28 and 1 Timothy chapter 2. Proverbs 28 and 1 Timothy chapter 2. Let me share a couple of things. Thank you for praying for my daughter. She's responding very, very minutely. Before I left, I talked with her and we prayed together and she cried and we held hands and she said it audibly, real throaty and garbled, but she said, love you and kissed the back of my hand. And we both wept because when she first had her stroke, she was unresponsive. Her pupils would I've tried that, but she was unresponsive. So she's come that far. But the stroke was on the left side of the brain, and that controls your speech and your swallowing. She still cannot swallow, except the doctor was very, very encouraging. He said, your daughter's using her throat now. I don't know how he knew, but he told me she's not drooling. That meant she was swallowing. her own saliva. And I got a brother-in-law, my sister's husband, had a massive stroke. They got him in the hospital, Little Rock. Gave him that miracle shot. He revived up, visited with his family, and then went semi-comatose. And my sister wanted me to come. We're gonna try to go pick up my older sister and visit with him after I get home. Pray with us about that. He was 44 years old, a professor, a doctor. God called him the priest. It shocked him. I said, Richard, Moses was 80. I said, I don't know how long it takes something you got. Moses spent the first 40 years of his life thinking he was somebody. Now, it didn't take God that long, but it took Moses 40 years to have it revealed to him he's nobody. And then for 40 years Moses experienced what God can do with a nobody. That's good for us. All right. I got my breath back, Brother Barney. I'm gonna try. Proverbs 28. The wicked flee when no man pursue it, but the righteous are bowed as a lion. Where's Brother Fred, Brother Barney? Proverbs 28, verse 1. The wicked flee when no man pursueth, but the righteous are bold as the lion. For the transgression of a land, many are the princes thereof. But by man of understanding and knowledge the state thereof shall be prolonged. Now there are a lot of leaders and followers. There's no shortage of transgression in the land. White house to the church house to the outhouse. Full spectrum of our society. Many, many transgressions. But, but as 240 times in the book of Proverbs, the righteous can prolong the state of the land. I'd like to preach to you about that. Pray. We can influence our land. Second Timothy. No, I said First Timothy, excuse me. Thank you, Holy Ghost. First Timothy, chapter two, verse six. Don't say one more thing about us influencing our land. I am not talking about Herodians, political activists in the church. I ain't against it, I've just been delivered from it. I'm not talking about politics. community leaders, county leaders, city, state, national, I'm not talking about that, and us influencing them. We thought we could do that long years ago, all this secret information we had collected to get to our senators and congressmen. Secret stuff, international laws being broken. It was already in the Congressional Records. The pastor over there, he got involved in that. Politics is not our problem. I preached this on the 4th of July rally in our county. Politics is not our answer. Now they can make it harder or easier on us, but they cannot further the gospel and they cannot stop the gospel. Our problem in the broad spectrum now, go back to the White House, Church House, and Our problem is we've made God mad. There ain't but one remedy. That's to come on down like a little child to a loving father. Now Christ set a child in the midst of his followers, adult men, and said, except you be converted and become as a little child, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. And that's that humble, tender-hearted, humiliated, repentance before a loving God who incidentally rules everything as the rivers of water. Now we can influence our land. We can prolong the state thereof. First Timothy chapter 2, I'm going to read the first six verses and give a brief. I exhort therefore that first of all, supplication prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings, and for all that are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who will have all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man, Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all to be testified in due time. Well, Sam, you ever called on women to pray? Thank you, Lord, for your love. Thank you for all these praying sisters. Had two or three on my mind. Their prayer and their love the glue that holds the family together, and the stability of the church. Prayin' with me. Thank you for these. I pray you do your work with your word on your people. In Jesus' name, amen. Deliver me from myself, what I think I might be qualified in or unqualified in. Now unto me the less than the least of these, my brothers and sisters, is this grace given. influencing our land, prolonging the state thereof. We can do that. This wisdom and knowledge is hidden in Jesus Christ, Colossians, in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. He is the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and you are complete in him. I was a prisoner at a mostly black people's church. Well, there was one honky there. It was me. And I said, I want to start off with some current events. The newspapers try to get us against one another. I said, your problem is not white boys shooting you women and kids. Your problem is blacks shooting at one another and the women and kids get caught in the crossfire. That's your problem. If it was what the newspapers and poor misguided socialists would have us believe, it would be a civil war. I said, we've never had a civil war in the United States. Hold up. It was a war between the states, and the states lost their rights, including Alabama. Thus, reading your law on abortion was not valid until Roe versus Wade was reversed. And I said to this black congregation, you have seen, witnessed, probably on the TV or eyewitness, of what the radical left will do. Steal the TV and burn the store. But people, and I'm gonna say to you too this morning, we gonna see something when the radical right gets in the street. I'm not talking about Republicans and I'm sure not talking about Christians. I'm talking about that radical right. That element that will shoot you red or yellow or black or white and call it for God and country. And I wouldn't tell them myself except I was connected. They think I'm anti-American for disconnected. And I said, that's all the political statement I'm going to make. I don't usually mix current events. And I did it this morning on purpose. Prayed with Brother James. He got up and he said, well, this is all about ado. We're not going to have any more ado today. We're going to meet in the kitchen. But pray with me. We're going to get Brother Carter to come back and talk to us about these current events. Listen, most people think the priest who watches the news reads the Bible once in a while, and he can tell you what's going to go on. He cannot. Men do not know. Angels do not know. Neither doth the Son. The Father reserved this to Himself, and in His sovereign will, He controls it just as He will. We speak the wisdom of God in a mystery. This wisdom is the Lord of glory, brother Barney. But God hath revealed the prepared things to us by His Spirit, the prepared things for us now. He reveals them by His Spirit. We pray for all men, especially those in authority, verse 1. Verse 2, that we may lead a quiet and peaceful life in all godliness and honesty. Verse 3, this is why we can pray this prayer with confidence. Are you looking at it, verse three? For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior. People, the Bible's clear about this. There remaineth therefore a rest for the people of God. If the Baptist people had a patron saint, y'all know what a patron saint is, that one where, anyway, Roman Catholics here know that. Ex-Roman Catholics, I ought to say. If the Baptist people had a patron saint, it'd be Saint Vitus. We'd just stay in the jerk, stay in the jerk. We'd come into the worship, place of worship, and we'd start settling down. And just about the time Brother Sam said, well, amen, you can go. We just got settled down. And we'd get right back out in society, get in the jerk pool. There is a rest for the people of God. I must hasten on to say this because I am in a congregation of well-taught people, Bible-believing people. You preachers know why it's such a liberty to preach here, don't you? I'm talking about preaching the Bible. You know why there's such a liberty to preach the Bible here? Because these people are accustomed to a steady diet of it that they receive and pray to go out and practice. At the time of this letter, its writing and its circulation Followers of Jesus Christ were being killed for their faith in Christ. And here it comes. Pray for us, all in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceful life in all godliness and honesty. Now, when I was a pastor and so-called schoolmaster at the house, I made it required reading, especially the teenagers, read two books, Fox's Book of Martyrs and Pilgrim If you read Fox's book of martyrs, you've read documented evidence of people dying for their faith in Jesus Christ, sick to their last breath. They're dying for their faith, but they're at peace. Because they know in their last breath, when the light goes out on this side, the valley of the shadow of death, and I'll be in the presence of the Prince of Peace. That's the reason this big word sovereign, God, is so important. It's according to, according to. If you know Ephesians chapter one, read it and note and reread according to. According to who? Why does it happen like this? According to His good pleasure. We just bow down to that, submit to that, and praise. and rest begins to settle in. We know he's in charge, Sister Sarah. All of it. I still miss old music in her. Christ is coming. Now one of my favorite pages of Scripture on Christ coming is 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 and 5. Chapter 4 finishes after he talks about this debatable thing that we argue about occasionally. Cross coming and people's going. The last verse in chapter four reads like this. Wherefore, condemn ye one another with these words. Now, pastors, I'm gonna try again. I'm gonna misquote it on purpose again. Wherefore, confuse ye one another with these words. Still wrong. Well, what does the Bible read like? Wherefore, Comfort you one another with these words. I've been accused of being lack of nostrils on that in time. I've been where that big old bird is and I know why she's got her head in the hole, not to expose her private tail feathers. There's probably something to eat in there and she's gonna get it and take it home to her babies. She's not hiding, she's hunting. Chapter 5 presents us, it first says you don't have any need that I write unto you, the times nor the seasons. Now Christ already said, the Father already delivered this to Himself. But you are children of light. Walk in the light you have. That's the reason some of these guys can finish it with me. They say, poor old Brother Carter, at least he's walking in the light he's got. And I want to. I'd like to have some more, but I'm going to try to walk in what I've got. In that chapter 5, it reads like this. I printed it out so I could read it to you word for word. Wherefore, concerning our dead people gone, and our Christ coming, either one and or both, wherefore, comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as you also do. Now people, if dead folks leaving, our brothers and sisters leaving, and Christ coming does not comfort you, back up, and pray. If you have an idea about Christ's coming that's eased the urgency to pray, I don't think you're right. Watch and pray. That's watch and pray, all right? What prolonging the state of our land does not mean. Brother Barnum, I'm gonna tell on myself again, I'm among friends, and you can quote me. Do you know how he likes to get in the pulpit? Where's my friend, back there. He likes to tell that I see a psychiatrist. And I said, well, it's mandatory. Well, you all know Brother Carter. Seven of them have worked on me. Two or three of them was real professionals. Now, I can't get into that, but an old fellow like me ought not to have that much fun. I was in a meeting. Parable about yonder, you know the kids say in the day. We had an all night prayer meeting. Second time I woke up, I got to listening to the prayers. I'm gonna get in, I'm just gonna brief this on purpose. We were asking, that's an old Arkansas word for asking. We were asking God to stop things that he not only is not gonna stop, they are gonna get worse and worse. And Professor Parker, I know it's not correct English, but worse-er. Because in Matthew 24, the chapter presents global iniquity and religious confusion. and deception. So strong the warning of our Lord is, the love of many shall wax cold. And because of iniquity, the love of many shall wax cold. That touches your message, Brother Barney. In so much that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. And except those days are shortened, but for the elect's sake, those days shall be shortened. And again, I'm gonna give you the script, 1 Timothy 4.1, some of y'all like to do that. Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the letter of times, prayerless times shall come, going on through that, religious iniquity and error abounding. Verse 16 in that chapter says, take heed to doctrine. Continue in the word of God. That's the Holy Bible. There's my granddaughter, Sarah. Thank you, daughter, Ariana. Good to meet you, sir. What's it going on? People, you Bible scholars in your own right, I am not discounting nor dismissing the ministry of the Holy Ghost in the life of the believer. But down where we live, Our only guard against the religious deception and the wide open apostasy in this hour is God's Word, the Holy Bible. And out of conviction, mine is, not preference conviction, the old antiquated King James. I said in a meeting, I'm gonna preach, I'm gonna read out of the English Bible, it is inspiring. Now I'm gonna preach in my South Arkansas dialect, you'll just have to try to keep up. I got to the coffee pot and this know-it-all fella said, I did not know you was a Ruckmanite. Well, I read Brother Peter Ruckman's material, I love it on the Authorized Bible, but I ain't no Ruckmanite. And I said, him, I ain't no Ruckmanite. He said, you are. And I said, I ain't. He said, you gotta be. And I said, I ain't gotta be cause I ain't. Why would you call me a ruckman? He said, cause you believe in double inspiration. And I said, no I do not. God in his power did not allow the translators to uninspire his word. And the print and press did not uninspire it. So we have God's word. preserved and the inspiration is preserved. Now I'll talk to you about it if you want to. I'd rather seek you on Brother Barney. 2 Timothy 3.1, church life is described as having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof, and that power is Jesus Christ according to Paul in 1 Corinthians 1, Christ the power of God, and that's what they deny. Evil men wax, and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. Verse 14-17 in that same chapter it says, Continue thou in the word of God. From a child that hath known the Holy Scripture, able to make thee wise unto salvation. Let me repeat myself. The Bible, that is our only hope and help. And I'm not discounting the Holy Ghost and the gifted men. But us, us, is receiving to believe God's Word. Matter of fact, there's deliverance there. Some of you have been delivered by that. When we receive to believe God's Word, it's a light. I read it in the Bible. That much darkness has got to back up. That's the reason when we're trying to work with people with daemon problems, stick with the Holy Bible. Try to get somebody to testify that knows Jesus Christ. I only know we could go with that, but I'm going to run on. And second, Peter, these deny the Lord, and many shall follow their pernicious ways, ungodly, unholy, unscriptural ways. Many shall follow that way. While they promise them liberty, they are the servants of corruption. Well, I mentioned politics, brother Pete. It's important. I thought as a young preacher we could shut the old whore and her harlot daughter down. No, you're not gonna stop her. It's not the ministry of the bride to stop the whore nor her harlot daughter. God's gonna use the kings of the earth to do that. About these kings, political powers that be. They're presented as ten whore and ten kings in the book of Revelation. You know what those political nuts do? Are you ready? Just in case you got a little hope in politics, world politics progresses to this depth of insanity, they make war with the lamb. Now, ain't you glad you can sing? My, I can't sing. If I could, I'd be dangerous. My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' name. On cross the solid rock I stand. All other ground is sinking sand. My friend Glenn Raymond was preaching in Ireland on the street in this Irish village. He said, tell us about the shamrock. Tell us about the shamrock. Brother Raymond sang that song and he said, Christ is a solid rock, all other rock is shamrock. I'm making a point, people. Now, I am not saying we should not pray for these people. Did you notice verse 1 and 2? Pray. First of all, for kings and for all that are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceful life in all godliness and honesty. We ought to be praying. We ought to be. We should be. Maybe we will be. Eventually, I get a religious period article, several of them. And these guys are standing at the taxi stop. And one of them was this, this is the good morning and the good evening news. So it's over here. So it's over there. Here's over there. So there were trouble. And this one fellow said, maybe we should pray about it. And the other guy showed lines got his attention. He said, Has it come to that? Yes. People, let me give you a little light. In every nation I've studied history of, when God's judgment settled in, it must first begin at the house of God. That's the only thing that explains some of the insane, insanely religious, anti-scriptural stuff people are doing in church. Judgment. Now I can tell you, they hadn't out-figured God and they hadn't out-maneuvered Him and they did not have Him under His power. He's controlling it. Believe it or not. Listen to this, praying for and influencing and prolonging the gospel in our land. That's our heart. If you're a saint, immediately you want to tell somebody. Now I'm not trying to get you on some Campaign, noble or not. Brother Parkey wanted to go with the Apostle Paul on a mission trip. Let's go. He comes out and says, we're going to Asia. Now, he said, well, the Holy Ghost forbid us to go to Asia. We're going to Bithynia. And the sons of Abraham went that way when he gave them their inheritance. Read it in the book of Genesis. Now, the Spirit won't suffer us to go to Bithynia. I ain't sure I want to go with this guy. But he comes out and he said, I had a vision. The man said, come over to help us. And we have that song. We've heard the Macedonian, Macedonian call. Send the light, send the light. Now, you male chauvinists, are y'all ready for this? He had a vision as a man. He got over there and he's referred out to a few women wanting to make prayer down by the river. Ladies, that's the reason I'm sending my prayer. Keep praying. If y'all are praying, Brother Sammy and these knotheads can muddle through and get something done to the honor and glory of God, including the lots. But if you quit praying and start griping, backbiting, bellyaching, they got a problem they can't fix. Now, you may think you can, but you can't. What are you going to do with a determined, dominating woman? What did Brother Elijah do? Now, I'll give him his due. He's running from Jezebel. That's wise. But where he's running to is more important. Out on that mountain range where God has met and spoke to his people. One thing on that, and I got to go. One little thing, multitudes of classic messages in the life of Elijah. He got out there and this is what he said, brethren, I'm not better than my father's. What made him ever think he was? What makes you think you better than the rest of God's little poor kids? Get a big old religious sack this morning, sack us all up in there and shake it up and tip it up. No telling who's gonna come out first. But for praying folks, brother, who cares? Right? Who cares? I think I've used this rhythm and tick here before. Paul said he and Paulus were nothing. There's Mr. Zero sitting over there. Sammy Byrne, zero. Johnny Carter, zero. But they were one in Christ. Zero plus zero equals zero. We learned that in first grade. I learned that before I started school. In God's arithmetic, zero plus zero equals one. Now we had a mathematical genius in our midst. He comes on as a country bumpkin, but he is a mathematical genius. He did a trig problem in school the teacher had never seen done. He did it with Chip Phillips. And he helped me with my little equation there, about zero plus zero. He said, Brother Johnny, you put the determining factor in the front where it's supposed to be. And the more zeros, are y'all listening to me? I was bird of the party. The more zeros are put in there, Brother James, the bigger. And the more influence we can have. That's what this church life's all about. I closed last Sunday morning with this. Now, the saints have an appointed day. They have an appointed time. Where had you rather be? Now, the church needs you, but you desperately need the family of God. We pray and we testify. Finally, brethren, pray for us that the word of God have free course and be glorified. even as it is among you, and that I be delivered from wicked and unreadable men, because not all men have faith. Now that's in the face of modern so-called mission working evangelism. We're gonna win everybody to Jesus. Pastor Paul did not ever distance himself from the church. He was in that desert, but he's close to the saints, because the first place he preached, wasn't it Damascus? The first place he preached, it got so bad, they looking for him, probably to kill him. The saints led him over the wall in a basket. He went out into the night. I'll put this on one of those psychiatrist doctors. Fast forward to Thessalonica, and the saints escorted him out of town at night. One time they had some of his team in, It was a theater or auditorium or something. He was going to go in and help them, and the saints kept him from going in there. I'm making a point! You need this church. If you are praying for and looking for a praying church that'll side with you, be your family, however this church receives members, present yourself to that. Now we pray and we testify. This is the life of peace and joy. Let me read that to you in a question by portion of scripture. Verse four. Who will have all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth? For there is one God and one mediator between God and men. The man of Christ Jesus. Did you know that? All men. Listen to me. If you're going to help anybody, come to a life of peace and joy and hope, it's going to be through Jesus Christ. Or they ain't going to get it. Now just coming and joining, being an active member of this church might get you in trouble. Especially if you're dependent on that. Especially if you're going to bring it up to Christ at the last judgment. That's not God, that's the final judgment. Jesus Christ is there. And they said, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, cast out devils, done many Wonderful works, not only paranormal, I'm interested in what helps and humanitarian helps. And Christ said this, depart from me, you worker of iniquity. I never knew you. So my recommendation to you this morning is get on talking terms with the man, Christ Jesus. There he is. When I first started preaching, I wound up, I met a fellow in a mission trip. I wound up way up in Kansas, and it was a Bible church, the name of the town, Bible Church, way up in Kansas. The old German gentleman got up, and for those of you that know the story, bear with me. Sometimes my stories is new to me. Bear with me, you don't have to laugh at that. Oh, I wanted you to chuckle a little. He got up and read Titus chapter two. And he said in that German brogue, I've always been told I believe it to be true. If a man is called to preach, he does not need advance notice. He only needs the opportunity. Brother Carter, you'll come and preach to us from this text. And you could put this building in that one. And I was glad it was a long way to the front. We'd come in, sit on the back. I know that the grace of God that brings salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness in the world, and thus we should live soberly and righteously this present day, looking for the blessed hope and the glorious appearance of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Before I got to the front, I was convinced, as far as the conjunction. Ain't that right, Professor? Uh-huh. It connects us to what's been said. Not the only way. But the primary way people know about peace and rest in Jesus Christ, the grace of God that brings salvation appears through the saints. That's the first part of Titus chapter 2. Older men, older women, younger women, young men, what? Live in the light you have. and glorify and honor Jesus Christ. We are ambassadors for Christ. You know what, we can tell a fellow if you come to Christ, God will take away your sins and won't mark them against you. That's in the Corinthian letter. Would you stand with me? We're children of light. We're not supposed to be confused nor condemned by what's going on around us. However, This peace and rest, come on brother Samuel, this peace and rest is only in Jesus Christ. There's one God and one mediator go between God and men, the man, Christ Jesus. He's real. He's born of a virgin, lived a perfect life. Good church people demanded the government to kill him. They were reluctant at first, but the government killed him. Just like he said, he stayed in the grave three days and three nights, come back alive, showed himself. Now this morning, is it still morning or afternoon, whatever it is, he's there, brother, sister, sinner friend, he's there, interceding, interceding, interceding.