Be The Better Man

Hallelujah. It's going to be a great and glorious

day. Amen. You can be seated in the house of

the Lord just a moment before we move on today.

It is Father's Day. We commemorate the role of

Father. Amen? We honor the role of Father. So

we want to honor those who are unable to speak

with their fathers today because they are no

longer here in eternity. Absent from this world,

my prayer, present with the Lord. Amen. So if

you would today, if you don't mind, if you would

stand and let us just honor you today. We're

going to honor you with just a moment of silence.

And then I want to ask the Lord to touch you

especially today. If your father is no longer

with you, would you please stand this morning?

Let's bow our heads for just a moment. Heavenly

Father, we honor those standing in our presence

today. I ask, Lord, that you would comfort them

with a peace that passes all understanding, where

heavy hearts reside. I ask, Lord, that as this

day goes forward and memories come, may they

be the fond memories, the good times, the happy

days, the happy moments. Whether few or many,

I pray your blessings on your people today. On

this day, as we celebrate our earthly fathers,

we glorify you, our heavenly father. I'm going

to read one, you can be seated, I'm just going

to read one passage of scripture this morning

as we move forward today. Again, happy Father's

Day to you, those of you who are fathers and

operating and functioning in the role of father.

We probably all have at least one. who's not

our biological father that we see as a father

figure in our lives. I hope you've had that extra

opportunity. I have those people and I'm grateful

for them. Amen. Those are the people that will

look at you and tell you the truth. Amen. And

most of the time I take it better from them than

I do actually my dad. Because after all, I still

know more than he does. Y 'all know what I mean,

right? I want to read to you this morning from

1 Corinthians chapter 16, where I'm going to

1 Corinthians 16 · chapter mention

take my text. It is good to see you in the house

of the Lord. Man, I tell you, we've been on a

roller coaster this morning. Just since our time

together. The spirit of the Lord is moving. Amen.

And I already feel, I just feel drained. I feel

pulled out of me. I do. I just feel the presence

of the Lord today in a mighty way. It's good

to have some folks visiting with us from one

of our earlier CAMS classes. Folks in the ministries,

so grateful for them. They actually said, we

enjoyed you so much there, we just thought we'd

come visit your church. And I thought, whoo.

Amen. Don't get to hear that much. They're the

only ones that showed up, though, over the years

I've been doing that. So thank you. 1 Corinthians

16. I want to look at verse 13 for just a moment.

A lot of times it's a challenge to just pull

a verse out of that theological term. Brother

Randy uses it some on Wednesday. To pull one

verse out of the pericope or the story, the storyline

out of the midst of the chapter. But I want to

do that this morning. I want to pull this verse

out and I want us to look at it for just a little

bit. Paul writing to the Corinthians in that

first letter says, Watch ye, stand fast in the

faith. Quit ye like men and be strong. Watch

ye stand. Be brave. Be courageous is what he's

telling the brethren at Corinth. I want to speak

to you with the help of the Lord for a little

while. Let's see where we're at. Oh, Lord, I've

got 45 whole minutes. On this thought, be the

better man. Be the better man. Now, today's going

to be largely focused toward the male gender

in this room, and you heard me say that, the

male gender in this room. But it's also going

to be applicable for all of us because we are

all mankind. So I just don't think we can pull

a scripture and just target one group and it

totally missed the other group. Right? Because

this right here, watch, I think that's for all

of us. Right? Stand fast, that's for all of us.

Correct? In the faith, that's for all of us.

Be courageous, be brave. Right? That can be all

of us. Be strong, but only a few of us get to

be men. Where'd Scotty go? He normally gives

me a, when I get a good little zinger, that one

was pretty good. What I'm trying to do is get

you around to where I can preach to you. We're

getting there. Amen? We're getting there. You're

coming around, and I'm going to preach to you

here in just a minute. Be the better man. Father,

I do love you. I thank you for your word. And,

Lord, I need your help today. I need your help

in more ways than one, Lord. Lord, we're so grateful

for it. I'm just thankful for the anointing that

I feel in this room. Your presence, Lord, is

so rich, so full in your house today. And I ask

God that you'd help us now. Help me, Lord. Let

me speak that which would edify the body and

glorify you. And Lord, that when we all together

leave this place, we'd be better for being here.

We already are because of your presence. But

now, Lord, let your word strike on the hallways

of our heart and soul. Lord, we'll be quick to

praise you for it. In Christ's name, church said,

amen. The culture of our day has a lot to say

regarding manhood. They call it toxic masculinity

and just on and on and on. There's an attack.

While many struggle to accurately define what

a woman is, Greater struggle is to determine

what a man is. And for some reason, our culture

has just gone, I wanted to say dumb, but I don't

know that that's strong enough. But anyway, our

culture has gone so absent -minded as to where

we've allowed, as alluded to early, the deception

and the deceiver of humanity to really creep

in and begin to attack our society from within

to without. Knowing that if he can destroy God's

divine design, then he can destroy God's design,

the designed plan for humanity. If he could subvert,

invert, and otherwise do away with the divine

design, then he can do away with the divine destiny

that each individual has and can have access

to through Christ to the Heavenly Father. Know

this, the devil knows that better than any of

us ever could. He knows that if he can abort

the divine design in the mind of the creation,

that the Creator made a mistake, then He has

us at His whim and will. We would just almost

be like a ball of twine to a kitten. He would

just play and play and play and play. And as

we are making our way through this greater struggle,

it's not just trying to identify what a man is,

but what is a godly man. I think there is even

another distinction that takes it a step further.

And so when we think about how the enemy is coming

against humanity, trying to destroy us, I fully

believe that the enemy knows that his time is

running out. I think the devil knows the urgency

of the hour more than the church knows the urgency

of the hour. I watched a little documentary last

night about the Eastern Gate. of Jerusalem and

how they are seeing some dust begin to come out

and nobody's got a reason for it. There's others

who have actually testified to hearing like groanings

and moanings coming from behind the gate. And

there's a shifting in the stonework. Mind you,

the eastern gate has been blocked up for over

500 years, almost half a millennia. But one day

it's going to open up. Could it be that even

the earth itself moans and groans? I know that

the scripture declares that it moans and groans

waiting for the day of its redemption. You do

remember that the fall also affected the earth

itself. Amen. But now we understand that the

hour is drawing near. Just look at the events

of this past week. Again, Israel has unleashed

and war is raging in the Middle East. And all

of these things could be coming into the alignment

of the Lord's return. And we have to learn to

be. the better man in the age in which we are

living so that we can proclaim the glorious good

news of Jesus Christ. I know there's a devil

out there, but never forget there's a God who

still sits on the throne of eternity. I know

the enemy seeking whom he may steal, kill, devour,

and that lion that he roars going to and fro,

but I know that there is a God who sits on the

throne, and I know that at his right hand is

his loving son who is the... redeemer of lost

humanity unto all those who would call upon his

name he's sitting at the right hand waiting for

the announcement son go get my children Do you

know the joy that will be on the Savior's face

when he hears and begins to turn to the trumpeter

and say, sound it now. And he looked to the other

and see the archangel and say, give the shout

now. Dad says it's time to go and let us go.

I'm looking forward to that day. No matter how

messed up culture is, no matter how messed up

society is, it lets me know that the urgency

of the hour is growing greater day by day. Oh,

my God. When people don't, when... Evil is spoken

good of and good is spoken evil of. And people

don't know right from left and up from down and

in from out. I'm telling you, the Lord is on

his way. And we must become the better man, the

better woman of this world so that a lost and

dying world may know before it's too late. We

must become like the men of old and renowned.

Somewhere along the way, Ezekiel... Begin to

say in 22 and 30, God said, I sought for a man.

Right? I sought for a man among them. That should

make up the hedge and stand in the gap before

me. For the land that I should not destroy it.

But the saddest words in scripture. But I found

none. I still think God is looking for some humanity.

Who will stand up so that he does not destroy

the land. But I'm telling you today. That as

the world grows worse and darker. And humanity

gets more away and misaligned with God. Getting

ready to ratify and just begin to take care of

everything that is out of order. He's about to

get ready to put things back in order again.

I sought for a man. And I'm telling you, there

was none that could be found in Ezekiel's day.

The prophets of the day. The priests of the day.

They were just saying whatever made people feel

good. Does that not sound familiar? Whatever

encouraged them in their wrongdoing. They just

said you could buy them off. You could pay them.

They would tell you whatever you wanted to hear.

God said, I've had enough of that. I'm looking

for a man. I'm looking for somebody. He will

come up out from among them and be separated.

I'm looking for someone who I can impart my word

to. I'm looking for someone that I can give my

voice to, who would speak for me in a day, in

an hour, so that they may know that I still love

them. You do understand that's what it's all

about, that God would begin to proclaim again.

Someone would be the voice for him to say, I

still love you. I know we get this in our mind,

this picture of God just wanting to destroy humanity.

No, no, no, no, no. He's trying to redeem humanity.

He couldn't find a man, so he sent one. Well,

whoo, about to get ahead of myself. Somehow in

our earthliness and in our humanity, we must

become like men of old and renowned. Those who

through faith conquered kingdoms according to

Hebrews 11. Enforce justice. Obtain promises.

Stop the mouths of lions. Quench the power of

fire. Escape the edge of the sword. We're made

strong out of weakness and become mighty in war

and put foreign armies to fly. Somehow or another,

you and I must find the resolve, young men, as

you're growing up now. Hear your preacher today.

You need to be a man of faith. You need to start

seeking God now early while he still may be found.

I don't know today the trumpet could sound. Tomorrow

the trumpet could sound. The Lord could come

any day. But we cannot just wait and sit back

on our leaves and just be in leisure saying,

well, the Lord's going to come and take care

of it. No, we have a mandate. We have been mandated

that we have a heart after God and that we seek

God, that we long for God. For do you remember

John declared, the Father seeketh not to worship

him who would worship him in spirit and in truth.

Why? Because God is a spirit. Oh, that we become

men and women of renowned and old. That we be

as the prophets of old and those who sought after

God of old. Characteristics of a godly man or

a godly woman, either one. They go hand in hand.

One righteousness, faith, love, steadfastness,

gentleness, courage, honesty, integrity, servanthood.

That we would be authentic worshipers. That we

would have a state and a heart of forgiveness.

And that we would be generous and that we would

be totally obedient to God. That's what God's

looking for today. That's what God has always

looked for. The criteria hasn't changed. The

demands haven't changed. The characteristics

haven't changed. Humanity's heart has changed.

I even take that back. Our hearts haven't changed.

They've always been hardened since the fall.

Man's heart is the most deceitful thing. Read

the Bible. Man's heart hasn't changed. Sin isn't

any different than it ever has been. You look

back through humanity's historical documentaries

and you'll just see how wicked humanity is. At

least we're not burning people at the stake anymore.

We're progressing some instead of digressing.

Humanity has always sold its fellow man into

slavery. You do know that, right? And it still

continues to this day. It doesn't matter the

color, the race, the creed. No, humanity has

always sold itself into slavery to others. Perversion.

Perversion is no worse now than it's ever been.

Oh, I know it seems to be. It's because it's

at your fingertips. Perversion everywhere and

stuff that you used to not know, now you know.

Things that we used to in rural America, back

where I was at over in Holler, you didn't hear

all that junk. So you didn't know what was going

on. When you did, you was like, oh, really? True.

Couldn't believe people do stuff like that. But

now that I'm older and I've studied and see what

history has to say, well, it's just the same

old stuff. No more perverse now than they've

ever been. No more wicked than it's ever been.

How bad was it when God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah?

How bad was that sin? This world stands in a

state of apology to those who have been stricken

by fire. If it was not worse than it is now.

The characteristics of the godly must rise up.

We must watch. I think that's a failure of the

church today. We are no longer watching. Watching

for what? Watching for the return of the Savior.

When I was growing up, it was prevalent. We heard

about hell and we heard about heaven. Amen. There's

a few other topics that you got, but it always

got right back around to you wanted to stay out

of hell and you wanted to go to heaven. My pastors

could preach hell so hot it felt like my feet

were burning. And then they could turn right

around and preach heaven so sweet that you felt

like you wanted to go now. Amen. And why? We

were always watching. We were always singing

reminder songs. Amen? Oh, there's going to be

a meeting in the air. Oh, page 10, the old red

back, right? We would sing those songs and we'd

think about heaven. I was thinking about after

I watched that documentary on the Eastern Gate,

my mind automatically went to that song just

inside the Eastern Gate over there. You know,

I thought, well, where'd that come from? It come

from a past. It came from my learning. It come

from my upbringing just inside the Eastern Gate

over there. And then I begin to notice I'm alone.

I'm longing for the Lord to put his foot down

on top of the Mount of Olives. I'm longing that

I want to try to be the better man today, that

I choose to be the better man that I was yesterday,

that the godly characteristics begin to flow,

that I'm always watching, that I'm always standing

firm in the faith, unmoved, unshaken. I'm telling

you today, and you know very well, many of you,

that the world can set against you, that life

can turn against you, that chaos can erupt at

any moment, but you have to be steadfast. and

grounded in the faith that you're watching, amen,

and that you're longing. I am longing for the

return of the Lord. And when I see things about

maybe the eastern gate starting to shift a little

and shake a little and maybe some dust coming

off the wall, who knows why and who cares why

if it causes man to lift his eyes toward the

heavens and begin to watch toward the eastern

sky knowing that the promise of the word of God,

that God's word will be fulfilled, that God's

word will come to pass. will set his foot again

upon the Mount of Olives. To watch. To watch.

We've stopped watching men of old and renowned

continue to watch. We can never allow ourselves

just to be nice for being nice sake. You hear

me? You know the old adage, nice guys finish

last. This isn't about being nice. It's about

being tenacious. It's about being zealous. It's

about being full of desire to know God, to be

His emissary here while we are on this earth.

Amen. And to see Him when He returns in the clouds

of glory. If you're not zealous, you're not going

to have that longing and that desire. I saw a

little meme the other day. It said something

about things that keep... Don't let things keep

you out of church. These are the things that

used to we didn't miss church for. Now these

are the things that cause us to miss church or

something like that because our passions are

being diverted. Our passions are being watered

down. We cannot afford to become lukewarm in

this hour. You cannot hear me church today. I

know it's Father's Day. And men, we've got to

stir ourselves like never before. This culture

needs to see men of God, men of faith, men of

power to stand up and not be a... ashamed to

lift a hand and shed a tear for the glory of

God and the cause of Jesus Christ. We need men

to do that but we need some women to stand beside

them with hands lifted up as well and when we

fall in our weakness that they are on their face

interceding on our behalf. My God today we must

be the better man. Blaise was zealed for the

glory of God like never before. For the health

of the church. For the souls of lost people.

Amen. Zeal for his glory. Not cultural civility.

Not that we just don't want to rub against the

culture. Look, you and I walk against a different

grain anyway if you're following Christ. You're

already at odds with the world, or you should

be. Maybe that's part of our problem. If we're

walking alone with the world and we don't have

enough of God in us to stir the dander up of

people that are around us so that they don't

want to be around us, amen, I think there must

be a problem somewhere. And we must align our

hearts with God. I'm telling you, if you're not

an offense to the sinners that are around you,

then you need to pray up some more. I'm not saying

don't be friendly, not display love. That's not

what your pastor is saying to you this morning.

But what I'm saying is this. If you can walk

in the same grain as the world in your life,

not convict them of anything going on in their

life, then honey, we got something backwards

and something wrong. Something isn't right because

everywhere Jesus went, amen, it kind of stirred

up a little bit of stink. Why? Because his presence

alone. His presence alone convicted men of their

actions. And that's what it means to be a true

believer. born -again, blood -bought, sanctified,

Holy Ghost -filled believer that where you are,

yes, folks will tolerate you for a little while,

but when that glory starts oozing off of you,

they don't want anything to do with you. Why?

Because you crimp their style. Amen? You disrupt

the flow of what's about to go on. And the most

important thing you can do for them is leave.

In their eyes. But the most important thing we

can do is be Christ. You don't have to point

a self -righteous finger at anyone. But our lifestyle,

be the better man. Be the better of mankind wherever

you are. So that there is a resolve in people

when they see you and they understand that you

are different. That when the wheels fall off

of your wagon, you don't fall off the track.

Come on, somebody. That when all hell is standing

at your door, you don't run and hide. You stand

boldly and firmly knowing that the Word of God

is your aid and your comfort and that when the

enemy comes in like a flood, that God is going

to raise up a standard against the flood that

has come against you because His Word promises

He'll not allow the water to overflow you. He'll

not allow the fire to kindle up against you and

overcome you because His promise is for you.

Why? Because you belong to Him. How do we improve

our character? How do we improve our character?

How do we improve godly character in our life?

Well, we follow the examples that have been left

out before us to see. We consider those who have

gone before us. We consider their life. We consider

their faith. We consider the hardships that they

encountered. We consider their successes. We

consider their failures. Sometimes we can learn

more from failure than we ever thought about

learning from success. We learn from men like

Moses. As we consider him who would be the meekest

man on all the earth. Numbers 12 and 3. But yet

as he's spending 40 days in the presence of God

on the mountain. And God with his own finger.

with his own finger in his presence, is writing

out the commandments for the people to live by.

God, you getting this? And the people are at

the bottom looking at the smoke and the fire

and the shaking and the thundering and the quaking

of the mountain and thinking, Moses is still

in there. But halfway up the mountain, Moses

is not by himself. Come on, somebody. Don't you

need a Joshua to go a little bit with you? Joshua's

halfway up. He's as far as he could get, but

he's on the mount. And the mountain, he's hearing

the voice of God and no doubt smelling the fume

and the smell of the finger of God as it carves

into stone the commandments whereby we are to

live so that we may please him because of our

fall and because of our sin. God is making a

way. He's made a substitute, which is the law

that we might be able to live pleasing to him.

Moses turns to make his way back down to the

people. He's excited. You know how like pastors

are sometimes. We've been in the prayer closet.

We come out. And we get in front of you. It's

like, who dropped the stones? We take the revelation

we just got. And because we're so flabbergasted

with the lack of interest. Lack of engagement.

Lack of involvement. Lack of commitment. I could

go on, but you get the point. So Moses is coming

down the mountain. He picks Joshua up, and they're

on their way to the people. He's so excited.

He's been in the presence of God so much that

his face is shining from the glory of God. It's

illuminated like laser beams coming off of his

face. And when he gets down to them, he gets

a little closer, yet not to see. He said, whoo,

man, they're worshiping down there. Joshua said,

that's not worship, Mo. That's a party. He gets

down to see them. bowed down before a golden

image in idolatry, worshiping and just carrying

on, would never worship God in that fashion,

would never praise God in that form, would never

give. They would never take the jewels off their

head and throw in the offering bucket for God.

But oh, let's give it all for the idolatry and

the appeasement of our flesh. And now they're

bowing and worshiping this golden image. And

Moses, this meek man, gets a little saw bone

up his backbone. And he stands up and casts those

stones down. And what does he do? He says, you

take that calf, you grind it up, melt it down,

grind it up in a powder, you put it in a Kool

-Aid. And I think this is where they coined the

phrase, and they drunk the Kool -Aid. They drunk

the Kool -Aid. He made them ingest their idolatry,

my Lord, and went back up. And this time he had

to whittle out his own stones. The people saying,

hide your face, Moses. That's the way they do.

When you in the glory and they ain't. Moses,

we can't even look at you. We better move on

past Moses. Consider David. You remember David.

Moses was a meek man, but he was also a man after

righteousness. In the presence of God, David,

that harp playing, poetry writing, song singing,

you know, shepherd boy. Makes his way to his

brothers who are in war. Brings them food sent

by their father. And as he's approaching, he

hears something echoing in the background that

doesn't ring well in his ears. There's something

that just begins to cause the hair on the back

of his neck to stand up. And he begins to get

very irritated. And he finally gets to his brothers

and here's lunch. Who's that? Dad says, here's

lunch. Who is that? And what are you doing still

standing here? Why are you not down there? For

David, it's not a matter of life and death. It's

a matter of God's glory and God's honor. It wasn't

a matter whether Goliath killed you or not. Has

somebody not been down there? Has someone not

made their way there to deal with this? David,

who would have his failures of his own? Psalm

51 is a recording of one of his failures. But

yet that repentant heart of that shepherd, as

he could be so rough, they sung songs about him.

David has slain his tens of thousands, Saul his

thousand. He was a man of war. But yet so tender

he could pen those words, the Lord is my shepherd.

I shall not want. He could pin those words under

the hand of the great Almighty. And God used

him. God can use you and I in spite of our failures

if we make ourselves available. Consider the

characteristics of the man of God, Elijah. 1

Kings 18 and 20, tormented by the unbelief of

God's people, he called a public showdown. He

said, if God's going to be God, then we're going

to serve him. But if Baal's going to be God,

then we'll all bow and serve him. But here's

what we're going to do. The God that answers

by fire, let him be God. And this is going to

settle it. You know, the same prophet who prayed

and it hadn't rained for three and a half years.

The same prophet who called down she -bears out

of the mountainside. Hello? I'm talking about

a man of God, but yet... In his frailty, after

the fire falls and the rain makes its way, when

the threat from Jezebel comes against his life,

in fear and tribbling, he runs. But God finds

him in that cave, doesn't he? He finds him there

lonely. He found him under the juniper tree way

before we ever made it to the cave, 40 days before.

He's there wishing that he had not even been

born and that he could die right there. But no,

God sent the ravens and they fed him and he went

40 days. And he makes his way to that cleft in

the rock. And he's in there. The mountain begins

to shake. Fire goes and the wind rages. But God

wasn't in it. But now the heart of the prophet

hears the still, small, gentle voice of God.

And he's melted like butter. If you ever read

that story, read it again and look and see that

God never chastised Elijah for being in the cave.

He didn't. He did not chastise him. What are

you doing here, Elijah? And then he says, here's

what I want you to do when you get out. You're

going to find an old boy over there in the plow

field. Go anoint him. The next king's in line.

Go anoint him. Now let's go. Isn't that good?

That's the characteristics of God toward the

godly. Amen. He knows our mistake and he don't

rub our face in our mistakes. He gives us our

next assignment. What are you doing here? You

don't have to be here. You shouldn't be here.

But here you are and here's your next assignment.

Thank you, Lord. Stand with me. I'm going to

try to quit. I promise. Consider Jeremiah, the

weeping prophet, who exclaimed, Oh, that my head

were waters and my eyes a fountain of tears,

that I might weep day and night for the slain

of the daughter of my people. But yet, continuing

in verse chapter 9, he would say it around verse

15. He'll make this declaration. Therefore, thus

saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Behold,

I will feed this people with bitter food. Give

them poisonous water to drink. I will scatter

them among the nations whom neither they nor

their fathers have known. And I will send a sword

after them until I have consumed them. And he

would find them. In that chapter, I think around

64, he begins to declare. He looks up to the

heavens and said, Oh Lord, I would that thou

would rend the heavens and come down. It's not

about being without mistakes, folks. To be the

better man, we just have to repent them and move

on. And allow the godly characteristics of faith

and hope and love and honesty and integrity,

righteousness, generosity, forgiveness. We're

in a world that needs a better man. We're in

a world that needs a better woman. I considered

the prophet Isaiah, the old eagle -eyed prophet

who could see through time. But in that ninth

chapter, he had his own meeting with God. And

one of the most difficult lifetime events that

he could remember. It had to be. It must have

been. Because the Bible says in the year that

King Uzziah died, I also saw the Lord high and

lifted up. And his train did fill the temple.

And one of the most devastating moments and times

of the prophet's life, he said, I also saw the

Lord. Let me tell you something. Life gets rough,

doesn't it? Life gets difficult. Brother Randy

talked Wednesday night about chaos and how that

chaos can erupt at any moment. But I'm so glad

that out of the chaos, God speaks. In the year

the king Uzziah died, I saw also the Lord high

and lifted up. In other words, the calamity of

my moment and my time. God is still elevated

above my calamity. Are you hearing me? His throne

still sits above your calamity. I saw him there.

His train, his victories are sewn together. Too

numerous to tell. And the temple is filled. And

his voice, his voice. Isaiah said, at his voice,

the pillars shook. My God, I need some pillars

to shake. How many of you need some pillars to

shake at the utterance of his voice? The prophet

said, and I was hearing this thunderous roar.

And I began to distinguish what it was. There

were some seraphim flying, six -winged creatures.

They're covering their face, they're covering

their feet, and two of them are flying. And their

voices, together in unison, are declaring, Holy,

holy, holy is the Lord God. Here he is in his

chaos and calamity, and he's standing, seeing

pillars shake in God's glory, filling the temple

and the whole earth full of his glory as well.

And he's standing there, hearing these angelic

creatures declaring the holiness of God. And

then he hears, who's going to go for us? Who's

going to go? I'm looking for a man. Remember,

that's Ezekiel's day. Here's Isaiah. I need someone

who will go. Who will go? Now, we're in the sixth

chapter. Isaiah started at one. He'd been doing

this a little while. That's three in front of

nine. Who's going to go? Then Isaiah makes the

declaration, Woe is me, for I am undone. I am

a man of unclean lips. And then one of the seraphim

flew and took the tongs from off the altar and

plucked a live coal. And he said, I'll go. Send

me. I'll go. I'll go. Who wants to be the better

man or woman today? Who wants to be the better?

I want to be the better. In the midst of the

chaos and the calamities of life, the devil breathing

down your collar. I don't know about you, but

I'd hope for a little bit of stability in our

country. I thought for a minute few moments that

maybe for a few years we'd have a little bit

of reprieve. Devil's not going to let this nation

have a reprieve. Simply because of our declaration

of in God we trust. In this chaos. You have to

take a lot of care when you're talking about

peace in Israel. You have to know what all that

entails when you're talking about when there's

peace declared. Until the Lord returns, saints

of God, this world's not going to be in peace.

Not in peace in the sense that this world is

wanting, just like the Pharisees and the high

priests of the day when Christ came to begin

with. That was not the Savior they were looking

for. That was not the role they were looking

for, the promise to fulfill the Messiah. They

didn't want saved. They wanted to rule. They

didn't want a Redeemer. They wanted their own

king on their own throne. Father, I love you

today. I don't know how to go about this altar

call this morning. I don't know what to do with

it. You'd think as long as I've been doing it,

you'd have something for every occasion. I don't

know what you need from God or want from God,

but I was just about to close us out with a nice

pretty prayer and I got checked. So here, if

you want to be the better person, the better

of mankind, You want to have those godly characteristics

flowing out of your life. You want to have zeal.

Just make your way to the altar this morning

and just stand here with me. This world can have

peace, but not peace as we know it. Not the absence

of conflict. Not the absence of war. But we can

have peace as Christ is. Remember? Remember Bethlehem's

birth and the angelic proclamation on earth.

Where you at Bible readers? On earth. Peace.

And good will toward men. Christ. Christ and

Christ alone is our goodwill. He's the goodwill

toward humanity. And the only peace that humanity

is going to know is through Him. There may be

seasons that individual nations may not be at

war. But until, until the final reign is made,

Christ sits on the throne forever. Peace like

you and I want are going to come. But Brother

James, the peace that I need meets me every day.

I'm telling you right now, it's tough this morning.

It's tough this morning. It's hard not to preaching.

The being here this morning. Just me being here.

Standing there alone. See what I'm saying? But

peace. Peace. Oh, my God. I'm telling you, you

can stand. You can make it. We gonna make it.

We just have to be the better man and the better

woman. In the face of chaos and calamity, we

build our character and our resolve by seeing

those who've walked through the faith and the

fire never alone. Because He's faithful. What

a Father's Day. What a word for Father's Day.

Be the better. Father. Over all of us today.

As we stand here in your presence. We stand in

your peace. For your declaration is you provide

peace. That passes all understanding. Since we're

talking about Isaiah. His declaration is this.

Thou will keep him in perfect peace. Whose mind

is stayed on thee. Help us keep our minds focused

on you Lord. In spite of the calamity and the

chaos. In spite of everything, Lord, just to

be the better human being in a dark, dismal world.

The signs of the times are all around us. And

there's a glorious day coming and it's going

to be a great and grand one. But until then,

equip your people with your grace. Equip your

people with your grace that we be the better.

While heads are bowed, if you don't know Jesus

Christ in this house today, you can. All you

have to do is repent of your sin and accept Him

into your heart and life is Lord. Is it that

simple? Yes, it is. As the Spirit is drawing

you, yes, it is. Yes, it is. You need Him. You

need him for the grand effect of life. Father,

I pray today. I repent of any sin that I've committed.

I ask your forgiveness and your cleanness. Wash

me with your precious blood. Cleanse me. Purify

me. Forgive me. Redeem me. Remain Lord of my

life. And lead me by every step. As I go throughout

the way in the days, if you pray that prayer,

the Word of God says if you're faithful just

to confess your sins, He's faithful and just

to forgive you of your sins and to cleanse you

of all unrighteousness. Now, do what Jesus said.

Go and sin no more. Go and sin no more. Amen.

Father, I love you today. Touch every heart and

every mind. Add the richness of your grace and

your peace. Forever I pray in fathomless billows.

Let's sing this chorus and then I'll dismiss

you. It's peace. Peace. Oh, wonderful peace.

Coming down from the Father above. I like this

part. I like it. I like it. Sweep over my spirit

forever. pray and find them less billows of love.

Give the Lord good praise. Sister Erica, you

got those handy?