Participants: Cory Jackson
Series Code: OTR
Program Code: OTR000875
|
01:00 I'm thankful to be part of this rally.
01:02 You know that the word rally, 01:04 simply means to gather together 01:06 so that you can become inspired. 01:09 And we are living in such a time 01:10 where it's almost hard to be inspired 01:13 because they are so much bad news around us, Amen. 01:18 And so, I entitled to this sermon today, 01:21 oh, I forgot to have my V8. When I was little boy, 01:27 I didn't like vegetables at all. 01:30 Matter of fact I could not stand them 01:33 and it wasn't until I became a Christian 10 years ago 01:37 and decided to be a vegetarian that 01:40 I had to start liking vegetables. 01:43 And even though they are some that 01:46 I struggled with, I eat them, but there is 01:53 popular commercial that's on the TV today, 01:56 and basically whenever you see these commercials 02:00 about V8 juice, fruit juice and one particular 02:03 one that I like is, he is about to throw away 02:05 with his vegetables and amidst he throwing 02:08 his vegetables his wife hit some day at the noggin 02:10 and she says oh, oh you should to have had a V8. 02:13 And so, when I think about that, 02:16 I think about the understanding behind it 02:18 and the understanding behind it is if you don't 02:21 have your vegetables that your life would be 02:25 off balance, it would be unhealthy. 02:26 I never knew the importance of vegetables 02:30 even though my mother would scream at me 02:31 about eat vegetables son this and that, 02:35 but now being a vegetarian I understand 02:37 I can't live without them. And it's the same 02:41 way in the spiritual life that I believe that 02:43 many of us are not taking our vegetables, 02:46 which is the word of God and some of us 02:50 have forgotten the V8. And so if you were 02:55 closer I would probably hit you in the noggin 02:57 and said oh, oh you should have had your V8. 03:00 As you look, in the world around us is seemly 03:06 not getting any better. Matter of fact, it's a 03:09 jungle out here. My children, they love to 03:13 go to the zoo. And I'm at the point now well 03:17 may not have to pay to go to the zoo anymore, 03:19 especially in the city of Detroit which is the 03:21 second most violent city in America. 03:23 I can just go to a local neighborhood 03:26 and watch the Tigers and the animals and 03:29 the Bears oh my, but it's a sad commentary, 03:33 where we live and how we live. 03:35 And I want to tell you that, that's not far from 03:39 many of us, anytime you and I don't spend 03:44 time with God. There is a Beast that resides 03:48 in all of us. I was looking at CNN 03:52 and I'm an advocate of watching news. 03:55 There is anything I'm guilty off 03:56 I watch CNN too much. And yesterday as I 04:00 watching the news I listened to a man, 04:03 who was watching his girlfriend's baby 04:07 and you've probably heard about it, 04:10 he was given her bath, she didn't like 04:13 a hair wash, she began crying, the crying get 04:17 even more intense, he got so upset with her, 04:21 he threw in the dryer, he threw it in the dryer. 04:26 The dryer had already been on so you know 04:28 that the heat was already exceedingly hot, 04:31 but he threw in the dryer and he says for 04:33 only five seconds as though he is some hero, 04:37 but that's the type of world we live in. 04:40 where there is bestiality all around us from 04:45 violence to sexual predators. There is a 04:49 website out now for pedophiles that 04:51 teaches them how to get close to a child 04:54 without breaking the law. And he is a pedophile 04:57 and is so the internet. If you have your Bibles, 05:02 I know you do go to Isaiah 64, verse 6, 05:05 and I'm like Pastor Howard, I love when 05:08 people say Amen. And in my church 05:12 if you don't if you are not there they generally 05:15 say give me a minute. So we won't leave 05:18 anyone out, amen. So if you not there yet 05:22 you can simply say give me a minute. 05:23 Isaiah chapter 64, talking about the need of having 05:30 of the V8, the verse 6 simply says, 05:34 but we are all as an unclean thing, 05:38 and all our righteousness are as what? 05:41 Filthy Rags; and we do all fade as a leaf; 05:45 and our iniquities, like the wind, 05:48 have taken us where, away so the best that 05:51 I could give God is still like a what, filthy rag. 05:56 Go one look over to Jeremiah chapter 13, 05:59 Jeremiah chapter 13th, Jeremiah the 13th 06:04 chapter familiar text, verse 23, 06:09 the Bible says at this way, can Ethiopian 06:14 change his skin, or the leopard his spots? 06:17 Then may ye also do good that are 06:20 accustomed to do what, Evil. 06:23 So, you and I are used to do what Evil. 06:27 I give you an example. Say you have in a bad day, 06:30 no, no, no you folks you don't have a bad day, 06:33 but let's say you have in a bad day 06:35 and for some reason the shoes you worn last 06:38 night just all of the sudden developed 06:40 a corn on one of your toes, and all of the 06:44 sudden someone comes in happy go lucky 06:46 and smile and not really penetrated 06:47 what they are doing and they just step on 06:49 your foot. Get tired, get irritated and you are 06:54 countered, Amen, your first response 06:59 would be hey thank you, have a great day. 07:03 Your first response would be this, 07:05 but didn't you catch yourself. 07:09 So our first response generally is what, 07:11 of Evil and so God says that our righteousness 07:16 as filthy rags and we are accustomed to 07:18 doing what Evil. Jeremiah 17 verse 9, 07:23 says that the heart is deceitful above 07:26 what all things and desperately what wicked. 07:30 So it tells you already of our condition 07:33 before we even get started with a message. 07:36 Uh, oh I should had a what V8. 07:40 One of my favorite books, The "Mount of Blessings" 07:44 page 22 says this; the heart of man is 07:49 by nature cold, dark and unloving. 07:55 The heart of man by nature is cold, 07:59 dark and what, unloving. 08:03 This is the reason why it's easy for 08:05 someone to kill a baby, mess with a child, 08:08 rape someone, rob someone, killed 08:10 without a moment because anytime you 08:13 and I are not possessed by Christ. 08:17 We are not natural state, are you with me so far? 08:23 And I'm gonna to show you real life example 08:25 of this, if I may. Turn in your book to do in 08:30 your Bibles at Daniel chapter 4, 08:34 one of the horrifying things about society 08:38 is that no matter, if you have security 08:40 alarms, no matter if you have an arsenal, 08:46 there is still a chance that you and I subject 08:48 violence, Amen. No matter if we are in 08:53 cold water or Detroit, you're subject to some 08:57 type of violence. There was a young 09:00 girl in Minnesota age 14, who was pregnant 09:05 and her parents did not know she was 09:08 pregnant and how that is I don't know, 09:10 but they did not know she was pregnant. 09:15 So she has the baby and of course 09:17 because of parents did not know she wanted 09:20 to get rid off the baby and so she decided 09:23 that she is going to kill the baby and hide 09:27 the baby in the garage. Now, killing the baby is 09:32 sad enough, but she commenced to 09:35 stabbing the baby a 135 times. 09:43 Now you tell me what's wrong with that 09:46 picture. This is the world we live in and 09:50 in each one of us there is a beast ready to 09:53 lunge out. Are you with me so forth? 09:57 All you have to do is have a bad day 10:00 and watch the beast come out on your spouse, 10:04 on your children, on your co-workers 10:08 or even somebody in the church family. 10:11 You can have a bad day and walk in to miles, 10:13 and she missed ring up your mout, 10:16 and it's more than you having your pocket. 10:20 And there would be terror at the corner, 10:25 there is a beast in all of us. And Nebuchadnezzar 10:28 is a perfect example of this. In Daniel chapter 1 10:33 and I will review for you for time purpose, 10:36 Nebuchadnezzar had many chances to accept God, 10:41 amen. In Daniel chapter 1 we see Daniel who is 10:46 taking away from his family into captivity 10:48 and Scott was believed he was age 17 and 10:51 17 years old he is in Babylon, the greatest 10:55 nation at the time. And because of his wisdom, 11:00 Nebuchadnezzar besides that Daniel and his three 11:04 Hebrews were going to be scholars for him. 11:08 And so he told them that they need to 11:10 change their diet that they need to eat like him, 11:14 eat as food and drink as wine and so Daniel says 11:18 not so king, somebody else say amen. 11:22 That even our young people, when they told 11:24 right would be obedient. So Daniel said not so, 11:27 he said do you understand by doing this what you put 11:31 me at risk to do to you, Daniel understood to God 11:35 he serves so, he says just give me 10 days 11:38 and just give me vegetables and water 11:41 and watch God work and after 10 days 11:43 you know the story he was 10 times what stronger 11:45 and wiser and so the king saw it so the king 11:48 should have known right there, there is some 11:50 strange about these boys. Then you get the 11:53 Daniel chapter 2 the king have the strange dream 11:56 of the middle man and he get all of his soothsayers 12:01 and his astrologers and his scientific men 12:03 and of course they could not tell him 12:05 what the dream was, they go to Daniel, 12:08 Daniel try was to commotion and Daniel 12:10 says just give it to me and Daniel has 12:12 an all night prayer meet. Hymns just three Hebrew 12:16 words and they had have to praying 12:17 and Daniel is given a vision from God 12:21 and Daniel goes with the king and explains to 12:24 the king exactly what the dream interpret in 12:26 and in the king acknowledges God. 12:29 And you get the chapter 3, the temporary fix 12:33 of conversion last shortly, because now he sees 12:37 his head of God and he says oh that's me. 12:39 He makes this 90 foot statue in the plain of Dura. 12:43 He committed to everybody to come into what, 12:45 worship. At the sound of the music they were 12:50 suppose to drop down and bow down and dance 12:52 and all the service staff. But, the three Hebrew 12:56 words that says not so king. And he says if you 13:01 don't do it I will throw you into the fiery furnish 13:03 and he says even if you do you will know 13:06 that the God we serve, amen is strong within you, 13:13 but he get inside and there is foe in the midst, 13:17 don't you, don't you tell me that Jesus never 13:20 with you. Even in the midst of a burning 13:23 fiery furnish. How God will make some cool 13:27 when he is hot, hello, amen. The king sees it 13:33 and acknowledges again, but again as only a 13:36 temporary fix. Now the thing that I enjoy 13:41 about the Lord that he is a chaser, amen, 13:47 he chases us. And I've been married to 13:52 my wife for 12 years now and we just 13:54 renewed our vows last Sunday and I chased 13:58 my wife, amen. I chase her so much I told her 14:04 that I still holding her down, but God chases 14:09 his people. He chases with us because he 14:12 created us and he loves us, amen. 14:15 Now don't misunderstand it comes to time 14:17 when probation will close don't misunderstand that, 14:20 but in Christ Object lessons page 218, 14:27 the book says the heart that does not respond 14:30 to divine graces becomes hardy until it is no 14:35 longer susceptible to the influence of the 14:37 Holy Spirit. The hard, that does not respond 14:43 get hard as a pastor as a Gospel this ministry 14:48 I've seen it that hearts of grown hot on this 14:51 message of salvation, but even in the midst 14:55 of that God still continues to try 14:57 to what soften us and he will take us to 15:00 experiences, are you with me so far. 15:05 And here Nebuchadnezzar had three different 15:07 experiences, three different chapters that show 15:09 who God was and yet he still he only had a 15:13 temporary conversion, that only last at a 15:16 few moments, then it takes us to Daniel chapter 4 15:19 and in verse 10, Daniel chapter 4 the king 15:23 has another dream and I'll read it to you, 15:25 the Bible says in verse 10 of Daniel chapter 4, 15:28 those were the visions of mine heard in my bed; 15:32 I saw, and behold a tree in the midst of the earth, 15:37 and the height thereof was great. 15:40 The tree grew, and was strong, 15:43 and the height thereof reached unto heaven, 15:45 and the sight thereof to the end of all the earth: 15:48 the leaves thereof were fair, and the fruit thereof 15:51 much, and it was food for all: the beasts of the 15:55 field had shadow under it, and the fowls of the 15:58 heaven dwelt in the boughs thereof, 16:01 and all flesh was fed on it. I saw in the visions 16:06 of my head upon my bed, and, behold, a watcher 16:09 and holy one came down from heaven; 16:11 He cried with a loud voice, and said thus, 16:19 shake off its leaves, and scatter its fruit: 16:21 let the beasts get away from under it, 16:24 and the fowls from its branches: 16:27 Nevertheless leave the stump of his roots in 16:29 the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, 16:32 in the tender grass of the field; 16:34 and let it be wet with the dew of the heaven, 16:35 they let his portion be with the beasts in the 16:38 grass of the earth: Let his heart be changed 16:41 from man's, and let a beasts heart be given unto him; 16:44 and that seven years pass over him. 16:47 Can you imagine having a dream like this, 16:50 that you have a dream and you see this tree 16:53 and everything under the sun, receives its fulfillment 17:00 from you and then all of the sudden 17:02 I don't where, cut down the tree, 17:06 shake the leaves. Now me I would have woke up 17:11 in panic especially, but I know the 17:15 understand enough. Nebuchadnezzar have a 17:18 history with Daniel called Daniel needs to know 17:24 the interpretation, it's important. 17:29 The interpretation is given in verse 22 17:31 and 25 excuse me 26 and 27, and verse 22 he says, 17:38 it is you, oh, king, you are grown and become strong: 17:42 for the greatness is grown, and reach into heaven, 17:45 and thy domain to the end of the earth. 17:48 Verse 26, whereas thy commanded to leave 17:51 the stump of the tree of roots; 17:52 Thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee, 17:55 after that have known that the heavens do rule. 17:58 So God says I got to let you know that 18:02 I'm a transform of heart, but because you being 18:05 heart hurt right now Nebuchadnezzar 18:07 I got to take you to the fire. 18:09 You know any horror here people out there, 18:13 don't look at him, he'll give me away, 18:18 but he said I got to take you through 18:19 something to let you know that I'm in controlled, 18:22 because I want your heart above anything else, 18:25 are you with me so far. See God's word transform 18:28 us from beast, I will take it the rest later. 18:34 Is there a transformer, otherwise we've been like 18:37 a valley of dry bone. Verse 27 careful instructions, 18:44 wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable 18:48 unto thee, and break off your sins, your say, 18:52 by righteousness, by being righteous and thine 18:56 iniquities by showing mercy to the poor; 18:58 if it be for a lengthening of thy tranquility. 19:01 So he says I here is we need to happen, 19:05 we need to take the counsel that I give you 19:07 and there you need to start living right you 19:10 need to start living what, because you've listen 19:13 to me. Now do you start living right 19:15 but now you start showing mercy 19:16 because now you living in righteous life you 19:18 showing mercy of the poor. Whenever, So, So, 19:23 he has to count. Now he knows that Daniel is 19:28 a man of God and everything that Daniel has said, 19:32 he has spoken it from God. God's word never 19:35 changes, amen. If he says it, is gonna to happen, 19:39 then am I right, amen. So, he said of no, 19:43 above all that if I don't listen there is gonna 19:48 to be trouble in the camp. The pass out we can 19:52 tell you we've counsel people we show them Bible, 19:55 but yet and still people still just don't want to 19:57 listen and you fear for them, because God's word is 20:02 there to have our love to be rooted 20:05 and grounded in him. That's what we have to send 20:08 Bibles to Africa, amen. So that they can have the 20:12 same chance that we have. The king being like most 20:18 of us and you know Nebuchadnezzar is 20:22 some of our grandfather; he is kind to us somehow. 20:25 Verse 29 says, at the end of twelve months, 20:34 he walked in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon. 20:37 How many months with equal to how long one 20:41 year at the end of twelve months, 20:45 he went to his palace. Verse 30 says, the king spoke, 20:50 and said, is not this great Babylon, 20:55 that I have built for the house of the kingdom 20:59 by the might of my power, and for the honor of my 21:03 majesty? Is this not to Babylon that I have 21:07 built I've done this, all of this is mine, 21:12 all of it is mine; not giving God credit all, 21:16 but Nebuchadnezzar had a problem, 21:18 he had a pride issue. And you have to understand 21:22 that God is trying to cut off everything for 21:24 my life that will stop us from being translated, 21:28 are you with me so far. And it's only by his word 21:31 that we know it uh, oh well I should had a V8, 21:38 but before we get to the next verse, 21:40 let's look at the time frame, he had twelve months to 21:46 repent, he had twelve months to get Bible studies, 21:50 he had twelve months to get pastoral counseling, 21:54 he had twelve months to go to church every week, 21:57 he had twelve months to go to pray of me, 21:59 he had twelve months to have a small group 22:02 Bible study, he had twelve months yeah, amen, 22:05 he had twelve long months God was waiting don't 22:09 you tell me my God is not a patient God, amen. 22:12 Let me show you 2nd Peter chapter 3, 22:15 hold just thumb there, hold your thumb there 22:17 and go to 2nd Peter 3 now I don't know most of 22:19 you can be sided, but 2nd Peter 3, 22:23 2nd Peter chapter 3 every one you there please 22:28 say amen. 2nd Peter chapter 3, 2nd Peter chapter 3, 22:36 the Bible says, the Lord is not slack concern 22:39 his promise, as some men count slackness; 22:41 but is long-suffering to us, not willing that any 22:44 should perish, but that all should what come to 22:47 repentant. God is waiting for people to get their 22:51 lives in order and the only way that happens is 22:53 when they know the word of God. 22:55 So for twelve months he has waited on Neby. 22:59 For twelve months he is waiting for him to change 23:03 his thought pattern, for twelve months 23:05 he is waiting for him to stop listen to certain 23:07 music, for twelve months he is waiting for him 23:09 to stop and hanging out with certain friends, 23:11 for twelve months long months he is waiting. 23:17 Besides he is waiting for some of us in this very 23:18 room. For twelve months he is waiting for some of us 23:23 to stop fornicating, for twelve months 23:26 he is waiting for some of us to stop using 23:28 pervaded language, for twelve months 23:31 he is waiting for some of us to come out 23:34 of in a torches relationship, for twelve months he is 23:37 waiting for some of us to stop our lustful 23:39 practices that we have, for twelve months 23:42 he is waiting for us to stop watching movies 23:44 that law of the Christian character, 23:46 for twelve months he is waiting for us to stop 23:49 listening to music that, that brings out the 23:51 animal passion, for twelve months he is waiting 23:54 for us to stop being so mean and so hateful, 23:57 for twelve months he is waiting for us to stop 24:00 gossiping, for twelve months he is waiting 24:04 for us to stop be in judgmental and hypocritical, 24:06 and for twelve months he is waiting for us 24:09 to be more faithful in our given ourselves to God, 24:12 for twelve months he is waiting for us to act like, 24:15 we know and whom we believe, for twelve months, 24:18 he is waiting for prejudice and racism and sexism 24:23 and Agism and all that stuff to be removed, 24:25 for twelve months he is waiting, for twelve months 24:29 he is waiting to remove everything that stuns 24:32 the Christian growth, for twelve months 24:34 they are sitting back waiting, 24:37 Jesus is intercessing on for us, twelve months 24:40 he is waiting for us to stop going to the casinos 24:43 and, twelve month he is waiting for us to eat 24:45 and live right, for twelve months yeah, 24:49 he is waiting for you and I, twelve months, 24:53 now I don't know about you, but if my wife, 24:58 if I was the was like Gomer I don't know 25:02 if I have twelve months, I love my wife to death, 25:08 but if she decided to walk out on our relationship 25:12 and sleep with somebody else. 25:13 I don't know if I would give her a 25:15 twelve months judgment we'll be executed, amen. 25:20 I'm sorry I don't have twelve months, 25:25 twelve months is a long time. 365 days 52 weeks 25:32 that's a long time. All you got is axed someone 25:36 who is engaged, and they are married 25:38 just twelve months from now, I've had some common past, 25:42 can we speed this process up, can we change the 25:45 wedding date, can we hurry up in you know get 25:47 married. Time is running twelve months to go. 25:50 This is a long time, but God is so gracious 25:55 that he is waiting for Nebuchadnezzar to get 25:59 his wife together. And unfortunately Nebuchadnezzar 26:06 like many of us won't listen. Verse 31, verse 31, 26:20 while the word was in the king's mouth, 26:23 their fell a voice from heaven, saying, 26:26 O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; 26:30 thy kingdom is departed. But brother can't get 26:34 the words out of his mouth before the Lord 26:36 executed the prophecy. Did Daniel prophecy to 26:43 the bones? He did he said change, 26:48 but he don't want to listen, and says unto you the 26:53 kingdom is departed. Now verse 33, the same hour 26:59 was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: 27:02 and was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, 27:05 and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, 27:07 till his hairs were grown like eagles' feathers, 27:10 and his nails like birds' claws. 27:12 This is the king, brothers and sisters, 27:15 this is not the servant, this is not the jackal, 27:18 this is the king, can you imagine one early 27:23 morning your responsibility is to go to the king 27:26 and serve him his cup of tea for the day 27:29 and you go and you knock on the door 27:32 and don't hear anything and it becomes strange to you. 27:35 So you knock a little bit louder boong, boong, 27:38 boong, and all of the sudden you hear something, 27:40 do you know the king don't have any pets 27:44 in the room so easily your heart start shaking, 27:47 you drop the tea and you nervous you hear again, 27:50 so you immediately called a captain guards 27:55 and everybody is running, run and 27:56 coming what's going on listen wait listen 27:58 let me knock. And now they scare, 28:06 because they know the king did not go 28:08 and bought pit Bulls and German Shepherds 28:09 and Bulldogs. So they tried door open just 28:13 a little bit, they peak in and they always 28:17 send a one, who is a scary send first some 28:21 of you almost been in that boat 28:23 or so he tries the door open, he peaks in and 28:30 he walking slowly and he don't see anything 28:34 and say common, keeps moving, common scary 28:38 guards not the king is now in the room 28:41 and all of the sudden you hear the noise you jump 28:45 and you back out of the room and you look around 28:47 and see nothing there then you go to the courtyard, 28:50 the balcony where the king is, usually have 28:53 a mid-day sun and you go and you look over. 28:58 You come back and just as though you just seen 29:02 a dead man and here you see the king of the 29:06 greatest nation of earth want all full was 29:09 eating grass man. Eating grass, ghost long again, 29:17 hair is long again, he looks up, 29:24 he is the king. I know some of you may look 29:29 like dead in the morning before you get all beautify, 29:32 If you honest, this is how we go, amen. 29:43 But the king now is a beast. Now scholars believe that 29:51 he wasn't really a beast. They simply suggest that 29:56 he had lost his mind for seven years 29:58 and when you lose your mind your nails go long, 30:01 your hairs uncombed and you act like a beast, 30:05 but my Bible said, he was like a beast eating grass. 30:09 There are beasts in this room right now. 30:14 There are beasts watching all around the world. 30:20 When church folk don't live according to God's 30:22 word he became a beast. All you got to do is 30:27 catch one of the wrong time and you are like 30:29 where did that come from. Can we pray together 30:32 no we no need to pray together. 30:39 Brothers and sisters, uh, oh I forgot to have my V8. 30:46 If we you don't get your V8 you began to fear 30:51 feel the beast, are you with me so far. 30:58 And God has a special way of showing his 31:01 people their sins, amen. Nothing is here from under 31:07 the sun. I got a good friend I won't say 31:12 who it is or where is from, but he has a sibling, 31:15 who grew up knowing God's word, 31:20 who grew up knowing what God expects 31:25 and this particular individual decided 31:27 to have an lustrous affair with married individual 31:31 for years. And a friend of mine found out 31:38 that his sibling has HIV then he got understand some. 31:44 The sibling wasn't in the church didn't take 31:46 associate was show up you know make a 31:48 guest appearance you know super star 31:51 appearance and wave and say hello and good bye, 31:53 but this particular person was in his affair for years, 31:58 and now this particular person has HIV. 32:03 Can you imagine how the parents feels send 32:07 the person to church school and college 32:11 and to have the kid end up like this? 32:14 There is a beast in all of us looking out, 32:20 there is a place that I go to often is 32:21 called Advent Home in Calhoun, Tennessee 32:24 and I go there three times a year, 32:26 because my background is a probation officer 32:29 during my probation officer. So I'm used to 32:31 dealing with hardcore case that don't mean 32:33 you could sin or you case to me either, 32:36 but this place is desire to help the linked 32:38 case especially those who have the church. 32:41 And when I sit and talk with him, 32:44 and interview them, and counsel them, 32:46 you will be amazed how they hooked on pornography. 32:50 You will be amazed how they hooked on drugs. 32:52 You will be amazed on how they are hooked 32:53 on all these negative attributes and guess 32:57 where they see it from, the parents. 33:05 There was a beast in me, that's the how 33:08 we are informed you. I was studying to be a 33:11 Black Panther; I was studying to be a Black 33:14 Muslim. So, if I was who I was back then 33:19 and brother do I hold and invited me to a 33:21 rally I wouldn't think it was this type of rally, 33:23 amen. But there was a beast in me and my 33:28 number priority in life was to kill the white man, 33:33 I live for that. Even when my mother sent me 33:35 to college, but I'm from the south side of 33:39 Chicago which is a very segregated area, 33:42 where free of kind is the man his temple 33:46 and everything is there, the Mosque, 33:48 and so I grew up in a early 90's in my teenage years 33:53 and that's one all the black perhaps start resurging 33:55 and black sans party and so as I got to 33:58 acquaint this college in Grand Rapids in Michigan 34:00 they weren't too many folks like me at the campus. 34:03 And so I am running in with folks, 34:06 we are always, and so my buddies 34:09 and I we just knew that we are going to kill us 34:12 white man one day. That was our desire. 34:16 It really was to kill us a white man. 34:21 We were waiting for the opportunity. 34:24 All he had to do would say that wrong word 34:27 and it was on. And I deserved this hardness 34:31 of the heart and as a result of that hardness 34:34 my temper became very quick, so that if we got 34:37 into it I would swing before I asked questions, 34:40 did as I was told. Oh don't worry now 34:44 I'm not like that now, amen. It's only one of 34:50 me, ha, ha, ha. And I won't give you too 34:55 much because I am going to take your more tomorrow, 34:57 but the whole point is, if I could have been a 35:01 wrong force like a beast it would have been, 35:02 but when God gave me this message to a mentor 35:08 of mine, a Richard Magsby, it began to soften my heart. 35:12 So my desire to kill began to diminish, 35:17 my desire to hurt began to diminish and all the 35:21 desires that I had that I grown up with in the 35:23 world began to diminished and as a result God 35:27 touched my soul, amen halleluiah. 35:31 And God has a funny way of showing you how 35:34 he has broken you down. So when I came into the 35:36 church the first person I brought to the church 35:39 was a white female. Isn't that so? 35:44 Does God have a sense of humor, amen? Amen. 35:49 But I was a beast, and I don't mind acknowledging 35:52 I was beast but even when I got in the church, 35:54 I still was a beast because I was eating wrong type 35:59 of food, spiritually, are you with me so far. 36:04 So you can be in the church and not be part 36:07 of the church and not be looking towards sermon 36:09 but I was still a beast, I was not drinking my V8, 36:14 are you with me so far. I was drinking some 36:17 other type of stuff. So I will go to church and then 36:20 after church I was still go to my block buster 36:22 videos, I was still hanging out with some my friends 36:25 I was still doing this and that. I was not drinking 36:29 the V8. I did not have my mind on spiritual things, 36:36 but I was in the church, but I was still a beast, 36:40 are you with me so far, amen. So Nebuchadnezzar 36:45 now is a beast. Now the story ended there, 36:50 there is no hope, amen, amen. He is a beast yeah, 36:58 he is the king look at the picture; he is a beast, 37:02 eating grass land. Oh but my God is gracious, 37:08 he is gracious go to Daniel chapter 4, 37:12 look at verse 15, I get excited, 37:16 so if I get jumping around the camera can catch me 37:19 I'm sorry, but, but, but God, he shows us 37:23 something in his word that even though 37:25 we can act like a beast, there is still hope, amen. 37:30 Daniel chapter 4 verse 15, he says, 37:33 nevertheless leave the stump of his roots 37:37 in the what, in the earth, even with a band of iron 37:43 and brass and the tender grass of the field, 37:46 and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, 37:48 and let us portion with the beasts in the grass 37:50 of the earth. God says that even though cut down 37:53 the tree save the root. See you don't understand 37:56 that? He says cut down the tree, 37:58 but I'm going to save the root, 38:00 I'm going to keep it in the earth. 38:02 Somebody get excited. I will cut down the lambs 38:05 of what, the lamb of sexual perversion, 38:09 the lamb of adultery, the lamb of hatred, 38:12 the lamb of anger, the lamb of lustful desire, 38:16 the lamb of lying, the lamb of cheating, 38:19 but I want to leave the root, and now I going to 38:22 leave the root, but don't put middle band around it, 38:25 see the middle band is there to protect from 38:27 cracking and spinning in two because spinning 38:29 of two is there, are you with me so far? 38:32 So God says I want cut all the sinful stuff down, 38:36 but I want to leave the root and I want to leave 38:38 the in the earth because in the earth is 38:39 where the new trends are and then I'm going to 38:42 take care with the dew from heaven, 38:44 are you with me so far. See God is not want to 38:48 destroy us, he want to save us, 38:51 but he will cut you down, but he will leave the root 38:54 and he will put a band around us so that you 38:57 won't crack, you won't split, because he don't 39:01 want you to die, are you with me so far. 39:05 Nebuchadnezzar did all of that, 39:07 God cut him down to a beast, but yet he kept 39:12 the root and he announced that he keep the root, 39:15 he then put a band around it to protect it. 39:17 He said that's my tree, that's my stone and 39:22 because of that, I can take damage 39:25 Ghost to heaven, amen this good stuff in it. 39:33 And even though Nebuchadnezzar was 39:35 a knucklehead, God so fair that he needed 39:40 to save him. God wants to cut away the sin 39:46 from our lives. He cut all my anger, my prior, 39:51 my lack of faithfulness, my lack of willingness, 39:55 he cut all that down while I was thread 39:57 with 15 years in a prison. He says I got to get that 40:00 boy right there, I was I used to tearful Jesus 40:04 is a white man for a white of full what a black Jesus 40:09 there are you know I'm radical. 40:11 I would start turning focus the Bible is win by 40:14 Shakespeare I said think that all pastors 40:20 and preaches were pimps, look at me now. 40:23 I told you God got a sense of humor, amen. 40:28 I just knew that what was in this word wasn't true. 40:34 And he says he cut this boy down, but I must, 40:38 I must save the root, because there are 40:40 something that I see him that he don't 40:41 see in himself, someone jump him down all the 40:45 way to the ground but then I'm going to feed him. 40:49 I'm going to read to him. I'm going to send him 40:52 away to a small school in South Dakota 40:55 called Missionka. I'm going to convert him. 41:00 I'm going go to teach him how to love everybody 41:03 and not just one body. God wanted to cut all 41:09 this down so that the man can sprout again. 41:12 Go to Job chapter 14, Job is the before psalms, 41:16 Job come along with me Job, Job are you with me 41:20 so far. Oh, oh, we should had a what V8. 41:24 Job 14, Job 14, Job 14, verse 4, are you there amen. 41:40 The Bible says, who can bring a clean thing out 41:43 of an unclean, no one. Seeing his days are 41:47 determined, the number of his months are with thee, 41:49 that has point his bounds that he cannot pass; 41:53 Turn from him, that he may rest, till he shall 41:56 accomplish, as an hireling his day. 41:58 Here is what I want you to pay attention to, 42:00 For there is hope, for there is hope of what, 42:04 of a tree, if it be cut down, Lord have mercy, 42:08 Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy that it 42:12 what it will sprout again, he has got so what 42:16 that the tree that cut out, God says I need to sprout 42:18 it again so it can be my tree see you 42:20 and I have grown out trees. We've grown a tree where 42:24 we wanted to and because of that our 42:26 lives is not going to where we wanted to go. 42:28 So if you can put a stamp on it, 42:30 it would be pastor Jackson's tree, 42:32 but it needs to be God's tree. 42:34 So he says, I'll cut it down for the whole prove 42:39 that it would what it will sprout again 42:41 and when it's sprout again this time gets 42:44 losing control. Jesus anything control 42:47 because then he can hang on the top of it my tree, 42:51 only for me. Go back to Daniel chapter 4, 42:55 go back to Daniel chapter 4 we can much to a close, 42:57 Daniel chapter 4, this is what folk in Africa, 43:01 need Bibles, so they can get what you got they 43:05 can see themselves perhaps as beast to come again 43:10 and get there and send their same as band, 43:13 are you with me so far. Daniel chapter 4, 43:16 for seven years this brother was a beast 43:20 and unfortunately some of us would have to go 43:22 through trials and tribulation for seven 43:24 long years, until God gets our attention. 43:28 Now hope it doesn't happen, but if it happens 43:31 then he is in control, amen. My wife and I we have 43:35 three kids. Oldest daughter is a singer 43:38 in high school, our oldest boy is in 8th grade 43:43 and our youngest one is in 2nd grade 43:47 and my wife and I, we have family devotion 43:50 we have prayer, and we explain to them, 43:52 if you don't have an experience with Jesus 43:55 of what, experience with Jesus, you are reading 43:59 to be meaningless. And you will leave this house 44:04 and become a beast. And if God has to take 44:07 him down the road and back, we know he will. 44:14 Some of us have to go through the fiery trials 44:16 to be beast. And for some of us it takes 44:21 years you know I've been in my church 44:22 Detroit Northwest for a year and I'm watched 44:25 in so many of the kids left the church as teenagers 44:28 began to comeback and then when their listen 44:30 to the horror stories of how they lived, 44:33 I said this only by God's grace that you just still 44:35 alive. You know the story that our children 44:39 go through and they leave God's church. 44:42 And they come back in the horror stories as there, 44:44 so young people don't leave, because you will 44:48 become a beast, but you can be a beast 44:51 and appear too. Daniel chapter 4 verse 37, 44:59 excuse me I'm starting verse 34, he says at 45:05 the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar 45:07 lifted up my eyes unto heaven, 45:10 and my understanding returned unto me, 45:13 and I blessed the most High God, 45:15 and I praised and honored him that lives forever, 45:18 whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, 45:21 and his kingdom is from generation to generation: 45:26 excuse me, And all the inhabitants of the earth 45:28 are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according 45:31 to his will in the army of heaven, 45:33 and among the inhabitants of the earth: 45:34 and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, 45:37 what doest thou? At the same time Lord 45:41 have mercy, my reason my mind returned unto me; 45:45 and for the glory of my kingdom, 45:48 my honor and brightness returned unto me; 45:51 and my counselors and my Lords sought unto me; 45:54 and I was established in my kingdom, 45:56 and excellent majesty was added unto me. 45:59 Now I Nebuchadnezzar, the hard hated doeth praise 46:04 and extol and honor the King of heaven, 46:07 all whose works are truth, and his ways justice: 46:12 and those that walk in pride he is able to what 46:15 amen, it took him seven years to realize that. 46:21 It took him seven years to finally acknowledge 46:24 that God was who he says he was. 46:27 Seven years, seven long years, 46:34 but he had to come back to the word of God 46:36 in order to find, who God is. There is a beast 46:42 in all of us, if we don't have our V8; 46:47 this is the V8 that you need to eat in drink 46:53 every day. Ezekiel said I eat it and it was good 46:58 to my belly. What about you? I want to tell you a 47:05 story of mount climbers, three mount, four mount 47:08 climbers. The four friends one day 47:12 decided they go on to climb as high in huge 47:15 mountain. In the midst of climb at this mountain, 47:20 it was competitive and so they climb the mountain 47:27 by climbing and then it started to get dark 47:31 outside and that's it get dark outside on 47:36 this particular night the cloud it was very cloudy, 47:41 the stars did not show, the light, the moon was 47:45 not visible, it was very, very, very dark. 47:50 And so as they began to go up higher three 47:55 of them friend says hey we just stop 47:58 and camp here for tonight, but see there 48:01 is always one in the bunch who is gonna to 48:03 do what they want to do anyway. 48:05 He decided you know what, I'm getting to 48:07 the top you guys are some girls. 48:11 So they decided, the three friends decided 48:13 to camp for the night and they felt that 48:14 well just finished in the morning it's not that 48:17 serious but no, no, no not this one, 48:19 this one decided he is going to keep going, 48:22 because he has a point to prove 48:24 and he is climbing away and it's dark it's so dark 48:28 he can't even see his hand before his face, 48:30 but he says oh I got to get to this top. 48:32 I got to get high these guys are some losers. 48:36 So he is climbing away he is getting arrogant 48:39 he is so prideful and he is climbing away 48:41 and all of the sudden he lunges out to put 48:44 his jabbing whatever it is called any he looses 48:49 and all of a sudden he began to fall 48:52 and he has fallen, he is screaming in the 48:53 midst of the fog, Lord help me Lord save me 48:56 Lord help me help me save me, Lord help me help me 48:59 help me save me, save me Lord help me please 49:01 don't let me die and he is screaming in all and all, 49:03 help, help, help, and all of the sudden 49:04 he remember his safety items are left 49:08 and he swinging in the air and out of no 49:14 where he hears voice and the voice says cut 49:18 the rope. So he thinks he is delirious 49:22 because he knew he has fallen so far down 49:24 he hears this voice cut the rope right now, 49:26 if I cut this rope he didn't trying to feel, 49:29 nothing there. He hears the voice again cut the 49:35 rope. He says listen I must be delusional 49:42 there is no way I'm gonna to cut this rope, 49:45 no way at all. The next morning his friends get up 49:52 they're looking for their friend, 49:54 he is no where to be found. So they run to the local 49:58 park ranger and they tell them the story 50:01 he sends all alerts and began looking for the 50:03 friend and they are desperately looking 50:05 for him because he got to understand is 50:07 real coldest night and they are looking for him, 50:10 looking for him, they can't find him and then 50:13 all of the sudden park ranger calls them 50:14 and said, guys I found your friend. 50:20 He is not looking too good, so as friends all came, 50:23 they huddled around him and they just 50:28 stayed as he lay there stay less. 50:33 The thing that destructive park ranger is not that 50:39 he die. Is the fact that if he would have cut 50:44 the rope he was only two feet from the ground, 50:49 two feet from the ground could have save his life, 50:53 but because he didn't want to listen to God's voice, 50:56 because he didn't want to listen to God's word, 50:58 he couldn't know to cut the rope? Isaiah 30 says, 51:03 that he speaks to us and tell us this is the 51:06 way go ye in it, if you don't listen to his voice 51:11 and cut whatever rope is in your life you will be a 51:15 beast soon. And that's how we have the word, 51:18 that's the other transformed our lives 51:21 and transform our hearts, amen. 51:25 Because the word tells me to cut down the 51:27 rope the word tells me to cut it out my life, 51:30 so that I won't become beast. 51:35 Now I don't about you but I don't want to 51:36 be like Nebuchadnezzar. I was faced 15 years of 51:39 prison. No way in Kentucky that I want to see anything 51:43 like that, but some of you have not cut the rope 51:47 in here and God has holding back the beast from coming 51:51 out, but you are constantly feeding the beast 51:55 and God has died to kill the beast. 51:59 John 15 says if you abide in me and I'm in you, 52:04 was to rest you'll bear a fruit, but if you don't 52:07 abide in me, you can't do anything. 52:10 We have to learn to cut the rope. 52:13 I didn't cut the rope until God send me away 52:18 to mission college and I didn't realize 52:21 how racist I was, how prejudice I was, 52:23 even in the church, until God set me down 52:26 and abide and I looked as though I was a paranormal 52:31 view of a TV and he began to show me my life. 52:33 He show me how I was treating my wife, 52:35 he showed me how I was treating my children. 52:37 He showed me how I was treating his folks, 52:39 and I was like no, I must be dreaming 52:43 and I'm sitting to my bed, waiting for classes 52:46 to start and I'm looking at it and everything 52:49 I've ever done was on this screen like you seen 52:51 on this screen now. And you says you got a 52:54 change before you leave this place, 52:57 that very day I get down on my knees 53:01 and I asked God to forgive me. 53:03 He said don't start with me, start with your wife, 53:06 start with your children, start with those who hurt 53:09 and didn't come to me and I did exactly that. 53:13 And when I left that valley with Mount Lassen 53:15 in Valley, the city boy, whole different person 53:20 from when I went. And I was terrible before I left, 53:26 but you can tell me nothing, but I have to cut 53:29 something and as me there are three things 53:35 that we deal with self, Satan and sin. 53:38 Self, Satan, and sin and God need you 53:42 and I to cut all of the mounts today. 53:45 He didn't give us Nebuchadnezzar just, 53:48 oh that's a nice story to you in church 53:50 and that he tells and make it so you can laugh 53:52 about in the chocolate factory God made that 53:55 to show you point and the point is where you and I 53:58 would be without him. If, we don't take his words 54:03 seriously, there is lot of beast running out of here 54:07 and you and I maybe one of them and so as we have 54:11 had pray you need to tell God in your heart. 54:16 How you've been a bear, how you've been a lion, 54:20 how you've been a cheetah, how you've been a raccoon, 54:24 how you've been a wolf, how you've been a mouse, 54:28 how you've been an elephant, how you've been a rat, 54:32 how you've been a cockroach, how you've been one of 54:39 the worst animals ever and he is there for you, 54:42 the same as he was with Nebuchadnezzar. 54:45 It's time to be honest with God and once 54:49 we become honest with God, God there can working 54:53 in our light Nebuchadnezzar was honest, 54:56 but brother and sisters look what he had to go 54:58 through in order to get there is that something 55:00 you want. I know I don't and I don't want to for 55:04 you so as I kneel I'm hoping you will kneel 55:07 and I'm hoping you will surrender yourself to God 55:10 right now, because you don't know what 55:13 you make turn out to be. You may be like my friends, 55:17 siblings, who has HIV or you maybe some female 55:22 who has babies but two different daddies 55:24 and none of them in your life you may lose 55:26 your Job who knows, but the beast will come out, 55:30 you may go pastor one day 55:35 oh, oh I should to have my V8, will you kneel with me. 55:45 My father in heaven, what the joy it is to know that 55:52 your word is true, but Lord I pray today for all 55:56 of us that there is a beast working in us 56:00 and the beast comes up when we have not had 56:03 our V8 our word of God, to transform us, to hold us, 56:07 to keep us and I pray today that you will 56:12 kill the beast in our lives that your blood 56:15 would drown and completely, so that his ugly head never 56:18 again arise again that someone he who are 56:20 struggling. Lord you direct them to where they need 56:22 to go, so that it can be well said at the end 56:26 that is well with your soul thank you, 56:29 thank you Jesus for loving us. 56:31 We pray this prayer in Jesus name for our savior, amen. |
Revised 2014-12-17