of
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  the state of North Carolina, that is the
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  size of your life in comparison with
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  eternity.
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  >> Right?
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  >> You say, "Preacher, how in the world
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  could you ever picture that?" Well, let
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  me just say this to you. Eternity is
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  forever.
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  >> Amen.
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  >> Eternity is forever. And I I really
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  believe I don't think it's going to be
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  too long before the Lord comes back.
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  Amen. And if this earth is in existence,
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  we know that it's been in existence some
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  67,000 years by the time chronology
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  that's in the Bible. And so 67,000 years
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  if God come backs to comes back
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  tomorrow, we we've got seven years of
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  tribulation, a thousand years of
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  millennial kingdom. And so really, I
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  mean, I'll be honest with you, I don't
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  know if this thing will ever last over
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  10,000 years.
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  I know y'all look at me like I'm crazy
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  right now,
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  >> but here's the truth. You see, eternity
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  has no boundaries.
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  >> Right.
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  >> From the beginning of all beginnings,
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  God has always been
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  >> right.
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  >> You see, and here's what we do. This is
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  what I'm preaching on tonight concerning
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  making every day count. Here's what we
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  do. You see, we we try to put God in
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  time.
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  >> We try to pack God into our schedule and
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  put God in time in our life. Well, God's
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  going to show up about the time I'm
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  about 25 after I've sewed my wild oats
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  and done what I wanted to do and going
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  to go on and live my own life. Then
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  God's going to show up and bail me out
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  and I'm going to get all right and
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  settle down and have a family. Then I'm
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  going to live out the rest of my days,
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  70, 80 years old and I'm going to die
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  and go to heaven.
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  You know, it'd scare you the read the
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  way a lot of people think that. Amen.
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  >> But here's the truth. You can't put God
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  in time. You're
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  >> right.
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  >> But I'll tell you what you can do. You
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  can put time in God.
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  >> Yes. Amen.
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  >> Say, "What do you mean, preacher?" Well,
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  time is in God.
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  >> You see, creation teaches us that
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  nothing happens without a cause.
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  >> What is that? The second law of
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  thermodynamics. Amen. There has to be a
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  cause. For every effect, there has to be
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  a cause. And so, when creation took
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  place, the causeless first cause was God
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  the Father.
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  >> Amen. Nobody caused him to exist. We
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  didn't conceive him. in our mind. Adam
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  didn't create him. Amen. The forefathers
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  didn't think him up. Amen. BUT GOD
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  EXISTED BEFORE THE WORLD EVER WAS. And
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  Moses says it in verse two. Before the
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  mountains were bought forth, OR EVER
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  THOU HAST FORMED THE EARTH, EVEN FROM
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  EVERLASTING UNTO EVERLASTING, thou art
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  God
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  >> perpetual
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  forever, eternity. God exists outside
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  the realm of time. And you say,
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  "Preacher, well, what does that have to
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  do with us living and making every day
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  count?" Well, if you're going to learn
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  how to make time valuable and used
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  properly in your life, you're going to
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  have to know the one that created time,
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  >> right?
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  >> Amen.
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  >> Yeah.
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  >> You see, Jesus interjected himself into
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  this world as a man born. He was God in
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  flesh. Amen. 33 and a half years he
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  lived on this earth. and he accomplished
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  what no man could do in a lifetime or
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  thousands upon thousands of lifetimes.
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  And you say, "Preacher, what does this
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  have to do with me making every day
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  count?" Well, I want to say three things
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  and I'll give you three more things and
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  I'll be done. All right?
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  In this chapter, Moses describes here in
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  the text number one, the wrath of God.
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  He says in verse number three, "Thou
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  turnest man to destruction, and sayest,
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  return ye children of men." You see,
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  because of sin, because of the
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  destruction, the defilement of the
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  children of Israel, God condemned them
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  and their sin and he caused them to be
• 17:00
  destroyed in many places. Now, I'm not
• 17:03
  talking about permanent destruction, but
• 17:04
  they faced the consequences of their
• 17:07
  sin. You can look at other nations, the
• 17:09
  nation of Babylon, you can look back in
• 17:11
  the days of Icabad and see and the days
• 17:14
  of uh his name just left me. Amen. It's
• 17:17
  not Icabad. You know who I'm talking
• 17:19
  about. Amen. He built the tower of
• 17:20
  Babel. Nimrod. Amen. Nimrod. You can
• 17:23
  look at his days. You can look at the
• 17:25
  days of Noah and you'll find that every
• 17:27
  every nation that was destroyed by God
• 17:30
  was destroyed because of their sin. He
• 17:33
  says, "Thou turnest man to destruction
• 17:35
  and sayest, return." Verse number verse
• 17:38
  number seven, Moses says, "For we are
• 17:40
  consumed by thine anger, and by thy
• 17:42
  wrath are we troubled." the children of
• 17:44
  Israel because of their unbelief and
• 17:46
  their sin in the wilderness. They were
• 17:48
  troubled by the wrath of God. Verse
• 17:50
  number eight, our thou has set our
• 17:52
  iniquities before thee, our secret sins
• 17:54
  in the light of thy countenance. And
• 17:56
  just to remind you tonight, there's no
• 17:58
  sin that's hidden from the eyes of God.
• 18:00
  >> Verse number nine, for all our days are
• 18:03
  passed away in thy wrath. Notice this,
• 18:05
  we spend our years as a tale that is
• 18:07
  told. You see, their sin had brought
• 18:10
  shortness of days. You say, "How is
• 18:12
  that, preacher?" Well, you remember them
• 18:13
  patriarchs? They lived to be over 900
• 18:16
  years old,
• 18:17
  >> right?
• 18:17
  >> Methusela lived to be 969.
• 18:20
  I believe it was Jared that lived to be
• 18:22
  962. Adam lived to be 930. I I can't
• 18:26
  remember all of them, but they lived
• 18:28
  over 900 years. Why was that? Because
• 18:32
  the curse had not come to a point they
• 18:34
  were not so wicked, amen, that they
• 18:36
  could not stand on this earth. What
• 18:38
  happened? because of the sinfulness of
• 18:40
  man, God shortened his days,
• 18:42
  >> right?
• 18:43
  >> Shortened it to 120 years. Find that in
• 18:46
  the book of Genesis. And now Moses is
• 18:48
  viewing a people that's not even living
• 18:50
  that long. He says in our text, notice
• 18:53
  what the Bible said in verse 10. The
• 18:55
  days of our years are three score years
• 18:57
  and 10. And if by reason of strength
• 18:59
  they be four score years, yet is their
• 19:01
  strength labor and sorrow, for it is
• 19:03
  soon cut off and we fly away. Three
• 19:06
  score years and 10 is 70 years. Four
• 19:09
  score years is 80 years. And notice what
• 19:12
  he says. He says if we live to be 80
• 19:14
  years, he says that strength that we get
• 19:16
  to make it those 80 years, it's labor
• 19:18
  and sorrow. It's painful. It's
• 19:20
  agonizing. Why? Because of the effects
• 19:23
  of sin.
• 19:24
  >> You see, IT'S THE WRATH OF GOD THAT'S
• 19:26
  brought this upon us. The reason why
• 19:29
  people don't live long is because of
• 19:31
  sin. You say, "Preacher, is it their
• 19:33
  direct sin?" No, not necessarily always,
• 19:36
  but it's because of sin generically,
• 19:38
  >> right?
• 19:39
  >> Sin in this world has condemned the
• 19:41
  human race to a short life.
• 19:44
  >> I know we don't like to talk about that,
• 19:46
  but it's the truth.
• 19:47
  >> The wrath of God. Look what he says in
• 19:49
  verse number 11. Who knoweth the power
• 19:52
  of thine anger? He said, who can measure
• 19:54
  the power of your wrath? Look what he
• 19:56
  says. Even according to thy fear, so is
• 19:59
  thy wrath great and heavy is the wrath
• 20:02
  of God. You say, "Preacher, what does
• 20:03
  this have to do with anything?" Well, if
• 20:05
  you're going to have a clear view of
• 20:06
  today and make every day count in your
• 20:08
  life, you're going to have to have a
• 20:10
  clear view of the wrath of God.
• 20:11
  >> Right?
• 20:12
  >> Say, "What is that, preacher?" Well,
• 20:13
  when you sin, you're going to have to
• 20:15
  realize there's punishment for that
• 20:16
  thing.
• 20:16
  >> Amen.
• 20:17
  >> Amen. You're going to have to remember
• 20:19
  God is holy and God is lovely and just
• 20:22
  and merciful and longsuffering, but he
• 20:24
  is also full of wrath and indignation.
• 20:27
  HE'S A JEALOUS GOD AND HE WILL NOT LET
• 20:29
  YOU continue in sin.
• 20:32
  There's the wisdom of God in verse 12
• 20:34
  down through verse 15 he says so teach
• 20:37
  us to number our days. Verse 13 he says
• 20:40
  Lord return. Verse 14 he says oh
• 20:43
  satisfies early with thy mercy. He is
• 20:45
  asking for everything that they need to
• 20:47
  in order to continue. You know the
• 20:50
  reason why we don't continue in this
• 20:51
  life. The reason why our ministry is not
• 20:53
  fruitful and our family is not faithful
• 20:55
  is because we don't ask. You're
• 20:57
  >> right.
• 20:58
  >> You ask not. You have not because you
• 21:00
  ask not.
• 21:01
  >> And he says in this text verse 14, "Oh,
• 21:04
  satisfy us early with thy mercy that
• 21:06
  what? That we may rejoice." Hey, you
• 21:08
  missing out on some joy?
• 21:11
  >> Are you asking for it? I know this is
• 21:14
  simple tonight, but this is the problem.
• 21:16
  This is the indictment against the
• 21:18
  church. We're not asking because we
• 21:20
  think we're okay. THAT'S WHAT THE
• 21:21
  LEADYIAN CHURCH AGE was described by. He
• 21:24
  said, "We're you're rich and increased
• 21:26
  with goods." He said, "But you know not
• 21:28
  that you're miserable, you're poor,
• 21:29
  you're blind, AND YOU'RE NAKED. WE'VE
• 21:31
  GOT NOTHING WITHOUT GOD."
• 21:33
  >> RIGHT?
• 21:35
  >> He asked for the wisdom of God. He has
• 21:37
  to understand the wrath of God. He has
• 21:39
  to see the work of God. Notice verse 16
• 21:41
  and 17. Let thy work appear unto thy
• 21:44
  servants, and thy glory unto their
• 21:47
  children. And let the beauty of the Lord
• 21:49
  our God be upon us, and establish thou
• 21:51
  the work of our hands upon us. Yay, the
• 21:53
  work of our hands established thou it.
• 21:56
  He asked for God to show them his work.
• 22:00
  Verse 16. But he also asked for God to
• 22:03
  bless their work.
• 22:06
  You see, it was a turning point in my
• 22:08
  life in the ministry when I realized
• 22:10
  that this was the way I needed to pray.
• 22:13
  Lord, show me what you're doing and then
• 22:15
  help me to get involved in it.
• 22:18
  >> Amen.
• 22:19
  >> We don't we don't we don't know about
• 22:21
  the the eternal. We don't know about the
• 22:23
  will of God because we're not asking.
• 22:25
  >> Right.
• 22:27
  And I want you to notice this. All
• 22:28
  right, I'm going get to the verse
• 22:29
  tonight and I'll be done. Verse 12, the
• 22:33
  summary of this entire text. Now, I've
• 22:35
  got a whole message, and I've left out
• 22:37
  everything that I preach in this message
• 22:39
  to give you these three points tonight.
• 22:42
  If you're going to make every day count
• 22:44
  this year or for the rest of your life,
• 22:46
  you're going to have to have three
• 22:47
  things. And it's found in verse 12.
• 22:50
  Verse number 12. It the key that unlocks
• 22:53
  a fruitful Christian life is found in
• 22:55
  verse 12. I would say number one tonight
• 22:58
  when you consider this thought of making
• 23:00
  every day count. Number one, there's
• 23:01
  going to have to be a witness in your
• 23:04
  life. Notice the first three words of
• 23:06
  verse 12. What's your Bible say? So
• 23:11
  teach us.
• 23:13
  You know what we're we have a der of in
• 23:15
  this land this day and time is a
• 23:17
  teachable spirit. Good.
• 23:22
  >> Young people know everything,
• 23:24
  >> right?
• 23:25
  >> I know. I is one of them.
• 23:29
  >> Can't talk to them. They got it all
• 23:31
  figured out.
• 23:33
  I'll be the first to tell you I don't
• 23:34
  know what I'm doing.
• 23:36
  >> Amen.
• 23:36
  >> If it wasn't for the grace of God, I
• 23:38
  wouldn't be able to get up and go to bed
• 23:39
  at night.
• 23:40
  >> Right.
• 23:42
  >> I'm saying in this text, he says, "So
• 23:44
  teach us." So, first of all, there's the
• 23:45
  witness. What is this witness? Well,
• 23:47
  it's the witness of the spirit.
• 23:49
  Notice that and notice the form in which
• 23:52
  it said. It said as a request.
• 23:55
  You I think about other scriptures. You
• 23:57
  remember the disciples asked Jesus. You
• 23:59
  remember what they said? Lord, teach us
• 24:00
  to pray.
• 24:02
  >> You know why people don't learn in this
• 24:03
  day and time? Because they're not asking
• 24:06
  for it.
• 24:07
  >> Right?
• 24:08
  >> There's not a request.
• 24:10
  You see, I and this is something I've
• 24:12
  learned from the older men of God that I
• 24:15
  have been around in recent days. This is
• 24:17
  what they've told me. They've said that
• 24:19
  as time has went on, the questions have
• 24:21
  gotten less and less and less. Church
• 24:24
  members don't come to him and ask
• 24:26
  questions. Church members only come to
• 24:28
  him with conflicts and problems and want
• 24:31
  the preacher to fix it.
• 24:33
  >> You're right.
• 24:34
  >> They don't ask questions. They're not
• 24:36
  trying to learn. They're just trying to
• 24:38
  get by. You're
• 24:39
  >> right.
• 24:40
  You see, the indictment against our land
• 24:42
  in this day and time is we're we're so
• 24:45
  full of knowledge, but we have no
• 24:46
  wisdom.
• 24:48
  >> We're so full of intellectualism that we
• 24:51
  have no INSPIRATION OF THE HOLY GHOST.
• 24:53
  HEY FRIEND, MEN AND WOMEN USED TO BE
• 24:55
  MOVED BY THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
• 24:58
  AND IT WAS WHAT DROVE THEM IN THEIR
• 24:59
  LIFE. Many of them didn't have AN EIGHTH
• 25:02
  GRADE EDUCATION, BUT THEY KNEW GOD AND
• 25:04
  THEY KNEW THE BIBLE AND THEY KNEW WHO
• 25:06
  JESUS WAS AND THEY KNOW MORE ABOUT LIFE
• 25:09
  THAN YOU AND I DO. IN this day and time,
• 25:12
  >> we've okayed EVERYTHING BECAUSE THERE'S
• 25:14
  NO WITNESS IN OUR LIFE. You say,
• 25:17
  "Preacher, how is it I'm saved and the
• 25:19
  Holy Ghost lives within?" Well, you tell
• 25:21
  me how is it that you're saved and the
• 25:23
  Holy Ghost lives within and there's no
• 25:25
  witness. I'll tell you why. You've
• 25:27
  grieved him,
• 25:28
  >> right?
• 25:28
  >> LIVING IN YOUR SIN AND LIVING IN YOUR
• 25:30
  SHAME, THE HOLY GHOST WILL NOT WORK
• 25:33
  WHERE dirtiness is.
• 25:34
  >> Right?
• 25:35
  >> And if you're GOING TO MAKE EVERY DAY
• 25:37
  COUNT, THAT'S THE FIRST PRIORITY. THAT
• 25:40
  THE HOLY GHOST HAVE PRIORITY IN YOUR
• 25:42
  life that he HAVE CONTROL. IT'S NOT
• 25:44
  ABOUT HOW MUCH YOU have of the Holy
• 25:46
  Ghost, but it's how much he has of you.
• 25:48
  You're
• 25:48
  >> right.
• 25:50
  >> You see our minds so consumed. You see,
• 25:53
  the Holy Ghost works in this this and
• 25:55
  I'm going to give the next point away,
• 25:56
  but he works in the will. You're
• 25:58
  >> right.
• 25:59
  >> He works in the will of man.
• 26:02
  >> And here's what we've done. This is what
• 26:04
  technology has done. Our will is so
• 26:07
  distracted. You're right.
• 26:10
  >> We are so influenced by the world. We
• 26:14
  literally have people who make millions
• 26:15
  upon millions upon millions of dollars
• 26:17
  making videos and they call themselves
• 26:20
  influencers.
• 26:23
  >> And you know what it's doing to our
• 26:24
  children? They don't have time to think
• 26:26
  about God.
• 26:27
  >> You're right.
• 26:29
  >> The witness of the Holy Ghost, he's
• 26:31
  quiet.
• 26:33
  It's a still small voice. IT'S NOT IT'S
• 26:36
  NOT LOUD and boisterous. The enemy, he's
• 26:39
  loud and boisterous. And boy, when you
• 26:41
  get saved, you'll meet him and he'll be
• 26:43
  real loud in your life. Tell you you're
• 26:44
  worth nothing and you don't mean
• 26:46
  anything to this world and you might as
• 26:48
  well just take your life. Nobody cares
• 26:50
  about you anyway. That's the enemy.
• 26:52
  Amen.
• 26:53
  >> But I'll tell you this, the Holy Ghost
• 26:56
  >> is quiet.
• 26:58
  >> He's a perfect gentleman.
• 27:01
  He's not going to beat down your door,
• 27:04
  >> but he'll stand there and knock.
• 27:06
  >> Yes.
• 27:08
  >> You say, "Preacher, how is that the Holy
• 27:10
  Ghost?" Well, notice John chapter number
• 27:13
  14,
• 27:16
  one of my favorite scriptures in all the
• 27:18
  word of God. John 14. Listen to what
• 27:20
  Jesus said. This this is in Jesus own
• 27:22
  words.
• 27:26
  Verse 25, John chapter number 14.
• 27:30
  He said, "These things have I spoken
• 27:31
  unto you, being yet present with you.
• 27:34
  But the comforter, which is the Holy
• 27:36
  Ghost, whom the Father will send in my
• 27:37
  name, he shall teach you all things."
• 27:43
  Now, doesn't that sound familiar to this
• 27:45
  morning
• 27:46
  >> and bring all things to your remembrance
• 27:51
  whatsoever I've said unto you? The
• 27:54
  reason people are wasting away their
• 27:57
  life is because the Holy Ghost voice is
• 27:59
  not being heard.
• 28:00
  >> Good.
• 28:01
  >> It's not because he's not speaking.
• 28:04
  >> Amen. I really believe he's speaking in
• 28:06
  this day and time. I believe with all my
• 28:08
  heart, brother Matt, I believe God is
• 28:09
  speaking through the Holy Ghost as much
• 28:11
  as he ever has spoken.
• 28:15
  But this is what I tell you. People not
• 28:17
  listening.
• 28:18
  >> You're right.
• 28:19
  >> Because there's so many other voices.
• 28:22
  There's more voices. There's more
• 28:24
  influences. There's more impressions
• 28:27
  that are made on people
• 28:30
  in this day and time that the Holy
• 28:32
  Ghost, he's just pushed aside.
• 28:35
  John chapter 16 verse number 13 tells us
• 28:38
  the same thing.
• 28:41
  Notice this. John 16
• 28:44
  verse 13. Listen to what he says. Verse
• 28:46
  number 13. How be it when he, the Spirit
• 28:48
  of truth, is come. He will guide you
• 28:50
  into all truth. For he shall not speak
• 28:55
  of himself. Whatsoever he shall hear,
• 28:57
  that shall he speak, and he will show
• 28:59
  you things to come. You want to make
• 29:02
  every day count in your life, you're
• 29:04
  going to have to have the witness of the
• 29:06
  spirit of God. He's going to have to be
• 29:08
  able to speak.
• 29:09
  >> You're right.
• 29:10
  >> And you going to have to be able to
• 29:11
  listen.
• 29:11
  >> Yeah.
• 29:12
  >> You know what that's going to require
• 29:13
  you to do? Turn some things off. You're
• 29:16
  right.
• 29:17
  >> Take some time and set aside.
• 29:20
  Here's what happens. All right. This I'm
• 29:22
  guilty of this. Okay? You know, I told
• 29:24
  my wife, we went on vacation there a few
• 29:26
  weeks ago, and it really wasn't a
• 29:27
  vacation. It was to look at a project.
• 29:29
  Amen. For another ministry. Amen.
• 29:32
  >> And I told my wife, I said, "Maybe we'll
• 29:34
  get some time that I can spend with the
• 29:36
  Lord and pray and recoup my mind." But
• 29:38
  you know, here's what I'm finding.
• 29:40
  Everywhere I go, there's something,
• 29:42
  >> right?
• 29:44
  Everywhere I go, every day, there's
• 29:48
  something that comes up. I can have a
• 29:50
  time set aside. I'm talking about a
• 29:53
  period of time set aside to just do
• 29:55
  that.
• 29:55
  >> Y
• 29:56
  >> and something comes up.
• 29:57
  >> Y
• 29:58
  >> and if something don't come up, I'll get
• 30:00
  distracted because I got something else
• 30:02
  on my mind.
• 30:03
  >> Yeah.
• 30:03
  >> And you know what? I spend more time
• 30:05
  often times uh trying to get the the the
• 30:08
  the mess of the week and and and the day
• 30:10
  off my mind so I can just study.
• 30:12
  >> You're right. It takes more time for me
• 30:14
  to get the junk out than it does for me
• 30:16
  to receive the truth.
• 30:18
  >> And this is what I'm saying. This is
• 30:20
  true for all of us. It's not just me.
• 30:22
  Amen. It's not just me. And this is what
• 30:25
  I know. If I if it's as much a struggle
• 30:27
  for me and I'm having to get enough God
• 30:29
  to preach to you three times, four times
• 30:31
  a week,
• 30:33
  how is it for you,
• 30:34
  >> right?
• 30:35
  >> When you don't have to you you're not
• 30:37
  preparing for a Sunday school class.
• 30:39
  See, here's the thing about it. This is
• 30:40
  the reason why I want people to serve.
• 30:42
  And I've never been this candid about
• 30:43
  this. Amen. But I'm going to be tonight.
• 30:45
  This is the reason why you need to
• 30:46
  serve. David Jeremiah said this. I don't
• 30:48
  agree with everything he does. Don't
• 30:49
  agree with the Bible he uses. But he's
• 30:51
  right about this. He said, "I believe
• 30:53
  God called me to preach because he knew
• 30:54
  if he hadn't called me to preach, I'd
• 30:56
  never read my Bible like I should."
• 30:58
  >> Right?
• 31:00
  >> I'm convinced the reason why the
• 31:01
  church's in a shape sense, people don't
• 31:02
  read their Bible.
• 31:03
  >> You're right.
• 31:03
  >> They don't pray. They don't hear the
• 31:05
  voice of God.
• 31:06
  >> That's it.
• 31:06
  >> I've blowed this sermon all to pieces,
• 31:08
  but it's all right. The witness of the
• 31:11
  spirit. Look what he says in verse 12.
• 31:12
  So teach us when the Holy Ghost speaks.
• 31:16
  This ought to be our response.
• 31:18
  >> Right,
• 31:18
  >> Lord. Whatever.
• 31:20
  >> That's right.
• 31:20
  >> Whenever, however, don't matter how long
• 31:23
  it takes, I'll sit here until you give
• 31:26
  me what you want me to have.
• 31:27
  >> Good.
• 31:29
  >> When we have that kind of resolve in
• 31:31
  Christian people, we'll have revival.
• 31:32
  >> Amen.
• 31:33
  >> Notice not only the witness of the
• 31:35
  spirit need to move. Notice the will of
• 31:37
  the soul in verse number 12. So teach us
• 31:40
  to number our days. Notice this, that we
• 31:44
  may apply our hearts
• 31:48
  unto wisdom.
• 31:50
  So if you're going to make every day
• 31:52
  count, number one, you got to have a
• 31:53
  witness of the spirit. That has to do
• 31:55
  with the divine instruction of the Holy
• 31:57
  Ghost. But number two, you're going to
• 31:59
  have to have a will in your life. The
• 32:01
  will of the soul is going to have to be
• 32:03
  directed.
• 32:05
  In essence, there's going to have to be
• 32:06
  some discipline.
• 32:07
  >> You're right. That's right.
• 32:09
  >> Oh, that's a dirty word,
• 32:13
  >> but it's what's killing us.
• 32:14
  >> You're right.
• 32:16
  >> You see, discipline
• 32:19
  is not going to the extreme.
• 32:22
  Discipline is also not just getting
• 32:24
  barely doing enough to just get by.
• 32:27
  >> But discipline is is this. Lord, I want
• 32:31
  exactly what you want for me. I'm going
• 32:34
  to make sure that I give enough time.
• 32:36
  I'm going to make sure that I clean out
• 32:38
  my mind enough and I'm going to make
• 32:39
  sure that when I sit down that there's
• 32:42
  nothing else going to get in my way
• 32:43
  until I get what you have for me in this
• 32:46
  period.
• 32:47
  >> Good.
• 32:47
  >> And you know what? That's daily.
• 32:50
  >> But here's the problem. Okay? You know,
• 32:52
  preachers used to say this and I agree
• 32:54
  with them. You know, we you can't thrive
• 32:55
  off of four or three sermons a week. You
• 32:57
  can't thrive off three hours of church a
• 32:59
  week. You can't. Amen. That's right. But
• 33:01
  the truth is people's not even getting
• 33:02
  that.
• 33:03
  >> You're right. cuz you're coming in here
• 33:05
  and you've got your mind on your
• 33:07
  workload. You got your mind on your
• 33:08
  family issues. You got your mind on
• 33:10
  everything else. And see, you've got to
• 33:12
  learn how to leave that at home. You're
• 33:14
  >> right.
• 33:16
  >> You see, there was a day when saints of
• 33:18
  God, they left some things at home
• 33:20
  before they come to the house of God.
• 33:22
  >> But now, we just bring it all with us.
• 33:26
  >> And here's what we do. We'll spend the
• 33:27
  whole service festering on it. We'll
• 33:30
  miss everything the preacher said. We
• 33:32
  can't shout on the song because it don't
• 33:33
  help us. We're too focused on something
• 33:35
  else.
• 33:35
  >> You're right.
• 33:36
  >> We can't shout on the song. We can't get
• 33:38
  in on the preaching because we're not
• 33:39
  listening.
• 33:40
  >> Come on, preacher.
• 33:42
  >> And then what we do is we come to the
• 33:43
  altar and we say, "Lord, please help me
• 33:46
  with this." And we lay it on the altar
• 33:48
  and we walk away about three steps. We
• 33:50
  turn around, come back right back, pick
• 33:52
  it up again, and walk out the door with
• 33:53
  it. You're right.
• 33:54
  >> To bring it into the next service.
• 33:56
  You're
• 33:56
  >> right.
• 33:58
  >> And so really, you're not even getting
• 34:00
  three services a week.
• 34:04
  You're right.
• 34:05
  >> I'm saying this truth is this book's
• 34:07
  only as good as when you receive it.
• 34:09
  >> You're right.
• 34:10
  >> And so it the will is involved. You see,
• 34:12
  our will is what determines whether or
• 34:16
  not we're going to do anything for God.
• 34:18
  >> You see, it was the will of God that we
• 34:20
  be saved. But after that, all right,
• 34:23
  when God saves you and you allow him,
• 34:26
  you when you submit to his will, you
• 34:28
  know what happens?
• 34:30
  Then he has to turn you. And you know
• 34:32
  what? Your will has to become his.
• 34:34
  You're
• 34:34
  >> right.
• 34:35
  >> And I think that's where we're missing
• 34:36
  it. We We let God's will be done in our
• 34:39
  life to save us.
• 34:42
  >> But we're unwilling to allow his will to
• 34:44
  take over our will.
• 34:46
  >> Good.
• 34:46
  >> Because if it takes over your will, it's
• 34:48
  going to take over your schedule.
• 34:50
  >> Amen. It's going to take over your
• 34:52
  schedule. It's going to take over your
• 34:54
  appetite. I'm not talking about food.
• 34:56
  >> You're right.
• 34:57
  >> Amen. It'll take that over, too. Amen.
• 34:59
  If you get holy enough. You're right.
• 35:00
  It'll take that over. Amen. But it's
• 35:02
  going to take over. It's going to take
• 35:04
  over your appetite for things of this
• 35:05
  world. I heard a preacher and I was so
• 35:07
  glad our young people got to hear this.
• 35:09
  Okay. As oldtime man of God from up in
• 35:11
  the mountains of North Carolina, Ash
• 35:13
  County up there, Brother Jeff Brown. He
• 35:14
  preached the other other morning there.
• 35:16
  That service we went to afternoon, he
• 35:19
  made this statement. Nobody can identify
• 35:22
  with this. I'll be honest with you. All
• 35:23
  right. But this old man of God, he's as
• 35:25
  serious as serious can be when he said
• 35:27
  it. And I told my wife, I sat there and
• 35:29
  said amen to it because I agree with
• 35:30
  him. This is what he said. He said from
• 35:33
  the time he got saved and started
• 35:35
  preaching, he said he he made this com
• 35:37
  he made this comment. Now don't fall out
• 35:38
  with me here tonight. I'm not saying
• 35:40
  it's a sin to do what what he said, but
• 35:42
  I'm telling you this is just the
• 35:44
  character of this preaching. He said,
• 35:46
  you know, he said, I've not had a desire
• 35:48
  to go to another ball game from the day
• 35:50
  that I started preaching.
• 35:53
  He said, "Because I'm just satisfying
• 35:55
  working and pastoring my church." That's
• 35:58
  >> good.
• 36:00
  >> He said, "I don't do anything
• 36:01
  extracurricular." Cuz he said, "My life
• 36:03
  is a ministry." Brother Ricky Graalley
• 36:06
  was here preaching for us this fall. You
• 36:07
  remember the touch of God is on that man
• 36:09
  of God?
• 36:09
  >> Absolutely.
• 36:10
  >> He told me sitting in the truck over at
• 36:12
  the hotel on Friday afternoon, this is
• 36:14
  what he told me. He said, he said, "You
• 36:17
  know, preacher," he said, "I don't have
• 36:18
  a lot of hobbies." He said, "We don't,"
• 36:20
  he said, "my we don't really." He said,
• 36:22
  "We'll take uh, you know, two vacations
• 36:24
  a year and we'll go out and make some
• 36:25
  memories with our kids and grandkids."
• 36:27
  And he said, "But we don't have
• 36:28
  hobbies." He says, "Our hobby is the
• 36:29
  ministry."
• 36:30
  >> Amen.
• 36:31
  >> It's the church. That's
• 36:32
  >> right.
• 36:33
  >> You say, "Preacher, that's radical." No,
• 36:35
  it's just right.
• 36:36
  >> That's right. You're right.
• 36:38
  >> It's just right. You see, what it comes
• 36:41
  down to is a thing of the will. Here's
• 36:43
  what we've got in our mind. We we we've
• 36:45
  some come so accustomed to the American
• 36:47
  way of life that we've pushed all of
• 36:49
  that out and we said, "Well, I got to
• 36:51
  have this to satisfy this need and this
• 36:53
  won't. I got to have this to satisfy
• 36:55
  that need and that won't." What about if
• 36:57
  we had to lose every bit of that?
• 36:59
  >> Come on.
• 37:00
  >> In order to have revival,
• 37:01
  >> that's good.
• 37:03
  >> I mean, real.
• 37:06
  It's going to involve the will.
• 37:07
  >> You're right.
• 37:08
  >> If you're going to make every day count,
• 37:10
  it's going to involve the witness of the
• 37:11
  spirit. It's going to involve the will
• 37:13
  of the soul. That word apply means to
• 37:15
  enter or come in. Notice that in verse
• 37:17
  12, that we may apply our hearts unto
• 37:20
  wisdom. And so that means we're
• 37:22
  literally placing our will
• 37:25
  within. Notice the last thing and I'm
• 37:27
  done. There is the witness of the
• 37:29
  spirit, the will of the soul, and then
• 37:31
  there is the wisdom of the scriptures.
• 37:36
  Verse 12, that we may apply our hearts
• 37:40
  unto wisdom.
• 37:42
  You see this truth here in this text?
• 37:45
  Basically what that's saying is the
• 37:46
  phrase that we may apply our hearts
• 37:48
  under wisdom that we may place our
• 37:49
  hearts
• 37:51
  in the word of God. Now when's the last
• 37:53
  time you've been around somebody was
• 37:55
  like that
• 37:57
  their heart was the Bible, what it said,
• 38:00
  what it's for, the gospel, the ministry,
• 38:02
  and that's it.
• 38:05
  You see, the cost of of making every day
• 38:08
  count means that we're going to have to
• 38:09
  put out everything else that doesn't
• 38:11
  matter.
• 38:12
  >> Good.
• 38:13
  >> Let me ask you, how much do you do in a
• 38:15
  day that makes no difference for
• 38:16
  eternity? You're
• 38:17
  >> right.
• 38:17
  >> Oh, man. When I asked myself that this
• 38:19
  question this afternoon, I about choked.
• 38:24
  >> We're consumed.
• 38:25
  >> We are.
• 38:27
  >> And we used to be consumed with the
• 38:29
  word.
• 38:30
  >> Amen. You know what I'm finding the the
• 38:33
  the further I go along and I love to
• 38:34
  read now. I I love books and I love to
• 38:36
  read. I I got a library. I've not even
• 38:38
  moved it down here yet. I read most of
• 38:40
  my books on my iPad or on my phone these
• 38:42
  days and I got a whole library at home I
• 38:43
  need to bring down here. But but I was
• 38:45
  thinking about it this afternoon. You
• 38:46
  know, it used to be a whole lot easier
• 38:48
  to just just take a book and sit down
• 38:50
  and read. Remember when I was in school,
• 38:53
  I loved it. I just sit there for hours
• 38:54
  and just read. But do you see any young
• 38:56
  ones doing that in this damn time?
• 38:59
  I can't tell you the last time I seen a
• 39:01
  young with a book other than the Bible
• 39:02
  in church.
• 39:03
  >> Right?
• 39:05
  >> I'm saying we've lost
• 39:07
  the desire
• 39:09
  for holy things.
• 39:10
  >> Right.
• 39:14
  >> I know it's I know it's a little bit
• 39:16
  different tonight, but I'll say this. I
• 39:18
  believe we're plowing the right road.
• 39:20
  >> Yeah.
• 39:21
  >> This is where we're missing it.
• 39:22
  >> Right.
• 39:23
  >> And this is what it comes down to. He
• 39:25
  says here in the text that we may apply
• 39:27
  our hearts unto wisdom. Now knowledge
• 39:30
  and wisdom are two different things.
• 39:33
  Knowledge is knowing what's right. But
• 39:37
  wisdom is knowing what's right and doing
• 39:39
  it.
• 39:40
  >> You're right.
• 39:41
  >> Here's what we've come to in this day
• 39:42
  and time. We're full of knowledge. Have
• 39:45
  no wisdom.
• 39:47
  We know what's right. We know what we
• 39:50
  ought to do. We'll say amen to the
• 39:52
  preacher, but we'll walk out the doors
• 39:53
  living in the very thing that the
• 39:55
  preacher preached on.
• 39:56
  >> You're right.
• 39:57
  >> No wisdom,
• 39:59
  no desire to apply the truths that have
• 40:02
  been dealt to us. And and we have no
• 40:04
  desire to submit because there's no
• 40:06
  will. There's no discipline. And so the
• 40:09
  lack is this. People are illiterate with
• 40:11
  the Bible because they have no desire to
• 40:14
  know it.
• 40:15
  >> It's not because the preachers not
• 40:17
  preached it. It's not because the Sunday
• 40:19
  school teachers not taught it. It's not
• 40:21
  because the songs don't sing to us the
• 40:24
  blessedness of the scriptures and TEACH
• 40:26
  US BIBLE DOCTRINE. IT'S BECAUSE WE DO
• 40:28
  NOT HEAR IT.
• 40:29
  >> RIGHT?
• 40:31
  >> We don't want to hear it.
• 40:33
  >> You're right.
• 40:34
  >> We sit IN CHURCH WEEKEND AND WE COW and
• 40:36
  we've GROWN A DEATH HERE. WE'VE GROWN
• 40:38
  COLD TO IT BECAUSE IT doesn't amaze us
• 40:41
  anymore.
• 40:44
  If you're going to make every day count,
• 40:46
  you're going to have to apply the wisdom
• 40:49
  of the scriptures
• 40:51
  to your life.
• 40:54
  One writer said this.
• 40:56
  He said, "You need he said to in essence
• 40:59
  concerning this this thought of teaching
• 41:01
  us to number our days, he said, you need
• 41:03
  to improve time in time while the time
• 41:07
  do last. For all time is no time when
• 41:12
  the time is passed.
• 41:16
  You need to improve time in time while
• 41:20
  the time does last.
• 41:23
  For all time is no time when the time
• 41:26
  has passed.
• 41:28
  One writer said, "What it means to
• 41:29
  number our days. We number our days by
• 41:31
  our daily prayers."
• 41:33
  He said, "We not only number our days by
• 41:36
  our daily prayers, but we number we them
• 41:38
  by our daily obedience and daily acts of
• 41:41
  love."
• 41:43
  Doesn't that just sound like what I just
• 41:44
  preached to you? You want to show God
• 41:47
  that you love him, it's not going to be
• 41:50
  you hugging on a brother or sister,
• 41:52
  >> right?
• 41:53
  >> It's not going to be you even witnessing
• 41:54
  to a lost person. You're
• 41:55
  >> right. I'll tell you, you want to show
• 41:57
  God how much you love him, go sit in a
• 41:59
  private place somewhere with your Bible
• 42:01
  open and say, 'Lord, I don't care about
• 42:04
  anything else that's going on.
• 42:12
  >> I don't care what I miss. I don't care
• 42:14
  what it costs me. Lord, I just want to
• 42:17
  spend some time with you.
• 42:18
  >> Amen.
• 42:21
  I don't care if I feel you or see you or
• 42:23
  anything like that, but Lord, I just
• 42:25
  want you to know that I've come here in
• 42:27
  this time at this moment to sit in your
• 42:30
  presence. And I don't need anything. I
• 42:33
  don't want anything, but I just want to
• 42:35
  sit in your presence.
• 42:41
  >> You want to make every day count,
• 42:44
  you're going to have to have his wisdom.
• 42:46
  It's going to come by the scriptures.
• 42:48
  Let me say this to you. All right. The
• 42:50
  method's very simple.
• 42:53
  It requires the witness of the Holy
• 42:55
  Ghost. And this is the wonder of the
• 42:57
  Christian life. The spirit of God lives
• 42:59
  within. He's there. Amen. Hallelujah for
• 43:01
  that. He's there. If any man have not
• 43:04
  the spirit of Christ, he's none of his.
• 43:06
  And so, if he's not living within, that
• 43:08
  means you're not saved. And so, you need
• 43:09
  to get that part worked out first. But
• 43:11
  if you're saved, the witness is present.
• 43:14
  He's at home
• 43:16
  >> and he's available. RIGHT.
• 43:18
  >> YOU AIN'T GOT TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT
• 43:20
  WITH HIM.
• 43:20
  >> RIGHT.
• 43:21
  >> He's available and he wants to teach
• 43:24
  you.
• 43:24
  >> Yes.
• 43:25
  >> But he'll only do it if you ask.
• 43:27
  >> Right.
• 43:28
  >> Teach us. So teach us to number our days
• 43:32
  that we may apply our hearts under
• 43:33
  wisdom. Every head bowed and every eye
• 43:35
  closed. Let me ask you, do you want to
• 43:37
  make every day count?
• 43:41
  Do you?
• 43:43
  This is what it's going to take.
• 43:53
  Putting our schedules aside, putting our
• 43:56
  plans aside,
• 43:58
  putting all our ideas
• 44:01
  and even our personal theology aside.
• 44:07
  You know, I've got ideas and beliefs
• 44:08
  about God that I that I have, you know,
• 44:11
  that I can't necessarily say is Bible,
• 44:15
  but you know, when I come to God, you
• 44:17
  know, I have to come to him on the terms
• 44:19
  of
• 44:22
  Lord, I'm just going to trust you based
• 44:24
  on what that book said.
• 44:27
  And this is the final authority for my
• 44:29
  life. So, let me ask you once again, do
• 44:31
  you want to make every day count?
• 44:34
  I'll say this. There's a private place
• 44:36
  up here around the front.
• 44:42
  You can come tell him maybe it's been a
• 44:43
  while since you just come and sat in his
• 44:46
  presence and said, "Lord,
• 44:49
  I don't need anything.
• 44:53
  Lord, I there's some things I want, but
• 44:56
  I'm not worried about that right now.
• 44:59
  Lord, you've been better to me than I
• 45:01
  deserve.
• 45:03
  Lord, I'd just like to come sit in your
• 45:05
  presence. Hey, let me tell you tonight,
• 45:06
  child of God, he's here in this place
• 45:09
  tonight
• 45:12
  and I'll give you the chance. This altar
• 45:13
  is open tonight.
• 45:16
  Do you want to come? Do you want to make
• 45:19
  every day count?
• 45:22
  Hey, this thing's real, friend.
• 45:25
  And let me remind you once again, time
• 45:27
  is just an island
• 45:31
  in the middle of the sea of eternity.
• 45:34
  Is so small in comparison.
• 45:49
  Let me say this. You get to the judgment
• 45:52
  seat one of these days,
• 46:02
  you're not saved standing there before
• 46:03
  Christ that you wish you would have
• 46:06
  taken more days off and wished you'd
• 46:09
  have done this on vacation and done that
• 46:11
  and all you wish. What you wish you
• 46:13
  would have done is done more for Jesus.
• 46:16
  You wished you would have sat in a
• 46:18
  private place a little longer. You wish
• 46:20
  you would have said it in in the word of
• 46:22
  God a little longer.
• 46:24
  You wish that your attitude had been a
• 46:26
  little better when the preacher or the
• 46:28
  Sunday school teacher asked you to step
• 46:30
  up and serve.
• 46:33
  You'll wish that for your kids you would
• 46:35
  have showed them a better way of living.
• 46:40
  You'll wish that you'd have sat in the
• 46:42
  presence of God just a few more times
• 46:45
  and just told him that you love him.
• 46:48
  Oh, but friend, you can start from this
• 46:50
  day forward and do what you know you
• 46:52
  need to do.
• 46:55
  Oh, you can do it from now on.
• 47:00
  I'll say this tonight. If you're here in
• 47:02
  the place and you're lost, you can be
• 47:03
  saved.
• 47:07
  You don't have to die lost.
• 47:10
  Father, I pray in Jesus name.
• 47:16
  Lord, help us to bring our body into
• 47:18
  subjection.
• 47:22
  God, you've been so good.
• 47:29
  Lord, I've watched you transformed lives
• 47:31
  in this church in the last year,
• 47:40
  God. And I'm confident I'm going to see
• 47:41
  you change more lives in this coming
• 47:43
  year.
• 47:47
  But God, I know it's going to depend on
• 47:49
  us getting right with you.
• 47:52
  Cuz Lord, you only deal in declarations.
• 47:55
  You don't make our decisions for us.
• 48:01
  You give us the truth.
• 48:05
  And you say, "Child, follow me."
• 48:07
  You don't grab us by the arm and drag us
• 48:10
  against our will.
• 48:13
  But Lord, in love and mercy.
• 48:16
  You say, "Child, I know what's best.
• 48:18
  Just follow me. Just be obedient to me."
• 48:22
  And God, I pray that you'd help every
• 48:25
  heart in this place,
• 48:28
  God, to make a conscious decision
• 48:32
  to submit
• 48:34
  to your will and way in your word for
• 48:37
  their life.
• 48:43
  Some are still praying, every heads
• 48:45
  still bowed and eyes still closed
• 48:46
  tonight.
• 49:02
  I tell you church, we can't afford to
• 49:03
  waste another service,
• 49:06
  >> right?
• 49:07
  >> We can't afford to come in here and just
• 49:09
  get by.
• 49:19
  I don't ever want to come in this place
• 49:21
  and just preach a sermon just to get
• 49:22
  through it.
• 49:25
  >> Just to get it over with.
• 49:29
  I don't want you to ever come and sit
• 49:31
  here on a pew just to get it over with
• 49:34
  and check a check a checklist for the
• 49:36
  week.
• 49:38
  I don't want church to be a drudgery. I
• 49:40
  don't I want it I don't want it to be a
• 49:41
  checklist for you. I want it to be
• 49:43
  something that God put in your heart and
• 49:44
  you're excited about it.
• 49:48
  I'll tell you what, God wants it to be
• 49:50
  that way for you, too. Hey, it can be
• 49:53
  real,
• 49:56
  but it comes down to how much you want
• 49:57
  it.
• 50:04
  >> Father, we pray once again,
• 50:08
  thank you for your mercy and your grace
• 50:09
  towards us.
• 50:11
  Lord, there's many burdens on the heart
• 50:13
  of your people tonight.
• 50:16
  Lord, there's souls now, Father, that's
• 50:18
  in my heart. Even as I stand here behind
• 50:20
  this pull pit,
• 50:24
  Lord, there was people here last year at
• 50:26
  this time. It's not here no more.
• 50:33
  Lord, some of them is out in sin.
• 50:38
  Oh God, I pray you'd have mercy on them.
• 50:44
  And Lord, I pray, Father, that Lord,
• 50:47
  next year, this time, God, that
• 50:51
  this same group still be here and be
• 50:53
  faithful, but Lord, they'll be grown
• 50:55
  more, they'll know more, they'll be
• 50:57
  doing more
• 51:00
  because Lord, I know that's the purpose
• 51:02
  that you have for this church is to win
• 51:05
  souls
• 51:07
  and to glorify you.
• 51:10
  Lord, I sure thank you for it. I thank
• 51:12
  you for these people that are here and
• 51:14
  for their faithfulness. Lord, I pray for
• 51:17
  their burdens tonight that you would
• 51:18
  help them.
• 51:20
  Give them strength, mercy to carry on.
• 51:25
  Lord, some still dealing with grieving,
• 51:27
  lost loved ones, some dealing with
• 51:29
  grieving those loved ones that's went
• 51:30
  home to be with the Lord. Lord, I pray
• 51:33
  that you'd help them and give them
• 51:34
  strength.
• 51:36
  And I pray you'd help us all to draw
• 51:37
  near to you in this year. We make every
• 51:39
  day count. Lord, I love you. I thank you
• 51:42
  for that in Jesus name.
• 51:45
  Amen.
• 51:47
  Thank you for joining our service today.
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  We'd love it if you'd join us in person
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  the next time you are able at Meadows
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  Baptist Church. Our physical address is
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  2988 Stewart Road in Walnut Cove, North
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  Carolina. Our service times are Sunday
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  school at 10:00 a.m., Sunday morning
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  worship at 11:00 a.m., Sunday evening
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  worship at 6:00 p.m., and Wednesday
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  evening Bible study at 700 p.m. For more
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  information, visit us at
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  meadowsbaptisturch.com.
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  Thanks again for tuning in.