How Bright is your Light

Hallelujah.

Thank you, Jesus.

I was glad when they said, Let us come into the house of the Lord.

Did y'all enjoy the song?

Amen.

They did a fantastic job, fantastic job.

I'm a little high today.

That's all right.

I'm just a little high today.

Not too high, but I'm a little high.

We'll talk about it.

I enjoyed that song.

Really enjoyed it.

Now I'm going to try some this time.

And the last time I done it, boy, I'll tell you, it was bad.

So uh hopefully it works out this time.

Uh I'm using his iPad.

I'm not a techie.

Well, my boss here, Benji, he knows.

I'm certainly not a techie, but uh I'm gonna try it.

I saw a young brother do it, Pastor Rick.

I said, I'm gonna try to be like Pastor Rick.

Uh let me get my welcomes and uh everything out the way.

First of all, I get honor to God.

It's just a blessing to be in the house of God.

It truly is.

This was a very, very special week.

Very special week.

Uh I know he's already prayed.

But like Jeremiah says, like fire in my bones, so I gotta calm my spirit down.

So I still got to pray.

So if it's okay with you, you can stay in your seat, but I just gotta talk to the Lord just for a moment or two, if it's okay.

Heavenly Father, oh God, we just dealing your gates with thanksgiving.

God, we praise you, Lord.

We lift you up, God.

You worthy, God.

You run all the honor, God, all the praises, God.

If I had 10,000 tongues, I couldn't praise you enough, God.

You've been good to us, God.

God, just thank you, Lord, for allowing us another chance to come in your house and worship, God.

And God, I asked that I decrease, God, and you increase God.

Let me be led by your Holy Spirit, God.

God, the same spirit that helped Jesus rose from the dead, God.

God, we love you, God.

We praise you, God.

And God, I ask you your word, they be relevant, Lord God.

Then it be light today, God.

God, we magnify you and glorify you.

In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

Okay, first of all, I mean, it's truly honored to be here.

This week, I'm really hyped.

I mean, God really asked a prayer.

Um, y'all know my wife was here.

In fact, she was leading the song, thank God for.

But today, they didn't want them to stand, but uh, I'm not gonna make them stand.

I have my two daughters all the way from Raleigh, North Carolina.

I'm very proud of them.

Many of you know, very proud of them.

They both in college, so that means uh with Kelly and I we we have uh we have three in college, and the other one's on the way.

He's a basketball superstar, he probably paid for his own college.

Josh.

But uh, I'm very thankful for my daughters being able to come down.

They've been through a lot, and I know the church family prayed for them when they lost their mom 18 months ago, but they're doing wonderful.

They mom have done a wonderful job.

My oldest one, Autumn Braceon, she's in the process, she graduates in May.

Uh, she's already been sent to grad school.

Uh, she said she was gonna be the next Oak for Winfrey.

I said, no, no, no, no.

No.

I said, no.

You a bracer, you're gonna be the next Autumn Bracer.

She's original.

And the baby now, she talks like me.

I just, she just won't shut up.

She's gonna be a lawyer.

So they're gonna pay her for her negotiating skills.

And she she pledged yesterday.

Uh, well, Ashley Friday, she crossed the line.

I don't get me started.

You know, I didn't go to college like you know, Strata High School.

I just got my degree two days ago.

Uh and thank you, Lord, degree, and God bless my.

I went to Bible college, but she pledged and she crossed the line, and I thank God for them.

And just wonderful that they're here.

All right.

I know my I I know my head chef is watching, Pastor Dana.

We love you, Pastor Dana.

Dr.

Lovett.

We love Dr.

Lovett.

I brag about our church all the time, his beautiful wife, Susan.

I'm always bragging about our church.

I love it.

I absolutely adore our church.

It's special.

That's why Dan and I was able to hook up.

Pastor Dan, I was able to hook up.

He has the same spirit I have.

He wants to look out in the congregation like we're looking at now, it's beautiful.

It's beautiful.

See a mix of everything.

Now, you look on your notes, I just saw tablet.

There's no notes in there.

It's my fault.

No scriptures.

I don't know what I'm gonna preach about today.

So, in order for me to preach, I'm gonna need y'all's help.

I'm gonna need your help.

Now, the first thing I'm gonna need you to do, I want you to stand, get your get your Bible.

Uh, in the back, go to Psalms 150.

When you have it, say amen.

Now I want you to stand on your feet for this, and then we're gonna do something.

We're gonna read this together in unison.

Okay, I'll lead now.

Okay, praise ye the Lord.

Praise God in his sanctuary, praise him in the firmament of power, praise him for the sound of the trumpet, praise him with a psalter and a harp, praise him with a timber and dance, praise him with a string instrument and organ, praise him upon the loud cymbals, praise him upon, praise him with the high sounding symbols, let everything that have breath praise ye the Lord.

Now let's say that last one again.

Let everything that have breath praise ye the Lord.

Now, this is a very special, you can have a seat.

This was a very, very special week for me.

Told you, my daughters came down.

As many as you know, uh, my mom, and I love the way y'all take care of uh when she comes.

Uh she turned 90 years old.

So y'all gonna see me a long time before we get to heaven.

Long life, as God promised me.

Long life.

She turned 90 on uh Tuesday, and it's truly a blessing.

Many of you know I work with Surpro, and one of my jobs is first responder.

Now, I don't know if you remember that tornado came through.

Now, some of you probably saw the damage on television, but I was a first responder.

I saw the damage with my eyes.

It is absolutely amazing we didn't have any fatalities.

Some people say it was luck.

It wasn't luck, it was God.

If you look at the homes that I saw this week, could have been a mass planning.

I mean a mass planning for funerals.

I talked to people, it was a young man, he said he grabbed his two-year-old son, and the only thing he had a chance to do was go straight in his bedroom.

Half of his house, I mean, just down in the middle, just basically just torn up.

Just torn up.

And he said before he knew it, his kids started hollering, and bam, it was gone.

Then he came and looked, half of it was gone.

I met another older uh lady, she had uh tried to go in the garage.

And at the moment she was trying to go in the garage, she heard some sound like a train.

Half her house was gone.

So we should give God praises today.

Now, this is only for the people that want to.

Now, people go to the football game.

Why do you go to the football game?

Well, I like Darren.

I want everybody to talk back to it.

So I'm in the military.

Dr.

Lovett, he's a professor.

My wife also always said, every time you preach, you always talk about the military.

Taylor, I can't help it.

I was in for 25 years.

I am 51 years old.

So for 25 years, so basically almost 49% of my life I was in the military.

So one thing I figured out, Dr.

Love is a professor.

I'm not a professor.

I am not a professor.

I am a drill sergeant for the Lord, in the army of the Lord.

I love to motivate people and inspire people.

Now, for the people that have a personality that just love to praise, I'm gonna give you a little something about me.

Pastor Dana talked about last week.

You know, prior to salvation, we all had a personality.

Am I right?

Now, some people, some people, I mean they they grew up in the church, they gave their life to Christ young.

I I met Christ when I was young, but uh I got out there.

I straight away.

Uh like the prodigal son.

But I used to like to go to the club.

And I know I'm loud.

When my wife first met me, she said, Why are you loud?

Then she went home with me and met all my family members.

She said, All of you guys are loud.

And then she always said, You speak too fast.

I said, Yeah, you're right.

I don't have that perfect diction.

Now, my daughters, they have that diction, they didn't get it for me though.

They have that perfect diction.

I don't have, I have that low Alabama diction.

But pray for me.

Pray for me, because of Moses, he he he used Moses and Moses thought him.

But I want you to think about this week.

If God really been good to you, I want you to get on your feet and just praise him.

Do a praise break.

We come to church to magnify and lift him up.

We come to lift him up.

I think I told y'all in January.

One of my friends, I tell you what, when Alabama won the football game, the national championship.

I went to Germany with him.

He had his birthday.

We were the same age.

Young man went to church, nothing wrong with him.

His wife preached on the national championship that he died.

So I'm determined from now on the rest of my life.

I mean, we gotta be about our father's business.

We have to be about our father's business.

And me and Clue, there's been times I was like, I got plenty of time, you know, I've been lived forever.

But if you you look, you listen to the news, young people die.

Middle aged people dying.

Old people are dying.

And like when I was younger, like I understood if, like, like say you go in the club and you got guns and stuff and shooting and robbing.

I I could understand people getting killed.

But now, no, they go to school, just in school, trying to get education.

Bam, they shooting them.

I think I heard some last week.

Uh it was elementary school.

They had a shoot.

And now we got so used to it, it's no big deal no more.

It's written on make headlines, just the norm.

Like, well, how many people got shot?

Well, it was just five or six, whatever.

So we're living in some perilous times.

We really are.

That's why I came up with uh God that arrested my spirit uh about this sermon is how bright is your light?

And I just want to share a few moments with you how bright is your light.

I won't be long because I gotta go home and spend some time with my daughter.

I'm really looking forward to the next week.

But uh, I might get a little loud, I don't know.

Just a little bit.

Because I told you I'm a sergeant.

But I'm a sergeant that loved the Lord.

And I mean, he's real to me.

He's I mean, he's brought me up from a mighty long ways.

When I was young, I used to go to church.

I used to hear old people say, I might not be what I used to be, but I'm so much better.

But now, being that I'm 51, I like to say I'm at halftime because I'm gonna live till 100.

The Lord and I had conversations like that.

Well, how long you wanna live?

Till 100.

I want to be in good help too.

Great help.

Preaching still, come on.

Preaching still, you're right.

You're right.

Shining that light.

Shining that light.

Well, as many as you know, I was in the military for 25 years.

I retired.

The first nine years I played G.I.

Joe.

Up two, three, four.

Even went to Desert Storm, and I prayed in Desert Storm.

Now, you're talking about some praying.

I called down the fire from heaven.

Elijah didn't have nothing on Sylvester.

In fact, I was gonna get out after Desert Storm.

I'm bald, but uh, I could have gone bald after desert storm.

It was that bad.

And I'm still shaking.

Uh my nerves still bad from that.

But pray for me.

Anyway, it was funny.

But before I go in the storm, I gotta tell y'all this.

It dropped on my uh, we all family.

Y'all can keep a secret, right?

We family, right?

We're gonna live in eternity forever, right?

We're family, right?

Well, I'm not a big Facebook man, but I I I do uh check it out.

Um so probably about a month ago, I ran across one of my old friends.

Remember, I told you, I ain't always been saved.

I'm walking in the light now, but I've been in darkness.

I knew I was crazy before I got saved.

I mean, when I say crazy, I mean crazy.

The only reason I'm standing up here because of God.

I I mean when I said that I'm I'm not saying it lightly.

Let me see, can I paint a picture for you?

Like I told you, I grew up in church and I got into alcohol.

I always like to talk because I'm not the only child, but I'm so late.

I mean, the rest of them, they like 15, 16 years ahead of me, so I had to talk.

I mean, I had to talk.

It was entertainment.

I go to school, I gotta talk.

I did more talking than I did studying.

I mean, talk.

So I ended up becoming a little alcoholic after I left.

But anyway, I know I used to act crazy, but I used to tell people, I was talking to my friend, I had totally forgotten about it until yesterday.

In fact, Kelly was trying to take a nap.

She texted me, Big, you're too loud.

He said, uh, I told him, I said, Man, you know, I gave my life to Christ, and I God called me to the minister because, like I say, he and I used to party.

And I told him, uh, when I was in Nashville, I'd had a gun pulled on me.

This is when I was intoxicated.

And uh, it was amazing, because this was my, I mean, y'all, this was my boy.

We used to run.

I said, Wellens, you mean those shirts we used to have?

Because we used to dress alike.

We was cool back then.

We thought it was real cool.

I said, I opened up my shirt.

I got an incident with a guy, and then I pulled aside the street, and uh, he pulled a gun on me.

I opened up my shirt.

I said, shoot me! I'm going to hell anyway.

That guy said, You are crazy.

Get out of my face.

He said, Well, Pricey.

And I said, What?

You did that in Germany when you used to drink.

I said, What, Wells?

You told the whole club and jumping to cut you.

You didn't care.

I'm like, boy, God really been taking it.

I said, Yeah, God really.

I I mean, I had totally forgotten about it.

I had totally forgotten about what had happened.

Like, wow.

But then God pulled me out of that dog spot.

He pulled me out of darkness, and I'm thankful for it.

Thankful for it.

Now go back to the army again.

I might have switched gears again.

You know, the people in the military, we go all over you.

I've been exposed to chemicals, so stay with me.

Stay with me, stay with me, stay with me.

It'll be okay.

So uh I in the military, after I told you, I really was gonna get out after the desert storm, but God said he can talk, so we're gonna let him talk.

I became Army Recruiter.

And uh once I became Armor Recruiter, they gave me a business card.

That was my first business card.

I said, Oh my goodness.

Sylvester, you are the man.

You walk around, but you you went from people shooting bullets over your head, dodging from Saddam Hussein and praying that you're gonna live.

You walk around with Class B with business cards now.

And all you have to do is talk.

I said, I can't beat it.

And that was my ninth year since they allowed me to talk.

I talked for 16 more years in the army as a recruiter.

And on my business card, though, it had army representative.

I said, okay.

Then I could talk pretty decent, and uh, I was a little concerned when I was getting out of the army, I made the transition.

Then I started working at a college, and then I became an educational representative.

I worked at ITT tech.

Then God moved me along.

I come to the mining surf pro.

This is where I work at SERPRO.

And uh my position here, I'm a sales and marketing representative.

But I'm here to tell you today, everybody sitting in that seat.

Y'all are representatives too.

Every person sitting in that seat.

You representative.

And it's two kingdoms.

It is two kingdoms.

It's a kingdom of light, and it's a kingdom of darkness.

And some people say, I don't believe in that stuff.

The devil not real.

Oh, yeah.

We know in charge of the kingdom of light, right?

Who's in charge of the kingdom of light?

Jesus.

I wonder who's in charge of the kingdom of darkness.

Diablo, say this self.

And he has a mission.

Kill.

Steal.

Destroy.

And he he's not prejudiced.

He doesn't have respect a person.

He won't me.

He wants you.

He wants to tear your family up.

He wants to tear your marriage up.

He don't want your kids to be successful.

And then he wants to send generation curse.

It's real.

I think uh that was like three weeks ago.

Kelly and I was having a conversation coming to church.

Uber, this I don't know a lot about it, but they tell me it's like a taxi, a high-end taxi, but you can work, but it's not like a regular taxi.

Like I could do it if I want to work part-time and just start picking people up from the airport.

Well, anyway, an Uber driver in somewhere up north, he just started shooting.

And he killed several people.

They was at Cracker Bear, and that was bad because I eat a cracker bear all the time.

I mean, that is my place.

For lunch, they got a 599 special.

My daughters laugh, I am frugal, I know how to squeeze George.

I love that 599 special.

But but but my point is, let me tell you how we're living in a dog world.

He didn't have a proud record.

If you you could say, well, was it a paddle?

No.

He had an excellent record.

Excellent record.

And he just go and shoot people.

Now who you think was in charge of that?

Diablos himself, Satan.

He was in charge.

So the question is today, which kingdom we represent?

Which kingdom are we representing?

Which kingdom?

The kingdom of light or the kingdom of darkness?

Now, I want you to go to John.

John, the first chapter, the first through the tip verse.

When you're there, say amen.

You know I was in artillery.

You gotta say it loud up.

When you're there, say an amen.

Amen.

All right, praise the Lord.

The word of God said, in the beginning was the word.

And the word was with God, and the word was God.

The same was in the beginning with God.

All things were made by him, and without him, not anything was made.

In him was life, and the life was the light of men, and the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehended not.

There was a man sent from God who danes with John.

The same came for a witness to bear witness of the light, that through him the people might be believed.

He was not the light, but he was sent to bear witness of the light.

The true light, the light of every man into the world.

But as men received, became the son of God even to them that believed on that name.

So there in John, we have John the Baptist.

He was the forecursor of Jesus.

And if you go on read the whole book of John, and it talks about how John further down that chapter, he wasn't even worthy to touch his feet, but uh he was sent.

In fact, it was first cousin.

He was sent to bear witness of that light.

Because Jesus is that light, he is their light.

That's the only way we can get light.

So without Jesus, we can't have any light, it won't exist.

Now, another way you look at the light, I was praying.

And God said, the Holy Spirit said, You need to go talk to Moses.

You know, Moses is the writer of Genesis.

So we went to Genesis.

And Moses said in Genesis the first chapter, the first through the fifth verse, in the beginning, God created the heaven and earth, and the earth would not form and boil.

And darkness was upon the face of the deep.

And the spirit of God moved upon the face of the water.

And God said, Let there be light.

And there was light.

And God saw the light that it was good, and God divided the light and darkness.

Now, when you look at this, so here's the first time it's because the law, the law of first mentioned.

When you they first mentioned light, so God said, Let there be light.

And it was light.

And then he had darkness.

But now you go back if you read the whole chapter dealing with Genesis, it's some stuff that's kind of puzzling, especially you know science.

He said, Let there be light.

And it was light, but it wasn't until later in Genesis 116 is when he actually created the stars and the sun.

So it's a little confusing when you know the light.

So you got the the earth's shining.

It's shining.

But what's generating the light?

The sun had been created.

The sun had been created, nor was the stars.

But it was shining.

That was on the first day he said, let there be light and darkness.

It wasn't until the fourth day.

It wasn't until the fourth day that he created those stars and the moon and the sun.

And we know that the sun, well actually the moon get its reflection from the sun.

Now I know somebody else to get reflection from the sun.

But I'm talking about the son of Jesus.

Hello?

Okay, Testing.

Okay.

I didn't hear it.

Okay.

The son of Jesus.

So in looking at that, like, okay, another thing, I go back and look at that text.

It says that God, he said, let there be light.

So he spoke light.

Let there be light.

But he made darkness.

Now, I wanted to ask Moses what's going on there, but I think by the end of the sermon, I'll have an answer for you.

How did that happen?

And why did he have that?

He said, let there be.

That's the we speak in spirits.

We have that same ability, that same power.

To speak things in existence.

Because we made in his image.

We made in the image of the light.

But Moses told me, if you want to know something else, go to Isaiah.

And I went to Isaiah, the 45th chapter and the seventh verse.

And it said, I form light and I create darkness.

I make peace and create evil.

The Lord of these things.

All right, dear.

It's interesting.

So I form light and create darkness.

Interesting.

Wonder why he formed light and create darkness.

We're going to talk about that at the end.

We got some smart people in there.

We got some Bible scholars.

Many of you probably don't answer already, but we're going to say that toward the end.

And so, being that I was talking about light, and I was dealing with Moses.

Moses was qualified just a little bit to talk about light.

Because you know how he met the light, right?

With the light.

Moses said, Did you go to Sunday school?

I said, Yes, Moses, I attended Sunday school.

Do you remember the story?

No, I met the light at the burning bush, but the light told me, he gave me a commission.

I had to go and lead the children of Israel out of bondage.

I didn't think I was qualified.

But the light said, I'm gonna be with you.

And most even asked, Well, what I say?

I am, that I am sent you.

Basically, the light sent you.

And Pharaoh was a sign of darkness.

He had the people in slavery, he had them in bondage.

To let my people go.

So with God, God is always strategic.

And there's always a fight going on between light and darkness.

So Moses said, Is there anything else you remember, Sylvester, about Sunday school and about what I did?

I said, Yeah, Moses.

It was ten plagues.

He said, Yeah, you're right.

It was ten plagues.

But what was the ninth plague?

Hmm.

Moses said, I had to think about Moses.

He said, the ninth plague was when I made all of Egypt dark.

That was the ninth plague.

Everybody knows about the tenth plague, the Passover, but the ninth plague was darkness.

But it was dark.

Let me show you how God worked.

If you're in the light, it was dark just on the Egyptians.

But God chosen people, it was light.

Now, how in the world could that happen?

I told you before, I'll tell you again, we serve a supernatural God.

I know we have people that's highly intelligent, and you want to analyze and try to figure you can't figure God out.

It's mysteries.

It's something we're not gonna find out until we get to the other side.

When we get that new body.

So after that, I had to continue on and stay in the Old Testament since we talk about light.

And I had to talk to Brother David.

You can't talk about light and not talk about David.

He was a man after God owned hard.

He didn't mind praising God.

He didn't worry about his neighbor to his left, he didn't worry about his neighbor to the right.

In fact, one time I can't do this and I can get loud and I know how to dance because I used to dance at the club.

I might dance today for Jesus.

I don't know.

If it does, I don't worry about you.

I know some of you choir said, Well, he's too loud.

God made me this way.

I I tell it about do you boo?

Isn't that where y'all young people talk?

Now see, one thing, and this is special to the young people, don't try to imitate nobody.

God made you original.

He made you original.

Well, he's not like me, and he's not supposed to be like you.

You you go talk to God about that.

Everybody got a pattern, but he did say that you're beautiful and marvelously made.

And if you know the Lord, you got to go to the inside of you.

He's on the inside of you.

But David said it like this: the Lord is my light and my salvation.

Whom shall I fear?

Should you fear when the doctor tells you you got a week to live?

Should you fear when you got a bad marriage?

Should you fear when your kids don't act the right and you know you're taught them the right way?

David said, as long as I got the light, I don't have to worry about darkness.

I don't have to worry about darkness as long as I got the light.

If you got the light, you won't have to worry about it.

But you gotta have a uh a bright light to overcome this darkness.

Gotta have a bright light.

Because Satan's something else now.

Because see, Satan likes to mess with our mind.

He likes to steal fear.

He likes to steal that fear.

So you gotta know the word.

So as a soldier, you gotta stay ready.

That means you gotta say that word.

Every day.

Every day.

Not sometimes, but every day.

Praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord.

Hallelujah.

All right.

Thank you, Lord.

Now, let's go to the New Testament and talk about Brother Paul.

We're gonna start at Ephesians 5 and 8.

Paul is the writer of Ephesians.

And Paul was sub else, buddy.

In fact, uh, at one time, he was, when I say in the dark, Paul was in the kingdom of darkness.

And I mean he was good.

He even brag about it.

I'm not putting Paul down.

He even bragged about it in the scriptures.

Now, before he met the light, in fact, he was on a journey then to go uh get some papers to kill some more Christians and persecute them.

I mean, he hated Christians, he hated people with the light.

Just like the king of dog does, they the king of dogness hate us with a passion.

The kingdom of dogness hate us.

That's the way Paul did.

But Paul was on a journey with some letters so he could go and persecute some more Christians.

I'm in Acts the 9th chapter now.

He's on that journey.

And then a light.

He saw a light.

Paul said, What kind of light is this?

It blinded them.

Paul said, Who are I?

And the light answered back.

I'm Jesus.

Preach it.

What'd he say?

To whom you persecute.

Paul was in a dark place and he met the light.

And the light was so bright there, he stayed blind.

Not for one day, not for two days, but he stayed blind for three days.

And it took a miracle for him to receive his sight.

In fact, he had to go see Brother Ananias, had to lay hands on him.

And uh Ananias really didn't want to lay hands on because well, he was Saul at that time, but then when God converted me to become power, he's like, well, because he was dealing with God in the spirit.

God, are you sure?

That is the head demon.

He's killing Christians.

He's doing all the paperwork for the Christians, and he goes from place all over the country, killing people that's in the lane.

But the loving God that we have, the loving God that we have, he said, yes.

That's what I love about God.

He's not like people.

It doesn't matter where you're at, what you've done, he'll meet you where you are.

He will meet you where you are, in regardless of your past.

He said, That's my chosen vessel.

He laid hands on him and received the Holy Spirit.

And after that, boy Paul, he became something else, buddy.

He he he he turned everything upside down, Paul did.

In fact, he went on to write three-fourths of the New Testament.

Paul was the man.

He was super righteous in his old life for the Pharisees.

I mean, he had gone to the best schools, had the best teachers, had the best of everything.

But when he met the light, my God, he changed.

He changed.

Where were you when you met the light?

Have you met the light?

Where were you when you met the light?

Do you remember that experience?

I remember that experience for me.

Because he changed me.

He changed me.

I don't know about you, but he changed me.

And I get loud sometimes.

I might jump up for Jesus.

I don't care.

When I was in the club, I used, boy, I was good promoting Satan.

I was good.

But now I'm gonna uplift the name of Jesus.

People go to the football game to watch the football, right?

Now, like I told you, I'm gonna tell you a secret now.

My daughters last night, I picked them up the airport.

They said, uh, Daddy, do you ever listen to secular music?

I said, sometimes.

But uh Kelly and I went to see Donna Ross.

I like that old school, you know, they doing all that cursing and them bad words, polluting your spirit.

It's don't, and like I told them, it's no need to read the Bible.

I come to church and listen to something of the music.

Because everything you just read and prayed by God to clean you up, it's going right back in your ear gate and eye gate.

Corruption.

You poured it right back into your spirit.

But anyway, when Donna Ross got up, I mean the people just went crazy.

They was up on, I mean, I saw middle-aged people, I saw people almost 75, 80.

They was up.

So that's why I don't mind giving, uh, you know, I ain't got nothing against Diana.

But Dinah didn't die on that cross over there for me.

I go to football games, don't go to a football game over.

We went down, in fact, uh, two weeks ago, Kelly and my neighbor had some extra tickets to Alabama.

We went to the basketball game.

You should have had them there.

But then when you jump in church, oh, why is this so loud?

Why is it so loud?

I want you to read your Bible.

Because we a people alike, and we know that God got a reward system.

We want to go to heaven.

I'm like Pastor Dan.

I love my pastor.

I went to the last book.

It's 22 chapters in Revelation.

In 21 of them, it used the word loud.

So now, some of you look at me crazy like he really loud.

I'm just getting you ready for heaven.

I don't believe heaven is gonna be quiet.

I do not believe that.

That's why I said, let everything to have breath praise the Lord.

Now, I I know we got some people, I just thank you, Holy Spirit.

I felt it.

So it ain't just about being loud.

I got you.

I'm with you.

It's not about just being loud.

How many books is it in the Bible?

Come on, talk to me.

How many?

Pastor Denna, I always uh talk about our church uh in Acts.

You know how we break bread and go house to house, house.

He calls a love feast.

But I got some news for you.

Yeah, you can be loud like me or whatever.

That's who I am, that's the way God made me.

Sometimes that might attract light, sometimes it attracts darkness.

But now, if you really want to know something, it's actually a six or seven book in the Bible.

Do anybody know what the six or seven book is?

You don't know Darren?

Anybody?

Not you, preacher.

It is a sixty-seventh book in the Bible.

Wait a minute now.

What are all these people here?

Nobody knows.

Can I give you a hint?

Stand up.

I want you to stand up real quick.

Some of you getting sleep on me.

Stand up, stand up, stand up.

Told you I have a drill sergeant.

Let's go.

Stand up.

Look to your neighbor as are you walking in the light?

Look, look, look, look your neighbor in the eyes.

Are you walking in the light?

Well, if you're walking in the light, you the 67th book.

Now you can have a seat.

You are the 67th book.

Remember, I asked you how bright is your life?

So, you know, you can say that uh you know the word, and it's it's great memorizing it, but you know what people really want to see?

They want to see your life.

They reading you every day.

They watching you, they watching me every day.

They wanna see how bright is your light.

Because let me tell you something about the people in darkness.

A lot of times, the people in darkness, and it's sad to say, they know the word.

But a lot of them just won't bow down to the law and give their life to Christ.

And they know the way the light's supposed to act.

And they looking at us every day.

They looking at us on the job.

When you go and visit people, you stop at the gas station.

Like when that person jump out in front of you.

They looking at us every day at the library, at school.

You know, he says he's safe.

But I'm gonna tell you act.

When you're at work, when they run that gossip, you know uh Joshua's doing so-and-so, and then you the light.

He's doing what?

Now you don't just jump right in the darkness right with him.

Because that's gossip.

It's gossip.

So be mindful.

You the sixth and seventh book.

I want you to think about that every day.

Every day, you the sixth or seventh book.

And what we doing, this stuff is serious, people.

People are dying every day and going to hell.

I tell you why I had to start to do, I start doing.

I stopped watching the news.

I used to be a news junkie.

And and see, the way I am, I watch both sides.

I watch the liberals and I watch the conservatives.

So because I need to know what both sides are talking about.

But I stopped it.

You know why I stopped?

All it's doing is promoting the kingdom of darkness.

If you watch the news, if you can tell me something that's showing no good.

Like I even start with the like people in the church.

All preachers a little bit, take money and something, take money from everybody.

Uh there's a lot of people, not just preachers, there's a lot of men and women of God doing great things.

They're not gonna report that.

You went by the house for somebody.

Uh you you helped pay somebody hospital bills.

Now go and steal something.

Go steal something.

Operate in the kingdom of darkness.

The king of darkness, they're gonna put you on front street as young people say.

Go and kill something.

Yeah.

They're gonna let you know.

Did you hear about Pastor So and so?

Didn't you hear about Degan so-and-so?

So be mindful of being that six to seven book.

But Ephesians 5 and 8 said, Ye were sometimes darkness, but now you're like, walk as children of the light, the sixth and seventh book.

Walk, not talk.

It's great memorizing scripture, yeah, that's part of it.

But see, memorizing is good, but you gotta live it.

That's why James says, just don't be a hearer of the word, a doer.

Now, hey, we all fall short because nobody's perfect, and we have to keep it real over there.

But we should be striving for perfection.

And the only way we're gonna come more and more like the light is to stay in this word.

That's the only way you gotta stay in this word.

Now, as I said, we all know light symbolizes holiness, it's pure.

Darkness, like I said, the kingdom of darkness is Satan.

Then we talk about lighted psalm that said, The word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.

That's the word of God.

So we got to stay in the word.

In season and out season.

And a lot of times, you know, people go to church and say, Why do you go to church?

I can stay at home.

I don't have to go to church.

But I'm gonna tell you something.

We need each other.

The world has taught us to be a dependent.

We need each other.

Um it's nothing like unity and the strength that God has given us.

It's just like everybody here have different different giftings.

It's certain things.

I don't mind talking.

I can talk all day long, but do not give me a screwdriver.

It's sad.

Uh I I missed that line.

I don't know, screwdriver pliers.

I can do the flat, what is the flat tip?

It's like, I mean, it's really complicated.

I mean, it's like he cannot be that old and don't know how to use a screwdriver.

It's no way possible.

But I mean, that's the way God designed us.

He designed us like that.

He designed us like that.

But speaking of the light, Jesus even talked about the light.

Jesus said, You are the light of the world.

He even told us we need to be like a hill.

A bush sitting on top of that hill.

Well, that light, you know, you know it's on top of a mountain, you can see it.

You can see it for off.

See, that's one thing about light, it dispel darkness.

When you turn the light off and it's dark, all it takes is one light and it exposed.

Every day when we go in, we're dealing with darkness.

We gotta we gotta deal with that darkness.

And we gotta sit like on top of that mountain.

Just like, just like the Lord asked us to do.

I remember last night we was coming, the girls, this is the first time coming to this particular home in Chelsea Park, it's a big light.

And I saw that light.

I mean, you probably could see it.

I said, girls, you see that light.

I said, that's where we live.

That's the way people ought to be talking about us, because like I say, it's a dark, dark world.

It's a dark, dark world.

And so that's why it's so important that every day we go out and shine that light.

We gotta shine our light.

And see, we can't shine the light on our own.

It's no way possible.

You can't shine the light on your own.

The only way you can shine that light, you gotta have Jesus on the inside.

You got to have his Holy Spirit.

You have to have his Holy Spirit because in order to shine this light, he really has to be on the inside of us.

But to get that connection and to do the things that Jesus told us to do, such as witness and the walk in love, that's where the Holy Spirit helps us out.

And without the Holy Spirit, we can't love the way he wants us to love.

Like, for example, God loves unconditionally.

He has agape love.

No strings attached.

Now, parents out there, you're gonna appreciate this.

It doesn't matter what your kids do.

They still mom and daddy's baby.

Kill somebody, get them conservate, it doesn't matter.

We're very forgiving.

That's mama and daddy's baby.

Now, but when it comes to other people now, we don't have that same level of understanding to walk in that type of love.

And the only way you can walk in that type of love, you gotta get in the word.

You gotta get in the word.

I mean every day.

Like coming to church on Sunday, that's great.

That's wonderful.

But like I always tell people to have small kids, feed your baby just once a week.

So how long you live.

Feed your baby once a week.

He's gonna die.

That's what a lot of people in church do.

They feed their baby once a week.

And that spiritual man is dying.

Starving.

He needs some light.

Because the only way you can reflect light, just like the moon were to get his light from the sun, the only way we can reflect light, we gotta be close to it.

We gotta commune with him.

When I say commune, I mean you got to have your quiet time.

It's not optional.

You have to have your quiet time.

You must have your quiet time, especially walk in love.

And that's the most powerful gift God given us.

That love is something else.

Going back to love, like I told you, parents, you can relate to it, but now the love like God, it takes the Holy Spirit.

And once the Holy Spirit's in you, let's talk about the way God love.

John 3 16, what does it say?

For God so love that He gave what?

All right.

Now, how many people have kids?

How many people have who would donate their son or daughter for people that was unrighteous as walking in their dog?

That don't like us.

Let me see.

A raise a show of hands.

Nobody?

Me either.

But God did it for us.

We was all walking in darkness.

He did it for us.

He gave his only son.

Easter's getting ready to come up.

This is our greatest month coming up.

If you're a Christian, love the Lord.

This is our greatest month.

He gave his only son for us.

Now you're talking about an example of love, that's love.

When I look at that cross, I see two words.

I see love and I see forgiveness.

That's all our salvation about.

Love and forgiveness.

Love and forgiveness.

We got to love each other.

That's our most powerful weapon.

Now, if you want to shine your light, that's how you shine your light.

Because you're gonna be you're gonna face darkness.

You're gonna face darkness every time.

But when you're walking in love, let me tell you how you roll when you when you're walking in love.

This is from the message.

Bible.

It talks about 1 Corinthians 13 chapter, the 13th chapter in 1 Corinthians.

You know what they call that the love chapter.

It said, if I speak with human eloquence, but don't love, I'm nothing.

If I speak God's word with power, revealing all his mystery and making everything plain as day, and have no faith, and said to the mountain, jump, but don't love, I'm nothing.

If I give everything I own to the poor, and go to be a martyr and don't love, I'm nothing.

So no matter what I do, what I believe, I'm bankrupt without love.

Now, see, tell you why love is so important.

You got a lot of other spiritual gifts, but none of the gifts will work against the kingdom of darkness if you don't have love.

Now, Satan, let me tell you something about Satan.

He can't take our salvation back though, but he can steal your testimony.

And when he steals your testimony, it's gonna be hard to generate a light.

Because people looking.

See, God will forgive you, the light will forgive you, but the people won't.

They won't, they won't forgive you.

Then it even goes down and break down, and this was hitting me hard.

They say, Love, it don't keep record.

It's not me first.

Like, wow, wow.

I'm like, really?

Because you know, our society is me first society.

It's all about me.

And then we're gonna walk like Jesus, walk like the light.

We gotta have some of his attributes.

He was a servant, he washed his disciple feet, he washed their feet.

So we gotta take on a whole different attitude.

We gotta serve, we gotta serve each other.

And one of our main goals, don't just come to church.

It's great to preach and encourage each other.

Go out there in that dog world.

Remember, I told you I don't watch the news.

It's some dog stuff out there starting all the way down from the way they changed the school system.

You can't pray.

So they need light.

They need light.

Our children need light.

Everybody needs light.

Because, like I said, people are dying every day.

Every day.

This is serious what we're at now.

It is really serious.

We have to go out and spread that good news.

The Bible talks about death and life is in the power of the tongue.

So you got to believe that you light.

You have to believe that you light and you're not darkness.

You got to watch your words.

Ralph Wadell Emerson said it like this: watch your thoughts, for they become your words.

Watch your actions because they become your habits.

Watch your habits because they become your character.

Watch your character because that becomes your destiny.

So you got to watch your words.

You got to watch your words.

And you got to be mindful.

Just like I said, you know, we live in a world with technology and the cell phone and all this thing.

Start with your cell phone.

Let's say for example, you can pull up your cell phone now and look down your contact list.

Ask yourself a question.

How many of my people, my contact list, are walking in the light?

How many are walking in the light?

But now you say you're in the light.

But everybody on your contact list walking in the darkness.

See, we transfer our thoughts to each other.

It's all about the way we transfer our thoughts.

So in order for me to stay walking in the light, I gotta have friends that help encourage me and build me up.

Now it's nothing wrong with if you have friends that's walking in darkness, you're trying to encourage them.

But you can't do the same activities they're doing.

Like if they want to go out and party and go to the club, hey, that's what they want.

You can't do that and talk about you walking in the light or witnessing.

It doesn't work like that.

It does not work like that.

And then I was talking about forgiveness.

Now we want God to forgive us.

All of us do, right?

That's what our salvation is about.

That's how He that's how we came out of darkness.

Because He forgave us.

But now every day, one of the main tools Satan uses unforgiveness.

Unforgiveness is rooted in bitterness.

He used it too.

And people say they love the Lord, but they don't love their brother.

I forgive them, but as Pastor Daniel was saying, but did you really forgive him?

Because when Jesus died on that cross, we all sinned.

He said he washed our sins away for us.

The east is from the west.

So if we want to walk in the light, like Jesus commanded us to be that light sitting on the hill, we gotta forgive.

We got to truly love people.

That's what I really love about this church.

Love.

It's all about love.

I gotta tell you about this little guy I knew.

And then we'll we'll go eat lunch.

I knew this guy that gave his life to Christ.

And um, he loved the Lord, but he got caught up.

He was in the church, but he really didn't have a relationship with God.

He knew scriptures.

Someone like the Pharisees, he could quote scriptures, but he had a self-righteous spirit.

In the church, we call the Pharisees, they have a mask on.

They can quote every scripture and they can tell you what's wrong.

They always criticize you.

So you you if you read the word, you'll know what spirit they're operating in.

Whether or not they were operating in the kingdom of darkness, or they walk away the kingdom, but they talk like the Pharisees.

This young man I knew he used to say, just like the Pharisees, I tithe.

I have pretty clothes.

In fact, they tailored.

And would open his suit up and show him his name.

But he was saved.

He bought his first Mercedes when he was 25 years old.

He bought a second one when he was 27.

It went to his head because he came from straight poverty.

From straight poverty to walk around with uh tailor-made suits and traveling to different countries that the average person wouldn't travel to.

It's one thing uh the little guy used to brag about.

He used to brag about it, it's one thing to uh read about Paris, the Michelangelo and the 16th chapel, but it's another thing to go to them.

So this guy was very pompous, but he was in the church.

He called the spirit religious, he was self-righteous.

I don't do this, I don't do this.

And he was just enguffing this Pentecostal flavor, and it was more about outside of peers.

Actually, if people won't make up, he sent you to hell in his mind.

That's what he'd been taught, religion.

And it's absolutely amazing how God changed him.

He thought he had a great relationship with God, but it but it wasn't until God shook him.

He shook him.

Everything he thought he loved, he lost it.

Everything.

But that young man got down on a staircase.

And he said, God, where are you?

My life is messed up.

How did this happen?

I used to go to church, I read scriptures, I prayed, pavementized.

How did I end up in this mess?

You know how Paul said you trouble on every side, on the left it was trouble, on the right was trouble.

It was trouble everywhere.

But in the midst of this terrible storm, he met that light again.

And that light was real bright.

And that light showed him that it wasn't about religion.

That this thing is serious.

It's not about going to church on a Sunday.

It's not even about helping people out if you don't do with the spirit of love.

That light showed him that you gotta care about people.

And don't be so judgmental.

Always criticizing.

But the love, love, and the light took them back to the New Testament with those twelve disciples.

They walked with Jesus before he died on that rugged cross.

They talked with Jesus, they traveled, they had lunch together, they had dinner together, but they still didn't realize who Jesus was.

Then the light took me back to the Pharisees who knew the first five books of the Bible.

By the way, I was that young man.

Knew the first five books of the Bible, verbatim.

They talked to the light, they questioned the light.

Why are you healing on the Sabbath?

As in my rules.

That's what they did to the light.

They was in church every Sunday.

They was in the temple every Sunday.

And what God showed me, I knew about God, but I really didn't know Him.

I thought I had seen the light, but I hadn't seen the light.

See, come to church is great.

We have a wonderful pastor.

Dr.

Lovey, I brag about Bible.

He's a walking, just a walking Bible.

He don't have to look in the Bible.

God didn't design me like that.

He don't have to look in the Bible and go, scriptures, I tell people the way he came.

And uh we end up being on the same team.

I'm up under Pastor Danny.

But that light, when I find out where I was at, it told me one of the most dangerous things I is religion.

Says Sylvester, you don't want to go to church every Sunday and still go to hell.

You gotta be real.

You ain't buy no Mercedes.

I gave it to you.

You didn't buy any tailor-made clothes.

You thought you was all that.

I gave it to you.

Your military career, 25 years.

Do you know how many times you used to drink and drive?

So when you hear about somebody with a DWI to kill somebody, you tell God, thank you.

Because it could have been me.

So you love people where they are.

Take the mess off.

Just don't go to church on a Sunday.

I want to own you.

I want you to operate in my light.

But the only way you can operate in my light, you gotta be in my word.

You gotta get on your knees.

You gotta serve.

It ain't about you.

You say you want to be like Jesus, not like Pastor David, not like David, not like this, brother, but you wanna be like Jesus.

If you want to be like Jesus, we gotta serve.

And not for accolades.

We gotta serve.

The first two words of the gospel is what?

Go.

And we're doing a good job here.

A great job.

The brothers just came back from Honduras.

We're going to Africa too.

It's a wonderful time.

God is good.

I gotta tell you another story that I gotta go.

With the word, it's great to memorize word.

That's information.

But let me let me tell you something.

Memorizing scripture is great.

But I ask you, I beg you.

You might not know a lot of scripture, but whatever you do know, ask God to give you revelation.

It's not by information, it's by revelation.

Because was God revealing to you?

Oh my goodness.

You talking about walking in the light?

You can walk in the light then.

You can walk in the light then.

You know how people say, Well, I don't believe in that naming and claiming.

A lot of people say that it don't take all that.

No, if you don't know your word, you don't believe in it.

People, you know, religious songs I'm going to the rough side of the mountain.

That's too much work for me.

Go up the rough side of the mountain.

The Bible says, speak to the mountain.

Speak to the mountain.

Speak to Catholic.

Speak to the bad marriage.

Speak to it.

Speak to your kids.

He said, Let there be light.

And that was light.

We can do the same thing.

Speak to it.

Speak to where you want to go.

You can turn off the lights.

People the lights come up from.

Speak to that mountain.

No, I want y'all to come up front with me.

Come all the way up front.

I want you to speak to that mountain.

Speak to it.

The only reason we're here every day.

We're here to encourage each other, to lift each other up.

And dog to shine, people.

It shines.

People had a gift of prophecy.

I walked to the place, uh, I was in a surpro car.

I always speak to police officers.

I love them because most of them are pride military, and I really appreciate what they do.

I was in a surpro car.

So I got out and got back in.

And I always speak to anybody, it doesn't matter.

So the brother walked up to me.

Young, buff guy, look like the incredible hook.

He prophesied to me.

You know what he told me?

I'd never seen this guy a day in my life.

I came back and told my manager.

I told my wife.

He said, Let me tell you something about the gospel.

The gospel is about serving people, it's about suffering.

It's about suffering.

It's not always gonna be you getting blessed.

And you're gonna have to fight.

You gotta fight.

You gotta fight for souls.

You gotta fight for the atmosphere that you're in.

And he said with so much authority, it just really messed me up.

It messed my head.

I'm like, who is this guy?

But I failed the spirit of the Lord.

Now let me tell you about the last light.

It's in Revelation, the 22nd chapter.

In heaven, it talks about how when all the saints get together, we're gonna be around the throne room.

And there's this new Jerusalem.

It won't be no need for no light.

You know why?

Our Savior is gonna light it up.

Our Savior.

Remember I told you back in Genesis before the sun and the stars and all that was created, it was light for three days.

That's because God lit it up.

And the reason you're holding that light now, it's our job.

Turn around.

It's our job.

We got to go out to Chelsea, Africa, South America.

It doesn't matter.

To let our light shine.

That show them that we have a bright light for Jesus, that he may get the glory.

We gotta let it shine.

We gotta let our light shine for everybody to see.

For God to get the glory and tell people about Jesus.

We gotta fulfill that great commission.

We have to fulfill that great commission.

And we can do it as a team.

I love y'all.

Thanks again for tuning into this week's message.

We pray that your life has been changed.

If you would like to find out more about us, visit us on our webpage at thechurch at cw.com.

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Send us an email at office at the church at CW dot com.

We hope you have a wonderful day, and again, God bless you.