Praise the Lord, thank you. Wasn't that wonderful? I tell you, those young people, wasn't that something? Amen. Did I tell you I had a granddaughter up there? I taught her to sing, God bless you. And I just lied. It is good to be out to God's house. Oh, I tell you, I'm encouraged this morning. First Corinthians chapter 15, the resurrection chapter, we're not preaching on the resurrection, though I may mention a little bit. I just want to exhort her a little bit, and when I start the invitation, the one that's going to be baptized, you all come on up, and Ms. Sharon will take you up there. If you got your Bibles, turn to 1 Corinthians 15 and stand with me, and I'm going to I don't have a note one. God just told me to go over here, but I don't have enough. Look, you can see that. I'm just gonna preach. I had another sermon that's gonna preach. I decided I'm gonna preach this one. And you'll be the first to hear it, because I don't really know what's coming myself. First Corinthians 15 verse 51, I'll read all of these verses. These are great verses. If you're a child of God, these are great verses. You got such a hope. You got such a hope. Somebody help me. You got such a hope. And let's look at the truth of the word. Glory to God, I'm about to get happy just thinking about reading it. The Bible said in verse number 51, are you there? Behold, I show you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump, for the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed. corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, death is swallowed up in victory. O death, Where is thy sting? And O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But I want you to notice this, but thanks. May I say it again? But thanks. Church, why don't you say it with me? But thanks be to God which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord for as much as you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. Our Father, I ask you to help me preach now. Give me the thoughts. If there's an outline to come, you unfold it to me as I'm preaching. And Lord, I pray God that this message will encourage believers I pray that this message will send conviction and hope to a sinner today, that they may be saved by the grace of God. They don't have to die and go to hell. They can be saved because of what you've done. And I pray right now that you'll help us and we'll praise you in Jesus' name, amen. You may be seated. I wanna preach on this thought simply. It's a Bible text, but thanks be to God. But thanks be to God. And you say, what are you so thankful for? Now, I'm thankful for everything you're thankful for. I'm thankful I got a nice home. I'm thankful for my family. I'm thankful for food. I'm thankful for finances. I'm thankful for all of that, and that's all good. Somebody help me. But I want you to know there's some things I'm thankful for that has nothing to do with all that material stuff. Somebody help me there. Had nothing to do with that material stuff. I'm gonna let it rip off the top of my head, okay? First of all, I'm thankful that I've been delivered from the sting of sin. See, sin had me. Come on down. Listen, I was a pace car. I was a wicked, ungodly sinner, and that sting had me. But I want you to know something. I'm glad that I was delivered from the sting of sin because of Jesus Christ. I want you to know something. because he resurrected from the dead. Somebody say amen right there. He took the sting out of sin. Boy, I like this illustration. I've told it probably 100 times here at the church. I think I'll tell it again, because it's a good one. But when I first started pastoring here at Thames Valley Baptist Church, I was pastor, I was taxi man, I helped clean the church, I picked up beer cans from off the road, Done about everything. I remember being up there on the front of the road one day and I was sitting there and it was February, it was cold, man. Sunny and bright and I was picking up somebody's Miller Highlight and some other beer cans and Coke cans and I had me a trash bag there and I looked up and I saw a tractor trailer coming up through there. Didn't pay it no mind and all of a sudden, That sucker run right over me. Just flat, run over me. I said, it was surreal. I'm dead. You know what it was? It was the shadow of that truck that run over me. I didn't get hit by the full impact. One of these days I'm going to die. But I want you to know I'm not going to get hit by the full impact of death, because Jesus Christ has done took the sting out of death. And the only thing I'm going to be hit with is what David said, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I'll fear no evil for thou art with me. I'm not going to... Somebody said, I'm afraid I ain't going to make it. I'm afraid I'm not going to get there. I want to tell you, I know I'm going to get there because the sting's been taken out. I can't be lost again. I can't be unsaved again. I've been saved once. I've been saved by the glory and grace of God. The sting is gone. I'm not worried about dying. I might be worried about how I'm going to die. I ain't worried about dying. You say, why? The sting's gone. Don't have no effect anymore. The worst thing that could happen to me is me getting hit by a saddle. So I'm delivered from the sting. Well, look at verse 57. I delight. in the victory in Jesus Christ. You know why I'm happy? You know why I'm so thankful? It's not because of Buddha. It's not because of Muhammad. It's not because of Mary Baker Pattern and by 14 names. It ain't because of that. It ain't because of Joseph Smith and the Mormons. It ain't because of Rufford. Rutherford and the Jehovah Witnesses know it's because I've got a Savior who died for me, who substituted for me, who sacrificed for me, who took my place. I'm delighted in the victory I have in Christ Jesus. I want to tell you something, what happened to me was a personal thing. You're in this room today, you're not gonna be saved because your mama, you ain't gonna be saved because your daddy, you're not gonna be saved because your neighbor, you're gonna be saved because you personally see yourself a sinner, and personally see yourself lost, and personally see you need a Savior. You need a personal Savior. You need a powerful Savior. You need a precious Savior. You need a pardoning Savior. You need Him to say, somebody help me. Woo! Thank God I'm delighted in the Savior. I'm delivered from the sting. I'm just trying to get these points to come in my file. I'm directing every one of y'all, I just come up with that, to the second coming. Lord, I'm thankful this ain't the end for us. I don't know how many funerals I've done. I've been in funerals for some of your relatives. Thank God this is not the end for you. Somebody ought to shout right now. The Bible said, I'll show you a mystery. We shall not all sleep. And by the way, those all asleep, I'll tell you one, your grandpa, his body is asleep at the cemetery. Now he's alive and going to be absent from the body. from the body and pressing from the, oh, somebody help me preach right there. But I want you to know something. I like this here. The shout's coming. Michael's getting ready to shout. That's the archangel, somebody get that. And then the dead in Christ gonna rise. And this old corruptible, it's gonna put on in corruption. Whoa, I'm directing every one of y'all to the second coming of Jesus. First of all, the first phase, the rapture. I'm directing, we're not gonna see one minute of the tribulation period. I've been saved from, somebody help me preach right there. I'm not a mid-trib, I'm not a post-trib, I'm a pre-trib, and I want you to know, church, we're not going through one second of the tribulation period, because we're gonna be delivered out of here. One of these, somebody help me preach. Have you been listening long enough to know that we've got a hope beyond this world? I direct you to that. If in this world we have hope, we're men most miserable. I want to direct you to something. We're going to have a reunion one day. There's going to be a rapture. There's going to be a reunion. There's going to be a reward. Somebody help me. I'll take time to let you shout at me. How many's got somebody over yonder? Raise your hand. And you miss them here at Thanksgiving. You remember being by the table with them? Remember having Thanksgiving dinner with them? Remember praying with them? Maybe it's a mom used to cook you Thanksgiving. Maybe it's a dad that provided a way for you. I want you to know you're not without hope. You're gonna see them. Woo! You're gonna see them again. I got a dad up there. I got a mom up there. I got a brother up there. I want you to know I'm gonna have a rapture. I'm gonna have a reunion. I'm gonna have a reward. Can you imagine? Your mama and daddy's two of my favorite people I ever met in my life. They were wonderful custodians, but they were my friend. Some of you got some broken heart because of some people that's gone and missing this sanctuary. Can I tell you something? You're gonna see them again. Amen! I'm not directing you to a grave. I'm not directing you to a cemetery. Hey, listen, somebody said, do you go to cemetery all the time? Not really. No, I'm not disrespectful of it. I go once a year, put some flowers. But my dad ain't in that grave. My mama ain't there. Hello. I don't believe in soul sleep. The body sleeps. But I want to give you something. I want to direct you to a hope. Jesus is alive. He arose from the grave. All right, all right, hold it, hold it. Let me see if I can get a last point out of this thing. I got it. Let me have that Bible a minute. I'm gonna stay down here a second. See if I can find the last point, Lord God. Oh, I got it. It's just come to me. Therefore, my beloved brethren, verse 58, be ye steadfast, unmovable. Therefore means what? The sting's gone. We got a Savior. He's coming a second time. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. That's the determination of the saint. Now, here's what y'all are determined. Y'all are determined you're gonna live for God. You ought to determine you're gonna be a good church member. Therefore means you ought to be faithful to church. Therefore means you ought to pay your tithe and not be a God rotter. I've been preaching good up to then. I'm determined. I'm not gonna quit paying my tithe because I get sick. I'm not gonna quit paying my tithe because I have some extra financial problems. Are you an idiot? I may give double then. Some of you, oh, you delight in everything I preach, but I want to tell you, you done lost your determination. You don't have the zeal you used to have. By the way, we ought to be happier now than we ever been. We are working for victory, not to get victory. I'm determined. Oh, I'm determined to finish. I'm determined. I'm determined to give my best all the time. Whether I'm down, up, in, out, I'm giving my best. I'm determined. A lot of Christians, they're living so defeated. Why in God's name are we defeated when the sting's gone? And we got a Savior. And He's coming a second time. And we're gonna have the victory. You ought to be more determined right now to do right than you've ever been before. Have some of you dropped off? Have you lost your determination? And I'm gonna tell you, if you have, I'm gonna tell you why. You're not rejoicing in the deliverance you had in Jesus. Good preaching, Reverend. I think I'm done. I don't preach long, I just preach straight and hard. Back of your head, I'm done. Some of y'all gonna have a heart attack, I'm quitting at 20 after. See, I'm one of those preachers, when I'm done, I'm done. Heads bowed, eyes closed. If you're here lost, you are gonna suffer the total sting of sin. You're gonna suffer it. And you're gonna die, and you're gonna go to hell. And you're gonna burn forever and ever and ever because you've not been delivered from the sting of sin. But I got hope for you. The Savior died, was buried, and he rose again. And all you gotta do is realize you're lost. And realize that you can't save yourself. And religion can't do it. Denomination can't do it. Only Jesus. And there's people in this room lost. You're on your way to hell. You're gonna burn in hell forever and ever. Or you're gonna be left behind to go through the tribulation period. I wonder how many folks know for sure you're saved. Raise your hand. You died today. Don't raise them if you don't know. Thank you. How many right now don't know if you die today, you don't know you're going to heaven, but you want to go to heaven and you don't want to go to hell and you want to be saved before you die. How many raise your hand and say, pray for me. I'm not a Christian, but I need to be. Come on now. God bless that hand. Somebody else, hey, other people here lost. I saw you couldn't raise your hand. What in the world, why would you wanna die and go to hell this morning? Somebody else just slip your hand up and said, Richard, I need to be saved. How many right now say, I'm not sure I'm saved, I'm just not sure of it, and I wanna be sure, raise your hand. I see that hand. Amen. You're not sure? Why don't you come and get sure? You that's not sure, you that's not saved, just come right now. How many Christians, instead of being victorious, man, you're not faithful, you're not fervent, you've lost your joy, you don't give like you should, you don't attend like you should, you just, you're not working victory, you're in defeat. Why are you like that when you got the victory? How many right now say, I'm saved? but I'm a defeated Christian this morning, and I ought not to be, and I want you to pray for me. I need to get myself straightened up. People's coming to the altar. Raise your hand if you're a defeated Christian and need some help. Raise them up, come on. God bless you. Won't you admit it? Why are you lying to yourself and lying to God? Admit it. I mean right now you say, I'm defeated. I just don't have joy. My marriage is affected. My family's affected. Everything's affected. Preacher, I need to get right with God. I'm backslidden. I need to get right with God. Folks are coming. That's right, honey. Come on out. I'd not have beat you over the head. Amen. Can I have a lady just come pray? Come on now. Stand with me. If God spoke to you, I want you to come right now. I want you to come. It's been a good service. People are getting right with God. You ought to come and get right with God. Our Father right now, touch this invitation. Help folk. God, help folk. Somebody said they're not sure they're saved. God, help them. Come on right now. If I die, they put me in hell. God, help them. We'll pray in Jesus' name. Amen, come on. ♪ Only trust Him Holy Christ. Why you coming? You don't know for sure you're saved? Come on. You're living in the feet? You're up and down all the time as a Christian? It ought not to be. You ought to be real. Hey, listen, people are looking up to you. Amen. Amen. Yeah. Amen. Yeah, He will. He will. I mean, I'm glad you're saved this morning. Delivered. Hey man, the stake won't touch you. Only trust Him. Only trust Him. Only trust Him now. He will save you. He will save you. Be seated please.