Anything Can Happen

Adrian a warm welcome this morning.

Wherever you want, Dan or here.

Thank you, sir.

As Pastor Dana said, that uh we uh Benjamin right there instructed me to go hire.

I gotta do what Benjamin said, do Benjamin said go hire, I gotta go hire you.

Amen.

Uh as Pastor said, we um we kind of met at Applebee's a couple of years ago, and um we got to talk and then actually he looked at me, he said, Where you from?

You don't sound like you're from Alabama.

I said, No, originally I'm from Georgia.

He said, What part?

I said, from Albany, Georgia.

He said, I'm from Albany, Georgia.

Then we got to talking about hot dogs.

Jimmy hot dogs, one of the best hot dogs in the state of Georgia.

Amen.

And when I go home next time, I'm gonna bring some hot dogs back home for you.

But anyway, I told Pastor I wasn't gonna stay here no more than two hours.

I'm gonna make sure some of us get a chance to preach.

Amen.

Amen.

But as Pastor said, my name is Adrian Riggins.

My wife's name is Angela Riggins.

Uh we have two beautiful boys.

Uh one of my sons passed away.

Bless you.

Uh but I joined the military back in 1982.

And in the process of joining that, I knew what God could do for you.

Amen.

It took me a long time to get in.

I graduated in 1980, but I could never make it into the military.

It was one problem after another.

They say, Oh, you got blood in your urine, you can't go.

You're not healthy enough.

So I got out, got my degree in auto mechanics.

Everything cut off on that.

I said, I gotta get in the military.

So I closed my door in my room, got on my knees, I prayed.

I said, Lord, if you let me get in the military, I won't get out until you tell me to get out or I retire.

That's the promise I made him.

And guess what, ladies and gentlemen?

I honor that.

21 years.

I honor that.

Amen.

But don't let me say you like that.

But what God, if you put God first, amen, and all this will be added unto you.

Amen.

But anyway, uh, like the pastor said, I'm just gonna give him a testimony real quick.

1994, before I got ready to go to Korea, um, I had bike slid.

I was back out there in the world, you know, because growing up, your parents take you to church, you sit at church, but it's somewhere along the line, you bike slide.

And so that's what I did at bike sliding.

I got, you know, in 1994, we was at a church in Baltimore, and my wife had encouraged me to go along with her.

And as I was going, I said, okay, I'm sitting here, you know.

And this is my first time coming from a Baptist church that I'm in a Pentecostal church where everybody stands up.

Everybody stands up and praise God, right?

I'm sitting down looking at everybody, I said, What's going on?

You know, you know, coming from a Baptist church, with Baptist church, we just sit down.

We just listen.

But in Pentecostal church, they up, they shout, they jump, they got the tamarine, they going.

So I'm sitting down, I'm sitting there.

And and about a couple weeks before I got ready to go to career, the next time I went to the church and the pastor preached a message.

I can't remember exactly what, but he said, if there's anyone here backslidden that wants to come back and know Christ, there's anyone that needs, and before she can turn around and look over like that, I was already up there.

I was up there.

The Holy Spirit has pulled me up there.

And when I got there, he said, he pointed me out.

He pointed me out, he prayed for me.

Now, on that part, I'm not gonna preach, but on that part, on that part, when I got ready to go to Korea, I'm getting on the airplane.

There's a pastor sitting next to me on the airplane, 14 hours in flight.

So you can imagine 14 hours sitting next to a pastor.

You're gonna hear some word, right?

You're gonna get some word 14 hours, okay?

I I had I had had surgery while I was in Korea.

Now flying from Korea to Hawaii, there's a pastor on this side of me.

In the hospital, there's a pastor in my room.

He tell me something.

On the way back to Korea, another pastor.

When I got there, my supervisor, when I finally got to tell him, it's a pastor.

So, where could I run?

Where could I hide?

God said if you make your bed in hell, he's gonna be there, right?

So he was all around me.

I couldn't run, I couldn't do anything.

But I thank God because I I you know I asked him to let me stay in the military.

I thank him for allowing us to be in the military for 21 years and everything.

And also, I tried to join the United States uh youth marshals.

I couldn't.

God would not let me out because he said, remember now, you said, if I let you out and you retire.

So I stay.

I stayed.

And and leaning not to my own understanding, but in all my ways acknowledging him.

He's gonna direct your past.

I know some of my family probably hear me get tired of hearing saying that.

Even when our son passed away, we was on our way to Texas.

My wife asked, Lord, what do you want us to do with this?

He said, I want you to just praise me.

So our whole focus was not on our son, it was praising God.

Because if you look at 2 Samuel, when Hannah had a son, she brought him back to the Lord.

So I tell a lot of people, be careful when you say, I want to dedicate my child to the Lord, because if you dedicate him to the Lord, he takes him that night.

You can't cry now because he belonged to God.

You can't cry, it belongs to God.

So the 29 years we had with our son, it hurt me, yes.

But I never pointed a finger at God.

That's good.

Because he gave me a son was a blessing, and but it was returned back to him.

Okay, and God gave us free will, ladies and gentlemen.

It gives us free will to do what we need.

But I hope that one day you choose God, choose life and live it.

Amen.

Romans chapter 12, verse 1 to 2.

Romans 12:1–2

Yeah, yeah.

I receive to you therefore, brother, by the mercy of God, that you present your body, holy and acceptable unto God.

Amen.

So I'm gonna turn it over to you because I don't want to get the preaching and the shout and everything.

But ladies and gentlemen, thank you.

Thank you.

Can we all stand so we can worship God together?

Welcome into this place.

Welcome into this broken vessel.

You desire to abide in the presence of your people, so we lift our hands and we lift our hearts and we honor you a blessing to your name.

Thank you, Jesus Christ.

Welcome into this place, welcome into this broken vessel.

You desire to abide in the presence of your people, so we lift our hands and we lift our hearts, and we offer you a present to your name.

Lord, you are welcome in this place, Lord.

You are welcome in this place.

Lord, you are welcome in this place.

So have your way.

Come if you know this, come on, Lord.

You are welcome in this place.

Lord, you are welcome in this place.

Lord, you are welcome in this place.

So have your way, move by your spirit, Lord Jesus.

Move by the spirit in this place, move by your spirit in this place, move by your spirit in this place, have your way.

Send your anointing in this place, send your anointing in this place, send your anointing in this place, have your way.

If anyone is sick in this place and needs a healing from the Lord Jesus, heal and deliver in this place, heal and deliver in this place, heal and deliver in this place, Lord.

Come on with arms lifted, hands raised high before Jesus.

With clean hands we stand before you with clean hands we sing your praise because of mercy, whole mercy everlasting with clean hands we bless your name with clean hands we stand before you with clean hands we sing your praise because of mercy, yes, Jesus.

Oh mercy everlasting with clean hands we bless your name, sing hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah to the King, Hallelujah, oh hallelujah, hallelujah to the King Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah to the King Oheluia Oh hallelujah, Hallelujah to the King with clean hands we bless your name Hallelujah to the King.

Amen.

Thank you for just bless you.

Thank you, Lord.

Thank you, Lord.

Thank you, Lord.

Thank you, Lord.

Say hallelujah to the king.

Hallelujah to the king.

Thank you, Lord.

Oh, thank you, Lord.

Let's have a word of prayer.

Hallelujah, God.

Hallelujah.

God, we lift up your name, God.

We enter your gates with thanksgiving, God.

We praise you for this day, Lord God.

God, I ask that you crucify my flesh, Lord God.

That God, I speak your word with boldness, God.

With the anointing, Lord God, of the Holy Spirit, Lord God.

God, we're praying for souls to get saved today.

Souls to get delivered today, Lord God.

God, we just praise and magnify you, God.

We just lift you up in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Ooh, glory.

Hallelujah.

Hallelujah.

Say hallelujah to the King.

Woo! Hallelujah.

Hallelujah.

Ooh, thank you, Lord.

Last time I stood before you, a lot of that transpired, and so has it.

A lot of transpired this time.

But first of all, I want to honor all my vets.

All my vets and the loved ones that gone on this to celebrate our country and die for our country.

And I was going back and I was doing some research.

You know, we serve, uh, we celebrate Veterans Day.

In fact, yesterday was Veterans Day.

Uh, my youngest sister, that's that's her birthday.

She's born on uh Veterans Day.

But it was back in 1918 when World War I ended, on November the 11th, at 11 a.m.

That's when it ended.

And back then they celebrated as Armtus Day.

I think I'm pronouncing that right.

I got a little call from Lower Alabama.

I'm close.

Like my mom, in the famous word, my mom, you know what I mean.

Armteus dates.

Now, at the end of uh 1953, at the end of 1953, we celebrated uh the end of World War II.

And they changed the name from Armor's Day to Veterans Day.

And that's what you and I celebrate now.

That's what we celebrate.

And so there's many reasons to celebrate the veteran, and he's honored and committed.

First of all, we had to celebrate the veteran for the freedom we have.

Because as we know, freedom isn't free.

And then we have to celebrate him because of the courage and the love for the country.

So today, like I said, we're gonna talk about the veterans.

And actually, uh, the main character of my sermon today is a soldier.

It's a soldier.

We're gonna talk about that soldier.

He's a centurion.

And I like soldiers, I'm a little biased.

And uh I think Jesus likes soldiers too, and I'm gonna tell you about that.

Do we have any soldiers in the Army of the Lord out here?

Now you have to make noise.

Now, one thing about the Army.

Now, I went in the Marines, I went in the Air Force, I didn't serve the Navy, but I served the Army.

We made noise.

Now, I always honor the pastor.

Uh that's my spiritual father, uh, Dr.

Lovett, his beautiful wife, that's my spiritual mother.

Always honor them, and they are great people to be under, a great asset to the kingdom of God and the message that they are teaching us.

But it's one thing to teach now at this point.

Anyone can get up here for us and say, read the scripture, but now you got to live the scripture.

And they are setting an example for us.

And today I honor these my soldiers in the Lord.

Let's give them a hand cleft.

Also, my beautiful wife, great job, honey.

Love you.

Wonderful job, wonderful job.

Then I have two girls and uh two young men here.

So my my girls, they watching by the internet, and to everybody watching the internet, God bless you.

We love you, and happy Veterans Day.

Now I said we're gonna talk about our centurion today.

So let's go straight to the scriptures.

It'll come from Matthew the eighth chapter.

And we're gonna start at the fifth verse.

When you dare say amen.

New Testament, we're good.

Praise the Lord.

Okay, it reads.

And when Jesus entered to Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him and saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home, sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.

And Jesus said unto him, I will come and heal him.

In the eighth verse, the centurion answered and said to the Lord, I'm not worthy that thou should come under my roof, but speak a word only, and my servant shall be healed.

Say, speak a word only, and my servant shall be healed.

How many of you out there need a word today?

Does anybody need a word?

Forget about your neighbor now.

Just act like it's you and God.

Because you know, she sung that song and said, now we we here to worship God.

Forget about your husband now, the children in the back.

It's in order to worship God, you gotta worship him in spirit and in truth.

Your body don't make no difference.

I know you dress up, you're looking good.

It's not about your soul, it's about your spirit.

That's the only way you can worship him.

And speaking of worshiping, think about this now.

I want y'all to stand up and give a praise break.

I got to get something stirred up in here.

We gotta do a praise break.

We gotta do a praise break.

Now, let me tell you why we should praise him.

But wait a minute, before we praise him, let me tell you why you should praise him, though.

First of all, he woke you up this morning.

Look at you.

You're in good health.

It was him allowed us to get up.

Pastor Dana says something very important.

The last Sunday, I think it was about 11:30, in Texas, some demon went in that church and shot our brothers and sisters in the Lord.

Now, one thing about a soldier, you have to be ready to defend your country and actually die for your country.

But now let me tell you something now.

And I'm serious as I can be.

We don't have a passive God.

And I'm gonna share some of those principles with you today.

He's not passive.

We gotta be ready to stand for Jesus.

And we need to be ready to die.

And if you know the word now, if you know the word you've been reading, you know Satan can't kill us.

Because see, I read absent from the body, present with the Lord.

See, I read in Matthew, don't fear somebody that can just kill your body and so, but you need to fear somebody, can send you the body, so and send you the hell.

In other words, the only one we gotta fear is Jesus, our Savior.

Nobody, you see, I hear you shoot me, I'm straight in.

And speaking of that, our pastor has been doing a dynamic job on revelation.

And God just been revealing and revealing to me.

So I want you to clap your hands.

Now, I'ma tell you, yes, you you you might say, it don't take all that.

I tell you what, I know a lot of you, I know a lot of people out there, you lost loved ones very close to you.

Well, I lost a loved one too, very close, my mother.

Three months ago, I buried her.

And God grace me, I don't know how I did it with the Holy Spirit.

I preached her funeral.

But you know what?

We had joy.

We celebrated.

I read his songs, even in your brief.

He can turn into a daddias.

You get daddias in church.

They delirious last night in Alburn.

They deleas in Alabama, Janny.

Why can't we have Joy?

I'm in the book.

I'm in the book reading.

And even say, jump for joy.

Jump for jumper.

Do anybody, jump for money.

Jump for jumbo.

Jump for jumper.

This judge, this is judge.

I'm talking about my savior now.

A number of bosses messed up again to come.

But I'm gonna talk and I'm gonna talk.

So let's give him a praise.

Praise him.

Praise him.

Praise him.

Let everything have a breath.

Praise you the Lord.

Now let's talk about this interior.

Have a seat.

I'm still in the army.

I'm a preacher, but I'm a sergeant in the army.

Pastor Danny is the professor, and I'm Sergeant Bracey.

And let's continue with the scriptures here.

I'm gonna go back to the eighth verse.

It says centerior.

Alsa said, Lord, I'm not worthy that I should come under my roof, but speak a word only, and my servant shall be healed.

Verse 9 says, For I'm a man under authority, having soldiers under me.

I said unto this man, Go and he goeth.

And I tell him another man, Coming, and he coming.

Do this and he doeth.

When Jesus heard this, he marveled.

He said, and said to them, Follow.

Verily, I say unto you, I have not found such great faith, not in Israel.

He found it in CCW?

Could he find that great faith in CCW?

Just ask him.

You know, we all family.

Okay.

I didn't know.

I don't want you to go to sleep on me.

Okay, verses 11 said, and I said unto him that many shall come from the east and the west and shall sit down with Abraham and Isaac and then Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.

Now, I'm gonna go back up to that seven and eight verse.

And we're gonna use this for a service.

Let's read that seven again.

And Jesus said unto him, I will come and heal him.

And the eight verse said, the centurion answered and said, Lord, I'm not worthy that thou should come as under my roof, but speak a word only.

My servant shall be healed.

I want to use for a subject this morning.

Anything can happen.

Anything can happen.

When we honor authority and speak a word in faith.

I need to say that again.

Anything can happen when we honor authority.

And then not only speak, but you gotta speak it in faith.

So I need y'all to help me today.

Don't get quiet today.

Don't look at me.

I need you to praise God.

Say amen.

If you know I'm gonna say amen.

I'll chill my own cell phone.

Because I'm used to who said something.

You go to the game, you say something.

Yeah, say something.

Now let's go ahead on this seven verse.

Now you said, now how did he get that out of that text?

Well, first of all, I gotta give you a little background.

On the centurion, we we got several people in this text here.

You got Jesus, of course.

Now some would say, you know, he could have been in the military.

I heard one of the theologians I was following said Jesus could have been in the military.

Now he was militant, but I'm gonna tell you why he couldn't have been in the military in this introduction.

He couldn't have been in the military because we have to follow rules.

We're gonna talk about that.

Then you have the centurion and you have the servant.

Let's set this text up.

You look at it, like I said, starting Matthew, the eighth chapter.

But Jesus had just finished preaching the most famous sermon ever on the mount.

They call it the Beatitudes.

And boy, he preached.

And the people saying, Oh, he preached, but what they were so amazed, he preached the same scripture, but they say he did it with authority.

That's the last verse, I believe, in the seventh chapter.

When he preached, he preached it with authority.

So it was a difference.

It wasn't like he was passive with it.

It's a difference when you got authority over.

Come here, Joshua.

That's authority.

We don't say, come here, Josh.

That's a difference.

Jesus preached with authority.

That's the type of guy he was.

So he had just finished preaching and he coming down the mountain and going into Capernaum.

Pastor Dana gave us a good overview last week from Capernaum.

Now, the thing about Capernaum, you would have thought Jerusalem had been his home base.

Actually, it was Capernaum.

That was his home base.

So he's going back in.

Now this is going back up eight chapter about the first through the fourth verse.

He's going in.

He's coming out in the mountain and going to Capernaum.

This leopard came up to him.

Hmm.

So I need a healing.

Okay.

I need a healing.

So now let me tell you about Jesus now.

Remember I told you he couldn't have been in the military?

Because he broke rules.

He broke rules now in the military.

For those of you that have been in the military, you know, in order to get promoted, you must follow the rule book, the manus.

Jesus wasn't thinking about no rules.

Jesus touched the leopard.

He had the audacity.

Let me tell you, we got to go back to the Old Testament in Leviticus now.

I think it's about the 14th chapter.

When he touched the leopard, nobody's supposed to touch the leopard.

In fact, back then, if you were a leopard, you both holla.

Unclean, unclean, unclean.

They cast them out.

They'd be outside the city.

It was like our modern-day AIDS when it first came out.

You know, everybody was scaring people with HIV.

That's what leprosy was.

But here go Jesus, a clean hole, Jesus.

Touched this in that time a nasty leopard.

Why would he do that?

The disciples, wait a minute now.

Now I don't, you know, I didn't do good in Bible study and I ain't do good in Sunday school.

But my mama told me, you don't touch no leopard.

I don't leave all I had to follow.

Jesus, and he over here touching leopards.

Anything could happen when you're with Jesus.

He touched it, but let me tell you what happened now.

It reminded me of time.

What he did is the substitution rule.

He switched places with him.

He took his wholeness and switched back over here and made the leopard clean.

And now he is dirty.

Remind me what he did on the cross.

The substitution rule.

He substituted.

Because I was a dirty, nasty sinner.

I wasn't the only one.

We got some more there.

See it, but I tell it.

But he he substitute and put that blood on the cross for me.

Tell me we don't have a good God.

Said, but he was wounded for our transgression.

He was bruised for our iniquity and that chastised by our peace with him.

And through his stripes ye were healed.

And that leopard was healed.

Now let me tell you just how radical Jesus was.

He was something else.

Because a lot of people serve Jesus, they don't really know Jesus.

They don't know Jesus.

You got to read the book to get to know him.

Now, speaking of the leopard, let's talk about another leper now.

Now, why this was so perplexing, if you kind of fast forward, you go to Matthew, look for Matthew, I think it's about the 15th chapter, it's another leper.

And this time he didn't he didn't touch the leopard, he just told him to speak the word.

But Jesus was bold.

I mean, he would do anything.

I give you another example he did.

I'm telling you about this lady.

I know I'm pushing the introduction along, but it's gonna tie in.

Jesus was so bold.

It was a lady that came that had a daughter that was sick.

And uh she was demon-possessed, just what Lake Pastor was done that was talking about, demon-possessed.

And let me tell you how radical Jesus was.

Jesus said, huh?

She asked him for the healing.

He didn't answer.

Oh, will you hear my daughter?

The disciples said, you hear?

She's crying and begging.

Then Jesus came back with an answer like this.

Is it lawful for me to give the crumbs of the children to dog?

To a dog?

That's what he said.

To this lady.

Jesus, now our Savior said that.

To a dog.

So what I'm giving you to see, this is why I want to contrast.

Jesus, when they was meeting at the same time, when this center was meeting him, Jesus, according to the Jewish tradition, they didn't like Gentiles.

They called them dogs.

They was beneath them.

They was beneath them.

Now, and then on the other hand, the centerior.

Let's talk about the centerior.

Oh, now let me tell you something about the military.

You got some people you know you can use money and you can come in with a higher rank or somebody appoint you.

A centerior really was a warrior.

When I say a warrior, he was a warrior.

He had to work his way through the ranks.

And then he was an aristocrat.

They paid him the most, too.

He got paid the most out of all the different soldiers.

Let me tell you why.

And what was so unique about this center.

Don't go to sleep on him.

Don't go to sleep on him.

I'm gonna come now, I'm gonna get there.

But I want you to, I want you to understand this.

So, yeah, I gotta lay the foundation, gotta lay the foundation.

But what was so significant about this interior, he had to rise through the rank.

Nobody didn't just give him uh the rank structure.

He had to rise, you know how he had to do it, because he could fight.

I mean, he was uh, they say I was researching on this interior, he he he mastered martial art.

Now, let me tell you the difference between him and the commanders that we have today, and I'm not putting the commanders down.

Only George Washington did this.

If you go back and look at the first world war, George Washington actually led from the front.

He rode, he actually went out there and fought.

This interior, now you got to be a bad man to do this.

Let me tell you what he did.

I was intending to have the hat, but I I couldn't get it.

He wore a special hat, but this hat alerted everybody that he's the commander.

So now, you're like, duh.

So if I'm the enemy, right?

If I'm the enemy, guess who the first person I'm going for?

Yeah.

I'm going for the center.

Because if you take the lead out, the subordinates don't know what to do.

But that's how bold he was.

And so when I say he was a soldier, he was a soldier's soldier.

He he just wasn't any type of soldier.

He was a soldier soldier.

But one thing about this interior, and God loved this about him.

One thing about this center is the fact that he also honored his servant.

Now, the other character is that servant, he was a slave.

Now, one thing about a center, they was career soldiers, 20 years, 20 years plus.

And one provision they had, they could not have family, so they couldn't get married.

Now, you know they had moms and dads, but now this is what struck me so big with this uh centurion is the fact that the centurion loved his servant so much, he took him to Jesus.

He took him to Jesus.

Now that is powerful.

He took him to Jesus.

Now here it is.

He didn't take his mom.

Now you know he said he had a mom, or dad, a brother, or sister.

He took the centurion to Jesus.

Now what that's saying there, that's honor.

He honored God, and he also honored the servant, and that is powerful.

Now, once you look at that that quote for us him being a person of honor, what you have to look at, hold on one minute.

I got it sided here and I switched some.

But that's all right, we're gonna come back.

Oh yeah.

We're gonna get this thing back to rolling.

But what was so amazing, you know, like I say, he took the centurion, the centurion took the servant to Jesus.

Now, by taking to Jesus, that said a lot about him.

Yes, I might be rich.

This guy might be up under me, he might stay in the bottom of the house, but I love him so much, I love him so much that I'm gonna take him to Jesus.

Now, see, back then, I believe they had email, I believe they had text.

No, just joking.

But Jesus was, I mean, everybody heard about him.

He's healing, he's healing, he's healing.

It's everywhere.

So now I'm thinking, you know, if you just go back in time, I believe that this center had took him to the natural doctors, you know, the regular doctors, the regular physicians.

Yes, he took them down.

He said it can't work, it don't work.

I done spent all this money, it's not working.

But the center knew his he knew his limitations.

Do you know your limitations?

Do you know your limitations?

When we when we find ourselves things that we can't do, we need to take it to Jesus.

Actually, we need to take everything to Jesus.

So he took it to Jesus.

He took it to Jesus, and that's what we need to do with different situations.

The next verse I'm gonna cover would be authority, and he talks about this for I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me, and I said the one, go, and I tell another one, come.

That means he was the man.

He was the man, he had authority, but now this is something key.

He had people that he was under, he was under.

Just like we have somebody that we're under, right?

And he had people that was below him.

And so that's why he could make that statement about authority.

Now let me tell you something about authority.

God gave us authority.

Look what the word is saying in Luke 10, 19.

It said, Behold, I give unto you power to shred on a sculpture, to shred on serpents and scorpions, and over the power of all enemy, and nothing should by any means hurt you.

Woo! Nothing is gonna hurt you.

Now let's talk about that power word.

That first, you see, it's two powers in this particular scripture.

The first word said power, but now guess what it really means in the original in the Greek?

It means authority.

So I'm gonna read that scripture again.

Behold, I give unto you authority to shred on serpents and scorpions.

I was glad last week when Pastor Dan the preacher said now.

I'm gonna tell you something, and y'all didn't get spooked out, you did good.

He said, You know you can cast out a demon?

Do y'all believe that?

You have the ability to cast out a demon.

But now let me tell you something.

A demon can't cast out a demon.

You got to have the Holy Spirit on the inside of you.

You got to have the right spirit.

You'll come out there running.

Yes, yes.

Now let me tell you something about authority.

Authority is nothing but delegated power.

And that's all the military was about.

You move up from lieutenant to captain, and you get delegated power, but you get it from the commander in chief, which is our president.

And same thing.

We have to exercise our authority and realize we can cast our demons, but be ready.

Now, I don't want you to be scared because let me tell you what Jesus did here.

If you rewind that, you go to verse 10, 17.

This is what the people said.

And 72 returned with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject to your name.

So basically it sent them out witnessing, telling people about Jesus.

But Jesus gave them instructions, but they had no idea.

You know, it's one thing for you to say it.

Now you can hear it in them with me.

But then when you go out there and you gotta do it, and you can't be fearful.

And why you can't be fearful?

Because he said, Great is he that is in me than he is in the world.

You can't be fearful.

You gotta put your hand on that head and cast that demon out in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

It's real.

The spirit world is real.

Actually, we more spirit than anything.

You got a body, soul, and a spirit.

Now, let's look at this uh for us, the illustration with this power.

In Matthew, it talks about uh, well, excuse me, in Ephesians 6 chapter, it says, Finally, my brother, be strong in the Lord, and the power of his might.

Now, let me tell you something.

I like my job, I work at SERPO, but I'm gonna tell you, when school is in, it takes me probably about 10 more minutes to get to work.

And I'm gonna tell you why.

They have a policeman out there, and he's stopping traffic.

And I mean, he makes the traffic so slow.

Now, you you look at sometimes it's 40 cars just you know, because he's hit that stop signal, stop.

But then you look at that.

Now, he does not have the power.

We can run over him.

I mean, run over him, make the news, the front page.

But you know it's gonna be some repercussion.

He didn't have the power, but I'll tell you what he does have.

He got the authority.

Now his authority came from the government system.

You and I got some authority too.

Ask your neighbor.

Do you have an authority?

Ask your neighbor.

Ask the one on the right.

You need you're not you're not moved.

Do you have an authority?

Well, let me tell you, yes, you do have some authority.

You do have some authority.

I'm not playing with you.

It's right here in Matthew.

Jesus, Matthew the 28th chapter.

Now everybody quote about the Great Commission.

Everybody talk about the Great Commission.

Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.

But you need to bag up, rewind.

Rewind.

Rewind.

He said, wait a minute, what he said.

Oh power.

Oh power.

Oh power is given to me in heaven and earth.

Oh my goodness.

And then he delegated to my to you.

To you and you.

Now, what are we doing with our authority?

What are we doing with our authority?

Tell me.

You evaluate yourself.

What are we doing with our authority?

My pastor said, are we making uh help me preach?

Are we making disciples?

What are we doing with it?

Look, look at last week.

Look at last week.

Well, Pastor Daniel was talking about, those people came into church.

Rewind.

The week before that was that was a Muslim brother.

I think he ran over eight or nine in New York.

Rewind, I think 30 days ago, uh, this young man, well, he's a middle aged gentleman.

He shot what his 50, 60 people in Las Vegas.

What are we doing with our authority?

What are we doing with our authority?

That devil is the God of this world.

But see, I read we of this world, but we're not in this world.

Now, when Jesus died on that cross, he turned the power back over to us.

So now we gotta start speaking our word.

The question, let me tell you what the Holy Ghost got me.

And he got me on this one.

When they talk about authority, this beat me up.

Now, I like what Pastor Dana does.

You know, he witnessed everybody.

I haven't caught up with him yet, but I'm trying, I'm trying.

But I looked and I said, Well, who do you witness to, Sylvester?

Now, I'm not one that some people, if you're guilty, just say you are.

You just say, ouch.

We only witness to people that look like us.

Oh, come on now.

We all look like us.

And I said, okay, Sylvester, what about you?

So now well, I feel comfortable witness to white brothers.

I feel comfortable with black brothers.

But God said, when the last time you you witnessed to a Muslim?

When the last time you witnessed to a Hispanic?

When the last time you witnessed to a Judah didn't believe?

I said, ooh, okay, Holy Spirit.

Now I know y'all, I know y'all witnessed to everybody.

Y'all witness Pastor Danny.

I haven't got there yet.

I'm trying.

I'm trying.

I'm not there yet.

I'm not there yet.

Then let's go to this word.

Let's move on down to the when he says speak a word.

Speak a word.

But see, the thing about speaking a word now.

We talk every day.

And you know, I'm just telling you what I read in the book.

You know, women, y'all talk more than we do.

Now, I will say this.

Now, some women talk more than we do.

My wife said, I don't know a shut up.

Sometimes she just said, be quiet, Sylvester.

Be quiet.

I'm tired of you talking.

Be quiet.

I can't help it though.

That's where they made me.

That's the way he made me.

The creator is not my fault.

It's not my fault.

But now, these words are important.

We got a formula here we're working on.

These words are important, especially when you speak words of faith.

Words of faith.

Now let's talk about this word.

Let's go to Matthew the 12th chapter and the 37th verse.

It said, by thy words, thou should be justified.

And by thy words, thou shalt be condemned.

My pastor talks about it all the time.

Was it Proverbs 1821?

Death and life in the power of what?

Your tongue.

It ain't what Darren said about me.

It's not what Pastor David said about me.

It's what I say about me.

That's what I say about me.

What are you saying about you?

What are you saying about you?

Are you on the defensive or you on the offensive?

I can listen to you and I can locate you.

I'll listen to the sermon.

And you know, like we got a navigation system now.

But not only now they don't have the navigation system, but and especially good for parents when you got these kids out there.

You can track them.

Oh, he's right there on 280 at McDonald's.

Okay.

Now let me tell you what.

If I sit and talk to you about three minutes, I can locate you.

No faith, no faith, no faith.

Faith, faith, faith, faith, faith, faith.

All you gotta do is listen to the person.

Just listen.

Just listen.

He'll tell you, uh no.

Well, everybody in my family had cancer.

My mom had it.

Cousin Blue Blue had it.

She died.

It's just a matter of time.

It's just like Job, the very thing he feared, it came upon.

It's just a matter of time.

Look what you're speaking.

Now, my mom, like I said, she's going to be in heaven now.

But one of her favorite scriptures was dealing with Psalms 91, verse and 7.

It's a he that dwelleth.

He that dwelleth.

She that dwelleth in the secret place of the high shall abide.

Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress.

Proverbs said it like this in the fourth chapter, the 20th through the 20.

My son, attend to my words.

Incline thy ear unto my sayings.

Let them not depart from thy eyes.

Joshua said it like this.

You got a meltdown's word day and night.

Day and night.

Get off of CNN.

Get off of Fox.

Get off of ABC.

You ain't gonna get no power with that.

You know why we're powerless?

Because we're not in the world enough.

I'm gonna tell you something with the military, and everybody here in the military can tell you this.

I'm gonna tell you something they do.

My oldest sister, I'm a late child.

They found me behind a bush, but that's a whole different story.

Her son, her son went to the military.

And uh he he wasn't the he wasn't the uh the most titest person.

He had his ways.

She went and visited him at graduation, basic training.

She said, Who is this?

Say he looked like my son.

He sounds like my son, but he don't act like my son.

But let me can I tell you why?

Let me tell you what they do in basic training.

All my service members can agree with this.

This is what they do.

When you first get there, now I used to have hair.

So I can't get a the first thing they do, they're gonna indoctrinate you to their doctrine.

They cut your hair off.

I had some hair back then.

I used to wear the jerry curry.

It was greasy, you know, like you see on TV, and you sell them back, leave that oil.

It was greasy, but I used to wear a jerry curry.

Yeah, I had some hair though, but nevertheless, they cut you, and then you can't wear your clothes no more.

They call these civilian clothes.

You had to wear a uniform.

And um, everything.

You know, your mom and dad taught you how to tell time.

No, you don't tell time like that.

Like you, they teach you their way of doing it.

Zero eight hundred.

What?

1700.

They even got a different alphabet.

But what they do from the time you get up until the time you go to bed, it's military, military, military, military, military.

Even we used to have a little small book we keep, we kept in in our uh fatigue on the pocket, and you study even in your breaks.

You study military.

That's what we need to do with the word.

That's what we need to do with the word.

I tell like the men class, but just take knowledge, take advantage of it.

You got a Bible app.

I mean, you can do everything because you're not gonna get in the power from the TV, not unless you watch the Christian preacher, and then you gotta watch that too.

Because some of them do their own doctrine, like, well, I don't know what book you coming from.

You might say you're a preacher, but I didn't get that out of that text.

So you gotta be careful with that.

So try the spirit by the spirit.

So watch your words.

And the last verse I want to lead you by the good man out of treasure's heart bringing forth good things, and an evil man out of treasure's heart bringing forth evil things.

You're gonna see it.

All right.

We get ready to go, we're ready to take it to the house, and Pastor Danny can come on up.

The next thing I want to talk about is faith here.

And this interior has some faith now.

He has some faith.

This interior said, I'm not even worthy.

All you gotta do is just speak a word.

I'm not even worthy.

I'm a man on the arms, I'm beneath you.

Because I I know I'm under the authority of Caesar, but you're on the authority of one greater than me.

He's sitting on a throne.

And with him, anything can happen.

Anything.

Especially when you take faith, and especially when you take words and mix it with faith.

Anything can happen.

And so, this is what he said.

He said, When Jesus heard this and he said to them, Follow me, and he marveled.

Jesus marveled.

Holy Spirit said, Will he marvel at your faith, Sylvester?

I said, I'm working on the Lord.

I'm working, I'm not there yet.

Will he marvel in your faith?

He marveled, he was impressed.

And you know what really threw him down?

And we guilty too.

We can't be too hard on him.

Now, you know, Jesus came for the house of Israel.

And especially that's the way he operated when he was down here prior to him going to the cross.

It was all about the house of Israel.

Because they was a circumcised, that's why they felt they had it going on.

See, Gentiles, like people like me, they thought we was nasty.

We was uncircumcised.

We was not part of the covenant.

We weren't a part of the covenant.

So here it is.

With the faith, Jesus said, Wait a minute.

I came for the children of Israel.

I did miracles.

They don't seen everything.

I done opened the Red Sea, raised people from the dead.

You name it, Jesus done it.

Just tell people, just speak a word.

People get ill.

They not accepting me.

They wouldn't, and here it is.

This guy wasn't a born-again, Christian.

But I will tell you something about him now.

I had to do some research.

Because you know with them gospels, you know, they Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

I wasn't just being funny.

But in Luke, Luke got another count.

I think I know why Jesus really was impressed with.

He's a little biased.

I told you Jesus likes soldiers.

He was a little biased.

And you look in Luke about the seventh chapter, you know what that centurion did.

With his uncircumcised self.

No church going.

He built a synagogue.

Now let me tell you the significance of a synagogue, especially for a gentile.

Now, in the temple, only Jews could go in the temple.

Am I right, doctor?

I got to ask the doctor.

Oh, he said, I'm right.

I'm in the book?

All right, all right.

Only a Jew could go in the temple.

So based on what I'm saying, a Jew don't want to go in and serve God.

But in a synagogue, woo, the most Gentiles could ease up in the Yeah, they could make the way up in there.

And so I think Jesus was impressed because of that.

So I think that's why he's like, wow, this is this is really a good guy.

I have people that look like me, that I came from, they do not believe in me.

And here it is, this outsider.

This outsider.

And you know what the Holy Ghost told me?

We got people in church like that.

Go to church every week.

Quote scriptures every week.

I was reading something last week.

I was studying, me and one of my brothers is here today.

And uh we study about the body, the soul, and the spirit.

See, there are many people that have Jesus.

But let me tell you what the hell meant body, so in the head.

In the head.

That's why you're powerless.

The only part that we can talk and communicate with God is with our spirit, man.

You can shout down, you know, I'm I'm loud and emotional.

All that's great.

But that spirit, that's the only thing that can commune with him.

Yes, he's a spirit.

He is a spirit.

And you can't communicate.

That's your spirit communicate with him.

And see, that's why I said meditate on that word day and night.

Because see what happens?

It goes from your head.

Oh my goodness.

And let me tell you when you know you got it.

My mommy said, Do you hear me?

Now, do you hear me mean you're gonna do some corresponding action.

Now you can you you hear me now because you're doing it.

Absolutely.

Absolutely.

And I like that 13 verse.

I didn't put it on the board.

But now Jesus honored faith.

Like I said, he marveled it.

Jesus said, Go thy way.

And has thou believed?

So be it.

Done to you.

What you believe it for?

What you believe it for?

What about you?

What can Jesus tell you, so do it, so be it.

What you believe in for?

Without faith, it's impossible and pleasing.

You can stop going to church.

You don't start developing your faith.

That's all it's about.

One of the things I learned in Bible school, and it always stuck with me.

And I was like, okay, going to church, like I said, we bless it with this man of God.

He knows the word dissected, bisected, trisected, wherever sector you want to.

But that's great.

But we gotta know it.

That's right.

We gotta know it.

All he can do is make us thirsty.

It said, He that thirsteth and hunger for righteousness shall be filled.

We gotta be hungry for it.

We have to be hungry.

We have to be hungry.

The last verse I want to cover, then I'm gonna let Pastor Dana come on up.

Now this dealing with us.

Do we have any Jewish people in the house?

No Jews?

No, that's not correct.

I just oh wait, I don't steal my thunder.

Don't steal my thunder.

I love you.

I love y'all, but don't steal it.

I'm a Jew.

I'm a black Jew.

I've been adopted in the family.

So don't talk about my Jewish brothers.

I'm on that same covenant.

Abraham was on them.

And I'm blessed.

Blessed going in and blessed going out.

It ain't what I see, it's what the word of God says about me.

I'm a Jew.

And guess what?

If you're in the covenant and if you know Jesus Christ as yours, you're a Jew too.

Because you've been adopted into the family.

Can I get an amen?

I'm in the book.

Go read Galatians.

I'm in the book.

Now, this last one will really make us a Sunday.

Speaking of salvation for all.

Ooh, I like this last verse here.

Salvation for all.

Now this is Pastor Dan and I was talking about something.

You really look at the whole New Testament.

One of his main themes is that was a mystery.

It was a mystery.

Actually, it wasn't a mystery if you read the Bible.

But they ain't talk about it a lot.

Because Isaiah prophesies about this.

And so didn't Malachi prophesy about it.

Because in the Old Testament, it's all about the children of Israel.

Israel, those Jews, the circumcision, those covenant people.

But when you come here, and he said, I say unto you, this is the 11 verse, and I say unto you, that many will come from the east and the west and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob into the kingdom of heaven.

And that's talking about us.

Ladies and gentlemen, that's talking about the Gentiles.

That's why I'm confused with racism.

Especially among the body of Christ.

I'm like, what are they teaching?

What are they teaching?

What book are they using?

They might be preaching, but they can't be preaching the gospel.

That's right.

People go to church every week and they don't hear that.

A gentile, all of us are the same.

White, black, blue, green, African.

It doesn't make it.

If you're not a Jewish person, you are a Gentile.

So how can it be any difference?

I don't know.

Please, somebody help me out.

And what's so good about the centurion?

Think about the centurion role.

This is a servant, a slave.

This guy is rich.

You know how he could have got another servant just like that.

But he loved them.

But you go back in the Bible and them again.

Everything God created, guess what?

He says good.

He looked at me and said, ooh, that's real good.

He looked at you and said, That's good.

It's good.

It's good.

So when you hate on your brothers and sisters, you hate on God.

It just said you follow his book.

That's why I don't even like to say a Christian no more.

And I you need to be a believer, a believer in what?

The word.

Because I can locate you.

I can locate you.

There he is.

There he is.

There he is.

Yes.

And so for us to do this great commission, we gotta be like Jesus was.

This salvation is for everybody.

Everybody.

Remember I was telling you about those three people.

I wonder how many people witnessed to those those guys.

In a year's time, you remember I told you about the accident?

Those three catastrophes with the Muslim brother, and I think it was two young white men at the middle.

I wonder how many people witnessed to them in the last year.

They passed by and said, No, I ain't gonna send nothing to him.

I'm not even gonna speak.

I'm busy.

Now, sometimes you might not have a chance to witness, but we even got little cars to attract.

Just give them a car.

Just give them a car.

That could have been a difference.

Somebody's summoning daughter still living today.

That could have been the difference.

That could have easily been the difference.

So the bottom line today, we just gotta remember one thing.

When we honor authority and speak a word in faith, anything can happen.

Anything.

But you gotta speak the word in faith.

Amen.