April 28, 2024

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A lot of excuses here. And the bridge was out between here and there too. So, welcome to the service this morning. And those of you all watching online, we’d like to welcome you all as well. it’s been a real rainy day most of the night. I don’t know what it’s going to do today, but in any case, if you’ve got your bulletin, if you look at it, it’s pretty well covers what’s going on.

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It tells you who’s going to. It was just going to be us for the next 2 or 3 weeks. Then it May 1st at 6:00 is a Bible study, which we generally have the Bible studies on Wednesday nights at 6:00 at the church here, the horsemanship ministry fundraiser, yard sale, got put off, I think, till next Saturday, because of the rain.

00:00:49:06 – 00:01:15:07
That’s right. Okay. Yeah. Till next Saturday, and it’ll start at eight. I guess I yeah, 8 to 3. It says on here. I just need to read it. So, and. Is that Theresa’s address? Yeah, it’ll be at Theresa’s place on Corn Street in Decatur. So. And then on May 4th is, our men’s breakfast, which is the first Saturday of every month.

00:01:15:07 – 00:01:36:02
And it’ll be at 9:00, and it is right here at the church. we do have. I presume we do have a back out schedule today. I don’t think it’s been canceled for rain or anything. So that will be at 230 this afternoon after after the church service. So y’all hang around for that because that’s if you haven’t been on.

00:01:36:02 – 00:01:53:07
That’s a lot of fun. So, then you can see the birthdays and anniversaries and everything down there. Oh, Mark and Helen Preston have an anniversary today. Happy anniversary. Doodle. You.

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So.

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Okay. And that’s really. I’m really. Like I said, I’m just real, awfully unprepared because I’m messed up. You’re getting late and everything, so, why don’t we, before we get started, let’s go ahead and go to the Lord in prayer and see if I can get that part right. Father, thank you for this day. Thank you for being with us, Lord.

00:02:15:20 – 00:02:38:10
Thank you for everything you do for us. You’re just an amazing, amazing, awesome father. Lord, just be with the three of us as we deliver these songs this morning and make sure the message out of these songs is coming from you and not anything we have to say. Be with Pastor Jeff as he delivers the message this morning and give him the power of delivery that he always has, father, so that he can come across with your message real strong.

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We just give you all our love and praise. Father, accept you as our Lord and Savior and Master. Amen. And.

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Ready.

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To.

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Well, there’s a light in the window. A table spread in splendor. Someone standing by the open door. Well, I can see that Christmas was so I must be near forever. I never seen this home sick before. I’ll see you. The bright lights shine. Well, he’s just about home time. And I can see my farm standing. Let’s go in this world together in the night.

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And I’m ready for deliverance and hold I never in this room say oh well I can see the family gather. Sweet faces so familiar. don’t know the people anymore. Well, as long as the board is. Christ, think I’ll spread my wings and fly. And, Lord, I never believe it’ll take. To see the bright lights shine. He is just about all done.

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All I can see my mom standing at the door. And all the world in the world and I’m ready for deliverance. And Lord, I never the.

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I see the bright light shine. And he’s just about home town. And I can see my father standing at the door. And, Well, there’s one other thing. World. And I’m ready for deliverance. And, Lord, I never been this music. Oh, Lord, I never been this whole thing before.

00:05:39:12 – 00:06:27:17
Well, would you be free from the burden of sin. There’s power in the blood and power in the blood. Would you or evil? No victory. There is wonderful power in the blood. There is power. Oh, wonderful power in the blood of the lamb. There is power. Power! One working power in the fresh blood of the lamb. Oh, would you be free from the passion in Christ?

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There is power in the blood. Power in the blood. Call for cleansing the conference. God, there is wonderful power in the blood. Where is my one power? One working in the blood of the lamb. There is power. Power working in my. In the precious blood of y’all. In his power, power, woman. Due to the blood of the lamb, where is power?

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I won’t interfere in the precious blood of.

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My precious blood I.

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Esteem it. Thank you. Jesus.

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I thank you.

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Really?

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I raise a hallelujah. Hallelujah, Hallelujah. I praise. Hallelujah. I raise I hallelujah, I raise a hallelujah. Hallelujah, Hallelujah I raise a hallelujah. Hallelujah, Hallelujah.

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I praise and hallelujah. In the presence of mine. We.

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I raise our hallelujah. Now in the under.

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I raise my hand in the up. My weapon is in my.

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I raise a hand in who you’re in. Comes to fight for me. And I’m gonna sing in the middle of the stone. Louder and louder. You’re gonna hear my praises. Grow up from the ashes. Who will rise? That is defeated. The king is alive. I raise the hallelujah.

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With everything in sight.

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I raise a hallelujah. I watch the darkness. He.

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I raise a hallelujah. In the middle of the storm.

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I raise a hallelujah I see you last year. Hung out with me. I’m gonna sing in the middle of a storm. Louder and louder. You gonna hear my praises. Grow up from the ashes of war. Will I rise to death is defeated. The king is a alive I sing a little louder. Sing your loud and sing a little louder.

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Sneak a little louder. Sing a little louder I sing a little louder, sing little louder. Sing a little louder. Sing a little louder in the presence. And let me loud, loud. Rihanna singing louder. Everything where gonna king singing louder A heavy price I’ll give you a little louder. In the presence. Have many me say a little louder and louder than the ugly.

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Sing a little louder now at the knees, the louder I’ll have the cost. Fight for me louder. I’m gonna sing in the middle of a storm. Louder and louder. You’re gonna hear my fingers crossed. That from the ashes. Let’s hope we live right. Death is defeated. The king is life I raise a hallelujah.

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I raise a hallelujah, I raise a hallelujah I raise a hallelujah. I raise a hallelujah. I raise a hallelujah. I raise a hallelujah. I raise a hallelujah.

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Raise a hallelujah. In the presence of my enemies I raise up the A loud and the ugly raise I give you the I work in his Majesty I raise up having a hand I.

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Thank you Jesus. Thank you Jesus. Thank you Jesus. Praise your holy name. We praise your holy name.

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Well, I’m tired and so weary. But I must go long. My Lord comes and calls me away. Good morning super I am, I miss the light and the night and night. As fair as the babe I’m about. And there will be peace in the valley for me some day. There will be peace in the valley for me. Oh Lord, I pray will be no sadness, no sorrow, no trouble.

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I say there will be peace in the house for me in. Will the flowers will be made. And blessed will you be. And the skies will be clear and serene. While the soul never peace be, appear. And no clouds will ever be.

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And there’ll be peace in the valley for me. Some day there will be peace in the valley for me. Oh Lord, I pray you’ll be no sadness. No song. Oh no trouble I see there’ll be peace I leave for me.

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Well there will be children. And.

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In my room shall lay down with the lamb. And the beast will. The child shall be led by the child. And I’ll be change, change from this creature. I shall. And there will be peace in the valley for me. Some day there will be peace in the valley for me. Oh, Lord, I pray there’s no sadness, no sorrow, no trouble.

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I see there will be kings in the valley, in now there will be peace in the valley. For now.

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Oh, you know, if I could just share a little something with you that just the Lord was just reminding me of right now as he’s singing that song? a couple of years ago. A few years ago, 20, 20, actually, my dad, was in the last stages of, cancer, esophageal cancer. And it had gone into his bones.

00:16:54:24 – 00:17:14:18
And if you know anything about that is extremely painful. And, he didn’t get much of any rest at all. I mean, there’s just constant pain for him. And, the pastor had come to see him and, you know, spent some time with him and asked him that day, you know, what? Can I pray for you? What can I ask?

00:17:14:18 – 00:17:37:01
If you were to ask the Lord for anything, you know? And my dad was still on the fence at this time. Okay. and his faith. And he said, man, I would just love to get a night’s sleep. Has the only thing he asked for. I just want to get some sleep and, he went to sleep that night, and he slept for, like, 30 hours or something.

00:17:37:01 – 00:17:45:16
He woke up just a little bit here and there, but when he really woke up and started talking to us.

00:17:45:18 – 00:18:14:15
He just kept saying, wow, wow. Like the peace there. Peace. He was trying to explain to us why he felt when he was sleeping and what he was dreaming of, and, there’s a song. I can’t even think of the song right now because I’m too overwhelmed. But it’s, an old song is talking about how green the grass is and how beautiful and and he kept trying to explain this song, and my friend pulled it up and played it and he said, yeah, that’s it, that’s it.

00:18:14:17 – 00:18:32:21
And I just he just kept saying, wow. He just kept saying wow. And he kept smiling and laughing. And I hadn’t seen him like that in a while. But that is the promise that he gives us that there will be peace, there will be no more tears, there will be no more pain. And yet what’s so amazing is he let my dad experience that.

00:18:32:21 – 00:18:52:29
Now he in the here and now, before he was even with him, you know. And that’s what Jesus promised us, is that when he left, he said, I will not leave you alone. I will send you a comforter, the same spirit that lived in Jesus, that gave him strength, that gave him boldness, lives in us and is with us.

00:18:53:02 – 00:19:07:28
And you know me, growing up, I had so many people. So many of us have so many things that are spoken into our lives. my dad didn’t really know how to say I love you. he used to kind of joke around, say, hey ugly or hey, stupid. And if I got in trouble, it was, what, are you, stupid?

00:19:07:28 – 00:19:28:17
What are you, stupid? Those things stuck with me, and I had a lot of fears I had to deal with, you know, and feeling like I wasn’t good enough. I wasn’t smart enough. I wasn’t pretty enough. I wasn’t, you know, all these things and not many different people throughout my life speaking that. But when I look to the Lord and I look to his word.

00:19:28:19 – 00:19:46:12
I can hear and remember. And not because I’m not good at memorizing things. My brother, you could say scripture and he’ll tell you exactly. Pastor probably can tell you exactly what scripture, what book. I cannot do that. I’m not good at memorization. But he says that the Holy Spirit will remind you of these things and bring him to remembrance.

00:19:46:15 – 00:20:00:21
And I know when I’m walking close with him and I’m going through things and I feel fear trying to creep in, he will say, you were not created with the spirit of fear, but of power and loving and sound mind. He’ll remind me that even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will have no fear.

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For he is with me and I. And I know that in my own walk, when I’ve gone astray, when I’ve kind of backslid, and I haven’t been close and I haven’t been in the word, it’s hard to pull those scriptures out of my own memory, out of my own strength. But when I draw near to him, he reminds me.

00:20:16:24 – 00:20:39:29
And if I could just. I know I’m taking a minute here and I’m sorry, but pastor read in acts four and I went home and I was reading through it and something just jumped out at me. And I’m praying that it will for you, too. I it’s acts four, if you remember. It’s, when Peter and John had healed the man and, you know, Pharisees and everything were really upset.

00:20:39:29 – 00:21:00:28
They had brought 5000 people to believe because of what had happened. And and they’re like, how can we quiet them down? How can we shut them up? And so, you know, this whole thing goes on, and this right here is, acts where, verse 13, sorry, apologize. It says, now when they saw the boldness, this the Pharisees, this was coming after him, wanting to shut them, shut him up.

00:21:01:00 – 00:21:30:09
It says, now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, how many of us feel like we were unlearned and ignorant, like we are not? We’re not. I don’t have the credentials to do any of this. They were too, and they were ignorant and unlearned. They marveled, and they took knowledge of them that they had been with Jesus.

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And another version it says, they took note that they had been with Jesus. That right there, it wasn’t anything that they did. They said it was by his name, but they had been with him. Anytime you’re going through anything, you need strength. You need boldness. You need courage. You need faith. The only thing we need to do is spend time with him.

00:21:51:22 – 00:22:04:27
His spirit will remind us of his word. He will give us the strength. It’s all in him. There’s nothing we can do. No good works will bring us our salvation or get us anywhere. But he does it all.

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And I thank him for that, because I would not be up here without him.

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Not.

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Grand earthquake. Before and move by the sound of his voice seizing, shaking instead can be calmed and broken, for I by and through it all. Through it all my eyes are through it all. Through it all. It is what?

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Through it all. Through it all. My eyes are on you. And it is. With me.

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So be it for me tonight. Believe me. Even when my eyes can’t see. And this mountain that’s in front of me. We’ll be thrown into the midst of the sea.

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Through it all. Through it all. My eyes are through it all. Through it all. It is. When. Through it all. Through it all. My eyes are on it is when. It is when. So let it call my soul. And trust in him waits and we still go. His name. So let it call my soul. And trust him who waits.

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And we still know his name.

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He is with us as my soul.

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He is well with my soul.

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He his way up with my snow. My is he in his way? Up with my soul? Yet he is well. He is well with my soul.

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And through it all. Through it all. My eyes are through it all. Through it all. It is my.

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Through it all. Through it all. My eyes are. It is. With me.

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Jesus.

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Jesus. Thank you. Jesus Christ.

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Who tells a soul to rise every morning. Colors the sky with the shades of his glory. Wakes us with mercy and love Jesus does.

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The. The whole words. The widow cries for injustice. Fills every sorrow. Carry is the pain of his children. Jesus does.

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So we sing praise to the father. Give us the son. Praise to the spirit is living in us. When I was sin, he saved me from who I was. Then what Jesus did.

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Who understands the heart of a sinner. Showers his grace over all our mistakes. Washes us clean with his arms Jesus died. Love.

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You sings a song. Sweet forgiveness through song. The kings, the hill and the grave. Who has power to say Jesus to us all? The land. So we sing praise to the father. Gave us some praise to the spirit living in us. Now let us sing out. Save me from who am I? I will sing to Jesus. Now.

00:29:11:16 – 00:29:59:21
The whole world free. Oh, what a savior. He’s always been good. He’s always been faithful. He came to my rescue when I needed him. Oh, and saved my soul. So we sing praise to the father. Gave us a song. Praise to the spirit living in the house I was seven. He saved me from. Ha ha ha ha. So we sing praise to the five he.

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The song praise to the spirit is living in us now with us. Sing it safely. From who have all.

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Lives for Jesus.

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Hey, man, can we get a hand for the Lord?

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Jesus.

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Well, we’re going to that. Hallelujah! Closing. We’ll go and win the ball tonight. Y’all come to go and do that. Hallelujah! Glory to. And will. The body feels like Jesus will cradle in the side of the door. Oh. It’s going to be a party. And if I all stakeholders get one that they’ll be. You promised. There’s a good time when we get.

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No, we gotta keep those things.

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Away from.

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Where we’re going to do that. Hallelujah! Come.

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Go with where the ball says. Now y’all come. Go and do that. Hallelujah for if you want to choose what you need to live. You bring us to your. Oh, he told us many times is gonna happen. Even sin is us. So we will know they call us for that part. Pardon without for. So we need to be there when it’s time to go.

00:32:51:05 – 00:33:36:03
Is the father planned? You gotta show me your where. When that party gets rolled. Rolling the pearly gates will show me locked down time, won’t you? The bills that. Will pay off with an everlasting pride. What you left out in the corner. Go on with the policies. Now y’all go.

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And. Hallelujah! Go!

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One. Two. Five. Two. Two. One. There ain’t inside. Don’t. You will go and do that. Hallelujah! Party!

00:34:16:04 – 00:34:42:12
Thank you. You all did a good job this morning. Give them a hand. Hey, Rick. Rick. Dennis, would you would you unplug that phone? Yeah. That water starting to boil over there, and, we’re gonna have a baptism in a minute. I don’t wanna. Hear?

00:34:42:14 – 00:35:04:16
Yeah, you sure feel like it. But did as a few of y’all. You got some of that one time you. It warms the water, but when I see it boiling, it’s like. Ooh, better slow down. Well, good to see y’all this morning. I’m glad you made it to church. How many more letters I got here? Ready? Red Bulls this evening.

00:35:04:18 – 00:35:29:28
All I hear they get really excited. Okay. All right. I got one against him. No. Well, we’re going to make real bull riders out of it today. It won’t hurt when you fall, you just slide about ten feet. Okay. It’d be great. and we will be taking photos and putting them on Facebook and stuff, and there’s even, Rick and I and Bobby back there talking a while ago about we’re going to take bets as to who does and doesn’t land in the big mud puddle out there.

00:35:30:00 – 00:35:49:02
There’s a big water hole. I mean, if you land in it, it’s going to be spectacular. so looking forward to that. Hey, let me give you a few things real quick. First of all, Chris is sitting here in front row. We’re glad she’s here. Not, still in Oklahoma like she was last night. It got kind of scary.

00:35:49:05 – 00:36:10:17
And, I’ve got a lot of friends. Talk to Bill Baker. Yellow. No, bill. And talk to him this morning. And as you know, the tornadoes went through Marietta kind of cut the east side of Ardmore. And I called him this morning to check on him. I have friends all over Oklahoma. I go through sulfur every week, and, sulfur Oklahoma is just destroyed.

00:36:10:17 – 00:36:34:10
But so far, everybody I know and I’ve talked to this morning are good. Survive no injuries, but there is loss of life out there. Lots and lots of damage. So you pray for our friends in Oklahoma. and just ask them as the Lord to provide for them today and the days to come. And if I find out a way that we can help, I’ll let you know.

00:36:34:13 – 00:36:59:22
they do have great emergency management services up there. my my parents were in Stillwater yesterday to see my niece who goes to LSU, and I had told them, knowing the weather was coming in, and I said, listen, if you hear sirens up there, it’s probably tornado sirens and take it seriously. They’re not testing or joking, they mean it.

00:36:59:24 – 00:37:21:19
And so there was a tornado north of them and everything was fine. But just pray for that. I’m sure many of you have friends and family maybe up there and hope that they’re doing well and okay. Of course, some over in the West Texas area to see you pray for all of those, in the Kansas, Nebraska and all that area that this week have been affected by tornadoes.

00:37:21:21 – 00:37:42:13
we were blessed here to not get them. And, that that’s we just praise the Lord for that. We got a lot of rain, which we need it. after last summer, I said I will never and complain about cold weather because it was so hot. And I won’t complain about rain because it was so dry. So I’m no complaint here.

00:37:42:16 – 00:38:05:14
And just thankful he kept tornadoes anyway. Secondly, if you haven’t checked out the church website, okay, I know you do Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and whatever else, but we have an official website and Nicole, correct me if I’m wrong WCC not church, am I correct? Matter of fact, if you got a moment, put your phone out and go there right now, right now.

00:38:05:16 – 00:38:30:21
And I really want you to search on there some interesting facts. Okay? It was not live. Oh it’s not like okay, well I’m going to encourage you this week to go look because, there’s going to be some really interesting facts that you’re going to want to know. All right. And then I want to say it’s really good to have that website and appreciate Nicole for working on that.

00:38:30:24 – 00:38:53:23
And, I’m sorry I haven’t told y’all about it before, but she’s really redone that she does that for a living professionally. And it is. It is an awesome website. Go and look for that. It is good to have her and Brandi back with this. They were in jail in San Antonio last week defending the Alamo, I heard, but

00:38:53:25 – 00:39:16:24
All right, y’all, y’all look up here. I was kidding about that. Okay? They told me they got called gators. Mama even called him to find out I didn’t know that that was a real possibility. I figured the defending the Alamo part would have, you know, told you I was joking, but I forgot. I’m in a cowboy church. Anything’s possible.

00:39:16:24 – 00:39:40:16
Right? Yeah. So if you brought your Bible open Exodus, Exodus chapter 14. And one final thing that I want to ask you to do this morning. Sheila Morgan and Lance Morgan are here with this. And Sheila’s mom passed away, went home to be with the Lord this past Friday. And I want you just to keep them lifted up in your prayers through this difficult time for their family.

00:39:40:16 – 00:40:04:22
It’s good to have them here this morning. But, just just pray for them. If you’ve lost a loved one, you know that that difficulty. And just pray for the Holy Spirit’s presence and comfort for them. And then I’m sure there’s a number of others here today that, aren’t here because of sickness and so on. And so, Cameron lost his step brother.

00:40:04:24 – 00:40:43:07
on Saturday. Was it yesterday? So one of our teens, his stepbrother passed away. So you pray for his family, too? All right. Exodus chapter 14. And if you have read your Bible very much, or you’ve been around folks who talk about the Bible, you’ve probably heard. And if you’ve been here very long, you’ve heard me make mention of Moses leading the children of Israel out of Egypt, in which they were slaves.

00:40:43:07 – 00:41:06:09
They were in bondage to them. He led them out. And we celebrate. if I’m not mistaken, this past week was the actual Passover in the Jewish calendar in Israel. But if you studied your Bible, you’ll find out that one of the things that God did is he raised up Moses to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt.

00:41:06:11 – 00:41:34:16
And what happened in moments before that is that they were enduring, if you would, a lot of slavery, a lot of abuse, a lot of, oppression. And they had been there for approximately 400 years. And so when God gets ready to deliver for them, he raises up Moses and Pharaoh’s heart, turns against God and turns against Moses.

00:41:34:21 – 00:41:59:17
And so God brings a series of ten plagues, the final one being that one in which he sent the death angel to pass over all the land. And the Jews were to mark the doorpost of their home with blood from a lamb. And that’s where we get the term Passover, so that when the death angel came across that night and he saw the blood on the doorpost of the home, he passed over that home.

00:41:59:20 – 00:42:22:19
And the firstborn of that home did not die at all. A picture, a time showing us that one day the blood of Jesus, the Lamb of God, would be shed. And when God sees the blood applied to your life, remind. When we believe in trust in Jesus, in his finished work on the cross, that his judgment will pass over us.

00:42:22:22 – 00:42:45:10
And so but I want to give you the real story of what happened as Israel left, as Moses led them out of Egypt, and they come to the famous place at the Red sea where they cannot cross, and Pharaoh’s armies are in pursuit. Now, when I was a kid, I grew up watching the Ten Commandments with Charlton Heston.

00:42:45:10 – 00:43:06:15
I don’t know how many of you have ever seen that. Probably not many of you. You got to be pretty old to have done that. But, I remember watching that every year. And and the depiction of the Red sea party. And I always was fascinated by that story because, number one, had I been one of the Israelites standing there, I would have been like, I’m not going in the water.

00:43:06:15 – 00:43:26:17
There’s sharks out there. I don’t know if they are in the Red sea, but I I’m not going. So God would have had to depart the water for me to go across it. And he did. And the finality of that story is as Israel goes across and crosses over, they do so on dry land. They walk through the Red sea that’s parted open.

00:43:26:20 – 00:43:49:20
They walk on dry ground, and Pharaoh’s army pursues them. And just when the last Hebrew gets out of the water and Pharaoh’s armies are right there in the middle, God just closes the seat back up and drowns them, drowns them all. there’s archeological evidence today where they have found what they believe is the area, or the very place where they would have crossed.

00:43:49:20 – 00:44:09:01
And there’s even some that say they found in the bottom of the red sea what looks like, the coral has surrounded it, but it looks like chariot wheels and stuff. There’s a lot of archeological evidence, which doesn’t surprise me at all. I believe the Bible, if we didn’t have archeological evidence. But, I believe what God said.

00:44:09:03 – 00:44:33:17
But here’s the story, and I want to give it to you. We’re not going to read the whole chapter for sake of time, but I hope you’ll do like Melissa did last week. Go home and read. I preached from acts chapter four, and I loved it when she said she went home and read the rest of that chapter, that my job is to teach you the word of God, but also to hopefully whet your appetite so that you go home and continue reading the word all day and all week, maybe not all day, but all week.

00:44:33:17 – 00:44:51:27
You understand what I’m saying? It’s. Yeah. I say to people, when you come to church and you hear a preacher preach the Bible, that’s a wonderful thing to do. I, I’m, I’ve been preaching 30 years in the few times that I’ve not been preaching on a Sunday. I promise you, I’m somewhere hearing the Word of God being preached.

00:44:51:27 – 00:45:23:00
I want to hear God’s Word. You know why? Because it’s spiritual food. Think about this if if you only ate physical food on Sundays, do you know how skinny you’d be? You. You might lose weight and get skinny for a little bit, but then you’re going to eventually die because that’s not enough nourishment to sustain you physically. Can I remind you, you have a spirit man, a spirit woman, and you’re that that spirit part of you needs food and nourishment also.

00:45:23:05 – 00:45:41:23
And the only way you get it is through the Word of God. So I encourage you to take this story today. Go home and read the chapter before the chapter after and dive in. There is an amazing story of incredible faith and the incredible power of God right here in this story. But I’m going to share some of it with you.

00:45:41:23 – 00:46:04:14
So look with me. Exodus chapter 14. And I’m just going to begin reading in verse three, because I have given you the premise of the story, and you’re going to know where I’m going. It says, for Pharaoh will say, and the children of Israel, they are bewildered by the land, and the wilderness has closed to me. And then I will harden Pharaoh’s heart so that he will pursue them.

00:46:04:16 – 00:46:31:24
And I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army. That the Egyptians may know that I am the Lord. And they did. So here’s what it is. God is speaking right here, and he’s talking to Moses. And he says, look, I want you to get to that Red sea when you get there. And he’s standing there in this moment when God begins to speak and God begins to reveal to Moses part of his plan, now I want you to you get this picture.

00:46:31:24 – 00:46:54:11
They get to the Red sea. And as they’re standing there, if you read the verses and even the chapter before God or Pharaoh has let God’s people go and they’re on their way, there’s a by the way, there’s about a million of them. So scholars say, so to Moses is leading about a million people moving men, women, children, elderly, everybody.

00:46:54:17 – 00:47:12:24
They’re all going. And as they get to the Red sea now, they see this vast body of water and they cannot cross. How many of you would know that would be an obstacle? That’s an obstacle when you’re standing there and you don’t have a boat, you got no life rafts and you got a lot of people who certainly can’t swim.

00:47:12:29 – 00:47:38:19
And some say it was 14 miles across. How are you going to get that many people over there and do that? Well, Moses was facing and obstacle in his life. That was certainly impossible in that moment. Would you agree if you got that many people and you’re standing there looking at this vast body of water and then you turn around and look and you can see the the cloud of dust coming down the dirt road.

00:47:38:23 – 00:47:55:22
And it’s Pharaoh and his armies and his chariots, and they’re coming and they’re not to come. They’re not coming to give you a kiss goodbye. They’re coming to grab you and take you back to Egypt. And if you resist, they’re going to kill you. So how many of you know? Now that’s really an obstacle. And number two, you’re running out of options.

00:47:55:22 – 00:48:21:11
When something like that happens, I want you to track with me. We live in our lives today. This I’d idea that we should always have options and that we should never have obstacles as a Christian. But I’ve just got to tell you, that’s not reality. As a matter of fact, I need you to know that sometimes you’re going to run out of options and you’re going to face obstacles.

00:48:21:18 – 00:48:42:18
Number one, because you have an enemy that is always pursuing you. You understand that he’s always looking to destroy you, so you’re always got someone on your tail. If I could say it that way, you’re always going to have someone willing to come and destroy that Satan. But number two, you got to realize that God allows some of those things to happen in our life.

00:48:42:18 – 00:49:02:29
And he does it for a reason. Why would God allow you or me to get in a position in our life that we’re out of options and we’re facing big obstacles? I’m talking about some impossibilities. I’m not talking about something you can work out, something you can do. I’m talking about. Have you ever found yourself in a situation?

00:49:02:29 – 00:49:21:24
It may be addiction. It may be the loss of a job. It may be your finances. It may be your health. It may be something with your kids. It may be, just any event in your life that you find yourself out of options, facing a big obstacle, and you don’t know what to do. There’s there’s nothing else you can do.

00:49:22:01 – 00:49:45:24
And I want you to understand, if you read the text with me carefully, God allows that to happen for a reason. Number one, why would God allow them to get that far? Moses has gone through. He’s endured going ten times. Ten times to Pharaoh and saying, God said, let my people go. And every time Pharaoh hardens his heart, nope, I’m not going to do it.

00:49:45:28 – 00:50:06:28
And God sends these different plagues upon him. And so he’s going through all of this. And finally the day comes that he says, okay, everybody, get your stuff together. We’re moving out. Come morning, God’s going to make it so that Pharaoh lets his people go, well, he gets them there. And can you imagine God didn’t tell Moses to begin in beginning.

00:50:07:04 – 00:50:23:28
Oh, yeah. By the way, you’re going to get to the Red sea, and you’re going to find yourself out of options and facing a big obstacle. But what you don’t know, unless you read the text, is that God orchestrated all of that, not to lead the children of Israel into a trap, but rather to lead Pharaoh into a trap.

00:50:24:04 – 00:50:41:15
See, God was still on the side of Israel, by the way. He still is today, but he was on their side. He already knew what he was going to do, but he was going to bring Pharaoh. He has hardened heart and his wicked servants along that way, and he was going to bring them to that place so that he could utterly destroy them.

00:50:41:20 – 00:51:18:03
And God would have honor and all the nation of Israel, till this very day would remember what God did to the Egyptians. What God did in a moment of impossibility for Israel. I heard Benjamin Netanyahu the other day say that the history of Israel is summed up in one word miracles, miracles, everything. I don’t know if you were watching the news just a few days ago last week when Iran was launching bombs at Israel, and they talk about how many of them came and how few of them actually hit.

00:51:18:09 – 00:51:44:05
And it was nothing short of miracle unless how God gave them technology and some of the other nations around them, and were able to pinpoint and take out those missiles, intend to destroy Israel. God has always and always will love and protect Israel marked that down. But I need you to know that God will always love you and protect you because you are his child.

00:51:44:07 – 00:52:09:12
God loves you and God has a purpose for you. And so many times what you and I think may be our undoing or it may be our end. You’ve got to know it’s just God setting Satan up to give him a tail whipping. All right, that’s the best way I know to put it. It’s just God setting up so that he can show off and show who he is that you remember, and you have a testimony to tell others.

00:52:09:18 – 00:52:28:19
I was in this impossible moment of my life, out of options, facing big obstacles. I didn’t know what to do. But I need you to know it really became an opportune tunity for God to show up and show out. How do I know this? Read on with me. So it says we. I just read to you verse number three.

00:52:28:22 – 00:52:51:07
And the Lord told Moses what he was going to do. So look at verse number. We read verse three and four. Look at verse five. It says, now it was told the king of Egypt, that’s Pharaoh, that the people had fled, and the heart of Pharaoh and his servants was turned against the people. And they said, why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?

00:52:51:07 – 00:53:09:05
In other words, they had a really good deal. They had all these people as their slave, and we’re doing the work for them for free. So you can see from their point of view is wicked as it was that they’re saying, well, we had a pretty good deal. What why did we let them go? Well, why didn’t one?

00:53:09:05 – 00:53:29:24
When do we get rid of a good deal? And so the Bible goes on to tell us in the next few verses that God hardened the heart of Pharaoh. Now I want you to I want you to understand what I’m saying and understand what the Bible is saying. It’s saying that God hardens the heart of Pharaoh. Why is that important?

00:53:29:26 – 00:53:57:04
You understand that even the most wicked and evil scheme brought against you cannot happen without the Lord giving approval. You may not realize it, but you have to understand God is sovereign. If you don’t believe that, read the Book of Joe. So you need to understand that even the worst things that seem to be unfolding in your life, God still has a purpose and plan for it.

00:53:57:09 – 00:54:25:22
How do I know that? Because I read Romans chapter eight in Romans eight is one of those famous passages of Scripture that says this, that all things work together for the good of those that love God and are called according to his purpose. Now just read Ephesians for a moment, and you’re going to find out that if you’re a believer, you have been called chosen by God with a purpose for his glory.

00:54:25:23 – 00:54:46:22
You understand that. Read Ephesians one to tell you all about that. And so what I want you to know is that God says in His Word in Romans chapter eight that all things work together. Don’t miss that word together. It does not mean that all things are good. I hear people misquote that and I’m going, okay, I’ve been through some things in my life that were not good.

00:54:46:24 – 00:55:09:12
You have to write. I’ve been in. I’ve survived 11 car accidents. That’s pretty good. But the car accident wasn’t very good. Okay. I’ve been in a lot of wrecks in my life. Not. Not including bull riding wrecks. Not including the women whipping me. You know, my wife. No, I’d wake y’all up. I’ve had some things that were not good in my life.

00:55:09:14 – 00:55:30:27
But here’s the deal. When I was growing up, my mom with. Matter of fact, we didn’t really have Walmart when I was little. I don’t remember what. I remember when the Decatur got a Walmart and Walmart was where Tractor Supply is. Okay, just give y’all a history lesson. So when I was a kid, we had what was called Kmart.

00:55:30:27 – 00:55:44:16
How many of you know what Kmart is? Some of the older ones. Yeah. Kmart. All right. And by the way, when you walked in Walmart, I met him for a minute. But when you walked in Walmart, the sign said Made in America. I know they’re Sam Walton wouldn’t sell anything when Made in America. Sam Walton had been gone.

00:55:44:16 – 00:56:04:08
So it was Walmart for a long time, I don’t know, but it’s changed. But my mom, I didn’t go to Walmart to buy a cake. My mom made everything from scratch. And so my mom would take and I don’t know how she did it. I mean, I watched her and it was just great, but she had. How many of y’all know what beaters are?

00:56:04:10 – 00:56:20:13
You know this. You put these two beaters. It’s a little machine looking thing and it and it would stir up all your stuff. So she’d put the batter to the cake and then some eggs. And we usually use guinea eggs, chicken eggs, duck eggs. I’m, I get whatever we had in farm. The duck eggs, guinea pigs they were richer.

00:56:20:13 – 00:56:47:26
They were more yellow. You make a yellow cake. Use that. She put all that in there and some sugar and she’d get all of that. And she had to take them beaters and the beaters. When you’re done, you would pull off. And the highlight of my day was to be standing next to my mama when she was making that batter, and be able to lick those beaters, I would look them thinking, man, if you’ve never looked a beater, you you’ve not lived.

00:56:47:26 – 00:57:06:21
That’s all I got to say. Homemade cake batter. Man, that was good. Or she’d make mashed potatoes. And my brother and I stand tender. Let me have to beat her. Yeah, well, we’re making this thing probably not safe. Oh, she’d probably have a fit today, but, you know, whatever. It was great. I feel sorry for kids today. They’re missing out.

00:57:06:21 – 00:57:27:16
They never wrote a bike without a helmet. They never. They’ve never drank out of a water hose. Never looked a beater. They don’t know what freedom is. Do they, man? But the my point here is she would take no if I were to just eat a raw egg. I saw Rocky do that one time on TV. How many of y’all remember Rocky?

00:57:27:19 – 00:57:49:00
Rocky would drink them raw eggs. Did you go run? Well, I tried that and threw up. It didn’t work for me. Roids do not go down. Good. Okay. Secondly, just flour or the bat in that that don’t taste good. But when you take all of it together and you put it together and you mix it up, man, it’ll make your tongue meet your brains out.

00:57:49:00 – 00:58:14:22
I mean, it’s great. It’s great you lick that stuff, it’s awesome. And then we would take the bowl in our finger and we remember washing my hands, see? And I survived. We lick that bowl like a couple of bloodhound dog. Just lick that mold till we got every bit of it out. It was awesome. Now, if you took those ingredients by themselves, they weren’t good, but you mix them up.

00:58:14:24 – 00:58:38:21
All things work together. For what? For good. So? So what I’m telling you is that we. You may be going through something in your life right now, and you’re going to. How is this going to be good? How is this good? It may not be good. And I wouldn’t dare come along and say, oh, I’m sorry you’ve experienced this loss or that loss in your it’s good, but what?

00:58:38:21 – 00:58:58:19
The promise I can give you from the Bible is, is that God? When he steps in, he’s going to take that and a little bit of that, a little bit of that in your life, a little bit of that. And he’s going to one day bring it all together so that one day he uses it for your good and his glory, because you’re called according to his purpose.

00:58:58:22 – 00:59:16:04
How is it good that Moses is standing with 1 million people who, by the way, by this time are dropping? They’re going, we should or you should have left us in Egypt to die. Now we’re fixing to get murdered. Or, you know, we could have been serving there and we could have at least had food three squares and a, you know, a hot in the corner.

00:59:16:05 – 00:59:32:14
Whatever. We we were good back there. Now we’re out here in the elements, and us and our children are going to die a horrible death. And Moses, Moses goes before the Lord and he begins to pray.

00:59:32:16 – 00:59:53:13
So look down at verse 13, by the way, verse 12, the children of Israel are saying to Moses, he would have been better for us to stay in Egypt than out here in the wilderness. And the Lord, by the way, is he hears all this. And so the Lord speaks to Moses, and and Moses speaks to the people.

00:59:53:15 – 01:00:29:23
And so Moses says this in verse 13, and Moses said to the people, hey, here, here’s the tough part. This is the part that takes incredible faith. This is the part that you have to decide now. And I say now because it’s not a matter of if, but when you find yourself in a place that you have no options and great obstacles, okay, if you’re not there now, it will come in your life.

01:00:29:25 – 01:00:53:07
But I need you to know it’s not God punishing you. It’s God setting you up so that you have an opportunity to see his glory. Hey, can I just tell you something? When you live your life with your options. Well, you know, I have. I have a plan B, I have a plan C, and by the way, that’s not wrong to do that.

01:00:53:09 – 01:01:12:08
God gave me a brain. All right? I’m not telling you to check your brain when you become a Christian. you should have a you have a brain. The Bible tells us in Proverbs. Listen to me that the ant stores up in the summer for the winter. Okay? So. So God gave him brain. An ant ran a brain.

01:01:12:11 – 01:01:37:28
Sorry. He gave that that and a brain. He surely gave you one to. But there are times when we run completely out of options. Like. Like I don’t have a plan A or B or C or D, I don’t have any other options. I’m in a position in my life that I’m stuck. I’m. You’ve ever heard this about an addict?

01:01:38:01 – 01:02:01:21
You got to wait and let them hit rock bottom. Whether it’s alcohol and it’s pornography, whether it’s drugs, whether it’s food, whatever, whatever, whatever. We have the propensity to be addicted to a lot of things. You have to wait till they come to what, rock bottom so they have no options. Let me tell you why that matters. I give you some cowboy lingo right here.

01:02:01:21 – 01:02:29:16
You ready? When I was a kid, We rode horses that were not as bred. As good as horses are today. There were certain horses in capture. Horses? If you saw them near them. You know what I’m talking about. Back 30, 40 years ago, had the genetics in them to be nuts. Does it resonate? You understand what I’m talking about.

01:02:29:18 – 01:02:49:15
Where they state bred some of that out of cattle were the same way category the same way, and so my dad would buy at times a lot of cattle and we would have to be working those cattle. And sometimes we got some cows and some bulls that were nuts. I don’t mean, I don’t mean like a little up there, push it around the pens a little bit.

01:02:49:15 – 01:03:08:14
I mean, nuts. So like, you couldn’t hardly work them and we would be trying to load them into a trailer or something. I think I did this not long ago with Gator, and I wonder if this place was Anthony’s place, trying to load this heifer. And she was crazy and she didn’t want to go in the trailer we had.

01:03:08:22 – 01:03:30:27
And as we were moving her down and from this pen to that pen, I finally said to him, my wheels begin to turn in, remembered my childhood. My dad would say to me, And I’ll say this to all of you guys that were cattle. You’ve got to reduce their options. That cow would run back into this pen and after spinning this pen everywhere but where we wanted to go and I said, hey guys, my dad always taught me we’ve got to reduce their options in him or in.

01:03:30:27 – 01:03:50:28
So we begin to reduce our options. You can go to this point. We put some panels up to where she really only had one option to face my hot shot or get in the trailer. Guess which one she eventually chose? She got in the trailer reluctantly, but she got to try it. So what I’m telling you is we’re not much different than cattle in that way.

01:03:51:04 – 01:04:19:06
If we got options, we’ll go every other option. But God. This is be honest. We will. We’ll think through, we’ll strategize, we’ll try to figure it out. Everything. But go to God for the answer. Or his word was the last time you were facing a financial crisis. And instead of calling your friend, your your relative, or your financial advisor, when’s the last time you open your Bible?

01:04:19:08 – 01:04:50:07
When’s the last time when you were facing fear? Instead of going and seeing psychologist, you got on your face before. God hasn’t got any courage and I need you to dispel fear and give me a a mind of power, love not not a spirit of fear. So when you run out of options, you’re kind of forced in that moment to do what?

01:04:50:10 – 01:05:17:27
To turn to God. Moses. I think God wanted them to go across there realizing you guys are out of options. You’re facing an obstacle. So big that you can’t overcome it. And look what he says. I started to read verse 13 and I stopped and Moses said to the people, do not be afraid. Stand still. How many of you know and you’re scared?

01:05:18:00 – 01:05:38:21
It’s difficult to stand still. I always tell people, look at me, I’m old. I’m an old guy. If you see me running, you better start running to that mean something’s chasing me. Okay? And I have this mindset, this. This instinct in me. Just, you know, growing up, like, all I got to do is outrun you to the fence.

01:05:38:21 – 01:05:56:03
And I survived out here. Young from the fence. So our young guys were fighting bulls, you know? And if we don’t have a bull out there, I’m like, okay, you got one shot, I’m going to run by one time. I’m going to the fence and you’re on your own. If you don’t get up and get out there. Sorry buddy, I ain’t coming back.

01:05:56:05 – 01:06:22:10
But we all want to stand still, do we? When we’re really afraid, when things are really, you know, coming apart in our lives, standing still, be still and knowing that he is God is kind of hard to do, especially when you’re wired like me. I mean, how many you ever tried to have a conversation with me, right? It’s like, you know, you got me for 4 to 5 minutes and I.

01:06:22:13 – 01:06:41:22
I love what you’re saying. I’m interested in what you’re saying. But God wired me like after 4 or 5 minutes, we got to go talk about or do something else, like, I can’t, I can’t sit still. I have to be going. It’s how God made me. So it’s very difficult. So whenever you say, Jeff, just wait on the Lord.

01:06:41:22 – 01:07:02:23
I’m like, okay, give him five minutes. Where is he? I’m just being honest and I think God should. Lord, I need you now. You got to show up now. And how many of you know the Lord ain’t going to show up till he’s ready to show up? Because his time is perfect. Time. And my time is just tack it time and it ain’t no good young say amen right there.

01:07:02:23 – 01:07:29:21
Okay, I heard Diego make t shirts about that. he says, stand still and stand still and do what? And see the salvation of the Lord. Stand still and see. In other words, hey, he’s saying, hey, just just be still. You don’t have to do anything in this moment. But trust me, you can not wait. You can’t do anything in that moment.

01:07:29:21 – 01:07:52:11
But trust him. You’re pinned in your hand. Him, Moses in him. They got this big red sea ahead of him. They got Pharaoh and his large army coming at him. What’s he going to do? He can’t run backwards. They go to get him. He can’t run forward. They’re going to drown. But he God says just stand still. Sometimes I think God wants us just to be still.

01:07:52:14 – 01:08:11:14
Now, don’t misunderstand me. I can give you a lot of stuff in the Bible. Abraham, pack your stuff and go. Where are we going? I’ll tell you as you’re going. I believe you read in your Bible God blesses people who are doing something okay. I don’t believe he just blesses people who are lazy, who sit around. Proverbs says a lot about that.

01:08:11:16 – 01:08:38:04
But there are times in our life when we’re so when our when our squirrel is running around the cage so fast, he’s about to give out that God says, just stop, be still and watch what I do. You’ve run out of options. You’ve run out of, you’re facing big obstacles. Just be still. Because now this is an opportunity for you to see my glory.

01:08:38:06 – 01:09:03:29
And that’s what he’s telling Moses. Be still and see the salvation of the Lord, which will which he. Listen and listen carefully, which he God, will accomplish for you today? one thing that day we’re going to be able to do. And the Jews, to this day, this hour, still celebrate this event. And you know what? They give God glory to this day.

01:09:03:29 – 01:09:28:14
Nobody says, wow, Moses was an awesome leader. No, Moses was just listening to what God Moses is the one who said, Lord, I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what else I can do. And he just did the only thing he could do and that’s cry out to the Lord. Sometimes God allows us to be in a place because we’ve moved so far away, or our ears have become so deafened to God’s Spirit that we don’t hear him.

01:09:28:14 – 01:09:49:10
We don’t listen to him. We’re not looking for him. We’re not seeking him. We don’t want his glory. He puts us in a place that we’re like, okay, I’m driven to my knees, Lord, I need you to show up and show out. How many of you ever read your Bible enough to read about those big butts? All right, come on.

01:09:49:10 – 01:10:08:29
Wait, wait, wait. I preached the sermon one time. I love Big Bible, but. And the part of what I’m telling you about is I love that part. When you read their backs against the wall, things are coming apart. It looks like there’s nothing else. There’s no hope. And then the Bible says something like this. But God, you ever read that?

01:10:09:01 – 01:10:30:05
So all throughout your Bible. God, that’s one of these God moments. God is about to show up. It looks like everything else has failed and it has. And they need God to show up and do something in their life. And they they know that salvation will only come from him. Can I tell you salvation only still comes from him.

01:10:30:12 – 01:11:00:11
It is His word and what he accomplished. And so it says here. He says, for the Egyptians whom you see today, what was their obstacle? Who were their enemies? The Egyptians, the Egyptians that you see today? He says, you shall see again no more forever. For the Lord will fight for you, and you shall do what? Hold your peace.

01:11:00:18 – 01:11:21:19
Now when you read that, somebody say, hold your peace like, oh, that means shut up. No, no, that means be still. Be still. Hold on to your peace. Hold on. Because what you’re about, what the devil wants in that moment, is he wants to create fear, doubt, uncertainty and unbelief in your life. How many have you ever been there?

01:11:21:19 – 01:11:50:09
How many are there? Right now? You have to raise your hand. But I’ve been there many, many, many times. Several times a week usually. Okay. And what happens is he wants to get you so stirred up and so worried, so depressed, so distracted that you do. What? What’s the devil’s number one objective? If he can get you to lose your peace, see, when you know you’re walking in the will of God, the one mark that you will have.

01:11:50:12 – 01:12:10:20
If I’m sitting, talking to somebody, I have learned if I want to size them up in a way not not judge him, but I want to see what kind of a Christian am I talking to? I want to watch for what kind of peace do they have in their life? Because if they don’t have peace, then then, then God’s not ruling their heart.

01:12:10:23 – 01:12:29:17
For the Bible says that the peace of God shall rule your heart. And whenever the devil can rob your peace, then he can get you to do all kinds of dumb things. He can get you to make all kinds of dumb decisions. But as long as you’ve got the peace of God, who’s that? Come through the Spirit of God.

01:12:29:20 – 01:13:04:07
So when I’ve got the Spirit of God, I’ve got the peace of God. I can hold my peace. I don’t have to lose hope. I don’t have to get distracted, depressed, all messed up over what’s happening. I can know that I serve a God that is still in charge, still in control, and everything happening in my life is going to work together for good because I’m called by God and I have a purpose in God, and he has a purpose for me, and he is going to show me his glory so that he can get maximum glory.

01:13:04:07 – 01:13:22:28
You understand where I’m at. So this is what’s about to happen. Look at verse number 14. We’re almost done, he says, and verse 15 and the Lord said to Moses, why do you cry to me? Now? I don’t know about you, but I have been crying at that moment to like, Lord, Lord, these people are about to stone me.

01:13:22:28 – 01:13:44:05
Pharaoh’s come and we’re going to drown. We. I need you to do something. He says. Why do you cry to me? That is said, not what we often do. And the word cry here isn’t like, Lord, I need your help. It’s crying like complaining. Okay? Why do you come to me? Tell the children of Israel to do what?

01:13:44:07 – 01:14:00:28
Now notice what they had to do first. There’s a there’s a step. There’s a process in this. Be still first. Remember that. Be still. Can you imagine? You got a million people out there like a bunch of fire ants. They’re running around like, oh, man, what are we going to do? Moses? Moses, can I have a meeting with you?

01:14:01:00 – 01:14:21:29
Moses? They’re coming up. Moses. And Moses is like, but you just shut up. And there’s a million of them doing that to him, and they just won’t be still. So God says, first thing is be still. Stop. Hold on to your peace. And then God says, why do you cry to me? And then what did he say? Tell the people to do what?

01:14:22:01 – 01:14:42:17
Read that. Go forward that don’t you go forward if you haven’t stopped and be still to realize, oh yeah, you’re out of options, but your options weren’t going to work anyway, and you’re facing some obstacles that are too great for you to to be still. You’ve got to be still and know that he’s God and you’re not. But he’s able and you’re not.

01:14:42:21 – 01:15:02:04
And if you just trust him, he’ll show up and he’ll show out in your behalf. So he says, be still, hold on to your peace. And now what you say now go forward. Go for God. God didn’t call us to sit still permanently. He just calls us to sit still and wait on him until we have his will.

01:15:02:04 – 01:15:26:04
We? We understand. He has revealed wills to us. Where is God’s revealed will to us? It’ll come through the Holy Spirit, but it’ll come primarily from His Word. Every page in your Bible is God’s written will to mankind. Everything you want to know about the Lord. It’s right here. Everything you want to know about your obstacle, it’s right here in the Bible.

01:15:26:07 – 01:15:58:01
Just read it, learn it. Let it soak in. Let that word in saturate you. And then look what he says. He says, you tell them to go forward. Verse 16, we’re almost done. He says, but lift up your rod. Lift up your rod. Now that doesn’t seem very encouraging to me, Lord, they got chariots, spears, shields, men. We’re outnumbered, out resourced.

01:15:58:03 – 01:16:21:01
and and you want me to take a rod? What am I gonna do with the rod? Well, listen, stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. And I will indeed I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them.

01:16:21:08 – 01:17:05:03
So I will gain honor over Pharaoh, and over all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen. Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord. And when I have gained honor for myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen, what does that mean? God saying, hey, all of this is part of my plan. Moses. This was to put you in a place so that you and the children of Israel would remember my great power and my salvation, that you, for to come will give me glory, because I showed up and showed out on your behalf, and it so that even in Egypt today they have not forgotten when the Israelites were let out in,

01:17:05:03 – 01:17:24:10
Pharaoh’s armies were destroyed. That’s a historical fact, by the way. And whenever they think of that, when I stand here today and can tell you that story and we read it in the Bible, it’s a it’s a reminder to you and I if God did it for them, he’ll do it for you. You’re obstacle may not be a red sea.

01:17:24:15 – 01:18:06:22
Your obstacle may be an addiction. You’re an obstacle may be your marriage. You’re you’re ops are problems in your marriage. Your obstacle may be your job, your finances, your health. I could we could go on and on, understand that that obstacle is just as real to use as she was to them, but also understand that the God who showed up for them is the same God you and I serve today, and that will show up on our behalf and understand today that the purpose of running out of options, facing obstacles is to set you up for the opportunity for God to show his glory to you.

01:18:06:24 – 01:18:20:25
See, we always think, and I’m closing, I’m going to close my Bible, okay? Putting that thing away. You see it? I’m I’m I’m landing the plane. Hang on.

01:18:20:27 – 01:18:47:21
I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to live my life getting just a little bit of God’s glory. I don’t want that. it’s not how I live my life, period. I mean, like, if I’m going to go in, I go all in, I want. I don’t want all or nothing. I went and played bingo for the first time last night.

01:18:47:23 – 01:19:05:22
I almost lost my stuff. They were going so fast, and I knew I had to win in court, though I never played before. And when I lost two games, I just quit. I gave my cards and I’m like, I ain’t playing this no more. I do not like losing. I do not like to lose. It drives me insane.

01:19:05:22 – 01:19:28:29
That’s why we don’t have a church softball team. Number one, because I don’t want to play softball. And number two, if we did, I lost. I’d be mad. I’d be mad. I just don’t like to lose. And I don’t like to sit still. I don’t like to, wait. my my daughter’s over here. She’ll tell you. dad, you know, I didn’t go to Six Flags very many times.

01:19:29:06 – 01:19:57:12
And growing up, she’ll tell you, if we walk to a restaurant, there’s a wait in line. I don’t care what kind of food they got. I ain’t waiting for that. I ain’t standing lot. I’ll lose my stuff. I can’t do that in my life. I tell you that. Like I just tell a lie. No. So? So you can understand this morning, from my perspective, when I talk about from the Bible, the truth of waiting on God being still, when I say, I know that’s hard, I know that’s hard, that’s tough.

01:19:57:14 – 01:20:35:07
But but I’ve also lived long enough to know and facing this obstacles in my life and run out of my own options. I’ve been in those places now enough times that there’s nothing else I can do but trust him, and for a while, I might have a lot of curse. The fact that I’m in that position until I realize beyond it that the whole purpose of that was to destroy my enemy, Satan, to put him in his place, but also to show me the true glory of God.

01:20:35:10 – 01:21:06:28
So you’ve heard me. You’ve heard me many times. I hope y’all don’t get tired of hearing it, because I’m not going to get tired of saying it. Like when I got stepped on at 16 and almost died, my parents prayed for God to keep her. You go through something like that you never forget. But the reason it means so much to me is because every day I look in the mirror, I see scars in my face and I am reminded of when everybody else was out of options and the obstacles were so big.

01:21:07:00 – 01:21:35:14
It was just an opportunity for God to step in and do something in my life that has changed me, and I’ve never been the same for it. I don’t know what’s going on in your life today. I don’t know what kind of obstacles you’re facing, and I don’t know how close you are to being completely out of options, but I just came to tell you today peace deal.

01:21:35:16 – 01:22:07:00
Hold on to your peace. That’s what the devil wants to take, thing. Get your peace. And he’s got you. Hold on to your peace. And then move forward. When God says to notice they didn’t do that. And by the way, what happened next? They all got spears, chariots, everything. All Moses has is a rod in his hand. Can I tell you, God, when it comes to God’s options, he doesn’t need great resources.

01:22:07:02 – 01:22:44:21
He’s got it anyway. He takes simple things, like a rod in Moses’s hand and stretches it out over the sea. And God parched the Red sea. And the rest of that story is the children of Israel go through. I read one time that they, like I said, they had discovered the area where they crossed Archeologically. They have found that that place they say, with the amount and the depth of water there today and what it would have been in that date, also parting that water, that they would have probably been at minimum 12ft of mud and slush.

01:22:44:21 – 01:23:07:22
So God didn’t just dry up the waters above, he dried all around them. But God did that which was miraculous. See we are. How many of you said, well, I need a miracle from God? Well, my question to yes. Are you desperate enough to see that miracle? Are you willing to be still? Hold on to your peace and then be ready to move forward when he says, and watch and see the salvation of the Lord.

01:23:07:29 – 01:23:32:09
Because when God does miracles, you understand. We use that term so loosely. And it was a miracle. That was a miracle. but if you or I had much to do with it. No, it was it. A miracle is when all other options are gone. When the obstacles way too big, but the glory of God shows up and he changes everything.

01:23:32:12 – 01:23:58:12
But God wants from you and I to realize this morning that he’s a God of great power, a God of great glory, and he wants to get glory through your life. Because when he gets glory through your life, then he gets glory to everybody around you in your life because you know what happens. You have a testimony. That’s why it’s so important.

01:23:58:12 – 01:24:24:03
You hear me and others talk about. Share your testimony. It ain’t my testimony. It’s your testimony. You know, the first four letters of the word testimony you’ve heard me say, this is t e s t test. You got to go through test to get the testimony. But when you do, what is that testimony? That testimony is God is great and his glory is unbelievable.

01:24:24:05 – 01:24:48:22
And you walk with and live in the glory in the presence of God. And you may not get there until you’ve had that ridge. C moment to where you’re still and see the salvation. Lord, hold on to your peace and then move forward. Let’s pray.

01:24:48:24 – 01:25:19:28
Lord, today, all over this building and those listening online, I know God that there’s some facing great obstacles. I know there’s many who have lost options. Remind us today, Lord, that this is a day and a moment and an opportunity to see your glory in our lives. Lord, I don’t know what many people are walking through in this moment.

01:25:20:01 – 01:25:46:05
I have no idea the challenges they are facing or have faced. Even this week. Lord, I know that you’re a great God. I know you’re a faithful God. I know that God, your word is true and you never fail. Help us, Lord, not to fail in our faith. Our trust in you. Help us today, Lord, to with all our heart, with total abandonment.

01:25:46:05 – 01:26:15:13
God, help us to trust you and trust Your word. We ask this in Jesus name and I pray for anybody, whether they’re in this building today or they’re listening online that doesn’t know you, Jesus, as their Savior. Lord, I pray today they would repented of their sins, believe the gospel, believe that Jesus died on the cross, was buried and has risen from the grave, and is alive today and today, May day.

01:26:15:13 – 01:26:37:18
By faith, call upon your name. Jesus. Lord, you said, whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. May they do that today in faith of what Christ did, who he is. And Lord, I pray that they be saved today in Jesus name. Thank you for your word. Bless those that are going through things today.

01:26:37:18 – 01:27:03:17
Bless those that aren’t with us, those that are traveling. Lord, bless those that have lost loved ones. This week we pray for your grace, your spirit, your peace be upon them. In Jesus name I pray. Amen. All right, Sammy, you want to get ready? He’s going to get ready for baptism. Dennis. Melissa, y’all come back up here real quick.

01:27:03:19 – 01:27:27:07
I want y’all to sing a song. You sing. Remember, my name is Psalm. It is? Well, okay. It is well, you remember that? Well, they’re doing that. I’m going to tell you a back story to a part of that song. But before I do, before you leave today, two 3230 we’re going to have, bull Run. And if you didn’t get a bulletin when you came in.

01:27:27:07 – 01:27:53:29
Listen, Brandy. Theresa, if people want to bring stuff for the garage sale Saturday. Yeah. Stand up. Theresa. We’re going to have it at Theresa’s house. Him. Brandy. You’re hosting this thing? I want you to go to them, talk to them afterwards. If you have stuff you can donate to the garage sale. If you can help out in any way this weekend, please let them know we need some commitments.

01:27:53:29 – 01:28:12:03
Meaning? Yes, I will do it and I’ll be there. Okay. If you can help do that, please do that. Please see them on the back of your bulletin. There’s a QR code. They tell me that is a way that you can do online giving. If you want to do all I’m giving, there’s a QR code you can scan that we have a milk candy in the back.

01:28:12:03 – 01:28:35:09
Let me just say this to you. I appreciate you as a church and your faithfulness and commitment to give to the Lord. I can tell you right now, this week, this Sunday, this coming weeks, bills. We’ve got some really big bills we’re facing as a church. So if you can give and be faithful to the Lord, however he leads you, I know God will bless our church and bless what we do.

01:28:35:12 – 01:28:47:18
I want you to listen to this song. They sang it a moment ago, but I’m going to give you the backstory. Well, we’ll say that we’re giving Sammy a moment to get ready, and I want y’all to join in and sing it. And I think after you hear a little bit, it’s that the chorus. It is, it is.

01:28:47:18 – 01:29:05:00
Well, with my soul. Is that what you’d call it? Yeah, yeah. Yes. Okay. I don’t know much about music, but. So there was a guy named Horatio Stratford. Hey, guys, in the back. When you run, y’all sit and come back.

01:29:05:03 – 01:29:32:26
Last one to sit down. Gets to sing with them. No, keep up. I do want you to stand up. Horatio Spafford was a guy who lost his fortune in the Great Chicago Fire in 1800. He was going to England to help a preacher named D.L. Moody in some evangelistic campaigns. Revivals. He was doing a bit, he had some business to finish here, so he sent his wife in.

01:29:32:27 – 01:29:55:20
I think it was 3 or 4 daughters ahead of him while going across the Atlantic. This is ten days before the Titanic. They had a wreck with another ship and the ship was sunk. And Horatio Spafford gets his letter back. It’s famous. And it says, I alone have survived. It was his wife and it was there. Their four daughters perished in the sinking of that ship.

01:29:55:23 – 01:30:18:25
So this guy has gone through losing his businesses, his fortunes, everything. The great Chicago Fire only months later to lose all of his children. His wife alone survives. She’s in England. He gets on a ship. And as he goes across to England to meet up with his wife, who? The only one who survives. Well, the captain of the ship got in the very area where the other ship had sunk with his children on it.

01:30:18:28 – 01:30:45:24
He stops and let him know this is the area where the ship went down, and in that moment he’s standing there and he’s he’s endured unimaginable loss. And he begins to pen these words. And they’re in this song. It is well, with my soul. That’s what I’m talking about. Hold your peace. The devil wants to rob you of peace.

01:30:45:24 – 01:31:19:02
But he was able to write and pen the words to one of the greatest hymns of all times. It is, well, myself. So we all sing this with a long way of saying and coming. And he was already there. Clark Kent okay, y’all sing a verse three two for it can do that. I got roll up your sleeves.

01:31:19:05 – 01:31:28:02
Yes, I believe for me. And I believe.

01:31:28:05 – 01:32:01:01
Even when my eyes can see. And his countenance in front of me. We’ll be thrown into the midst of the sea. Through it all. Through it all. My eyes are on you. Through it all. Through it all it is. When.

01:32:01:03 – 01:32:45:15
Through it all. Through it all. My eyes are. It is when it is when. So let it call my soul. And trust in him. The waves. And we still know his name. So let it go, my soul. And trust in him. Waves. And we still know his name.

01:32:45:18 – 01:32:59:13
He is with us, with my soul.

01:32:59:15 – 01:33:33:06
He it is With my soul. He it is well. He it is well with my soul. he it is with us.

01:33:33:09 – 01:33:52:28
With my soul. Thank you all to him. He is. And I love God. Great price.

01:33:53:01 – 01:34:25:16
He is where he is. Well, where he is. My son.

01:34:25:18 – 01:34:49:02
Well, let me read something to you. Or say something. I’m just going to keep this as short as possible. Sing this Queen. To do this kind of inspired me to get rebaptized again. I was baptized when I was born, just before my wife and I got married. I was baptized again most of my life growing up as a child, I felt like God really didn’t love me.

01:34:49:03 – 01:35:16:07
I blamed him for everything. and caused me to have PTSD and a bunch of other things in my life and anything and everything that was beautiful in my life. I wanted to destroy it because I didn’t think I was good enough to have it. I wasn’t worthy of having it. I just wasn’t working out for me. And I have ran away from God so many times and ran back to him.

01:35:16:07 – 01:35:42:02
And then once things were good and going good, and when things went bad, I left him again. Again blaming him for everything. And it was a test, you know, a continual test that I kept failing, miserable at, not too long ago, I literally tried to destroy every single thing I had ever worked for in my life. I wanted to erase that I was who I was at race, that I was married, a race that I had, kids.

01:35:42:04 – 01:36:04:26
They were better off without me and I was better off without them. That was my train of thought and I was like, I don’t deserve them. I’m not worthy of having them. The last two and a half years have been a roller coaster, especially for my wife and I, but I will say that we just celebrated our 23rd year of marriage this year, and we are closer now than you have ever been.

01:36:04:26 – 01:36:27:10
Now they laugh more. We enjoy each other more, better than when we first dated and when we first got married. Getting back to God and putting him first again in my life, especially at this age, I’m finally realizing that I am enough and I am good enough. No matter how much Satan tries to tell me that I’m not.

01:36:27:12 – 01:36:47:28
Jeff said a few weeks ago that my actions will always speak louder than my words. So today I’m taking action and will hold. Now continue to hold myself accountable for my actions and no longer blame God for bad things. It’s like he said a while ago, it’s all part of the matrix to solve this all working together. And that’s where you get the sweet candy.

01:36:48:01 – 01:36:55:19
So thank you all.

01:36:55:22 – 01:37:21:03
Sammy, how are you? 48 and he was right in just in yesterday, right? Yeah. So he still ride bulls. He’s he’s one of our bull riders. He’s here to ride bulls this evening. All right. So I just want to take a moment and say I praise God for our brand ministry. Praise God for all of our ministries. But I especially praise God for that one, because I’ve seen God use it in such a way to reach a lot of people.

01:37:21:05 – 01:37:48:27
And I want to say thank you. And I praise God for all of you who help, support and participate worked around it. There’s so many people here in this building that are here every week, working up there behind the scenes. It wouldn’t happen and I what you see happening here is, is God’s glory. And it’s because you’ve been faithful and I I’m for appreciate that as your pastor and I’m grateful to serve with y’all.

01:37:48:29 – 01:38:34:25
Okay. Tammy, I know the Lord Jesus, your Lord and Savior. And of course, in your testimony, we understand you committed your life to follow him. You’re recommitting your life, to him. And we just pray God’s blessings and favor upon you from this day forward for your profession thing is a privilege for us to baptize you, my brother, in the name of the father, the son, and the Holy Spirit buried in the likeness of his death, raised to walk in.

01:38:34:27 – 01:39:03:05
It will shine. Come on, come on. It’s what he says. It won’t. Yeah. All right. Yeah. We tell him, Randy, when you talk. About he’s going to close us in prayer. And when he’s done, you’re dismissed. God bless you. Have a great week. Look forward to seeing you Wednesday night, 6:00 Bible study. or at the garage sale next Saturday.

01:39:03:07 – 01:39:17:14
Of course. Back here in church on Sunday where you stay for the bull run. I’m sure we’ll have a great mud fight afterwards.

01:39:17:16 – 01:39:43:19
Lord, I want to thank you for allowing us all together today. Thank you for opening all of our hearts. Thank you for the word that Jeff put out and this great music this morning. Please be with us as we all travel home today and be with the bullfighters and bull riders and everybody working the buck out this afternoon.

01:39:43:22 – 01:39:50:19
Let us have a great week and gather next weekend. In your name we pray. Amen.