Bible Study 3-10-26

Heat. Heat. N. Yeah. ((music playing)) Yeah. Heat. >> ((music playing)) >> Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. Heat. Heat. He ((music playing)) want you. Heat. Heat. N. Heat. Heat. N. Heat. Hey, Heat. Heat. Heat. N. ((music playing)) Heat. Heat. ((music playing)) Heat. Heat. ((music playing)) ((music playing)) >> ((music playing)) ((music playing)) >> Heat. Heat. >> ((music playing)) >> Hey. Hey. Hey. ((music playing)) >> ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) >> Heat.

Heat. >> ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) >> Heat. Heat. ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) >> ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) >> Heat. Hey, heat. Hey, heat. >> ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) >> Hey, hey, hey. I just want ((music playing)) It's ((music playing)) ((music playing)) >> ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) >> Heat. Hey, Heat. ((music playing)) >> ((music playing)) ((music playing)) >> find you. ((music playing)) >> ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) >> Hey. Hey. >> ((music playing)) >> Heat. Heat. Yeah. ((music playing)) ((music playing)) ((music playing)) Heat. Heat. Heat. N. ((music playing)) >> ((music playing)) >> Heat. ((music playing)) Hey, Heat. ((music playing)) Heat. ((music playing)) Heat.

((music playing)) >> ((music playing)) >> Heat. Heat. ((music playing)) >> ((music playing)) >> Praise the Lord everybody. ((music playing)) We are free today. Hallelujah. Whom the sun sets free is truly free ((music playing)) indeed. Everybody clap your hands. Come on. Come on. Hallelujah. Put your hands together. There is a sound, a sound from heaven ((music playing)) that changes everything. I am free.

Nothing is holding ((music playing)) me. Nothing can stop my praise. Oh, we were made for freedom. Jesus has redeemed us, my friend. Yeah. ((music playing)) Wo. Sing it all together. Freedom reigns forever and ((music playing)) ever. Let freedom fill the roof. Hey, come on. Come on. Let freedom fill the roof. Hallelujah. Repeat after me.

There is a sound. >> There is a sound. ((music playing)) >> A sound from heaven >> from heaven >> that changes everything. >> Everything. >> Yeah. I am free. >> I am free. >> No fear is ((music playing)) holding me. >> Holding me. >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Nothing can stop my praise. >> Hallelujah.

((music playing)) We are made for freedom. >> Jesus has redeemed us. Yeah. ((music playing)) Sing it all together. Oh yeah. Let freedom fill the room. Hallelujah. Come on. Come on. Let freedom fill the room. ((music playing)) Fill the room. Oh yeah. Yeah. Let freedom feel the freedom. Oh, ((music playing)) I feel right. Oh, ((music playing)) free feel free.

Praise ((music playing)) the Lord. I'm free. I am ((music playing)) free. Praise the Lord. I'm free. ((music playing)) Everybody say >> I am free. ((music playing)) >> Everybody say I am free. ((music playing)) >> ((music playing)) >> Everybody ((music playing)) say I am free. ((music playing)) I am free. >> ((music playing)) >> No more soul. My soul is blessing. It >> is just a blessing. >> It's just a blessing.

((music playing)) So praise the Lord. >> Everybody lift your voice and say praise the Lord. Everybody ((music playing)) lift your voice and say so good. He's been ((music playing)) so good to me. He's been so good. So good to be ((music playing)) a reason. You got a reason to ((music playing)) have a reason. We have a reason.

He's been so good. He's been so good to me. ((music playing)) He's been so good. He's been so good. Everybody want to praise ((music playing)) the Lord. Won't you lift the Lord with me? ((music playing)) Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Wow. Praise the Lord. Amen. God bless our praise and worship team tonight. Amen. I'm so thrilled.

And I love that. That's a beautiful song. Thank you, praise and worship team, for ushering us into the presence of God. And thank all of you for joining us tonight for our Tuesday night Bible study. I'm so grateful and so honored that wherever you are, you have joined us.

We've got um right now 13 states and three countries on board. God bless you in Japan and Canada and Grenada and Puerto Rico and from Oklahoma, Florida, Illinois, New York, Georgia, North Carolina, Texas, Ohio, South Carolina, on and on and on. So, thank you. Thank you all for always carving out the time and being a part of worshiping and studying the word of God with us tonight.

I'm so pleased and blessed. Now, I am even traveling today. I am in Alabama. Pastor, what are you doing in Alabama? Well, I'm trying to be a good father. And, uh, part of that is supporting my oldest child, uh, Sarah Jenkins, who is, uh, some of you know, the head coach at the University of Delaware, uh, women's basketball program.

And they're in their tournament for the conference that she's in, Conference USA. And I've always tried when that conference comes on to whenever she's has the part of being a coach whenever they go to conference. I try whenever I'm able to come and uh I'm here uh today in uh Huntsville, Alabama and uh they had their first game today and I wasn't able to go to the game but then uh get get home for Bible study.

So, they played this morning. Uh, and I was able to, um, come down, my wife and I, yesterday, and we are here supporting her and her team. Uh, they played this morning, Kennesaw State, uh, college, university, whatever it is. And, um, happy to report they won. Hey, I got my Delaware Blue Hens outfit on.

So, I am, uh, just supporting her, trying to be a good father, a better father. And so I'm celebrating that they uh they will play the number one team of in their conference tomorrow. They they're not favored. Uh Delaware is not favored to win, but we believe that we serve a God who might do something.

Maybe he might do something spectacular. So I solicit your prayers for the University of Delaware Blue Hens that uh they will uh I'm praying that they win. I'm praying that they be competitive against this the number one team in the conference that have won 17 straight games. this team has.

They're spectacular. But, you know, when David faced Goliath, uh you know, he had never I don't think he had ever lost the battle, but we serve a God that takes the un the the the the person who is uh unqualified, un un not expected to win, not expected to succeed.

God loves using people uh who are the underdogs and uh her team would be the underdog. So just I just ask you to pray. So thank you so much for uh doing that uh with us. Uh I appreciate that so very very much. I'm going to pray and I have something I want to continue to follow up on in terms of what we've been talking about over the last several weeks.

Let's pray. Father, we pause this evening to give thanks and praise to you for your loving kindness to us, your tremendous tender mercies that you have ex extended to us. We thank you for the privilege and opportunity of coming before your sons and daughters. And I just want to pray that you would take this time and speak to us and challenge us and motivate us and teach us and help us.

Let our hearts be open and receptive Lord to taking what you have challenged and will challenge us to do and apply it to our lives. I give you praise and thanks ahead of time for every person on this call and every person on this zoom uh on this uh Bible study and allow them heavenly father to apply it to their lives in the name of the Lord.

I pray if there are any unsaved persons that you would prick their hearts to yield to you and say yes. anybody backsliding, unsure, uncommitted, uh unchurched, and draw them, heavenly father, to your kingdom in Jesus name. Amen. All righty. Um yeah, I think this is probably the I have done Bible studies uh from other states before, but I always took a crew with me and they came they would come into my hotel room and uh set up everything and and uh do it with with me from whatever state I was in.

Tonight is a little bit different. I'm doing a Zoom. So I'm here alone uh doing it on Zoom. So, it's going to look a little different and I'm going to have to cue our team to advance the slides that we've prepared. So, just bear with us as we do that.

I want to talk to you tonight about purpose. That's the title of this session tonight is purpose. And there is a um there in fact is a uh some notes that you can gather and I'm sure they'll put that up so you can um get that that page and uh fill in the blank blanks that will help you be able to uh do that.

There you go. Get those notes uh and you can fill it. It'll help make a note take help making note takingaking not be so laborious. So, uh, take that and grab a hold of that because I do want to talk about purpose. So many people are in search of what their purpose is.

Why am I here? Why did God create me? Um, what am I supposed to be doing with my life? And I want to just spend some time. I'm I'm I'm not sure I can get through all of this tonight. I'm going to try to get through as much as I can.

U, but I want you to understand that God has an assignment for each of you. He has a purpose. when he uh created you, God knew about your birth. God knew about your existence long before you were even born. Matter of fact, God create knew about you and I because he is God.

He has all power and mighty in his hands. He knew about the life he had created, the purpose he would give us. He knew about that before the foundations of the world. You have a purpose. I know there may be seasons and times you don't feel that your life has purpose, but I want you to be clear that God does give you a purpose and an assignment.

And I think it's critically important, critically important that you understand that, that you come to the recognition of the fact that God has defined your life with an assignment and with the purpose. And I think that is important. And I think it's important that you know what your purpose is and that you walk in it.

Uh uh if you don't walk in your purpose, you will not be fulfilled. Fulfillment comes through you doing what it is God created you to do. That is in fact where uh fulfillment comes from. That you are walking in the assignment God gave you. The goal you are accomplishing and fulfilling what it is God wants you to do.

Now, uh, let's let's start diving right into it. I want you to know and to be clear about why God why God created you. And so, Romans 8:28, I want you all turn your Bibles to that and we're going to put that up on the screen. I believe 28 through30 uh, says this.

Let me read that to you. And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to his purpose. to those who are called according to his purpose. In fact, if you have accepted Jesus in your life, he has called you, created you, made you for an assignment of his his purpose.

And so I want you to be crystal clear that that's what God has done. For whom? Verse 29, he forneew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son. This is an important deal. For whom he forneew. God knew ahead of time what your purpose was.

He knew ahead of time that he had called you and given you an assignment. For whom he forneew, he also predestined. This is the key word here. Predestined. Predetermined. preassigned you to be conformed to the image of his son. Let me pause and stick a pin right there.

Here's what God has done. God has predetermined that whatever needed to happen for you to fulfill the purpose for your life and do what it is he called you to do, he conformed you to be like Jesus. He has conformed you, predetermined for you to be created and shaped and molded in the image of Jesus Christ that he might be the first born among many brethren.

I I love that verse right there too because what it lets me know God forneew about me and he predetermined that whatever I needed to go through and this is an important deal I need you to know. Whatever you need to go through in life so that you become like Jesus, be like Jesus, walk like Jesus, whatever had to happen, whatever whoever your parents needed to be, whatever environment you needed to be to be born into, whatever um challenges you needed to have, whatever issues needed to rise up to mold G, you know, God is the uh the potter and he's molding and making us why for his purpose for why why he created us. uh that uh uh you would you and I would accomplish what it is he has created us to do.

Verse 30. Moreover, verse 30, whom he predestined, these he also called. He predetermined and then he called you. And whom he called, these he also justified. And to whom and whom he justified, these he also glorified. There's there's a journey right there. I want you to get a hold of that. that he predestined us.

He called us. He issued a call to you. Now, there's some of you who God's been calling you, but you've you've ignored it. You have walked away. You have rejected it. You you for whatever reasons, the enemy has told you that it's not for you or it's not your time or or it's not from God or you're not qualified, something that the the enemy has made you think and believe that has caused you not to accept the call.

But these he called and wh he also called he predestined he called you and whom he called these he also justified. Oh, I love that word justified. That's a key word. That's a godly word. It means that God declared you innocent. That's what justification means. He declared you innocent and holy.

He made you holy. He raised you up into a status and a posture that you didn't earn. You didn't deserve that. uh uh he he made us oh I I love that God has made us innocent and holy and that's what justification mean and and these that he justified he also glorified he put us in a spot uh to be glorified and and it's not for our glory it's a lifestyle that brings glory to God ultimately the reason we are created is that our lives and our choices and our actions and our behaviors and our walk would ultimately and eventually give God glory.

And that's why you and I have been ultimately created. It's ultimately what the purpose is of why God created us to give God glory. And I think you need to uh recognize that when you pick your friends, when you make the language that you use, the shows that you watch, the behavior that you exhibit, ask yourself the question, am I giving glory to God?

Miles Monroe, great great teacher of the word of God, uh gave a definition of purpose. Let me give you three definitions as defined by Dr. Miles Monroe. Here's the first thing. He says uh what purpose is the original intent for the creation of a thing. Purpose, that's what purpose is.

Why God created you. Um was what was his original intent. Um I think that's an important important piece. I'm going to come back to that in just a moment because ultimately um uh if you don't use something for the reason for why it was created, that's called abuse.

When when you when God created something for one thing, but you use it for something different, you're abusing that thing when it's not being used for why God create created it and for God's purposes. So, so, so number one, the original intent for the creation of a thing.

Here's a second thing that goes alongside that. the original reason for the existence of the thing. The original idea that God had, God had an original idea for you. He had a purpose for you. He had an assignment for you. Some of you are are not flowing and functioning in that.

And a part of our job as a church is to help you discover and get to the understanding of why God created you. You were created. There is an original reason for your existence. You're not just a byproduct of an encounter between your mother and father. No, this your your life is much greater, much bigger than that.

Uh the enemy doesn't want you to see it. He doesn't want you to know it. He doesn't want you to learn it. But our job as a church is to help you discover your purpose and your assignment of life. And the third thing is the cause for the creation of a thing.

All of these things kind of go along because what it all means ultimately is that God created you for doing something that gives him glory and give him praise. And so we need to uh recognize that that's that you do have an assignment with life. And and and when I say he just for those who he called and did all of those things I mentioned in a few moments, he predestined and called you and justified you.

It doesn't matter what mistakes you've made in the past. It doesn't matter how low you have fallen. God justifies you. He makes you holy and declares you innocent. Yes, maybe you maybe you was a drug addict. Yes, maybe you was a a whoreonger, a prostitute, maybe you were a liar, a thief.

Doesn't matter what your history was. When you accept Jesus Christ, this is the glory of why we serve Jesus. He justifies you. He declares you innocent and he makes you holy. He elevates you to a status of being holy. Isn't that great to know? You need to know that.

Some people don't know that the devil wants to beat you up and make you think that God cannot use you. But he can because he's God. And because he's God, and because Jesus went to the cross to die for us and shed his blood so that we could have a relationship with his father, he has the power and the might, glory be to God, to declare us innocent and to make us holy.

And so, uh, Romans 8:28 again affirms that here. Here's what it says. Romans 8:28 one more time says, "And we know, not we assume, not we think, not we hope, we know." This is something we know in the very core of our being. And we know that all things, everything that occurs, all of the issues in our lives, all of the challenges that we face, all things work together for good.

If you're a child of God, I don't care what has happened in your life, what the journey might be, God will make good come out of it. It works together for good. to those who love God, if you love the Lord, if you love the our father, it works together for your good.

And to those who are the called according to his purpose. And let me tell you, that's you. You are the called and you've been called according to the purposes of God. Now I want to I want to take this word purpose and take a look at uh what the old uh how this was reflected in the Old Testament.

God uh gives us some definitions about this and some clarity about what it is. And it begins by telling us here's what purpose is. It means to here's what it means to set forth to place in view or to be showbread. Let me explain that to you. to set forth, place in view, showbreed, showbread.

What that means is you're put on display. God wants to set put you forth in a position or a posture where you can be viewed, where you can be I'm going talk about showbread in just a moment. But God wants you to be put on display. This is this is so important that this is the purpose why God created you.

He wants you to be put on display. He's calling you and anointing you and gifting you and assigning you with the grace of God for you to be able to be able to be put on display. Ain't that exciting? I want you to get a hold of that.

That's that. And and so uh showbread, that's what a showbread was. A showbread was 12 loaves of bread that was placed on a table in the temple each Sabbath to be offered to God. Let me let me give you that point right there real quickly. That's what show showbread.

That's what that term means. That the bread there were 12 loaves of bread that was placed on a table in the temple each sab Sabbath for the purpose of being offered to God. That bread was stacked weekly on the table. Weekly. Every week that bread was put on the table.

Go to the next the next item, please. Yes. The bread was stacked weekly on the every week it was put on the table. And then next button, the bread was placed close to the presence of God. It got put close to God. That's what you got to be close to God.

You you you got to put present yourself to the Lord weekly. Put yourself on the table of God being offered to God every week. That's to me that's what sun why Sunday is so important that God wants to bring us to a place where we are put on display put on the table and that that that table it was placed on was in the presence of God and it was in a holy place.

It means that God brings you forth and puts you in a place of holiness. It's a holy place and those 12 loaves represented the 12 tribes of Israel. Here's what God wanted. God wanted the 12 tribes of Israel to to on a weekly basis pre bring themselves before God and present themselves before God and be in a holy position before God before they we got going and and that those 12 loaves of bread represented the 12 tribes of Israel and that applies to us today.

Here we are. We are called of God to present ourselves before the Lord uh every week matter of fact actually every day but it begins that's why we worship on Sundays is that we we want to have a time that we present oursel before the Lord come in the presence of God come to the holy place of the sanctuary and uh recognize that we are a part of the family of God.

Yeah. Yeah. We we're we we we're not Jews in the sense of the 12 tribes of Israel, but we've been engrafted and adopted into the house of the Lord, into the family of God. Amen. We are we are engulfed and brought into the very presence of God. And the bread was presented to God every Sabbath.

Now, the in the Jewish culture, that was on a Saturday. Um but in the Christian church today, uh we we do it on a Sunday. And perhaps one day I'll talk about why we worship on Sunday and not on Sabbath. But I want you to be clear that really what God calls us to do is to worship God every day.

We we we're you know I I don't think uh uh you know the whole Sabbath thing was to have a day of rest. That's what the Sabbath mean. That you you you work six days and you rest one and you honor God and you worship God on one one of the on that that day.

And so, um, I believe that's an important element of this to understand. And the bread was presented to God every Sabbath. And you ought to make it your business every Sunday to be in the house of God to put yourself on display to do to do very this to be the showbread.

Some of you will never be able to be see God move supernaturally in your life because you don't present yourself to God and come to the holy place like the like the Israelites would do as they brought the bread. That bread represented you, you and I, the people of God, the servants of God, the children of God.

I think it's very I think it's critical. You mean if you if you physically have the ability to make it to the house of God, you ought to make it your business to be there. If you can go to work, you can go to church. You know, since the pandemic, so many people like Bedside Baptist.

They don't they don't come to worship, but there's something powerful about being connected with the family of God. There's something anointed powerful. Yeah. You know, if you're able, you know, I know we got a lot of people all over the world who can't come. I understand that. I'm not talking to those people are presenting themselves to God as best they can techn through technology.

But if you physically are able to go into the house of God and make it to your church, I believe it's critical that you do that because you are following and putting yourself in a posture to present yourself before the Lord so so that you can be his showbre display.

And that bread is go to that next point would lay on the table in the sanctuary for for seven days. that bread would be put on the table uh and laid on the table all week long is what that bread did. And it was those 12 loaves uh was to be fresh and always on display.

It was always in the temple. It was always on the table. It was always there for the duration of the time assigned because it was put on display. And that's what God wants you and I to be put on display. He wants us to be instruments. He wants us to be servants of him.

He wants us to be uh uh examples of his character and his makeup. He wants you and I to live a life that he will be demonstrated and seen through our actions, our choices, our conversations, our behavior, our service to others. That's why it's so important. We are his instruments for his purpose and ultimately for his glory.

Isn't that great news? I think that's great news. And I want you to get a hold of that. Now, let me let me go a step further and let's talk about this purpose thing. So, God wants us to be uh predestined. Here's what Romans 8:28 says. It says that we are called to his purpose.

I just made a moment and talked about that we are called. We've been issued a a a call. It is an invite, an invitation. By the way, God never forces anybody to do anything. He doesn't force you to do anything. He calls you. It is. And and we are called to respond to his call.

That's what God wants us to do. We should we should answer his call. We should respond to his request. Uh uh I I see so many people who are looking for the next call of God and they haven't answered the last call of God. I'm going to talk about that too in a little bit that you you you're looking for God to open up a new door and you haven't went through the first door that he's opened.

You haven't been obedient to the first thing. Let me tell you something. God is not going to give you a new call, another call, a a deeper call, another call until you respond to the first call that he gave you. Respond to him. say yes to him and walk in that.

Amen. That's that's critical. That's important. That's powerful. It's mighty. It's it's truth. It's it's it's uh Lord, I don't even know what word else to use. Uh and I guess I want to ask the question, why haven't you responded to what he's already asked you to do? What are you waiting on?

We are called we we are we we are called according to and for his purpose. that says we are called to do what he called us to do, what he wants you, not not what you want to do, not what your sign, what you think you should be doing, what God wants you to do.

And I'm going tell you, I'mma teach you in a and just I'm I'm I hope I get to this in a few minutes. There's there's a way that you can clearly know where God's call is on your life. He don't want you to be searching around guessing what it is.

No. Uh God wants you to have clarity. He wants you to be clear, specifically clear about what his assignment is for your life. It's not a g it's not a guessing thing. You don't have to go around searching for it, feeling for it. I'm going teach you how you can know beyond a shadow of a doubt what God has called you to do.

And don't wait. Don't wait another day. I'm I'm I am very grateful in my life. I'm I'm celebrating. And I celebrated I'm celebrating 5 this year. 52 years of doing what God called me to do. 52 years. I started as a teenager. I wish we could help our young kids learn what God's assignment is for their life in their teenage years.

Maybe some even before. I knew I knew what God had called me to do as a teenager. And God used all of this time. I'm 67 today because I started young. Some of you have ignored the call and you've missed so much valuable time in your life. You've missed so much valuable time with doing what God has called you to do.

So, so we are called to do his purpose. Go ahead to the next thing. And we are predestined according to his purpose. Predestined. Predetermined. I already read Romans 8:29. We read that already. I'm I'm going to just mention it one more time. Uh that God has uh fornew and predestined us to be conformed to the image of his son.

I talked about that already. He forneew. He knew ahead of time. Ain't no guess to God about what your assignment is. You're not going to stumble. It's not something you have to stumble across. He already knew. He forneew and he predestined you to be conformed that you had to go through some things that you could be shaped in the image of his son.

So there's some stuff you've gone through that maybe you wouldn't have chosen to go through. Maybe you would not have picked that but God forneew and allowed it. Some of you know there's some things that you've gone through in life that God allowed. Maybe you would never you would have never picked it or chose to do it but God predestined it so that you could be shaped into the image of Jesus Christ in your life.

Some of you have have a level of compassion in your life, a level of of uh just a level of of of something of of of of mercy, a level of burden in your life. Why? Because God uses it to help shape you to be like Jesus Christ, to be conformed to the image of his son.

Here's what here's what Ephesians 1:11 says. Let me read that to you real quick. Ephesians 1:11. him also we have obtained an inheritance being pred predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will. Oh boy, that's pro profound. We've been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will.

God has a will for your life. is an assignment, a destiny, a purpose for you. And uh he gives you an inheritance. He gives you a giftings. He gives you power. He gives you resources. He opens up and gives you an inheritance. You you obtain inheritance because you've been predetermined, predestined for his purpose.

God just wants us to learn to discover how that is. And he works all things. Lead that back up there just a second. and he works all things according to the counsel of God's will. He's working it out. I look back over my life and know some of you have heard me say that I I um I've suffered and challenged with being depressed growing up as a teenager.

And I believe God permitted that in my life during that season, feeling unloved, unwanted. Not that my parents didn't love me. Not that I didn't have siblings that didn't love me. Not that I didn't have family or people in the church that didn't love me. But the devil would make me feel unloved.

And God permitted me to feel that way because he gave me through that experience a level of compassion for people who are struggling and are in those kind of moments in their own life. God gave me a level of compassion to be merciful. One of my motivation, my motivational gift is mercy.

I'm I'm merciful to people. And so some of what you gone through, God uses it to shape you to be conformed to the image of Jesus, his son. And I think that's great news. And then let's go to the next the next the next but thing. He says, "We are created to show his power."

Again, God wants to demonstrate with you with the purpose he gives you so that you can be a an avenue to show the power of God. That's exciting to me that God wants to show you and use you so that people can see his power. Here's Romans Here's Romans 9:17.

I hope I'm not going too fast for y'all, but here's Romans 9:17. For the scripture said says to the Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I have raised you up that I may show my power in you and that my name may be declared in all of the earth."

Pharaoh, the one who held the children of Israel in in slavery and in bondage and sent Moses to get them free. And God said to to to Pharaoh, "Here's the purpose. I raised you up because I want to show my power because of the choices you you Pharaoh will make and because of the actions you will make.

I want to show my power." And in fact, you read in the ch in the in the book of Exodus all of the power God demonstrated uh because of Pharaoh's heart, because of his resistance. That's what this verse is referring to going back to Exodus and how God raised up Moses and used him to show the power of God when the children of Israel walked across uh got down to the Red Sea and here comes Pharaoh's army behind them to recapture them and he opened up the Red Sea and they walked across on dry ground and then Pharaoh's army tried to walk and follow them and the water closed in the sea closed in and drowned Pharaoh's army was showing the power of God the awesome mighty power of God and and you know I'm persuaded and what I know God has done even in my life and he wants to do in yours is show his power through you.

As a matter of fact, one scripture says the eyes of the Lord are looking to and fro looking about that he might show and declare himself strong and mighty. God wants to use your life to show his power and might. And I you know I I look at how God empowered us to pay off our mortgages.

We have no debt. Thank the Lord. That's showing the power of God. It's showing the power of God. All of the lives that have been changed, the growth that we've had, the marriages that have been healed, the people who've been in addictions, who've come out, they they they are showing the power of God.

And your life shows and demonstrates the power of God. That here you was when people knew you before you knew Jesus and now they see you today. They know that something has transpired that has brought about a significant change in your life. Ain't that awesome? Yeah, it is awesome.

It's amazing. It's powerful. It's it's it's remarkable that God wants to use you and I to demonstrate how awesome and how mighty he is. He's a you know, the scripture says he's a mighty God. He's an awesome God. and he he wants us and wants to use us to demonstrate and show uh his power and his might.

Now uh uh let's let's go to the next thing. It says we are called I've said this already and I'm going to say it again. We are called regardless of our failures, regardless of how we've missed the mark, regardless of how low, how long, how deep we may have failed.

We serve a God that hallelujah blessing praise be to God that he has the ability to use us regardless of our failures. Thanks be to God that he doesn't choose us because we do every eye and crossed every tea. No, he loves us because he wants to take us and fix us and repair us and demonstrate that he's an awesome God that loves everybody and he'll make a difference.

He will make a huge difference in your life. Boy, I hope I hope y'all are feeling that like I'm feeling it. It's It makes me want to worship God. It You don't have to ask me to worship God when I think about what God has done in my life, where he's brought me from, the doors he's opened, the provisions he's provided, how he has used my little feeble life to make a difference in so many people's lives.

I I give God the glory. Even though I have failed him so many times, he continues to give me another chance. Second Timothy chapter 1, let's read this verses 8 through 11. Here's what it says. Therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share with me in the suffering for the gospel according to the power of God. >> Go ahead.

Next verse. who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, not according to what you did, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began. Stop. Stick a pen right there. God called you, anointed you, gifted you before time started, before the world was created.

I think I said that already. I want to say it again. Before the world was created, God already had called you, already knew about you, already chose you, already set aside a level of grace that he gave to you in Christ before time began. Uh, go ahead to the next verse. but has now been revealed by the appearing of our savior Jesus Christ who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

You know what that means? He gave us eternal life that we will live forever and we believe that to the core of our being that we will live in eternity with Jesus Christ. He's abolished death. He took the power of death away and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

And we believe that we are persuaded that we have eternal life. That this when this life is over, we have a we have the the privilege and the joy and the opportunity to live an eternal life. Oh, I love that. Go ahead uh to the next verse. I'm sorry.

But to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. Matter of fact, uh I'm gonna talk I'm I'm I'm gonna talk about this a little bit too in a few moments. This is Paul talking. He says, "I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher."

Paul had this is a part of his purpose to preach the gospel, to start churches, to go forth and spread the gospel around the world and to be a teacher to the Gentiles of the Gentiles. That was his assignment. That was his call. That was his purpose in life was for him to do that.

And that's uh again just like Paul had a purpose so do you. Some of you been called to be preachers. Some of you have been called to be apost apostolic calling on your life. Some of you are teachers of the word. And we can go on and on.

Some of you are evangelists. Some of you you got gifts and and what we're trying to do is get you off of the seat of do nothing and do something with it. That's what we're calling you to do. Now, how do I know what my calling is? I'm glad you asked the question.

Let's go to the next slide here because I want to I want you to know how to know your purpose through using Nehemiah's example. Now, I'm hoping I'm going be able to get through this in these next few moments, but this is very, very critical. I might not get through all of this, but here's how you know what your call is.

I want you to pay close attention to this because this is how you know that God has called you. How do you know what your purpose is? Nehemiah gives us an example. Here's here's the first thing. He gives you a burden. He gives you a burden about it.

He he he uh he gives you he gives you uh a passion for it. He gives you uh uh you want to see something changed. You want to see something done about it. And it just doesn't go away. It keeps coming back. My call to the ministry came from through a burden, a passion that God gave me to see my friends saved.

My teenage friends, I got saved as a teenager, got called as a teenager. And God gave me a burden to see my friends accept Jesus. I'd be sitting in church and I understood what the pastor was preaching. They were laughing, joking, sleeping, passing notes, doing all kinds of things, but they didn't get it.

But I had a I felt God saying I could take the message that I understood what the pastor was saying and communicate it to them in a way that they could understand. That's how my call came. And whatever God's called you to do, it will be it will one of the things you need to recognize is he will give you a burden about it.

Look at let's look at Nehemiah 1:es 3-4 and then we'll go to chapter 2:1 17. And they said to me, here's Nehemiah, the survivors who are left from the captivity and the prophets are there in great distress and approach. Stop. Let me let me tell you what's happening.

That uh in Jerusalem uh the people there uh the walls around Jerusalem have been torn down and destroyed and and people bring a report back to Nehemiah because he's Nehemiah is working for a king in another location. He's not in Jerusalem. And the people who have survived all of the destruction of Jerusalem uh come and and the people said to me, he says, "The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach."

They shared this with Nehemiah. The walls of Jerusalem is also broken down and its gates are burned with fire. They bring this report to him. So it was when I heard these words that I sat down and wept and mourned for many days. I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

Stop. Stick a pin right there. Let me tell you this is important. When Nehemiah heard about what was happening in Jerusalem, he said, "I sat down and I cried and it just it wouldn't go away." He says, "I mourned for many days." That's how you know when it's a it's a call.

That's how you know it's a burden because it doesn't go away. If you can walk away from it and don't think about it again and doesn't bother you anymore, that's not that is not a that is not a burden. Nehemiah wept and mourned for many days and started [snorts] fasting and praying before God.

That that's a burden. God will give you a burden about something that you want to see changed. Let's go to Nehemiah 21:17. Then I said to them, you see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste and its gates are burned with fire. Come, he says, and let us build the wall of Jerusalem that we may no longer be a reproach.

He felt called to do something about it. And when you have a burden, you want to know what your call is? You will move to do something about it. You will you you you won't just sit back and let it fade away. You do something about it. If you can walk away and it don't bother you no more, you go do something else.

That ain't that's not that's not it. It will keep on rising up. It will keep on beckoning you. It will keep on pressing you. That's what a burden does. So that's number one. The first thing you know is what has God burdened you about? That's number one. Point two, let's go to part two.

God gives you resources. Here's this part two of this thing. God opens up and gives you resources. He gives you provision. He gives you He gives you somehow he opens up a door for you to have whatever you need to get done to bring about the change. Let's go to Nehemiah 2:es 2-8.

Let's read that. We'll see how God gave Nehemiah some provision. Therefore, the king said to me, "Why is your face set?" By the way, Nehemiah was the king's cup bearer. He worked for a king and he was the king's cup bearer. What that mean is he would eat the food and drink the drinks before the king would eat or drink just in case somebody was trying to poison the king.

I don't want that job. But that's the job that he had. And the king noticed he looked sad. He said, "Why is your face sad since you are not sick?" "This is nothing but sorrow of heart. So I became dreadfully afraid." Nehemiah said, "Go ahead. And said to the king, may the king live forever.

Why should my face not be sad when the city, the place of my father's tombs lies waste and its gates are burned with fire? The people that my my family, my home is in it's lying in waste. Then the king said to me, why do you what do you request?

So I prayed to the God of heaven. Mhm. And I said to the king, "If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my father's tombs, that I may rebuild it.

Give me some leave off my job is what he's saying." Then the king said to me, the queen also sitting beside him, "How long will your journey be? And when will you return?" And so it pleased the king to send me, and I set him a time. Furthermore, I said to the king, "If it pleases the king, let letters be given to me for the governors of the region beyond the river, that they may permit me to pass through till I come to Judah."

Last verse. and a letter to Asaf, the keeper of the king's forest, that he must give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel, which pertains to the temple, for the city wall, and for the house that I will occupy. And the king granted them to me according to the good hand of my God upon me.

He said, God's hand was upon me, and the king gave me everything I needed. He He gave me resources. He gave me uh timber to make beams for the gates. He gave me what I needed uh for the city wall and for the house. He built me a house.

He gave me the resources I need. God. And here's the thing. God, whatever God's called you to do, whatever provisions are needed, God will provide those provisions for you. That's another way you know that God. And if provisions not available, then maybe that's not what God wants you to do.

But he'll he'll somehow open up a door of provision for you. Okay, here's number three. Let's go to number three. I want to try to get through all of these today. Here's the third thing is opportunity. God gave Nehemiah the possibilities. He opened up possibilities for him to do it.

I'm using that word possibilities because God gave him opportunity. God gave him the opportunity. Now, one of the things that people ask me if they've been called to the ministry, and one of the things that I want to find out is what opportunities has God made available. If you believe you've been called to the ministry, but ain't nobody asking you to preach.

Somebody's calling you to, you feel God's calling you to preach, but nobody's asked you or invited you to preach, that may not be what your call is. I'm looking to see that God's opening up doors. By the way, outside of just those doors being opened up just at First Baptist Church, I mean other people recognize a gift and a call on your life and God opens up other doors for you to do it outside of just doing it at First Baptist Church.

And so I I'm telling you today, look for those opportunities. Yeah. And Yeah. Go ahead, put verse six up there because it he he asked for the king said to me, the the queen also sitting beside him. How long will your journey be? And I will and when will you return?

So it pleased the king to send me and I set him a time. The king gave him leave. He gave him the opportunity to go and do he gave him the opportunity to go and do the make it possible his that's a better word to make it possible for him to do what it is that he felt a burden to do.

And so if God has called you to do something, I believe God will open up the possibility for you to do it. All right? And I think that's I think that's an important thing, too. Look for opportunities. And when those opportunities to come, seize them. By the way, let me tell you, you don't need to get permission from me that if somebody asks you to come and preach, they give you the invitation.

Go. You don't need my permission to do it. If God opens up the door and somebody invites you. Now, by the way, don't you go and invite yourself. Boy, I wish I was I I wish I was in church where I could hear somebody say amen to that point right there.

I think I think I believe I'm persuaded. I'm convicted and convinced that u God will make the door of opportunity open and give you poss give you possibilities. And that's what happened with Nehemiah. He had um opportunity. He had possibilities to go and carry it out. Let me do let me do number five and number four which is which is opposition.

Somebody's going to oppose you. Again, don't be discouraged. It's just an indicator that somebody don't believe you've been called. Oh no, not you. Oh no, you can't do that. That ain't gonna work. You're gonna have opposition. You're going to have people going to fight against you who don't believe you've been called to do it or or going to try to resist and keep you from doing it.

And that's exactly what happened with Nehemiah. He had opposition. Nehemiah chapter 2:10, he had opposition. Let's let's read that. Let's go to there. Nehemiah chapter 2:10. He had opposition. He had people fighting against him. When Sam Ballot the Horonite and Tobaya the Ammonite officially heard of it, they were deeply disturbed that a man had come to seek the well-being of the children of Israel.

Here's Sam Ballot and Tobaya enemies. Player I call them player haters. They they're hating on Nehemiah coming back to care about the children of Israel. They said that they were they were deeply disturbed that a man had come to seek the well-being of the children of Israel. Somebody's going to be upset that you made a choice to do something about this.

Don't be don't be frustrated. Don't fight against them. It's just an indication. It's one of the signs that this is in fact what you have been called to do. Let's look at verse 19. Bring up verse 19. But when Sam Ballot the Horonite, Sabbay, the Ammonite official, and Gisham the Arab heard of it, they laughed at us and despised us and said, "What is this thing that you are doing?

Will you rebel against the king?" They they these player haters not only didn't like what Nehemiah was trying to do, rebuild the walls and bring safety and peace to the city. They they not only didn't like that, they fought against it, they despised it. And they tried to they caused started rumors that Nehemiah was waring against the king and they they tried to get the get Nehemiah hurt, arrested, imprisoned just because he made a choice and made a decision to honor God.

They were player haters. And then here's uh here's the uh fifth thing is supporters. God will give you supporters or partners. I call them partners. You God will raise up people who will support you and help make bringing it to pass. And that's what happened with Nehemiah. Again, all of these things happened with Nehemiah.

Nehemiah had some people who supported him and helped him. Verse chapter 2 11 and 12 says this. So I came to Jerusalem and was there three days. Then I rose in the night. I look at this and a few men with me. I told no one what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem.

Nor was there any animal with me except the one on which I rode. But here's the point I want you to see. A few men gave him support. And whatever it is God has called you to do, he will raise up a few men to support you as well.

Look for opportunities for people to walk alongside you. Look at verse 18. And I told them of the hand of my God which had been good upon me and also of the king's words that he had spoken to me. So they said, "Let us rise and build." Then they set their hands to do this good work.

He didn't have to do it by himself. He has some other people to go along with him. Passion, provision, possibilities, player haters, and partners. Let me give you one last thing. I'm sorry it don't start. It don't start with a P, but you get affirmation. There will be people who will affirm.

There will be people who will say, "I see God's hand on you." God will open up that door, make provisions for you to do what it is he's called you to do. I uh I feel in my spirit that there's some people here today are getting hopefully there's a light going off in your mind that there is something God's called you to do.

And I want to challenge you to act and respond to the voice of God's call on your life. You have a purpose. you have an assignment. I'm sorry. Uh I' I've taken up all the time talking and I don't I don't have time to do questions today. I apologize, but I hope y'all are um bring your your questions next week.

Um if you have any um and I'll try to answer some of those questions, but you do have a call. You do have an assignment. And I want to pray that God would help you respond to whatever it is, whatever the purpose is that God has created you for.

It won't go it's not going to go away. It's not going to fade. In these 52 years I've been preaching, I've never lost the passion to preach. Nor have I lost the passion to pastor. I know God's hand is on my life. And it's on yours, too. His hand is on your life.

There's a phone number that's going to come up on the screen in just a moment. There's a email address. There's a button you can click. If you don't know the Lord, we can help you meet him today. If you're backslid and you want to rededicate yourself to the Lord, you can come and rededicate yourself to him.

Or if you need assurance or if you need a church, we'd love for you to be a part of. And I' I would love and be honored to be your pastor. Call us, email us, hit the commit button. Father, in Jesus name, I pray that your people would understand and know the assignment you've given to each one.

In Jesus name, let them don't run away again. Don't let them walk away. Don't let them put it off. Make cause them to stop waiting, but to say yes to your will in Jesus name. Amen. Hey, next Tuesday, uh, let me see. Let me make sure I'm clear.

I think next Tuesday is baptism. Let me make sure I got that straight. Uh, yes, next Tuesday is baptism. So, we don't have B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B Bible study.

I'll pick up on this teaching. I'm not finished. On the following Tuesday, which is the 24th of uh of March, the 17th, we'll baptize. The 24th, we'll pick up. Okay. I love you. Thank y'all for joining us. And hey, don't forget to pray for my daughter's team. They're going up against the Goliath tomorrow.

I love you. You have a great night. >> This is FBCG News. ((music playing)) Be a disciple and make a disciple. Be a disciple and make a disciple. Here's what's happening on our church calendar. The 2025 FBCG annual report is available now. In this edition, you'll read how disciplehip was lived out through our ministries ((music playing)) and departments.

Visit our website or visit fbcg glennard.org/anual report to view and download your copy. Wednesday, March 18th, join us for a special release worship service. This service hosted by the ID Young Adults is open to all ages. Meet us at the worship center at 7:30 p.m. as we release our praise to God.

Join us for Resurrection Weekend at First Baptist Church of Glenn Arden, April 3rd through the 5th, 2026 at the worship center. On Good Friday, April 3rd, invite someone who may not ((music playing)) know Jesus to experience Glory to Glory. A powerful production that tells the story of Christ's journey to the cross, his crucifixion, ((music playing)) and his resurrection through compelling storytelling and original music.

Bring a friend, a family member, or co-orker, and prayerfully expect God to move. Then celebrate the risen Savior during one of five resurrection services. ((music playing)) For the first time, we'll have a Saturday evening service at 6:00 p.m. and four services Sunday at 6:00 a.m., 8:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m., and noon.

All services will take place at the worship center and will stream online. This resurrection, come ready to worship, to reflect, ((music playing)) and to rejoice in the hope we have because he is risen. Experience the sound of glory to glory from anywhere. The soundtrack featuring original music from the production is available now everywhere ((music playing)) music is sold.

That's the news for this week. To learn more about these events, monthly gatherings, and all things FBCG, visit fBC glennharden.org. ((music playing)) >> One, ((music playing)) one god.