The Danger of ‘Finding’ Jesus: Why Grace Doesn’t Need a Reset Button

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
Hallelujah.
[00:00:01] Come on.
[00:00:02] Let's give God a hand clap of praise.
[00:00:03] Hallelujah.
[00:00:06] Let's clap our hands like Jesus was standing right before you.
[00:00:09] Hallelujah.
[00:00:11] Enter to the veil.
[00:00:12] Hallelujah.
[00:00:13] With the courage wide open.
[00:00:14] Come on.
[00:00:14] Can you just give Him a praise right now?
[00:00:17] Hallelujah.
[00:00:18] We love you, Lord.
[00:00:19] Hallelujah.
[00:00:20] Hallelujah.
[00:00:21] We're excited to have you here in our service today.
[00:00:24] Hallelujah.
[00:00:26] and Hallelujah.
[00:00:27] Look at you.
[00:00:29] If you could just see yourself, you all smiling, look beautiful and pretty.
[00:00:32] Hallelujah.
[00:00:33] You look good out there.
[00:00:34] Hallelujah.
[00:00:36] Bless the name of God on today.
[00:00:38] Hallelujah.
[00:00:39] Our scripture reading, our scripture reading will be coming from 1 Thessalonians, the 5th chapter.
[00:00:45] Verse 16 and 17.
[00:00:48] Hallelujah.
[00:00:49] And it reads as follows.
[00:00:51] It says, Rejoice evermore.
[00:00:53] Pray without ceasing.
[00:00:55] In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Jesus Christ concerning you.
[00:01:01] You.
[00:01:02] Hallelujah.
[00:01:04] Hallelujah.
[00:01:05] Today, we're having our friends giving upstairs up in the fellowship hall today, and we want to invite every one of you, every one of you, point at yourself.
[00:01:15] I'm talking about you.
[00:01:16] Point at yourself right quick.
[00:01:17] You.
[00:01:18] We want every one of you to come up to the fellowship hall and fellowship with us.
[00:01:22] Hallelujah.
[00:01:23] Thanksgiving.
[00:01:23] Hallelujah.
[00:01:24] We want a fellowship.
[00:01:25] We want a love on
[00:01:26] Hallelujah!
[00:01:28] We just want to let you know the goodness of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in fellowship.
[00:01:34] Hallelujah!
[00:01:35] And we're excited.
[00:01:36] Hallelujah!
[00:01:36] We're excited today because we're going to lift our hands in praise.
[00:01:39] Hallelujah!
[00:01:40] We're going to offer up a sacrifice of praise with the fruits of our lips.
[00:01:44] Hallelujah!
[00:01:45] We're going to give God our best praise.
[00:01:47] Hallelujah!
[00:01:48] Because I'm crazy enough to believe this.
[00:01:50] I'm crazy enough to believe this.
[00:01:51] That when we begin to praise our God.
[00:01:53] Hallelujah!
[00:01:54] Blessings, Hallelujah, will fall down.
[00:01:56] Chains will be broken.
[00:01:58] Hallelujah.
[00:01:59] Hallelujah.
[00:01:59] I'm talking about things that you're worrying about in your mind.
[00:02:02] Hallelujah.
[00:02:03] Situations, circumstances will become a cease.
[00:02:06] Hallelujah.
[00:02:06] I'm just crazy enough to believe that.
[00:02:08] So if you would, if you would, I want you to praise God with me today, with us today.
[00:02:12] I want you to lift up the name of Jesus.
[00:02:15] Hallelujah.
[00:02:16] I just want you to give God your best praise.
[00:02:19] Hallelujah.
[00:02:20] And watch God.
[00:02:21] Just watch God.
[00:02:22] Turn some things around in your favor.
[00:02:24] Hallelujah!
[00:02:25] I'm crazy enough to bleed that.
[00:02:27] If you would, would you pray with me right now?
[00:02:29] Hallelujah.
[00:02:29] Gracious and mighty God, we thank you, O God, for bringing us together in this house on today, O God.
[00:02:35] God, we pray, O God, that you will fill this place with your Spirit.
[00:02:39] Open up our ears, oh God, that we will hear your voice.
[00:02:43] Open up our hearts, oh God, that we can receive your love, oh God.
[00:02:47] And our hands, oh God, to do your will, oh God.
[00:02:50] Be glorified in everything we say, oh God.
[00:02:52] Be glorified in everything that we do, oh God.
[00:02:55] In Jesus' name we pray.
[00:02:57] Can somebody give me a shout of Jesus in this place?
[00:03:00] Hallelujah!

[00:03:04] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
He counts the stars one and all He knows how much sand is on the shores He sees every sparrow that falls He made the mountains and the seas He's in control of everything
[00:03:31] Of all creatures great and small He knows my name And every step that I take Every move that I make And every tear that I cry He knows my name When I'm overwhelmed by the pain
[00:04:01] Can't see the light of day I know I'll be just fine He knows my name
[00:04:21] I don't know what tomorrow will bring I can't tell you what's in store I don't know a lot of things I don't have all the answers to the questions of life
[00:04:44] But I know in whom I have believed Cause He knows my name and every step that I take Every move that I make and every tear that I cry
[00:05:05] He knows my day When I'm overwhelmed by the pain Can't see the light of day I know I'll be just fine He knows my day And every step that I take
[00:05:31] And every tear that I cry He knows my name When I'm overwhelmed by the pain Can't see the light of day I know I'll be just fine He knows my name And every step that I take
[00:05:57] Every move that I make and every tear that I cry
[00:06:04] He knows my name When I'm overwhelmed by the pain Can't see the light of day I know I'll be just fine He knows my name When I'm overwhelmed by the pain I can't see the light of day
[00:06:32] But I know I'll be just fine, cause He knows my name
[00:07:03] They say this mountain can't be moved They say these chains will never break But they don't know you like we do Cause there is power
[00:07:35] We've heard that there is no way through We've heard the tide will never change They haven't seen what you've been through Cause there is power in your name
[00:08:02] So much power in your hands Move the unmovable Break the unbreakable
[00:08:29] We'll see a miracle God we believe God we believe already We know that hope is never lost
[00:08:54] For there is still an empty grave God we believe no matter what
[00:09:22] Move me, I'll move among.
[00:09:43] Break me, I'll break among.
[00:09:43] God, we believe.
[00:09:44] God, we believe for there from the impossible we'll see a miracle.
[00:09:45] God, we believe.
[00:10:01] The way where there seems to be no way We trust in you
[00:10:36] God we believe God we believe forever from the impossible we'll see a miracle God we believe God we believe
[00:11:22] I believe You said It is done You said I believe You said It is done You said
[00:11:50] I believe You said When it's done You'll say I believe
[00:12:24] I believe you say it is God who saves I believe you say it is God who saves
[00:12:56] God we believe God we believe forever From the impossible We'll see a miracle God we believe God we believe forever
[00:13:27] Hallelujah!
[00:13:29] Hallelujah!
[00:13:31] Hallelujah!
[00:13:34] Jesus!
[00:13:35] Hallelujah!
[00:13:36] Hallelujah!
[00:13:38] Glory!
[00:13:38] Praise your name, Lord!
[00:13:39] Hallelujah!
[00:13:42] Hallelujah!

[00:13:44] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Jesus!

[00:13:45] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
Hallelujah!
[00:13:47] Thank you, Father, for your presence that we already feel in this house.
[00:13:55] Lord Jesus, as your people have come before you, before you thirsty and hungry this morning, let there be a holy anointing that falls in this place.
[00:14:09] Let there be rivers, Father, let there be rain, Father, of your Holy Spirit that floods this sanctuary, Father.
[00:14:19] Bring those, Father, who do not know you as their Lord and Savior to the cross of redemption.
[00:14:26] Lord, touch those this morning that are heavy in their spirit.
[00:14:32] Lord, those, Father, that are battling in their mind this morning, Lord, and they don't know how they're going to go on because the season's too hard, Father.
[00:14:45] The waves of life are crashing against them, Lord, this morning.
[00:14:50] Let them find peace and rescue in you.
[00:14:55] This morning, Lord Jesus, as we lift our hands and surrender, Father, surrender, Father God, unto you, a holy God, a living God, the same God yesterday that is the same God today.
[00:15:09] As we lift our hands before you, Father, Lord Jesus, as a sign that we trust in you,
[00:15:18] We trust in you, Father, because we know that you will never fail us.
[00:15:22] You'll never forsake us.
[00:15:23] You'll never leave us, Father.
[00:15:25] For you are always there with us, Lord, no matter what battle we face and what a struggle we walk through.
[00:15:33] Father, you are there.
[00:15:35] We trust in you this morning.
[00:15:38] Jesus, I encourage you this morning just to say the name of Jesus.
[00:15:46] He will meet you where you are For blessed assurance That Jesus is mine Cause He's been my fourth man in the fire Time after time
[00:16:10] He's born of His Spirit and I'm washing His blood And what He did for me on Calvary is more than love Cause I trust in God
[00:16:45] He will never fail, He will never fail I trust in God, my Savior one Who will never fail
[00:17:10] So I trust in God, my Savior, the One who will never fail.
[00:17:31] He will never fail.
[00:17:32] Perfect submission and all is at rest.
[00:17:40] Because I know the author of tomorrow has ordered my sins So this is my story And this is my song I'm praising my risen King and Savior all the day
[00:18:10] I trust in God, my Savior, the one who will never fail.
[00:18:31] He will never fail.
[00:18:32] So I trust in God, He's my Savior, the one who will never
[00:18:47] You know how I know?
[00:18:49] Cause I saw the Lord and He heard and He answered I saw the Lord and He heard and He answered I saw the Lord and He heard and He answered That's why I trust Him, that's why I trust Him I saw the Lord
[00:19:13] I saw the Lord and He heard and He answered I saw the Lord and He heard and He answered That's why I trust Him, that's why I trust Him I saw the Lord and He heard and He answered
[00:19:36] I saw the Lord and He heard and He answered That's why I trust Him, that's why I trust in God My Savior, the One who will never fail He will never fail
[00:20:21] I saw the Lord and He heard and He answered I saw the Lord and He heard and He answered I saw the Lord and He heard and He answered That's why I trust Him, that's why I trust Him I saw the Lord and He heard and He answered
[00:20:45] I saw the Lord and He heard and He answered I saw the Lord and He heard and He answered That's why I trust Him, that's why I trust in God My Savior, the One who will never fail He will never fail
[00:21:17] I trust in God, my Savior, the one who will never fail.
[00:21:29] He will never fail.
[00:21:37] Can you sing that as declaration to the Lord?
[00:21:41] I trust in God,
[00:21:48] He's the only one who will never fail.
[00:21:57] He will never fail.
[00:22:07] I trust in God, my Savior, He's the one.
[00:22:17] He will never fail you He will never fail you
[00:22:51] Why would I worry when giants come calling my name?
[00:23:02] My God is so much bigger than troubles I face.
[00:23:12] Why would I hunger for power or riches or fame?
[00:23:24] God is so much better than all of these names So I won't be shaken Oh, I won't be moved My God is faithful His promise is true
[00:23:51] So I speak to the mountains, oh it's time to move Cause my God is bigger, better, stronger, greater than you My enemies scatter cause they know the battle is done
[00:24:21] My God is stronger, the victory's already won He died for my ransom and rose up on the third day Oh, cause my God is greater than death, hell and the grave I won't be ashamed
[00:25:00] Faithful, His promise is true So I'll speak to the mountains Oh, it's time to move Cause my God is bigger, better, stronger, greater than
[00:25:28] There's no mountain too high No valley too low There's no fear that I have He doesn't already know There's no weapon too weak There's no weapon too strong There is nothing for God that's impossible There's no mountain too high No valley too low There's no fear that I have
[00:25:54] He doesn't already know There's no God to fear There's no weapon to destroy There is nothing for God That's impossible No, I won't be shaken Oh, I won't be shaken
[00:26:20] His promise is true So I'll speak to the mountains Oh, it's time to move
[00:26:37] My God is bigger, better, stronger, greater, bigger, better, stronger, greater
[00:27:05] Oh I won't be shaken Oh I won't be moved My God is faithful His promise is true So I speak to the mountain Oh it's time to move
[00:27:34] My God is bigger, better, stronger, greater
[00:28:02] Hallelujah!
[00:28:07] Praise the Lord!
[00:28:21] Hallelujah!
[00:28:27] Praise the Lord!
[00:28:28] It's okay!
[00:28:29] Give Him a hand clap of praise in this house!
[00:28:32] Hallelujah!
[00:28:35] Hallelujah!
[00:28:38] Yes!
[00:28:39] Oh, I won't be shaken Oh, I won't be moved Cause my God is faithful And His promise is true
[00:28:58] So I speak to the mountain Oh, it's time to move Cause my God is bigger, better, stronger, greater than you Amen.

[00:29:17] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
If we can't praise the Lord, where can we praise the Lord?
[00:29:21] Amen.
[00:29:22] Come on, all of God's people, let's say so this morning.
[00:29:25] He's worthy.
[00:29:27] He's worthy.
[00:29:29] He's worthy.
[00:29:30] He's worthy.
[00:29:31] Hallelujah.
[00:29:32] Praise the Lord.
[00:29:33] Praise the Lord.
[00:29:34] Our God is bigger, greater.
[00:29:35] Amen.
[00:29:36] That's the God that I serve this morning.
[00:29:39] Amen.
[00:29:39] Praise the Lord.
[00:29:41] Praise the Lord.

[00:29:44] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Amen.
[00:29:44] Amen.
[00:29:44] Amen.

[00:29:44] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
When you turn around and shake your neighbor's hand and tell them how big your God is, tell them, Hallelujah.
[00:29:50] Amen.
[00:29:51] Tell them, my God's big, great.
[00:29:55] Amen.
[00:29:57] Amen.
[00:29:57] Praise the Lord.
[00:30:00] He's a big God.
[00:30:00] He's a big God.
[00:30:04] Amen.
[00:30:06] Praise the Lord.
[00:30:09] Amen.
[00:30:12] What a great day it is to be in the house of the Lord.
[00:30:14] Amen.
[00:30:15] Amen.
[00:30:16] There's a holiday coming up this coming week that we celebrate giving thanks.
[00:30:23] Amen.
[00:30:24] It's a shame that we have to have a day to do that.
[00:30:26] But I am thankful for the day to do it.
[00:30:30] Looking for turkey and dressing and ham and all of those great things.
[00:30:33] Amen.
[00:30:35] Somebody told me the other day on the diet, they said, I'm going to cheat that day.
[00:30:39] I said, well, if you don't, my God, what day are you going to cheat on?
[00:30:43] The National Day of Gluttony, my Lord, can we not?
[00:30:49] If you don't, what day will you?
[00:30:51] The Lord is good, isn't He?
[00:30:53] It's good to be back this morning.
[00:30:54] Glad to be in the house of the Lord.
[00:30:56] Missed you guys last Sunday.
[00:30:58] I know Mom did a great job sharing the Word of the Lord, and I appreciate her sharing.
[00:31:03] I was in revival in Hickory for a friend of mine, known for many, many years, and I appreciate him dearly.
[00:31:13] Had a great time in the Lord, but I am thankful to be at home this morning.
[00:31:18] We don't want you to run off this morning after service.
[00:31:20] You ain't got to beat the Baptist a cracker barrel.
[00:31:22] We've got food upstairs.
[00:31:25] So we want you to enjoy yourself.
[00:31:27] I promise you it's not turkey and dressing.
[00:31:29] I wouldn't do that to you.
[00:31:31] I'd make you eat it a couple times this week.
[00:31:33] But just go up there and fellowship if you don't like the food and find the cake because I know there's some wonderful bakers that have baked some beautiful different things for that.
[00:31:43] I want to ask our ushers to come and help us receive an offering.
[00:31:46] I want to say thank you to the guys yesterday that came out and helped.
[00:31:51] We did some work around here yesterday.
[00:31:52] We did some carpets and we did some
[00:31:55] We cleaned up, tried to clean up the leaves.
[00:31:58] I'm going to tell you, I don't know if it was the right thing or the right feeling.
[00:32:02] I had to pray about it.
[00:32:05] I was out there blowing them leaves yesterday and when the wind would blow and it would blow them across the street into that empty field, I said, thank you, Lord.
[00:32:17] And then I would wait for the wind and we would block it.
[00:32:22] But we did a lot yesterday and I want to appreciate those guys who serve so hard and work so diligently.
[00:32:29] So thank you for that.
[00:32:30] I want to ask you to give this morning, you know, so many things that we're thankful for.
[00:32:35] One of the things I'm thankful for is our church.
[00:32:38] I'm thankful for the church.
[00:32:39] I'm thankful for not just our church, but I'm thankful for the church body.
[00:32:43] That anywhere that I go in life, I could meet somebody that's part of the same fellowship that I am.
[00:32:49] Brothers in the Lord, sisters in the Lord, what color they are, I'm thankful for the body of Christ.
[00:32:54] Thankful for what it does.
[00:32:55] I'm thankful for the greatest group of people that love people, that help people, that lift people up.
[00:33:02] And I'm thankful to be a part of a body, a church, an ecclesia, a called out group of people.
[00:33:08] So I want to ask you to give this morning.
[00:33:11] We've got a lot going on for Christmas.
[00:33:12] We want to take care of some things and bless some people and be a blessing.
[00:33:16] And I want to ask you to give toward that.
[00:33:18] Do some of those things.
[00:33:19] Just say, Pastor, I want to do something for the Lord.
[00:33:22] In your benevolence giving, if you put it toward that, we're going to be...
[00:33:25] Sowing those seeds in the good ground of people that need just some help this season.
[00:33:30] I want us to remember Miss Mary in prayer.
[00:33:32] She lost her grandson on Friday.
[00:33:36] He was 21 years old in an accident vehicle as he was on a job site.
[00:33:46] I want you to remember that family that God would touch them and comfort them.
[00:33:52] I can't imagine their sorrow and their pain that they're going through.
[00:33:55] It was just a freak accident on the job site.
[00:33:58] But I want us to pray for her this morning.
[00:34:01] She's a sweet lady.
[00:34:02] Loves Jesus with all of her heart.
[00:34:04] And I want us to remember that family in prayer.
[00:34:08] Father, I ask you to use this offering.
[00:34:10] Lord, I thank you for the gift and the giver this morning.
[00:34:13] I thank you for everyone that's in this house, God, that loves you, that believes in the ministry, Lord, not just in coming and receiving, but Lord, coming to give.
[00:34:24] And I pray, Father, that you'll open our hearts, that our hands might open, that we might be faithful in supporting the work of the kingdom.
[00:34:32] I pray Lord that our hearts will be Lord this season that we're in that we'll be ready Lord to bless those who are have so much less I pray for your grace and your mercy and all the things that you're doing in our lives I pray God for this offering meet the needs that it has and we'll give you praise in Jesus name Amen God bless you as you give to the Lord this morning Amen
[00:34:57] No Wednesday night service this week because I know y'all guys are going to be getting your stuff together for Thanksgiving.
[00:35:03] So enjoy your families and let the Lord bless you in that.
[00:35:08] You should grab your Bibles and turn with me to Psalms 107.
[00:35:11] I'm still on the same process of what I have been talking about on Sunday mornings if you have remembered.
[00:35:17] It was reach one, love all.
[00:35:21] And we say that together.
[00:35:22] This is going to be the theme for the next several months.
[00:35:25] Reach one, love all.
[00:35:25] Let's say it together.
[00:35:26] Reach one, love all.
[00:35:28] Okay, that's my heart.
[00:35:29] That's my desire.
[00:35:31] I look around our world.
[00:35:32] Our world's broken, guys.
[00:35:34] Our world's broken.
[00:35:36] And it ain't getting better.
[00:35:38] Can't go to tree lightings and people killing people and shooting people.
[00:35:43] You go to, you see all of the violence in our world.
[00:35:47] And I ask God to help the church to be a light.
[00:35:51] It's a shame when little kids say, make statements that I don't want to grow up because life's too hard.
[00:35:59] Our world is in a very dark, difficult place.
[00:36:06] But I don't want to throw shade at what it isn't.
[00:36:08] I want to tell us of what God is this morning.
[00:36:12] Instead of cursing darkness, let's light candles.
[00:36:16] Instead of cursing darkness, right?
[00:36:18] The devil gets too much credit.
[00:36:19] God doesn't get enough.
[00:36:21] There is a revival taking place.
[00:36:23] There is a move of God taking place.
[00:36:24] There is a transformation and a shift.
[00:36:27] I believe that with all of my heart.
[00:36:29] So I want you to grab your Bibles and turn with me to Psalms 107.
[00:36:31] And as those that are standing, I want to continue.
[00:36:36] Will you stand with us?
[00:36:39] The Bible says in Psalms 107, let's read it together, just two verses.
[00:36:43] Oh, give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good, His mercy endureth forever.
[00:36:52] Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy.
[00:37:01] Amen.
[00:37:02] Let the redeemed of the Lord say so this morning.
[00:37:04] Can we do that?
[00:37:05] Hallelujah.
[00:37:06] Thank you, Jesus.
[00:37:07] I've been redeemed.
[00:37:09] I've been paid for, bought with the precious blood of Calvary.
[00:37:13] And I want us to pray.
[00:37:14] Father, help us to hear the word of God today.
[00:37:17] Let it come alive in our hearts.
[00:37:19] We love you, Father, and we thank you for your blessings.
[00:37:22] I pray, bless this word today that it might reach hearts.
[00:37:26] Lord, touch somebody today to encourage them.
[00:37:29] Father, in this season we have, and we give you praise in Jesus' name.
[00:37:33] Amen and amen.
[00:37:34] God bless you as you sit down.
[00:37:38] Amen.
[00:37:38] I want to, Brother Travis, are we still collecting candy bars?
[00:37:42] How many candy bars do we need?
[00:37:46] 180 candy bars.
[00:37:47] Guys, we need 180 candy bars.
[00:37:48] You can go to Sam's and buy 20, 30, 40 packs.
[00:37:50] This is going to the prisons.
[00:37:52] I'd like for us to do that.
[00:37:54] Let's go grab a couple packs.
[00:37:55] They're doing something to feed them.
[00:37:57] Say, hey, I want to be a blessing.
[00:37:58] I believe the Bible says when I was in prison, you didn't visit me.
[00:38:00] Let's do something for those that are there.
[00:38:03] Amen?
[00:38:03] We can be thankful, right?
[00:38:05] We're going to spend a lot of money on a lot of food that we're going to throw away and it's not going to be there.
[00:38:10] Let's sow a blessing into those areas.
[00:38:12] Brother Travis is receiving that.
[00:38:14] You know, I want to just be honest with you, holidays are not always enjoyable for a lot of people, right?
[00:38:20] I think holidays are great times for children, and I don't know if the children today, 40 to 50% of kids today grow up in single family homes, and that's just a fact of life, that there's one parent homes.
[00:38:35] and in this world there's so much division and dividing and we got to go here and we got to go there but the picture of it is when we all go to grandma's house and we all go and everybody shows up, aunts, uncles, we all eat, we all have fun, we go outside and play football and is that the way y'all's Thanksgiving was when you was a kid?
[00:38:54] You'd go outside and play football, you would eat, everybody would come together and have a good time and then as you get older people start leaving this world.
[00:39:01] Families change.
[00:39:02] Dynamics change.
[00:39:03] And all of these things change.
[00:39:05] And now Grandma ain't here no more.
[00:39:07] Mom's not here no more.
[00:39:09] Kids are visiting their families or moved away.
[00:39:13] And there's no football games going on in the yard anymore.
[00:39:17] There's no big huge spreads in the house.
[00:39:20] And sometimes it's just a couple people going to restaurants because things change.
[00:39:25] And in that changing, we find it very difficult to deal with and it becomes very hard.
[00:39:32] In the next month or so, this will be the darkest time of a lot of people's lives this whole year.
[00:39:37] This whole year will become some of the most discouraging, disappointing, frustrating, heartbreaking times of year because of Christmas season of getting together and the loss and the pain that is there.
[00:39:48] And I think about that and I am aware of the hurt and of those that goes on and I thought about, you know, Thanksgiving, what does it mean to us and what does it mean to us as individuals?
[00:40:01] And so, Lord, help us to shift from the place of looking at all of the things that are in this life that we cannot express gratitude.
[00:40:12] You know, I was sharing up here on the choir this morning to a couple of the ladies and was talking about social media.
[00:40:17] And I said I have to kind of disconnect from social media because I start feeling a certain way inside of me that I don't want to feel.
[00:40:25] And so when I was a kid I grew up and I only saw news at 6 o'clock and it was only for a blip and they only talked about it for a few minutes.
[00:40:33] Now we all have cell phones and we see constant information being shown to us and we start feeling a certain way about people and groups and things because of this narrative that's being portrayed in our culture.
[00:40:47] And I said, I have to remove those things from my life because I've got to love the people that are here, the people that are present, the people that are involved in my life and not allow society to take away the good things that are in my life.
[00:41:01] Because so many times we get so fixated on the drama and the hurt and the culture that's taking place out there that we can't love the ones that are sitting beside us.
[00:41:11] We can't appreciate the things that we have.
[00:41:13] And so I want to call this morning just to remembrance of being thankful.
[00:41:18] And as we pause to give gratitude, we thank God, right?
[00:41:21] We're going to thank God for family.
[00:41:23] We're going to thank God for provision that He takes care of us, He provides for us.
[00:41:28] We thank God for health.
[00:41:29] We thank God for protection but above all the blessings the greatest one of them all is this is that we thank God for salvation because this morning you may not have provision you may not have health you may not have family you may feel that you're not being protected in the way that you need you may be fearful but let me say to you that of all the things that is going on if your name has been written in the Lamb's Book of Life
[00:41:56] For anything you ought to be thankful for, you ought to be thankful for that.
[00:42:00] Amen.
[00:42:03] The Psalmist says this, Let the redeemed of the Lord say so.
[00:42:09] If God has redeemed us, what does it mean?
[00:42:12] We should speak up about it.
[00:42:14] We should tell everybody about it.
[00:42:17] If we've received mercy, we should share mercy.
[00:42:20] If we've received salvation, we should share the story of salvation.
[00:42:25] So true thanksgiving produces a passion for soul winning.
[00:42:30] Why?
[00:42:30] Because the more thankful I am for what He's done in my life, I need to tell others about it.
[00:42:36] If we're grateful for what God has done for us, we want others to know the same grace that we have experienced.
[00:42:43] I want people to know that God can forgive them.
[00:42:46] He can change them.
[00:42:47] He can set them free.
[00:42:49] So number one, this is the thing that we need to understand.
[00:42:52] We are thankful, who for?
[00:42:53] A God
[00:42:54] God who saves that is who we're thankful for I'm thankful for a God who saves I love in Psalms 116 I love the Lord because he has heard my voice and my supplications because he's inclined my ear to me therefore I will call upon him
[00:43:16] As long as I live Romans chapter 5 verse 8 says God demonstrates His own love for us while we were still sinners Christ died for us
[00:43:32] I am thankful for the God who saves.
[00:43:34] I am thankful for the greatest expression of love is that Jesus died on Calvary for me.
[00:43:42] Hallelujah.
[00:43:43] Jesus didn't just tell us He loved us, but He proved that He loved us.
[00:43:48] Amen.
[00:43:48] The cross is the ultimate picture of mercy.
[00:43:53] We didn't earn it.
[00:43:54] We didn't deserve it.
[00:43:56] But God died so we might have life and have it in Him more abundantly.
[00:44:01] Gratitude shows.
[00:44:03] Why?
[00:44:03] Why does it show up in my life when I think about salvation?
[00:44:07] I'm just going to be honest and simple this morning.
[00:44:09] Let me tell you why I get thankful for it.
[00:44:11] Number one, I remember sin's bondage on my life.
[00:44:14] I remember how bound I was, how defeated I was, and how destroyed I was.
[00:44:19] But Christ came
[00:44:21] and loose the bondage off of my life.
[00:44:23] Hallelujah.
[00:44:25] I'm no longer bound to the things that He set me free.
[00:44:29] From whom the Son has set free is free indeed.
[00:44:34] Hallelujah.
[00:44:37] Amen.
[00:44:39] I'm thankful that He set me free from shame.
[00:44:43] Shame.
[00:44:45] What does that mean?
[00:44:47] See, your mama may not know about what you did.
[00:44:50] and your kids may not know what you've done and your family and your church and your pastor but God knows what you did and guess what?
[00:45:00] God took away your shame
[00:45:04] You know what that means?
[00:45:05] That means you may have been as filthy and dirty as you could have been, but you don't got to walk in here with your head held down because the blood of Jesus Christ has washed your shame away.
[00:45:17] Hallelujah!
[00:45:19] Amen!
[00:45:20] Praise God!
[00:45:22] I don't care what you remember about me.
[00:45:24] I don't care what pictures you got on me.
[00:45:26] Guess what?
[00:45:27] Jesus has forgave me!
[00:45:29] Praise God!
[00:45:31] Amen.
[00:45:33] I'm thankful that I don't got to go to hell.
[00:45:36] Amen.
[00:45:38] I'm thankful I don't got to go to hell.
[00:45:40] Hallelujah.
[00:45:41] That means something to me.
[00:45:44] The Lord didn't create hell for us.
[00:45:47] He created for the devil and his angels.
[00:45:50] He never created.
[00:45:52] And guess what?
[00:45:52] The Bible says hell is a place where the worm dies not.
[00:45:56] It's darkness.
[00:45:57] It's gnashing of teeth.
[00:45:58] It's torment.
[00:45:59] It's fire.
[00:46:00] And guess what?
[00:46:01] I'm thankful that I've escaped the flames of hell through the blood of Jesus Christ.
[00:46:07] Praise God.
[00:46:10] If that don't make you thankful, let me just give you that one more.
[00:46:13] I'm thankful that I got hope.
[00:46:16] I'm thankful I got hope I'm thankful that when the world goes to hell that I still got hope that one day he's gonna call me home one day the trumpet of God's gonna sound one day when I close my eyes I'm gonna open up in my glory I got hope that it's an anchor for my soul praise God hallelujah if somebody saves you from a burning building wouldn't you go tell everybody about it amen that'd be my story everywhere I went hey you know what happened to me
[00:46:45] I got saved.
[00:46:47] The house was on fire.
[00:46:48] Everything was consumed.
[00:46:50] But somebody, Raymond, rescued my soul.
[00:46:53] Thanksgiving is incomplete if we keep the gospel to ourselves.
[00:47:00] You know, you can't be thankful if you just want to be thankful, right?
[00:47:03] No, that's not thankful.
[00:47:05] We're thankful when we share with what God has done.
[00:47:09] Thankful comes with our words.
[00:47:11] If we're truly thankful for salvation, we've got to say so.
[00:47:16] We've got to communicate it.
[00:47:17] The simplest way of being thankful is sharing our story.
[00:47:23] I'm thankful, number two, that there's people that still tell their story.
[00:47:28] Amen?
[00:47:29] I'm thankful that there's people that still tell their story.
[00:47:31] What does that mean?
[00:47:32] That means it lets me know that there's still hope.
[00:47:34] Hallelujah.
[00:47:35] I need a cancer patient to tell me that God still heals cancer.
[00:47:39] I need a divorced person to tell somebody that God still heals divorce.
[00:47:43] I need somebody to tell me that, guess what, when your children are lost, that God still can save the lost and the backslidden.
[00:47:48] I need somebody to say, you know what, I was in sin so far deep that I couldn't even look up.
[00:47:53] If I looked up, I saw the floor.
[00:47:55] I'm going to tell you, but God reached His hand way down and picked me out of the mire and He saved me, changed me, and transformed me.
[00:48:01] I need somebody to still tell the story.
[00:48:03] Hallelujah.
[00:48:05] Tell the story.
[00:48:06] The Bible says, let the redeemed of the Lord say so.
[00:48:10] Amen.
[00:48:11] Whom he has redeemed from the hand of the enemy.
[00:48:16] Listen, you don't realize where you've been redeemed from.
[00:48:21] Amen.
[00:48:22] I show my daughter.
[00:48:24] I send her and the kids this every once in a while.
[00:48:28] I've sent it to them when they was growing up.
[00:48:30] I show them Skid Row.
[00:48:33] I show them the people that are in the depths of hell.
[00:48:37] They don't even know where they're at.
[00:48:39] Dying on the streets.
[00:48:41] And I let them know that this was a party that somebody once went to.
[00:48:47] And said, let me have a little bit of it.
[00:48:50] Let me do a little bit of it.
[00:48:52] And they didn't realize that just a little bit of it turned into living on the street, urinating on ourself and not even having our skin and our flesh exposing and the necrotic smell of death is all around us.
[00:49:04] Nobody knew that just a little bit opened the door to the death and destruction.
[00:49:09] I'm going to be honest with you.
[00:49:10] I'm thankful that God still tells a story.
[00:49:12] That there's people that says, you know what?
[00:49:14] I was lost as lost can be, but God came searching and He found me when the church gave up on me, when the family gave up on me, when everybody forgot about me, God kept looking for me.
[00:49:26] Hallelujah.
[00:49:29] Hallelujah.
[00:49:30] I need somebody to go tell their family, their friends, their neighbors that how good God is.
[00:49:37] Hallelujah.
[00:49:38] Your testimony is your most powerful witnessing tool.
[00:49:43] You don't need a degree.
[00:49:45] You just need to tell a story.
[00:49:48] the man Mark chapter 5 didn't have any theology but he knew what Jesus did for him people argue doctrine all day long and I'm sick of it but you can't argue transformation
[00:50:07] We baptize in Jesus' name.
[00:50:08] We baptize Father, Son, Holy Ghost.
[00:50:10] We speak in tongues.
[00:50:11] We don't.
[00:50:12] All I can tell you is I once was lost, but now I'm found.
[00:50:15] I once was blind, but now I see.
[00:50:18] Hallelujah.
[00:50:21] You can argue all this other stuff, but you can't argue with a man that's been changed by God.
[00:50:27] Hallelujah.
[00:50:29] People argue.
[00:50:30] They can't, they can't, they can't.
[00:50:31] I knew you was a mess.
[00:50:32] You was a wreck.
[00:50:33] Yeah, God saved you, changed you.
[00:50:36] Your story is living evidence.
[00:50:38] What?
[00:50:39] That Jesus is real.
[00:50:41] Your story is evidence that God still heals.
[00:50:44] That God still changes.
[00:50:46] Gratitude unlocks boldness.
[00:50:48] You know what we need in the church again?
[00:50:50] We need a dose of boldness.
[00:50:53] God, if God's been good to you, you can't stay quiet.
[00:50:57] Pastor, this is a little emotional for me.
[00:50:59] You know, this church is a little much.
[00:51:02] Good.
[00:51:05] Maybe when you get saved, you'll get a little emotional too.
[00:51:10] Maybe when you realize the depth of hell that God reached way down and saved your soul from, you might get a little less loud and excited too.
[00:51:18] Hallelujah.
[00:51:22] There ain't none of us that's been good enough for God.
[00:51:25] There ain't none of us that is righteous enough for God.
[00:51:28] We were all in debt and sin and trespasses but God loved us and saved us.
[00:51:33] Hallelujah.
[00:51:35] Hallelujah.
[00:51:35] I'm bold to tell people Jesus still heals.
[00:51:38] I'm bold to tell people He still changes lives.
[00:51:42] I can't be quiet because of what He's done in my life.
[00:51:46] The Samaritan woman, look at her.
[00:51:48] She didn't have the answers but she told her whole town.
[00:51:52] She had no degree.
[00:51:54] She had no training.
[00:51:56] Well, I went to Bible college.
[00:51:57] Well, good for you.
[00:51:58] What are you doing with it?
[00:52:03] Listen, I believe.
[00:52:06] I think it's great.

[00:52:07] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
Hallelujah.

[00:52:07] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
Praise God.
[00:52:09] But I'm going to be honest with you.
[00:52:10] The greater thing is the story of what Christ has done in your life.
[00:52:14] This woman, these men walked with Jesus.
[00:52:16] Disciples went to the town and they came back with a fish filet from McDonald's.
[00:52:23] This woman has had many husbands living in adultery.
[00:52:29] Her life is a wreck.
[00:52:31] God saves her, changes her.
[00:52:33] She goes into the town and says, you've got to meet a man.
[00:52:36] You know why they listened to her?
[00:52:38] Because they knew how messed up she was.
[00:52:43] Listen, don't be ashamed of your scars.
[00:52:47] Your scars are proof that God still heals.
[00:52:51] Don't be ashamed of what He's brought you out of.
[00:52:55] Hallelujah.
[00:52:55] There's no more guilt and shame.
[00:52:56] He washed you clean.
[00:52:58] I don't care if you've got a record that rolled out the door.
[00:53:00] I don't care what your story is.
[00:53:03] Jesus has forgiven you and you've got to tell that story to somebody.
[00:53:07] Praise God.
[00:53:10] Gratitude gives us a story to share but it also gives us compassion.
[00:53:14] Compassion to those who are lost.
[00:53:16] So let me just let me let me let me just let me move on number three Thanksgiving moves us from comfort to compassion so so Bible says in Matthew chapter 9 verse 38 when he saw the multitudes he was moved with compassion because they had fainted and they were scattered abroad as a sheep not having a shepherd then he said in the disciples the harvest is truly plentiness
[00:53:41] Labors are few.
[00:53:42] Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labors into his harvest.
[00:53:48] Jesus saw people differently.
[00:53:49] I liked it when me and sister, she didn't know, she was kind of talking about my message this morning, me and sister Ivy.
[00:53:57] Jesus saw people not as problems.
[00:54:01] He saw people not as annoyances.
[00:54:05] He saw people not as, He saw them as sheep,
[00:54:11] Without shepherds.
[00:54:13] The perspective that He had for them created compassion for them.
[00:54:21] If you set up on the hill of self-righteousness with your long condescending nose, you will judge all of those that are beneath you.
[00:54:31] But if you look at them in the perspective that God sees them, you'll know they're a soul.
[00:54:39] Just like anybody else.
[00:54:41] And it don't matter what they've done, they're just lost sheep.
[00:54:45] that need a shepherd.
[00:54:47] Compassion, the perspective creates compassion.
[00:54:51] We've got to understand something.
[00:54:53] Compassion grows from remembering what God has given us.
[00:54:59] What He's done for us.
[00:55:01] Think about what lost people don't have.
[00:55:04] What do people that don't know Jesus don't have?
[00:55:05] They don't got peace.
[00:55:07] They don't know peace.
[00:55:08] I'm going to be honest with you.
[00:55:09] There's never going to be peace in their life.
[00:55:11] I don't care if they pop the whole bottle of Xanax.
[00:55:13] It's still not going to bring peace in their life.
[00:55:15] It ain't going to make anything better for them.
[00:55:18] They don't have purpose.
[00:55:21] They have no purpose in life.
[00:55:22] They can go out and create all the wealth that they want, but they still are dying on the inside because they have no purpose.
[00:55:28] They have no forgiveness.
[00:55:30] They don't understand what it means to be truly forgiven, truly to not have to hold your head down in shame and know that God has forgiven you and washed you.
[00:55:38] They don't understand hope.
[00:55:39] They have no hope and they don't have eternal life.
[00:55:43] So that causes me to remember when I was in sin, I was in sin, I didn't have peace.
[00:55:50] When I was in sin, I didn't have purpose.
[00:55:52] When I was in sin, I didn't have forgiveness.
[00:55:54] When I was in sin, I didn't have hope.
[00:55:57] And when I was in sin I did not have eternal life.
[00:56:00] So guess what that means?
[00:56:01] That purpose is in my heart that I need to go out and tell everybody that I can.
[00:56:05] Because they need peace.
[00:56:06] They need hope.
[00:56:07] They need purpose.
[00:56:08] They need forgiveness.
[00:56:09] They need eternal life.
[00:56:11] Thanksgiving doesn't sit still.
[00:56:14] Thanksgiving reaches out to the world.
[00:56:16] Hallelujah.

[00:56:19] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Amen.

[00:56:20] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
I watched last night on, I don't know, it was on social media, it was on my phone, and there was the top five restaurants according to five-star reviews.
[00:56:29] One of them is in Lexington.
[00:56:30] It's a barbecue place.
[00:56:32] I told Luke, I said, one day we're going to Lexington, son.
[00:56:35] If this is the number three restaurant out of the whole of North Carolina, I've got to figure out what they've got going on there.
[00:56:44] I just need to know.
[00:56:45] I've got to know.
[00:56:45] If you're number three out of all the thousands of restaurants, I need to know why you're number three.
[00:56:49] And you're right down the street.
[00:56:50] I even googled it.
[00:56:51] You're 35 minutes away.
[00:56:53] I said, I'm going to find out.
[00:56:55] I got to find out.
[00:56:56] You know what happened?
[00:56:57] Somebody ate at a good restaurant and they had to tell somebody.
[00:57:00] You know what?
[00:57:01] When you find something, you got to share it.
[00:57:03] When you eat something good, you got to tell others about it.
[00:57:06] When you find something that helps you, you've got to let others know about it.
[00:57:10] You recommend it, and when God saves your soul, guess what?
[00:57:13] I've got to put a five-star review on the Kingdom of Heaven.
[00:57:15] I've got to let everybody know, guess what?
[00:57:18] That the lost are still found.
[00:57:19] That the saved, He still saves from the guttermost to the uttermost.
[00:57:23] He still changes lives.
[00:57:25] He still gives hope.
[00:57:26] He still brings peace.
[00:57:27] There ain't no four-star reviews.
[00:57:29] There ain't no one-star review.
[00:57:30] If you've met Jesus, it's five stars, baby.
[00:57:34] It's the best that there is.
[00:57:35] Hallelujah.
[00:57:36] Praise God!
[00:57:39] Praise God!
[00:57:39] I've got to tell somebody about what I've received.
[00:57:43] Praise the Lord!
[00:57:44] Let me get ready to close here.
[00:57:45] We've got to be thankful.
[00:57:48] Thankful people participate in the mission of God.
[00:57:52] I believe that with all of my heart.
[00:57:54] Corinthians tells us that in 1 Corinthians 5.18, And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ.
[00:58:04] And he hath given us the ministry,
[00:58:08] of Reconciliation, to wit that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them, and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
[00:58:22] Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us.
[00:58:30] We pray you in Christ's stead that ye be reconciled to God.
[00:58:36] God didn't save us to see it.
[00:58:39] He saved us to serve.
[00:58:42] Amen.
[00:58:44] We're ministers of reconciliation.
[00:58:47] He saved me.
[00:58:48] I go out and tell others that He can save them.
[00:58:52] We carry the good news to a hurting world.
[00:58:56] I said at the beginning of this message this morning that our world's hurting, right?
[00:59:02] You look around, man.
[00:59:03] It's a mess.
[00:59:05] And, you know, we think that it's getting better.
[00:59:10] It's not.
[00:59:11] Technology is duplicating so fast.
[00:59:15] Science is getting greater.
[00:59:18] You know, for the first, what, thousands of years, man rode around on a horse.
[00:59:22] Then they had a breakthrough.
[00:59:23] They put wheels on a box and they rode on it.
[00:59:27] But then it was that way for a long time.
[00:59:30] Nothing changed.
[00:59:32] Then the Industrial Revolution took place and people began to put in motors and steam engines and coal and created... Then they moved to gas and they moved to combustibles and now we've moved to batteries.
[00:59:44] Now we're constantly duplicating in information.
[00:59:49] Life is getting easier.
[00:59:50] Cars are driving themselves.
[00:59:53] Ubers are picking people up without drivers.
[00:59:56] Tractor trailers are being driven without drivers.
[01:00:01] They're doing operations with computers and AI.
[01:00:05] AI is diagnosing the world and yet man is finding himself more and more hopeless.
[01:00:14] We were dying when rats
[01:00:17] And plagues was taking place and we had more hope than we have now.
[01:00:22] And all we needed was some moldy bread to fix some of our problems.
[01:00:26] Yet in all of that, we learned we have medication to fix every ailment that we have.
[01:00:33] Yet we're finding ourselves less and less hope.
[01:00:35] You know why?
[01:00:37] I believe the church ain't sharing the message.
[01:00:39] Can I tell you what the church is not?
[01:00:40] And this is just me preaching.
[01:00:41] The church is not a concert.
[01:00:46] there's a lot of people going to concerts that are still hopeless there's a lot of people going to hear talented musicians and singers and hearing motivational messages telling you that you can have your best life and they're still hopeless let me tell you the church is not a concert and my message is not telling you your best life it's telling you to strap yourself to a piece of wood and put nails in your hands and die to yourself and follow Jesus Christ that's the message that gives you hope
[01:01:18] that's the message that changes us that's the message that gives my because I died for me and now I no longer live but Christ lives inside of me and guess what Christ knows what the end will be Christ created all things He is the Word and He was the beginning and guess what He knows what it will be so when my flesh is weak and when I am tired the Jesus that lives inside of me helps me to keep going and keep pushing Hallelujah somebody praise God
[01:01:51] You cannot be thankful for the gospel and silent at the same time.
[01:01:56] Amen.
[01:01:56] You've got to tell somebody.
[01:01:58] Found people find people.
[01:02:01] Right.
[01:02:02] Found people find people.
[01:02:05] Thanksgiving, make it personal.
[01:02:09] Ashley, come help me close.
[01:02:12] Thanksgiving, make it personal.
[01:02:15] You know what, I think that we can do broad statements about Thanksgiving.
[01:02:20] But let's make it personal.
[01:02:23] I challenge you at your Thanksgiving family meal to pray for one.
[01:02:30] You can even have a prayer meeting.
[01:02:32] You can take the turkey grease and rub it all over everybody's head.
[01:02:34] I don't care.
[01:02:39] Y'all can have Holy Ghost revival in y'all's house.
[01:02:42] That's great.
[01:02:45] But I'm telling you, find one.
[01:02:49] To share hope too.
[01:02:52] If everyone in this room this morning would find one.
[01:02:56] One.
[01:02:58] See, but we give ourselves this unrealistic, well, I gotta go get ten people to Jesus this week.
[01:03:01] And then we get discouraged and we don't receive anybody for Jesus.
[01:03:05] Look for one.
[01:03:07] Look for one.
[01:03:08] Can I pray for one?
[01:03:09] You know who they are.
[01:03:10] You know when they come into your house.
[01:03:11] You know how messed up their lives are.
[01:03:13] You know, you already talked about it.
[01:03:14] God, why do we have to invite them to Thanksgiving for?
[01:03:17] Jesus, I don't want them to be there.
[01:03:20] You know, they create drama every time they hear.
[01:03:22] Well, but it's once a year, honey.
[01:03:26] They're family.
[01:03:28] Some of y'all have already had that conversation.
[01:03:29] I'm praying for you.
[01:03:33] But the reality is, you know when people are going through stuff.
[01:03:36] Don't sit on the hill of judgment.
[01:03:40] Them kids may come in smelling like the world.
[01:03:45] They may smell like a skunk sprayed them when they walked in your house.
[01:03:50] But you need to share Jesus to them.
[01:03:57] We don't need to sit on a hill somewhere and act like we're better than anybody.
[01:04:03] Because it is Christ that has changed us.
[01:04:08] Let me tell you something.
[01:04:09] Don't lose what He's done in your life.
[01:04:11] I see so many people, man.
[01:04:12] They come to the Lord and then they find a boyfriend, girlfriend, they get a house, a job, and they forget about Christ.
[01:04:19] Don't be that person.
[01:04:21] Keep sharing your faith.
[01:04:24] Keep showing up.
[01:04:24] Did you know by you being here this morning is an encouragement to somebody else?
[01:04:29] Because guess what?
[01:04:29] By you being here let somebody else know.
[01:04:31] Guess what?
[01:04:31] They can make it.
[01:04:34] I tell our men all the time that because you're a man of God does not mean you've been neutered.
[01:04:43] The demasculization in churches that thinks everything is feminine is not.
[01:04:48] They're still godly men that are strong men that are men with integrity and have a backbone.
[01:04:57] Amen.
[01:04:58] We got these men in this church.
[01:05:06] Well, I gotta be a little sissy.
[01:05:07] No, you don't.
[01:05:08] We better not.
[01:05:08] We're gonna pray that out of you.
[01:05:13] No, we ain't gonna let that happen.
[01:05:16] We'll get you in the autumn.
[01:05:17] We'll get the chicken grease too.
[01:05:22] Listen, coming to Jesus does not mean you're weak.
[01:05:27] It means you were lost.
[01:05:29] And you need a Savior and you can't do it yourself.
[01:05:34] Amen?
[01:05:41] But it doesn't mean you lose your masculinity.
[01:05:44] It doesn't mean you lose your manhood.
[01:05:48] I think a lot of men are afraid to be in church because they're afraid, I've got to be like, no, be a man.
[01:05:52] Be strong.
[01:05:53] Tell them, say, listen man, I was a mess, I was a wreck, but God saved me and changed me.
[01:05:59] I was angry at all the wrong people.
[01:06:01] And I fought everybody because I was angry at God, but God saved me and now I love everybody.
[01:06:07] Don't be afraid of that.
[01:06:09] I'm going to be honest.
[01:06:09] I'm real.
[01:06:10] I'm not going to play this mess that we don't want to talk about and the elephant's in the room.
[01:06:14] We've got to tell somebody about Jesus.
[01:06:15] Pray for that person.
[01:06:17] Well, you know, I just don't feel like that.
[01:06:20] You don't got to get over there and make no big old, hey, let me pray with you.
[01:06:23] Lord, I just see, you see what my friend's going through.
[01:06:25] You see what Andrew's going through.
[01:06:27] God, help him.
[01:06:28] Give him strength.
[01:06:29] Let him know you love him.
[01:06:30] Thank you, Jesus.
[01:06:32] The Lord didn't say you've got to give 157 words for it to qualify.
[01:06:37] Sometimes I don't have but one word.
[01:06:38] JESUS!
[01:06:43] I don't got a whole prayer to pray.
[01:06:46] It's just one word.
[01:06:48] Listen to me.
[01:06:49] Hear me this morning.
[01:06:50] Find somebody.
[01:06:51] Pray with one person.
[01:06:52] Pray with them.
[01:06:54] Ask God.
[01:06:55] Give me a soul this week.
[01:06:56] Give me a soul.
[01:06:57] Somebody needs hope.
[01:06:59] Somebody needs help.
[01:06:59] Don't allow the stupidity of the world to cause you to lose confidence in telling somebody about God.
[01:07:05] Listen, the world may be imploding on each other.
[01:07:07] They may be acting crazy and they're acting stupid and they're doing a lot of stuff that's out there and you see it all over social media and it makes you think, man, are people crazy?
[01:07:13] No, there's still some people that want something from God.
[01:07:17] Number two, invite somebody to church.
[01:07:20] Invite them to church.
[01:07:22] Say, hey, I want you to come to church.
[01:07:25] I want you to come.
[01:07:27] Hey, I don't have the answers, but you know what?
[01:07:29] I found a lot of things that I needed in my life in the house of God.
[01:07:33] When I showed up to my father's house, everything that I needed is there.
[01:07:39] Right?
[01:07:41] I love that, that whatever I need.
[01:07:43] I remember as a kid going back to daddy's house when I needed something as a young man.
[01:07:48] I moved out, got married.
[01:07:49] I had to go back to his house, find tools, find this, find that.
[01:07:52] I know what I needed was at their house.
[01:07:55] Same way with my kids.
[01:07:56] They know that everything they need is at our house.
[01:07:57] I had to kind of put it straight.
[01:07:58] Hey, hold on.
[01:07:59] I'm going to need it after you need it.
[01:08:02] But listen to me, invite somebody to church.
[01:08:04] Got that simple?
[01:08:05] Number three, share your story with one person.
[01:08:11] Now you don't got to open the black book and tell everybody that you dated.
[01:08:17] You ain't got to tell them everybody you kissed.
[01:08:20] Well, when I was in first grade, there was this boy named Charlie.
[01:08:24] And it opened up something inside of me when I put my lips on his.
[01:08:29] We don't need to do that.
[01:08:31] But you need to tell somebody that guess what?
[01:08:36] I got a story of hope.
[01:08:39] God found me when I even didn't think I needed Him.
[01:08:42] He showed me His love.
[01:08:44] And you know what?
[01:08:45] There's hard days.
[01:08:47] But even on the worst of days, I know that I can look up into the hills.
[01:08:53] I can look up into a sky.
[01:08:55] And I know a God that knows every hair on my head.
[01:08:59] and He sees everything that I have need of and I'm going to be alright.
[01:09:05] No matter what takes place, I'm going to be alright because it's in God's hands.
[01:09:11] Simple as that.
[01:09:12] Don't make it complicated.
[01:09:14] Don't try to dissect the Greek and Hebrew.
[01:09:16] Nobody needs that.
[01:09:18] They just need, hey, I found somebody to change my life.
[01:09:24] and He transformed me.
[01:09:26] Your story, every revival starts with one.
[01:09:31] In the Bible there's a man named Andrew.
[01:09:33] Andrew was not known for preaching.
[01:09:36] He's not known for doing any great sermons or any massive crusades.
[01:09:40] Not one.
[01:09:41] But Andrew in the Bible, he brought Peter.
[01:09:46] He found his brother.
[01:09:48] Peter preached to thousands.
[01:09:50] Andrew another time found the little boy that had five loaves and two fish.
[01:09:58] and he brought them to Jesus Andrew again found some Greeks that were looking for Jesus in John chapter 12 verse 20 and Andrew brought those to Jesus and I want to tell you something pastor I want a ministry I want to do something but I don't feel like I'm a speaker I don't feel like keep bringing people to Jesus just make you know be the be the the the date coordinator the set the blind date up set the date up just bring them
[01:10:28] Here, let me show you Jesus.
[01:10:31] Let me bring you to Him where He's at.
[01:10:33] I don't really have all the words.
[01:10:34] Let me bring you somebody who can do a little better than I can.
[01:10:36] But bring them to Jesus.
[01:10:39] Bring them.
[01:10:41] One invitation.
[01:10:42] One invitation changed an entire world.
[01:10:44] Peter stood up and preached to thousands.
[01:10:46] The message spread throughout the world.
[01:10:48] Because one man chose to follow Jesus.
[01:10:53] To bring people.
[01:10:54] Let me close.
[01:10:55] At this Thanksgiving, let our gratitude move our hearts.
[01:10:58] For the laws.
[01:11:00] Why?
[01:11:01] God saved us.
[01:11:03] God changed us.
[01:11:05] And God entrusted us with His message.
[01:11:10] So Thanksgiving is not complete.
[01:11:12] I don't care if you broke the wishbone or not this Thursday.
[01:11:15] It's not complete until you tell somebody how grateful you are for your Lord and Savior.
[01:11:24] Amen.
[01:11:26] Can we just give Jesus praise?
[01:11:37] Lord, this is my prayer.
[01:11:40] Give me one person this week to share the message of the gospel with.
[01:11:46] That's my heart.
[01:11:48] I pray that Shores, will you stand all over this place?
[01:11:52] Lord, help us to share a message of hope.
[01:11:59] Listen, we're so quick to tell everybody about our
[01:12:07] and other stuff that don't matter.
[01:12:08] Your political party don't matter.
[01:12:11] Your nation doesn't matter.
[01:12:19] Your heritage of your family doesn't matter.
[01:12:24] Your schooling and education, your achievements and accomplishments don't matter.
[01:12:30] Paul said everything that I thought was good
[01:12:35] That I had pride in, that I was proud of, was accomplishments in my life.
[01:12:40] He said, I call it dung.
[01:12:42] You know what that is, dung?
[01:12:45] He said that I might know Christ.
[01:12:49] Christ is the number one thing in my life, Paul said.
[01:12:55] Everything that I have accomplished means nothing except knowing Jesus.
[01:13:01] And I want to say this to you this morning.
[01:13:04] I've had to find Him.
[01:13:07] And can I just be very transparent and honest?
[01:13:11] I've had to find Him a couple times.
[01:13:16] I found Him and He changed me.
[01:13:20] But in the process of life, the draw and the desires of the things in this world became brighter than the things of God.
[01:13:30] And you know what Donnie had to do?
[01:13:33] I had to go back to my first love.
[01:13:37] I had to give Jesus my heart all over again and fall back in love with the Lord.
[01:13:45] They say in a marriage in 20 years an average husband and wife fall in and out of love at least seven times.
[01:13:51] At least seven.
[01:13:55] You know what keeps them successful and to keep them married?
[01:14:01] is that they make a decision that I'm going to stay in love with you.
[01:14:07] The same way with your salvation.
[01:14:10] The world will sometimes get bright.
[01:14:13] Things will get more important.
[01:14:17] But you got to say, hold on.
[01:14:19] Let me put Jesus back at the throne of my life.
[01:14:24] Let me love Him again.
[01:14:26] And I'm going to tell you, you're probably going to tell your story to somebody that's probably not running around the house with the horns on their head and carrying a pitchfork.
[01:14:34] They're probably somebody that looks just like you and they might think that they are a Christian.
[01:14:40] But somewhere or another they fell out of love with Jesus.
[01:14:44] And guess what?
[01:14:45] You want to introduce them back to the lover of their soul.
[01:14:49] The one that means more than anything in their life.
[01:14:52] If there's ever a time to do it, now is the time to do it.
[01:14:57] Did you know that?
[01:14:59] I look all over the news and I see our crown prince giving trillions of dollars.
[01:15:06] I see all of this stuff that's taking place and I'm going to tell you with all of my heart, the Antichrist is setting the stage for his appearance.
[01:15:19] I believe it with all of my heart.
[01:15:21] The coming of the Lord is at hand.
[01:15:25] And when I get to heaven, I want as many people there with me as possible.
[01:15:31] Let me just tell you this.
[01:15:32] You'll never know if they didn't make it.
[01:15:36] But those in hell will know the ones that did.
[01:15:40] The Bible says the rich man looked up and said, Lazarus, I see him.
[01:15:43] But Lazarus couldn't see the rich man.
[01:15:47] In hell, if your family don't go, you'll never know.
[01:15:49] In heaven, if your family don't go, you'll never know.
[01:15:54] But in hell, they'll look up and they'll remember every time you talked about Jesus and they'll remember every service.
[01:16:00] This is just old-timey preaching right here, but it's the truth.
[01:16:04] They'll remember every service that they sat in and it'll be a loop that will play in their mind.
[01:16:11] Why did I not give my life to Jesus?
[01:16:15] Why didn't I turn my heart back to Him?
[01:16:19] And they'll look and they'll say, Why?
[01:16:22] Why did I love this stuff that didn't matter and not love the one that died for me, forgave me, and washed me?
[01:16:31] That burdens me.
[01:16:33] That does.
[01:16:34] Because I don't want anybody I know, even my worst enemy, to live in a place that was created for the devil and his angels
[01:16:43] There's nobody on this earth that deserves that.
[01:16:47] Even the worst.
[01:16:48] God died for the worst.
[01:16:53] So they might have life and have it more abundantly.
[01:16:56] With every head bowed, I feel the Holy Spirit just asking me right now, I want reverence in this room, but I feel that if you're here today and you say,
[01:17:08] I don't know where I am with the Lord today and I want to make it right with God I don't feel like I have a lot of things to be thankful for and I feel like I've lost some of that but I just want to make it right nobody's looking around this ain't got nothing to do with anybody's opinion of you this is between you and God this is me telling you that I love you and most of all I wanted to tell you in a clear way that Jesus loves you and He died for you that you might have life and have it more abundantly
[01:17:38] The Bible says it's simple to go in the kingdom.
[01:17:39] All you got to do is confess Him with your mouth and believe in your heart.
[01:17:45] He says you'll be saved.
[01:17:47] So I want to ask you right now, if there's anyone in this room that says, Pastor, I'm kind of on the fence.
[01:17:52] I'm not really sure where I'm at with this with you and with the Lord.
[01:17:56] Or maybe I know that I'm far away from God, but I want to make sure that I know that when I leave this room that everything's okay between me and God.
[01:18:06] If you feel that heart beating in your chest and you feel that, oh Lord, He's talking to me.
[01:18:11] Guess what?
[01:18:11] That's the Lord.
[01:18:12] He's knocking on your heart saying, I love you enough to cause you to be uncomfortable to come to me.
[01:18:18] So right now, with every head bowed and every eye closed, I want to ask you, that's me.
[01:18:21] Say, I'm ready to make that right today.
[01:18:24] I'm ready to give my life to Jesus today.
[01:18:25] Simple.
[01:18:27] Just admit.
[01:18:28] And we're going to do that.
[01:18:28] Let's raise that hand and say, that's me today, Pastor.
[01:18:31] Say a hand up.
[01:18:32] Anybody else this morning say, that's me?
[01:18:33] I just want to make sure that everything's right with me and God.
[01:18:36] There's another hand.
[01:18:38] It says, I just need to know that I know that I know.
[01:18:42] I don't want to leave here not knowing.
[01:18:44] Is there someone else that says, that's me?
[01:18:47] I feel it.
[01:18:48] Pastor, I do love Jesus.
[01:18:49] I love Him.
[01:18:49] I believe He's real.
[01:18:50] I believe He died.
[01:18:51] But I want to make sure everything's right.
[01:18:54] Just raise that hand and say, that's me today.
[01:18:56] Several hands are raised.
[01:18:59] I want us right now, I want us to pray this with me.
[01:19:02] Say, Dear Jesus, I give you my life.
[01:19:07] I believe you died on the cross and rose again the third day.
[01:19:13] I accept you as my Lord and Savior.
[01:19:17] And I give you my life from this day forward.
[01:19:21] Thank you for washing me in your blood and making me clean.
[01:19:27] I accept you today.
[01:19:29] and tomorrow and the rest of my life as my Lord.
[01:19:34] In Jesus' name.
[01:19:36] Can you give the Lord a hand of praise for those that made that decision?
[01:19:44] Hallelujah!
[01:19:45] Hallelujah!
[01:19:47] I want to ask this morning, is there anybody, as they begin to sing, is there anybody here that says, Pastor, I've been going through a trial, and I've been having a lot of things hard to find to thankful for.
[01:19:56] I need a miracle in my body, I need something in my life, and I need prayer today.
[01:19:59] I want God to do a miracle in my life.
[01:20:02] Is there anybody this morning that says, that's me, I just need prayer today, Pastor, I got some stuff I'm going through.
[01:20:06] Will you raise your hand and say, that's me?
[01:20:07] I got some stuff that I'm dealing with, I got hands going up.
[01:20:10] Anybody else that says, I just need prayer today, that God turns my situation around, and He changes it in my life.
[01:20:17] I want you right now to get out of your seat.
[01:20:18] I want to pray with you this morning as they begin to sing.
[01:20:22] I want you just to come.
[01:20:23] And I want to pray with you that God just brings miracles in your life, transformation and change.
[01:20:28] Come on, they're coming.
[01:20:29] Don't be afraid.
[01:20:30] God's here to touch you and change you, give you strength.
[01:20:33] Will you lift your hands and begin to sing as they come?
[01:20:36] In the name of Jesus.
[01:20:37] Let's just worship Him.
[01:20:38] We're going to go upstairs and eat, but we're going to take a moment to pray for one another.

[01:20:42] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
My Savior the one Who will never fail He will never fail I trust in God My Savior the one
[01:21:10] Who will never fail He will never fail As I trust in God My Savior the One Who will never
[01:21:46] Let it usher in Jesus is mine He's been my fourth man in the fire Time after time Born of His
[01:22:14] And what He did for me on Calvary is more than enough As I trust in God
[01:22:34] My Savior, the one Who will never fail He will never fail So I trust in God My Savior, the one
[01:23:03] He will never fail He will never fail
[01:23:17] I saw the Lord and He heard and He answered I saw the Lord and He heard and He answered I saw the Lord and He heard and He answered That's why I trust Him, that's why I trust Him
[01:23:40] I saw the Lord and He heard and He answered I saw the Lord and He heard and He answered I saw the Lord and He heard and He answered I saw the Lord and He heard and He answered That's why I trust Him, that's why I trust Him I saw the Lord and He heard
[01:24:07] And he answered, I sought the Lord And he heard, and he answered I sought the Lord And he heard, and he answered That's why I trust him That's why I trust in God My Savior, the One
[01:24:34] Who will never fail He will never fail Perfect submission All is at rest
[01:24:58] I know the author of tomorrow has ordered my steps So this is my story This is my song
[01:25:21] Praise Him, my risen King and Savior all the day long I trust in God, my Savior, the one who will never fail
[01:25:47] My God will never fail That's why I trust in God My Savior, the One
[01:26:05] Come on, lift those hands.

[01:26:10] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
Lift those hands.
[01:26:11] Come on, right now.

[01:26:12] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
God's going to bring it to you.
[01:26:17] That's why I trust in God, my Savior, the one who will never fail.
[01:26:32] We will never fail.
[01:26:41] My God will never fail.
[01:26:42] We will never fail.
[01:26:42] That's why I trust in God, my Savior, the one who will never fail.
[01:27:00] He will never fail.
[01:27:09] My Savior, the one who will never fail.

[01:27:22] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]:
Come on, lift those hands.
[01:27:23] He will never fail.

[01:27:28] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
Because I sought the Lord and He heard.
[01:27:32] Come on, do we trust the Lord?
[01:27:43] Come on, do we trust the Lord?
[01:27:53] Come on, He is good!
[01:27:54] He is good!
[01:27:56] He is good to us!
[01:27:59] Come on, let us be thankful!
[01:28:15] And He heard and He answered I sought the Lord And He heard and He answered I sought the Lord And He heard and He answered That's why I trust Him That's why I trust in God My Savior the One
[01:28:43] Who will never fail.
[01:28:51] He will never fail.
[01:28:56] So we trust in God.

[01:29:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
He's our Savior.

[01:29:13] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
He will never fail He will never fail So we trust in God For He's our Savior The One Who will never fail He will never fail
[01:29:43] He will never fail.

[01:29:50] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]:
Amen.
[01:29:52] Can we give the Lord a hand of praise?
[01:29:54] He's worthy.
[01:29:56] He's worthy.
[01:30:02] There's no battle you're going to face when you leave here.
[01:30:05] There's no mountain, there's no challenge that God cannot give you grace.
[01:30:11] Let me tell you what that means.
[01:30:13] Let me tell you what it doesn't mean.
[01:30:14] It doesn't mean it's going to be easy.
[01:30:17] Doesn't mean it's not going to be without challenges.
[01:30:21] But let me tell you what it does mean.
[01:30:23] That He will be with you every step you take.
[01:30:29] Amen.
[01:30:30] And you will not be alone.
[01:30:34] Come here, Brother Kevin.
[01:30:36] Sometimes in my life, I feel a little discouraged.
[01:30:41] It kind of dropped down a little bit, just a little bit.
[01:30:42] I feel a little discouraged.
[01:30:44] And man, I'm like, I don't know where the Lord's at.
[01:30:47] And all of a sudden He comes up.
[01:30:51] He picks me up.
[01:30:53] And I'm like, people say, where's the Lord at?
[01:30:57] Well, when I was down, He came up underneath me and pulled me back up.
[01:31:03] I shouldn't have woke up feeling okay today, but God was with me.
[01:31:08] I shouldn't have peace when this battle's going on, but He's with me.
[01:31:13] So let me encourage you to know this.
[01:31:15] God is for you, and He is not against you.
[01:31:20] He is for you to succeed, to have victory, to overcome.
[01:31:24] He is not for you to be destroyed.
[01:31:28] Amen.
[01:31:29] So if there's anything to be thankful for this morning, you're on the winning side now.
[01:31:33] Amen.
[01:31:34] You will win.
[01:31:40] It may go into overtime, but you're going to win.
[01:31:46] You will come out victorious.
[01:31:48] And if there's anything to be thankful for, I'm thankful for that.
[01:31:52] Amen.
[01:31:53] We're going to go upstairs and eat, and I encourage you to go up there and have a good time.
[01:31:56] Don't caution us.
[01:31:56] We just want to love you, spend some time with you, and find somebody you didn't know.
[01:32:01] Talk to them, love on them.
[01:32:03] And I'm just thankful for all of your blessings.
[01:32:05] Brother Travis, I'm going to have you help.
[01:32:06] Let's get a couple guys to help serve.
[01:32:08] And I'm going to have Brother Kevin.

[01:32:10] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
Alright.
[01:32:12] Amen.
[01:32:13] And also remember that the fight is fixed in your favor.
[01:32:19] Hallelujah.
[01:32:21] The fight, it is fixed in your favor.
[01:32:26] Regardless of what the enemy tries to combat in your mind, in your heart, know that you are more than conquerors.
[01:32:37] You're more than a conqueror.
[01:32:39] Hallelujah.
[01:32:43] As we end this time of worship, may gratitude rise in our hearts for the goodness of our God.
[01:32:57] May we go from this place remembering that His steadfast love never fades.
[01:33:07] His mercy never fails and His redemption continue to shape our lives.
[01:33:16] I want you to go and tell the story of what God has done for you in your home, in your workplace, in the places that God sends you.
[01:33:35] May his peace be upon you, his strength upholds you, and his love surround you now and always.
[01:33:45] May you bow your head.
[01:33:47] Father God, we thank you, oh God, for another opportunity, oh God, to hear the word of being grateful, oh God.
[01:33:54] So God, we pray right now, oh God, that the word that was spoken on today, oh God, that we will continue, oh God, as we go this week, oh God, sharing the love of God.
[01:34:05] sharing our story to those that we come in contact with what you have done what you have changed and transformed our lives into God realizing oh God that a lot of people want to share the beautiful flower that we are but no one wants to share the dirt that we come up at uh so God this week oh God we pray oh God that you will continue to allow us to share the very dirt
[01:34:34] God, we come up out of that you have made us into this beautiful flower.
[01:34:40] So now, God, we declare that our red seats will be opened up, our Jericho walls will come down, and we pray, oh God, that the words of our mouth and the meditation of our hearts will be acceptable into thou sight.
[01:34:55] Our Lord our strength and our redeemer in Jesus name we pray amen go upstairs and let's fellowship everyone is invited to come upstairs to our fellowship let's love on someone let them know that God loves them and you love them too you may be dismissed