Morning, y'all.
Is that okay?
My American accent was better than your Irish
accent.
Well, that was great.
Praise God.
It's a delight, really, to be here with
you guys.
And it's like coming home.
And as Derek said, I just feel there's
a real connection.
Northern Ireland, America, Port of Down, Pryor, Oklahoma,
and that's a God thing.
And as Derek said, there's something there that
resonates that God has done.
He has orchestrated this relationship, this connection between
the church back in Northern Ireland and the
church here.
Amen.
Isn't it wonderful what he does?
I'm quite stirred about what God is going
to say this morning.
As the pastor said, I've been seeking just
God's heart.
Again, it's a privilege, I suppose.
It's 2012, and I'm the first person to
preach into the church.
And I don't take that lightly.
And I'm trusting God to truly charge our
hearts with something from him.
Above all, from heaven.
We don't want a sermon.
We want a message.
We need a message from God.
Amen.
That's what we need.
That's what we covet.
That's what we desire, is a message from
on high.
Not just some little sermon that makes us
feel good or whatever, but something that truly
touches and penetrates our hearts this morning.
And we ask, and the scripture says, ask
and it shall be given you.
God delights in giving us the desires of
our heart.
And it's our desire this morning that we
would encounter him, that we would meet him
in a dramatic, spectacular, miraculous, marvelous way.
Amen.
That's what we need in this place.
Let's pray.
Father, Lord, it's wonderful, truly wonderful to be
here with these people.
And my Father, I thank you, God, Lord,
for their kindness, their generosity, their openness, God.
Lord, it's just a home away from home.
And Father, I bless you and I thank
you for that, God.
And Father, I pray that even now, Lord,
that you would equip me and enable me,
God, to articulate the message of heaven.
Lord, I pray above all things that there
will be nothing generated from my heart, my
flesh, God, that has no profit this morning.
But that, Lord, that the quickening of the
Spirit of God, the voice of the Master
alone will be heard in this place and
in our hearts.
Lord, do something in all of us this
morning, including myself.
Lord, our hearts yearn for you.
They truly do.
We thank, Lord, even as your servant Paul
said, for me to live as Christ and
to die as Gideon.
Lord, to live as you.
And we thank you, Lord, for your presence
with us.
We thank you, Lord, for the Comforter who
is with us this morning.
We are not comfortless, but the Comforter is
present.
Lord, do something, Lord God, that is contrary
to the status quo.
Lord God, we set agendas in our lives
and in our hearts and in our ministries
and in our churches, God, and we want
to predict the way that you should do
things, the way you should move, etc., etc.
And we pray, Lord, that even in this
place this morning, God, that you would turn
everything upside down, Lord God, because your ways
are not our ways.
And so, Lord, again, seal everything, Lord, to
our hearts.
Bless it, cause the increase, God, in Jesus'
name.
Amen.
Praise the Lord.
You know, I really feel this morning that
God is going to speak to everyone in
this church and to people that will listen
to the recording.
I really believe that, because the message that
I want to share will cover everyone, will
include everyone in the church here in Northern
Ireland, across the spectrum of things.
Could you turn with me to a book
that I'm sure most of you know off
by heart, and that's Leviticus, Leviticus chapter 23.
Leviticus chapter 23, and we will read from
verse 39.
The title of my message this morning is
The Four Species.
And I've sought God, I've some things in
my heart, but I don't know where we're
going.
He knows.
And I do believe that great things are
going to take place.
I've never heard anyone preach on this before.
And I suppose that it was God that
brought me to it, drew me to it,
and showed me some things.
Leviticus 23, verses 39 to 41.
Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh
month, when you have gathered in the fruit
of the land, you shall keep a feast
unto the Lord seven days.
On the first day shall be a Sabbath,
and on the eighth day shall be a
Sabbath.
And you shall take, you on the first
day, the boughs of goodly trees, branches of
palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees,
and willows of the brook.
And you shall rejoice before the Lord, your
God, seven days.
And you shall keep a feast unto the
Lord seven days in the year.
It shall be a statuette forever in your
generations.
You shall celebrate it in the seventh month.
Now this portion of scripture refers to one
of the great feasts.
The feast of tabernacles or booths.
And it was a looking back to when
Israel lived in those tabernacles or those booths.
And God here tells them to remember.
And during the feast of tabernacles and plus
in gathering or harvest, they would perform a
particular blessing called the four species.
And what the Jews would do, they would
take four species of plants or fruit, and
they would tie three together.
They would wrap them together, and they would
hold three in one hand, and hold a
fruit in the other hand.
And then they would wave them before the
Lord, north, south, east, and west.
And they would recite a blessing before God.
And these four species would be symbolic of
different things.
One is, it would be symbolic of particular
parts of the body in Judaism.
Another, it would be symbolic of how a
man would observe the Torah, and do good
deeds or neglect good deeds.
The four species.
But this morning, I want to put my
spin on things, if that's okay.
And I want to suggest to you this
morning that the four species in this portion
of Scripture are symbolic of four different types
of people in the church.
Four different types of people within the church
across this world.
We see the four species again in verse
40.
And the first one is the boughs of
goodly trees.
That speaks to us of a fruit, like
a citrus type fruit, that's found in Palestine.
I think it's green, like a lime.
And that particular fruit, we are told, has
got both good smell and good taste.
It starts with good smell and good taste.
And for me, brother, sister, this morning, that
speaks to me of the Christian that is
going on with God.
That speaks to me of the Christian that's
growing in stature before the Lord.
That speaks to me of a Christian that's
truly walking in the steps of the Master.
That speaks to me of the Christian that
covets the heart of God.
That covets the character of God.
That is seeing some cultivation of the fruit
of the Spirit in their lives.
It reminds me of Jesus in Mark chapter
1.
And the Scripture says this.
Jesus cleanses a leper.
And the Scripture says, And there came a
leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down
to him, and saying unto him, If you
will, you can make me clean.
And Jesus moved with compassion, put forth his
hand, and touched him, and said unto him,
I will be you clean.
The Scripture says that Jesus was moved.
And moved with compassion.
And if I can say anything to you
this morning, in 2012, at the start of
this year, it would be to charge you
to be moved.
To be moved with compassion.
Because Jesus Christ of Nazareth was a man
who was moved.
He was moved when he saw the plight
of those that were oppressed.
He was moved when he saw the plight
of those who were possessed.
He was moved when he saw the sick.
He was moved when he saw the grieving
widow.
He was a man that was moved.
Something deep inside him caused him to be
moved.
That word moved.
The Jews believed, spoke of the bowels.
And the innermost part, that deep part of
the bowels, where they believed sat the place
of sympathy and pity.
Jesus was moved.
Here's a question.
When was the last time you had a
little bit of movement?
When was the last time you had a
little bit of movement down below?
I was sharing with Derek the other night.
Unfortunately, many people today struggle with Irritable Bowel
Syndrome.
There are more people that have that than
cancer, we are told.
It's quite a painful thing.
I have a family member that struggles with
that.
It's quite a painful thing and an unpleasurable
thing.
And they have no sort of control over
their bowel movements, have they?
And I believe the heart of God for
us this morning is truly that we would
have no control over what's going on inside.
Are you hearing me?
That we would have no control.
That we are so moved with compassion.
That we are so moved when we go
out these doors.
That when we see people walking down the
street, that something just begins down below.
That something just begins in my heart.
That there's a movement inside me.
Everywhere that I go, I can't sit at
the front because I'm being moved.
I can't sit at the bus stop because
I'm being moved.
I can't sit at my desk and work
because I'm being moved.
Something of God is moving my heart.
We are to be moved with compassion.
We are to be moved with sympathy.
We are to be moved with pity.
We are to be moved with the love
of God in our lives.
Scripture says, Jesus speaking, John 13, 34 and
35, A new commandment I give unto you,
That you love one another as I have
loved you.
That you also love one another.
By this shall all men know that you
are my disciples, If you love one another.
Love one another.
Makes me think of young couples, old couples
that are in love.
Sometimes you might say that they're quite attentive
and touchy-feely.
You can see them over there, you can
see them outside.
And it's not just some mere physical thing.
There's something deep.
They gaze into each other's eyes and you
say from a distance, You know they're in
love with one another.
People can see it.
That which is in the inside manifests on
the outside.
Isn't that correct?
And the Scripture says here, How will the
world know that you are my disciples?
Is it because of the great preaching?
Is that what the Scripture says?
No, Jesus says this, By this shall all
men know that you are my disciples, If
you love one another.
That is the command to you and to
I this morning.
The Scripture says also in Galatians chapter 6,
Paul says, Bury one another's burdens and so
fulfill the law of Christ, Because everything, everything
pivots on loving the Lord our God, And
loving our neighbours, And loving each other this
morning.
Everything pivots on those commands.
Amen.
That's how the world will know that we
are truly disciples of Christ.
You know, Pastor Tim took me to the
aquarium around Tulsa the other day.
We went and we saw Oral Roberts University.
Saw some of those buildings.
Man, they were spectacular.
Massive.
Really spectacular.
Do you know something?
Not to diminish in any which way what
has happened or what's going on there.
But it draws me to what Paul says
in 1 Corinthians 13.
Man, I can do great things.
I can be the best preacher since Charles
Spurgeon.
I can holler and shout and preach greater
than anyone.
But if I haven't got love, it's meaningless.
It means nothing in eternity.
I can plant a thousand churches in Africa.
But if I have not love, it means
nothing.
It will not survive eternity.
Because I tell you, compassion and love and
mercy is the gold and the silver and
the precious jewels of heaven.
Amen.
That's what will last.
Indeed.
We are to be moved.
Paul says, weep with those that weep.
When was the last time you weeped with
a brother?
When was the last time I weeped with
a sister?
Weep with those that weep.
The next thing that I want to look
at, next species, is the branches of palm
trees.
So the first thing had good smell and
good taste.
The next one hasn't got good smell, but
good taste.
It's missing something here.
And this, this morning, speaks to me of
the Christian, of the man, the woman, the
young person, that is truly regenerated by the
Holy Ghost, that is born again, but they're
not shining their light.
No one, in fact, knows that they're a
Christian.
They're hiding their light.
They've got good taste, but no smell.
There's no smell coming from their life.
And Jesus says in Matthew 5, 16, Let
your light so shine before men that they
may see your good works and glorify your
Father which is in heaven.
We are called to shine.
We are called to shine the lamp, or
we are called the beam.
And some of us this morning, it reminds
me, could I say, of when electricity goes
out, and maybe you're struggling to find your
torch, and the torch is in the drawer
somewhere, and you switch it on, nothing happens.
Isn't that correct?
Just when you need it, nothing happens.
What do you do?
Usually, you give it a bit of a
slap, and then the light comes on.
And maybe somebody needs a bit of a
slap in here this morning to get your
light on.
Are you hearing me?
And maybe this is the word for you,
that you need to shine your light.
You need to shine your light.
And that makes me think of three particular
words.
One is opaque, which is not allowing any
light through.
No light.
So again, no one knows that you're saved.
Jesus says, Whosoever shall confess me before men,
him will I also confess before my Father
which is in heaven.
But whosoever shall deny me before men, him
will I also deny before my Father which
is in heaven.
We are called to shine our light.
We are called to preach the gospel.
Every single person in here is called to
go into the highways, into the byways, to
declare, to preach, to witness for the Lord
Jesus Christ to shine their light.
That's what Jesus is saying here.
That is the most important thing of all,
that you share the gospel, and that you
share His gospel, because the gospel of Christ
alone is the power of God unto salvation.
Amen?
His gospel.
We are to shine our lights.
Opaque.
Not allowing any light through.
And then we have translucent.
That word basically means that some light's getting
through.
There's only partial, partially light you have coming
through there.
It sort of makes me think of how
there's a partial light coming through somewhere and
you sort of squint, don't you?
You try to see, try to in some
way have that perfect clarity.
I suppose, you know, that could be me
this morning, that could be all of us.
There's partial light coming through.
At least somebody's seeing something.
At least somebody is seeing something in us.
But God wants to take us from that
translucent stage to the transparent stage where there's
just light coming through.
Amen?
Where all they see is the light.
Where all they see is not half of
Scott Hines and half of God.
But they see all of the God, all
of the Christ that is in the heart
of Scott Hines.
That is in the heart of Dirk Melton.
That is in the heart of the believer
in here this morning.
Hallelujah.
That I would step back and let the
Christ of God shine forth.
Hallelujah.
That we would step back and let the
Lord God of heaven, the light of this
world, fully shine forth.
Here's the thing.
Matthew 17, verse 3 speaks of the Lord
going up the mount of transfiguration.
Scripture says, and He was transfigured.
Matthew 17, 2.
He was transfigured before them.
Here's a question.
When was the last time you were transfigured
before somebody?
When was the last time that you were
transfigured before someone?
Someone that's not saved.
When?
And He was transfigured before them and His
face did shine as the sun and His
raiment was white as the light.
Wonderful Scripture.
The word transfigured means changed into another form.
The master changed into another form.
It makes me think of Superman.
Superman.
Who had an alias, Clark Kent.
And Superman kept who he really was from
the world for the most part.
He had a disguise.
He had an alias, Clark Kent.
He wore the glasses and combed his hair
a certain way.
But then when a little bit of trouble
happened to develop or arise, he became Superman.
Just here and there.
Here and there.
He became who he really was.
Here and there.
Can I say something this morning, child of
God?
We are always to shine the light.
We must be transfigured before all men.
It has to happen that we constantly stay
morphed into the light.
Hallelujah.
That we constantly shine the light.
Not only when we want to.
Not only when there's a crisis.
Oh, how we as Christians call upon the
Lord and do things here and there when
there's a crisis or when there's a valley.
But we are to stand.
We are to stand for Christ night and
day.
Every week.
Every month.
We will bless the Lord at all times
and his praise shall continually rise and flow
from our minds.
Amen.
God just doesn't want the lip service.
God just doesn't want you to honor him
with your lips.
And your heart is far from you.
But that our hearts and that our lips
will be in unison this morning.
Worshipping the God of our salvation.
Hallelujah.
He was transfigured before them.
His face did shine as the sun.
And his raiment was white as the light.
And that's the charge.
For you in here this morning.
For those that will listen by CD or
online.
Where are you?
Are you opaque?
Translucent?
Are you holding back?
It's my prayer that even this world will
be the little slap or the little nudge
to get your light.
To get your beam shining.
Amen.
Praise God.
Hallelujah.
Funny enough I just see in my mind's
eye.
I don't know if you have them here.
You probably have those little pen things.
They have the beam.
It's like a red beam and you can
point it at people.
They can't see.
They can't see where they're going.
And here's the thing.
There are people in your lives.
And people around you.
And they're walking the road that leads to
destruction.
And you need to step up like that
little pen.
And beam into their eyes that they change
their direction.
Amen.
That's what God.
He's nobody's hands.
Nobody's feet.
But yours.
You're the ambassador where you are.
You're the servant of God.
Where you are.
Wherever that might be in the family home.
On the football field.
I don't know.
You are the man.
You are the woman of God.
You are the shine.
You are the light.
Hallelujah.
That's what we are called to do.
The next species is the boughs of thick
trees.
So we go from.
The first one is smelling good.
Tasting good.
The second one is no smell.
Tastes good.
Then the third one is this.
No taste.
But smells good.
No taste.
But smells good.
Do you know what that speaks to me
of?
That speaks to me of the professor of
religion.
But they do not possess Christ in their
hearts.
They have, as Paul would put it in
2 Timothy 3.5. Having a form of
godliness.
But denying the power thereof.
Can I tell you a true story?
My mother had a cousin called Alfie.
Alfie was a sergeant in the army back
home.
The Northern Irish Army.
Called the Ulster Defence Regiment.
And Alfie rose up through the ranks quite
quickly.
I think he was the youngest sergeant within
the UDR. Ulster Defence Regiment.
One day Alfie decided that he would make
his way to Dublin.
From Northern Ireland into Southern Ireland.
Dublin.
And he would go to a dog show.
I think Alfie was present.
A couple of other guys.
I am not sure.
His friends.
And they came upon this VCP.
This vehicle checkpoint.
When I was going up they were all
over the place.
The army and the police.
Would have VCPs all over the roads.
And the country roads.
Because of the terrorism.
That emerged through the Roman Catholic community.
The Protestant community.
And anyways Alfie spots this VCP up ahead.
And whether it was policemen or British soldiers.
I don't know what uniform they were wearing.
But Alfie stops.
And winds down his window.
And I think within a few seconds.
Machine gun fire into that car.
And everyone was killed.
Everyone was murdered.
You see it wasn't really the British Army.
It wasn't really the police force of Northern
Ireland.
It was the IRA.
It was their enemies.
They were masquerading.
As policemen.
As soldiers.
But in reality.
Inside.
Under the uniform.
They were the people's enemies.
Having the form of godliness.
Denying the power they are of.
And there are people.
Alas.
Sadly.
There are people in the body of Christ.
And their uniforms are smart.
They are well creased.
And their buckles are shiny.
But I tell you on the inside.
They are at enmity with God.
Their minds are at enmity with God.
And it is a facade.
As a professor of religion.
And not a possessor of truth.
They are void of life.
Void of life.
Do you know what made me a soldier?
When I joined and enlisted in the British
Army.
Was it the uniform?
Did the uniform make me a British soldier?
No.
I tell you what made me a British
soldier.
It was the pledge of allegiance.
Because I had to make a pledge of
allegiance to the Queen.
And to her princes.
And to her successors.
And to her generals.
And the officers that were sent over me.
That is what made me a soldier.
That is what enlisted me.
Drew me into the British Army.
When I signed on the dotted line.
And I said I will pledge allegiance to
the Queen.
And I tell you something this morning.
What makes you a child of God?
When you prostrate your heart before the one
and true God.
And acknowledge that you are a wicked sinner.
And that you confess with your mouth the
Lord Jesus.
And you pledge allegiance to the Lamb of
God.
Not to a particular system.
Not to a particular religious organization.
Or dogma.
Or church.
But to the Lamb of God.
Behold the Lamb of God.
Which taketh away the sin of the world.
He is the only one that can set
the captive free.
Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
Hallelujah.
Hallelujah to the Lamb of God.
Hosanna.
Blessed is he that comes in the name
of the Lord.
Blessed be his name.
King Jesus.
Glory to God in the highest.
Glory to God.
Having a form of godliness.
But denying the power thereof.
There is no life in the inside.
There is enmity with God.
Enemies of the gospel.
No life.
No life there.
Jesus rebuked the Pharisees and the scribes.
Man they looked the part.
Didn't they?
They looked great on the outside.
They dotted the Ts.
Man they washed their hands.
Many times a day they would wash their
hands in Judaism.
But they were squeaky clean on the outside.
But here is what Jesus says in Luke
11 verse 42.
But woe unto you Pharisees.
For you tithe mint and rue.
And all manner of herbs.
Or herbs.
And pass over judgment.
And the love of God.
These ought you to have done.
And not to leave the other undone.
They were scrupulous.
In keeping their laws.
Above all their man made laws.
But even the tithing.
Man they were great tithers.
Great tithers.
Any pastor's dream.
These Pharisees and these scribes.
But Jesus says.
Howbeit in vain they do worship me.
Teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
And he observed this.
They had this form of religion.
They observed particular laws.
But the master says here.
But you have neglected.
You have neglected that which is worthy.
You have neglected that.
Which everything else pivots on.
You have neglected love.
You have neglected mercy.
You have neglected sympathy.
And pity to my people.
And it was true.
It was true.
And friends this morning.
Let me tell you something.
They knew the Torah back to front.
They knew the prophets.
They knew the writings.
Of the men that went before them.
Who were inspired.
But they were void of life.
God did not dwell in their hearts.
They had a form of religion.
But they denied the power thereof.
And there are many today.
Again.
Alas in the body of Christ.
And man they can preach.
And they can teach.
And they can sing.
And they can pray.
And they can do so many things.
But do they have assurance.
Do they have assurance in their hearts.
That it is absent from the body and
present with the Lord.
I tell you this morning.
I have assurance.
If you are a child of God in
this place.
If you have the Holy Ghost.
You have assurance.
Because the Spirit of God bears witness to
your spirit.
That you are a child of God.
Hallelujah.
Hallelujah for the witness of the Holy Ghost.
Hallelujah for the word of the Lord.
Because the word of the Lord says this.
For whosoever shall call upon the name of
the Lord.
They shall be saved.
Hallelujah.
In God's words.
Amen to us this morning.
That is His promise.
If I call on His name.
If I call on the name of the
Lord.
Having a form of God in us.
But denying the power thereof.
Reminds me of my mate.
My friend back home.
A great man of God.
He comes over to the States a lot.
Love you to meet him.
Someday.
Been working with alcoholics for 30 years.
We have a land full of alcoholics.
Drug addicts as well.
But the Irish love to drink.
And Thomas.
Been working with alcoholics for 30 years.
He has brought them into his house on
Christmas day.
They have puked all over him.
And he will sweep it up.
Just loves them.
And he has had so many disappointments.
When you are working with people like that.
There is not a lot that comes through.
I don't know how he does it.
It is the grace of God.
But here is the thing.
Tom was a Saxon I think the word
is.
In the Church of Ireland.
It is a particular terminology.
That they have.
I think it is maybe like a Deacon.
But he wasn't saved.
Serving in the house of God.
But he wasn't saved.
Wearing the robes.
I think he had robes.
Maybe he had a staff.
I don't know.
But the man was walking the road.
That leads to darkness.
The man was at enmity with God.
Separated from God.
But thank God.
That God intervened in his life.
He was a chosen vessel.
Hallelujah.
Fit for the Master's use.
And praise God for the legacy.
Touching and ministering to so many.
But he wasn't saved.
And he was in the house.
Had all the trappings.
All the frontal.
All out front.
But he wasn't saved.
And there are people like that.
That might be you this morning.
That might be somebody that is listening to
this.
And I challenge you.
And I charge you to repent.
To humble yourself.
And call upon the name of the Lord.
Okay.
The last one.
We are moving on.
The last one is.
The willows of the brook.
So this is the last species.
We have went from the first one.
That has good flavour.
Good taste.
Second one.
Good taste.
No flavour.
Sorry.
Good taste.
No smell.
The third one.
Smell but no taste.
And the last one is.
No smell.
No taste.
Just nothing.
And for me that speaks.
Of the sinner.
That speaks of the person.
They don't even profess Christ.
They don't even put on a shoulder.
They are just separated.
Alienated from God.
Doing their own thing.
Walking their own way.
I shared at a men's meeting.
A little while ago.
And it was from.
2 Corinthians chapter 4.
Paul says in verses 3 and 4.
But if our gospel be hid.
If our gospel be hid.
Is hid to them.
That are lost.
In whom the God of this world.
Has blinded the minds of them that believe
not.
Lest the light of the glorious.
Gospel of Christ.
Should shine unto them.
And I preached that.
And I shared my own testimony.
That when I got down on my hands
and knees.
Drunk.
That God met with me on that floor.
In 99.
And I called on the name of the
Lord.
Broken.
Weeping in tears.
And the Lord lifted the lid of my
mind.
That's how I believe.
That's what happened.
That's what it felt like.
The lid came off.
And I saw the light.
I understood.
I perceived.
And I shared that.
Only God can remove the lid.
Only God can remove it.
Jesus said to Peter.
Flesh and blood has not revealed this unto
you.
But my Father which is in heaven.
And I tell you something now.
Only God almighty can open your heart.
There's no one else.
In this universe.
There's no preacher.
There's no man.
There's nobody can save.
Only God almighty can open your heart.
Can open the heart of the sinner.
And this man came up to me afterwards
and he was in his early 60's I
suppose.
He said to me you know.
Thank you very much for sharing that.
And he said.
I hope that God lifts the lid of
my mind.
And that impacted me.
There's a man that's seeking God.
If he confesses that from his heart.
I hope that God lifts the lid of
my mind.
And I.
He prayed for me.
On Sunday morning in the church.
That God would fully lift the lid off.
Pastor Dirk was making a fine meal the
other night.
I think Stacey had the can opener out.
Removing the lid.
But the lid wasn't fully off.
The three of those cans.
It wasn't fully off.
It was opened.
Mostly but it wasn't fully off.
There's some people that are on particular journeys,
particular places with the Lord.
But the lid fully needs to come off.
It fully needs to come off.
I don't know the mysteries and the dynamics
of it all.
But the lid needs to come off.
You see there was this guy.
He lived in California.
Some sleepy fishing village.
Beautiful place.
Palm trees.
Tranquility.
Harmony.
The people were great.
All was wonderful.
Sun shone every day.
It's great.
Best place to live in America.
And all of a sudden this van stops
outside.
Just his house.
They make their way into his house.
Four masked men jump out of the van.
Grab him and pull him into the van
and put a hood over his head.
This guy's screaming and shouting.
What are you doing?
Put this hood over his head.
He's in darkness now.
Load him into the van and begin to
drive.
This guy doesn't know what's going on.
He's a bit confused.
He's disoriented.
He can't see anything but darkness because there's
a hood over his head.
All of a sudden these guys drive from
California to Mexico.
They go to this place that doesn't resemble
any shape or form where this guy comes
from.
But it's a hellish type place.
A depraved place.
An evil place.
People are murdered on the streets every day.
All forms of idolatry and sexual immorality and
syringes lying on the ground.
So they take him to this place.
It's a dark, evil place.
Doesn't resemble anything like where he has come
from.
They put him in this house and place
him in this room and they tie him
up with cords.
Tie his hands to the chair.
His arms to the chair.
The hood's still on.
He doesn't know what's going on.
He doesn't even know what's outside.
He's still got pictures somewhat of the place
that he used to be in.
But you see, he doesn't even know that
there's a hell outside.
He doesn't know it.
Because he can't see it.
Because he's in darkness.
He can't see it.
It's all around him.
He can't see it.
Anyway, somebody down the road from him, one
of the neighbors saw all that had happened.
Saw the license plate of this van and
decided, you know, phone the police.
And they phoned the police and they get
on to this SWAT team.
SWAT team we're called.
Now they couldn't go in by land.
They had to go in by air.
Different reasons.
Anyways, they go in by helicopter and they
fly over this house.
And this lone SWAT team member, he abseils
from the sky.
Down to this house.
Breaks through the roof.
Down into this room.
Person inside there in darkness doesn't know what's
going on.
SWAT team guy just begins to loosen the
person from the chair.
Notices that that person has been wriggling, we
heard it this morning, doing their utmost to
break themselves free.
You can see the scars on their wrists
and the scars on their hands.
But it was futile.
They were never able to ever break themselves
free from that place and to uncover, to
remove the hood.
But you see the SWAT team guy does
it.
He removes the cords.
He removes his arms and he takes off
the hood.
The light from above shines.
Shines.
This guy's now free.
He wasn't able to free himself.
But that which was from above freed him.
Oh glory to God in the highest.
For God so loved the world that he
gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes
in him should not perish but have everlasting
life.
Glory to God in the highest.
Glory to God this day.
The almighty God.
The omnipotent God.
The Alpha and the Omega.
The Bishop of our souls.
The branch of righteousness.
The seed of David.
The Messiah.
Hallelujah.
The Christ of God.
For whom the sun sets free is free
indeed the scripture says.
The sun.
The sun sets you free.
Therefore if he shall make you free, you
shall be free.
And glory to God for the gospel.
Hallelujah man I'm gonna do my superman impersonate.
Just fly off.
I'm getting stirred now.
I'm getting stirred because I'm speaking on the
gospel.
The gospel is exciting.
Hallelujah.
Jesus set me free.
Jesus set you free.
Glory to God.
That should wake you up a little bit.
That should get the old dust off and
the cobwebs out.
Hallelujah.
Just shake those old chains off.
Jesus Christ has set the captives free.
Hallelujah.
Glory to God.
True story.
Winding down.
We were ready to have church.
Couple months ago notice this guy walk past.
I know him.
Alcoholic.
He's cut his wrists many times.
Got a phone call.
Previous to that he's lying outside in the
street with his wrists cut.
All the police around him.
He called me.
Mark didn't cut his wrists to kill himself.
Just for some release.
That's what he would do.
His arms were marked.
I seen him walking by with a wine
bottle.
Back home they drink this wine which is
cheap and strong to get drunk.
I thought to myself Red Lord what am
I going to do here?
He carries a knife and can be a
little violent I think at times.
So anyways he comes in.
I begin to talk with him.
I say look Mark you can come in.
Wine bottle outside and no mucking about.
I could talk to him that way.
No messing about but you can come in.
So he comes in and the message that
I was preaching that morning was called have
you prayed for death lately?
I spoke on different biblical characters that have
prayed for death, asked for death, coveted death.
I preached it.
This guy is sitting there and I'm doing
my thing.
Afterwards when the meeting is over I go
and speak to him and said well Mark
how was it?
He said you know I was paranoid the
whole way through that.
I thought you were talking to me.
I said Mark God Almighty was talking to
you.
God brought you here.
Jesus said no man no man can come
to me except the Father which has sent
me.
Draw him and I will raise him up
on the last day.
I thought you were talking to me.
So I leaves him home to a hostel
near the police station.
We had a meeting that night.
A couple of girls had been on mission
and they were sharing a little bit.
I said you want to come back?
He came back that night and you know
I just exhorted and preached the gospel.
Paul says the Lord is at hand.
That's what I spoke about.
The Lord is at hand.
This morning MME believe that don't we?
That's what Paul said.
He said you know those other two women
were born.
I hope you're not preaching the same message
tonight again.
He was a bit of a character.
I left him home and it was a
miracle in itself that he was with us
twice on the Sunday.
You know I got a call four or
five days later.
Five days six days and he was found
dead.
Dead in the hostel.
And you know something I have no doubt
that the mercy of God almighty drew him
and drew him to our wee place because
we're even quite a little bit smaller than
this.
God didn't bring him to the big church.
Brought him to us and I thank God
for that.
That he would deem us worthy and faithful
to be able to speak into his life.
I don't know what went through that man's
heart and mind those five or those six
days but it was appointed unto him once
did I.
He would meet with death.
He would encounter death five or six days
later.
Did Mark know he was going to die?
Probably not.
The scripture says boast not thyself of tomorrow
for thou knowest not what the day will
bring forth.
That's what the word of God says.
And I hope and pray truly that the
man is beholding the face of the Saviour
and indeed is leaping and skipping before the
King of Kings at this very moment and
time.
But God desires that all men will be
saved and that none should perish but that
all men and women and children will come
to repentance and taste of the unspeakable gift
and taste and see that the Lord is
good because he's a good God and we
glorify our God this morning for translating us,
taking us out of one world and bringing
us into a new world.
It's all him.
All the glory goes to God almighty this
morning.
Amen.
Hallelujah.
Salvation is of the Lord.
Salvation is of our God.
For the wages of sin is death but
the gift of God Hallelujah.
The gift of God is eternal life through
Jesus Christ our Lord.
The gift, the gift, the gift.
It's a gift.
Hallelujah.
Praise God.
It's a gift.
Hallelujah for the gift of God.
Hallelujah that he removed the lid.
Hallelujah that he uncovers.
Glory to God in the highest.
Maybe you're in here this morning.
I don't know.
You're away from God.
You don't even know God.
You know something of God.
I don't know where you are.
The person that's listening to the recording, I
know nothing of where that individual is at
but salvation is of the Lord.
It's my prayer that indeed that those that
hear his voice will respond.
Today, if you will hear his voice harden
not your heart.
Harden not your heart.
I think of Jesus and what he says
in John chapter 8.
All these words.
He says, I go my way.
I go my way and you shall seek
me.
And you shall die in your sins.
For where I go you cannot come.
That's an awful thing.
Their destiny was prophesied there by Christ.
They were gone, man.
They were cut off.
They were gone.
Gone.
Today, if you will hear his voice harden
not your heart.
Don't resist the Holy Ghost.
Remember Stephen preaching?
He told the Israelites and the scribes and
the Pharisees and the religious people, you resist
the Holy Ghost.
You resist the Holy Ghost.
Hallelujah.
Above all things, praise God, I started talking
about the love of God.
I will finish amplifying and magnifying the love
of our God.
But God has commended his love towards us
in the way we were yet sinners.
Christ died for us.
Hallelujah for the love of God.
Hallelujah for the mercy of a Savior.
Amen.
Praise his name.
Hallelujah.
Four species.
First one has good smell, good taste.
Second one no smell, good taste.
Third one smell, no taste.
Last one no smell, no taste.
Now where are you?
And where am I?
Because we are in there somewhere.
And God knows where you're at for there's
nothing covered that shall not be revealed neither
hid that shall not be known.
Luke 12 chapter 12 verse 2.
Friend, I implore you this morning, respond to
what he says.
Whatever he said to you, I implore that
you draw near because if we draw near
to God, God draws near to us.
Amen.
And like the prodigal, you'll come to your
senses.
Some of us at times need a bit
of a kicking or a bit of a
beating to come to our senses.
Amen.
We're yapping and screaming and hollering at the
Lord.
But we need a good kicking so we
go from the the wrong way to the
right way.
Hallelujah.
And we embrace all what the Lord wants
to do and all that the Lord wants
to say and if that's a bit of
a tap and that's a bit of a
challenge, then we embrace it because he loves
us.
He chastens us because he loves us.
Amen.
It's a good God.
God is always good.
Always good.
And we declare it and we preach it
and we sing about it in the midst
of all times.
I will bless the Lord at all times.
Our God is a good God.
Hallelujah.
Goodness and mercy shall follow me all the
days of my life and I will dwell
in the house of the Lord forever.
That's the promise of his word.
Praise God.
Do you know it was on my heart
and I don't know if we can do
this but I just want to sing a
song.
Now I'm not a great singer.
In fact, I'll empty this church with my
singing.
Now fill it.
A song I'm sure we all know, a
little chorus we all know.
Hallelujah.
I love you Lord.
And I lift my voice.
And that's what we want to declare this
morning to King Jesus.
Amen.
We love him.
And it's not that you first love God
but that God first loved you.
Hallelujah.
And we want to acknowledge his love and
just acknowledge his grace.
For by grace we are saved through faith
and not of ourselves.
It is the gift of God, not of
works lest any man should boast.
Hallelujah.
I love you Lord.
We love him.
Amen.
Praise God.
I don't know if your love has diminished.
I'm not a mad man but you know
I heard people say things and whatever love
can sour or diminish in marriage and life
you know but I thank God his love
never diminishes for me.
Hallelujah.
I just want to love him with all
of my heart, with all of my mind,
with all of my soul, with all of
my strength.
Everything that I am would love the Lord.
Everything.
Everything would love the Lord that there would
be nothing of me, that he would increase
and I would decrease.
That every cell in my body would love
God and love Christ.
That his agenda would be my agenda and
his thoughts would be my thoughts and his
plan and his vision would be mine and
would come to fruition and would be seen
that our light would so shine and we
would radiate the beauty of the Master who
is within us.
We would radiate and shine and beam as
lights in a darkened world and this world
that is anti-Christ and this world that
is opposed to holiness and purity and goodness
and salvation that we would beam in the
midst of it.
Our faces would shine mightily.
This church would shine in this town that
people from all over the county would see
the shine on your face.
The shine inside this church that you would
even be known for a people.
There's a people that love one another.
There's a people that serve one another.
There's a people that help one another.
There's a people that give to each other.
There's a people that weep with those that
weep.
There's a people that aid and help in
the times of trouble.
There's a people that know God.
There's a people.
They are Christians.
They are followers of Christ.
Them people in there they shine brighter than
them other ones.
They shine brighter.
I am drawn to the light.
I am drawn to the light as a
moth is drawn to the light.
I am drawn to the light here.
I can't go anywhere else.
I can't keep going down north.
I can't go south or east or west.
I need to stop here because there's a
radiance.
There's a brilliance that's in this place and
that brilliance is Christ in our midst.
The fathered calf.
The master.
Hallelujah.
We love you Lord.
Let's sing.
I love you Lord and I love
you Lift my voice
to worship you Oh my sweet
joy Take joy my king In
what you hear Let it be a sweet
sweet sound In your ear Let it be
a sweet sweet sound In your Father Let
our lives truly be a sweet sweet sound
Let our lives truly God be a constant
worship unto the Lord.
Lord we pray that we indeed above all
things will be servants of the most high
for whosoever will be chief among you let
him be your servant and God we pray
that within our lives this year that we
would see dramatic change that we would see
God truly the heart of the father burst
forth into every part of who we are
that our countenance would shine with the radiance
and the brilliance of King Jesus Lord that
we would truly God truly represent you God
that we would be God true ambassadors true
representatives of grace of of heaven and so
Lord we pray that we will be a
people that you would find faithful Lord when
you come a people who have their hands
to the plow who are not looking back
a people Lord who have their eyes upon
the cross the cross before me and the
world behind me no looking back Lord we
pray God that our light would shine greater
our light God would shine brighter Lord I
pray that this church God that the light
would not only shine through this county but
through the state God that the light would
not just shine through the state but God
through this nation that the light would just
not shine through this nation but through the
world because of the preaching of the gospel
because of the people God that in this
church or will leave from this church we
pray Lord God that indeed Lord that you
would turn up the light Lord even turn
up the light today even turn up the
light this morning God turn it up Lord
God we ask turn up the fire turn
up the light Lord God turn it up
that's our prayer God as we enter into
this new year that the light of God
would shine brighter than before and that we
would be stars of God and the firmament
of darkness that is this world that we
would shine brighter than the sun even that
hangs in the heavens that we would shine
bright for Jesus let it be so God
let it be authentic let it be begun
by God and finished by God and the
in between by God let everything that we
do oh God be gold silver and precious
jewels Lord remove the hair and the wood
and the stubbles this morning oh God get
rid of that old dross get rid of
those old chains God and all those old
things God that grieve the Holy Ghost and
prevent us from going onwards and upwards God
into a new place and so Lord we
commit these things to God Almighty we commit
these things to the Holy One of Israel
we commit these things to the Father of
the Lord Jesus Christ we commit these things
to the rock of ages we commit these
things to the one and true God the
God of Abraham and the God of Isaac
and the God of Jacob and we ask
God that you would come down oh God
just as you kept down upon Sinai and
thunderings and lightnings we pray God for a
thunder and we ask for lightnings God even
in this place even in our lives Lord
hallelujah Father we bless you and we thank
you God once again for your love to
you be the glory all the glory is
yours God in Jesus name in Jesus name
praise God hallelujah in Jesus name friend you
know I just want to say this one
thing you know I'm not going to do
anything else the pastor wants to do something
that's okay but if God has spoken to
you this morning if you've been away from
the light if you're not producing fruit or
I don't know I don't know what's going
on or you're not saved you know that
you're not saved you have no assurance this
morning you have no assurance in your heart
that you're saved please come and speak to
the pastors in this church please come and
speak to them please don't leave that door
because I pray indeed you know that you
don't leave that door like Mark and hey
we don't know we don't know hallelujah bless
the Lord thank you very much for giving
me this time and giving me this platform
and this stage to be a vessel and
to be a mouthpiece as it were for
the Lord God almighty the true God and
the living God who loves us dearly thank
you very much the Lord bless you Lord
seal everything to your hearts the Lord truly
bring the increase as you sow God will
bring the increase amen as you sow God
will do the watering leave it to the
Lord he gives exceeding abundantly above all that
we can ask or think according to what
the very power of God that lives in
us that dwells in us hallelujah it's all
about him hallelujah glory to God he's the
cornerstone and he's the head hallelujah and he's
everything else in between praise the Lord