Hebrews chapter 10 verse 19, Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say his flesh, and having a high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith, having a heart sprinkled from an conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering, for He is faithful that promised. And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another, and so much the more, as ye see the day approach." You may be seated tonight. As we said, we're dealing with the will of God, and Paul, of course, wrote later on in this book, from what we read in our text tonight, in Hebrews chapter 13, verse number 21, that those professing Hebrews might do the will of God, that he would enable them to do the will of God. The word do means to pursue a course of action down the will of God and as far as the will of God's concerned for our life. You realize something, it's hard sometimes to determine the will of God. It's just some things, it's not just black and white, I guess you could say. Now, there is no gray area, all right? But sometimes the Bible just doesn't say this, this, and this about certain things. But there are some certain things in the Bible that's the will of God and that's the written will of God. of God, and if we'll pursue a course of action to try to do the written will of God for our lives, then God will show us the unwritten will of God for our lives. Now, sometimes it's hard to carry out in this old flesh the will of God as far as the written will's concerned. I understand that. Sometimes you have trouble. I understand because you've got a pulling from the world, the flesh, and the devil. But I believe if you'll pursue that the will of God in your lives, the written will, and try your best to move in that direction. God will enable you to do that. Then He'll unfold to you the unwritten will of God for your life. And that's where we need to be. That would be right in the center of God's will, both written and unwritten, right where God wants you to be, because that's where the blessings are going to come on you. That's where the victory is at, and that's what we need, the will of God in that sense. Now, if we're going to start trying to find the will of God, we said we look in the Bible, see what he wrote down is the will of God. The first thing we said was that you might be saved. He's not willing that any should perish, but all come to repentance. So it's God's will for you to be saved. This idea, as we've said so many times, but I need to reiterate that some are chosen to go to hell. That is not so. God made a He paid a price on Calvary. He paid the ransom price that's capable of saving the entire world if man will obey the light God give him, and he desires that you be saved. He's long-suffering. He's good. He forbears, means he holds back that wrath, giving you a space of repentance. So pursue the course of action by obeying the light you've got, and you'll come to a point somewhere sometime of being saved, that's the will of God. That's, I guess, the most important will of God of anything, is that you might be saved. But then we said the will of God is to give thanks. In other words, it said, in everything, give thanks. Now, it doesn't say just be thankful, even though we got to be thankful to give thanks, but we need to give thanks, which means to express that. Maybe outside somewhere, as you look up and see the glory of God, or God blesses you some way, it's all right just to give thanks, audibly. up to him and do that, amen. And it'd be good if we do that more. That's the will of God. And we need to pursue, of course, of action to give thanks. And then it's a will of God to labor. In other words, labor physically and labor spiritually, because it's God's way that he wants you to provide for your household, the physical, but spiritually, if you don't labor, the devil will pull you aside. The devil will pull you out of the narrow way. He'll pull you aside and you'll never even get in. If you don't labor, you're going to have to labor. Now, it's not talking about works for salvation. It's just saying labor. And he said, strive to enter in because the world, the flesh, and the devil is trying to keep you from it. In fact, your own nature don't even want to go that route. But so you're going to have to labor. There's going to be some striving. And then he said labor. In other words, what God's put in you, you labor to get it out to others. If he's put something in you, you need to labor in that sense as well. And so then also we said it's God's will to be subject to the higher powers. Now, government is a higher power. We are to be subject to them as long as they fulfill what God says, two things God gave government, to reward evil, or reward good, be praised to them who do good, and execute vengeance on them who do evil. And our government, many times, have gone just the opposite. They tried to stop Peter, and Peter said, they said, we told you, and Peter wrote, we need to be subject to kings and presidents and governors so forth, but yet Peter said in Acts 5, it's better to obey God than man. Why? God's the supreme power. He's the higher power. That's who you need to obey is God. And anything that doesn't go against God, then you obey that as far as what the government has put upon us. Then it's the will of God to suffer sometimes. Now, when I say sometime, if you're where God wants you to be, you're going to suffer sometime, alright? Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. So it's said, it's the will of God that you suffer for well-doing, rather than suffer for evil doing. And then we said the last two weeks we've been dealing in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 where it's the will of God, your sanctification, which means to live clean. You need to pursue a course of life, a course of action that you'll begin to live clean. And we listed some things that he listed in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 and what he said you need to obey. and how you need to abstain from fornication, you need to abstain from pollution, you need to study to be quiet, you need to love the brethren, you need to do this and that that he mentioned, and that's just a representative list. In other words, it means anything that God nudges your heart about that's in the Word of God as far as His commands are concerned, you need to live clean in that respect and be set apart, not just from sin, but unto the Lord in that sense. And so therefore, it's the same word for sanctification. There's the same word for holiness, which, and Bible said without holiness you'll not see God. So it's God's will that you live clean, all right? And then tonight I want us to go a little further about the written will of God in your life, and I want us to look at verse number 25 of our text verse where he said here, and even though it don't use the word will, the will of God here, this is still the will of God for your lives when he said not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is but exhorting one another and so much the more as you see the day approaching. Now that means the will of God is found there and that means that we are to assemble in the Lord's church. God told us to assemble in the Lord's church. Now this is a command. This is a command, and all of God's commands are the will of God. And so we're not going to deal with every one of them because there's a bunch of them in there, but we're just looking at some in this series. But the will of God, His commands are the will of God, and He said this is the will of God that you assemble yourselves together in that sense. Now if you think about the book of James says in James chapter 4 verse number 17, Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. In other words, when you know something you're supposed to do because it's a command of God that you need to obey, and you don't do it, you've automatically sinned, whether it's a sin of omission or a sin of commission. So you have a responsibility to walk in that light and to obey those things in the will of God. And this is one of them where he said, forsake not the assembling of ourselves together. So therefore, it's a sin if we do not assemble. Now, what is a church? We sometimes drive down the road and say, my, that's a beautiful church. And you're looking at the building, blocks and mortar and whatnot, and everything, you know, you're looking, and it may be beautiful sanctuary where the church is supposed to be, but yet I remember being in the Holy Land over in the church of Thyatira, I think it was, was where we was at up on the hill. up on the altar, close to the altar of Zeus and they said there wasn't any church building in any of these seven churches of Asia to 313 A.D. Well, they was talking about a Catholic church then. That wasn't even a church, amen. I'm not trying to be mean. That's not a church. That's not the Lord's church. I'm not trying to be mean, but that is not the Lord's church, amen. And we've got to stand for truth. We've got to do that. And you realize something, that was a building anyway that they showed us where they had a church to meet. Well, folks, I want to tell you, a church is the people itself. The Bible says, in other words, the church is defined. The word is ecclesia, which means a called out assembly who meet together to glorify and worship the Lord. In other words, that's what the church really amounts to, what it really is as far as the church is concerned. And it's not the building. Now, I know that we can look at the book of Matthew chapter number 18, verse number 20, and the Bible says this in Matthew chapter 18, Verse number 20, when he says, Therefore where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. And that could be a jerk, if you please, if that's all you had in that area when you meet together, but it ought to be one that's mothered by God. A man ought to be mothered, ought to be born from above, a local visible body that meets together, but that would be the simplest rendition of a church where two or three meet together. But we ought to meet together. I talked to someone the other day, didn't have an opportunity, didn't have a place to go. What do you do? I do the best you can with what you got. Assemble. And make your, and I told them, I said, take your house and at least make it like into an assembly and play something, do something, amen. That's better than nothing because don't get up and go to church in your pajamas, amen. Might ought to preach on that a little bit here, amen. Sometimes you have that, you realize something, some people wear some place, not here so much, but in some places that's what they do, kind of wear something, look like a pair of pajamas. or something, but you ought to put on your Sunday go-to-meeting clothes and a symbol, because he said, forsake not if you don't have a place where you can meet. And here we do have a place to meet and a symbol in the church. Now you realize the church It started in Jesus' earthly ministry. I shouldn't have to even say that here, but you'd be surprised how many believe that the church started back in the Old Testament time because it talked about the church of Israel in the wilderness. Well, it was translated, an assembly was what that was. in wilderness, but the church started in Jesus' earthly ministry when he said, I will build my church upon this rock, upon myself. It's not upon Peter. And the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And they added on the day of Pentecost to the church. You can't add to something unless it's already started. So therefore, it was started in Jesus' earthly ministry. Now, I know the Lord's building, one day there's going to be in Hebrews chapter 13, or chapter 12, talks about the church of the firstborn. And that's the, it's church singular there. And one day, He's going to call out all the saints of God. They're going to be symboled in heaven and he's going to say the church of the firstborn. Okay? Be one. But it's still local. It's still visible body. There is no universal church. You see, whenever he said, I will build my church, he's operating in types like he did even in the Old Testament time. He used the types of the animal sacrifices and he fulfilled them. And you realize something, a local church is to be a type of what he's going to call out one day of all the saints of God will be there assembled together in a local visible body. Now, most churches today and all churches today, I guess I shouldn't say, no matter what the name is, is not a perfect type. because it's not a one of them that has 100% saved people in them. Even his, the one he called 12, one of them was lost, right? And so therefore, it was the nucleus of the New Testament church when he called the 12, and I've got proof text to know that's where it started, the church, 1 Corinthians 12, 28, and God set forth, I forgot it, I'll have to go over and read it. It just comes to my mind, but the proof text is 1 Corinthians 12, 28, when he said, and God has set some in the church, first apostles, okay? And so that could not be on the day of Pentecost. But the thing about it, he also gave authority to the church to transact business between heaven and earth. Because verse 19, right after he said, I'll build my church upon myself, what he's talking about, he said in verse number 19, he said, and I'll give unto thee And now, I know he was talking to Peter as the spokesman of the church, but folks, he's not giving to Peter anything over the other apostles at that time. He's talking to the church. I'll give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven. Whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. We're not exercising the keys that God's given us. like we should. And as a result, the gates of hell is prevailing against the church. In fact, it's attacking the church, if you please, all across this country today. But he said, I give you authority, church, to transact business between heaven and between earth. In other words, he also commissioned the church. We have about five different types of commissions that he talked about as far as speaking to the Apostles and the Nucleus there, the 11. Of course, Judas Iscariot wasn't saved, but he gave them about five different commissions. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Acts has all, and John and Acts has it in it. But the one we usually refer to is called, in verse 19 of chapter 28, of Matthew where he went up into the mountains there with 11 were gathered together and he said, verse 18 says, all power, all authority is given to me in heaven and earth. Then he says to the church, go ye, plural, therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you and lo, I am with you always even to the end of the world. which means the end of the age. He's going to be with us. And he commissioned to go and teach. First, that means to disciple, make disciples, if you please. And you can't do it within yourself. It takes the work of the Holy Ghost. But he uses human instrumentality. Then he said, baptize those who've been saved. Don't baptize the others, just baptize those. And then he said, teach them the all things. that I've commanded you. So that's the authority, the commission, I guess you could say, to the New Testament church that He gives us. Now then, in other words, what, and by the way, what God does today that He's in, what's His will, will be done through a local, visible New Testament church. Any organization, anything that's outside of a New Testament church is not going to reap any benefits or reward as far as God's concerned. Now we've got a lot of evangelistic associations out there that put themselves above the local New Testament church. They will not reap. what they're doing is not going to have fruition. It's not, because the Bible said, well it says in Ephesians chapter 3 verse 21, and to him be glory, and where? In the church. Not in an evangelistic association. Now, some evangelistic association may be a subtitle for some church, that may be so. But these are going out on their own doing what they want to do, bypassing the local New Testament church, they'll not re-reap one day. It's going to be wood, hay, and stubble, if they even make the judgment seat of Christ, you understand? And I'll put that there because that's a great big if, amen? Because, listen, God's ways through the New Testament church. I don't know about you, but I want to be part of the church. I want to be in the church. I want to do through the church. They call me and want me to donate to this and donate to that. I tell them I don't do anything except through my church. Amen. In fact, you don't know who you're donating to that way anyway. And boy, there's everything out there, you know. And some of them say, you're donating to a good cause. Yeah, probably their pocket, you know, is about what some of them are. But do it through the church some way. And that's where God gets the glory in that, if you please. And so he commissioned her, and he gets the glory. Now, how do you become a part of the New Testament church as far as the local visible body? Now, the Bible says this in the book of I Corinthians chapter 12, verse number 13. He said, for by one spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free, and have been all made to drink into one spirit. So Paul's talking about the Jews and the Gentiles there, and he's saying we've all been baptized into one body. Now, I don't know about, y'all know, you've heard it preached all the years, that was water baptism. That's not water baptism there in that verse. That's spirit baptism. That's the moment you're saved, you're baptized with the spirit into a forming body of Christ that will be called out at the rapture and be complete, the church of the firstborn. But he's operating through a type, so therefore he wants us to be baptized into a local visible body with water, because water is a picture of the death, the burial, and the resurrection. And therefore, and that doesn't mean everybody who's baptized is safe. John the Baptist said, bring forth fruits, meet for repentance. And we can't look on the inside, only God can, amen? And many times people are so deceived and look good, and we... they come presenting themselves, we have no choice but to do what they ask in that sense, but one day there's going to be a complete separation, but God is operating through his local New Testament church and pipe, and he says, just as a man's saved, the moment he is genuinely saved, he's baptized with the Spirit into the body of Christ, and therefore he wants to confess openly, publicly, and tell the world, look, that happened to me somewhere, sometime, Therefore, I want to be a part of this local visible body. And baptism is a door into the local New Testament church. That's to picture the fact of what happened to me as I entered into Christ, if you please, through the Spirit. Baptism in that sense. A lot of people think, well, the spirit baptism comes later. No, it's the point of salvation, because the Bible said in Romans chapter 8, if you have not the Spirit, you're none of His. That's the moment. Now, there's a filling. I mean, there'll be many fillings, but oh, there's only one baptism of the Spirit. In fact, the Bible talks about over in the book of 1 John chapter 2, it talks about you have an unction. Then in verse 27, you have an anointing. And we use those words wrong. Those words simply means reception of the Spirit. In other words, John was saying you've been saved by the grace of God. The Spirit lives inside you. He called it unction. He called it the anointing. It's only done one time. You've got a teacher to guide you and to lead you and he'll guide you into a local New Testament church if you've received him. He'll guide you to be baptized with water to show the world what transpired. whether it's out yonder or whether it's in here or wherever it's at. What happened the moment that you was genuinely saved? And you're not saved unless there's a complete work of Holy Ghost conviction of sin, of righteousness, and judgment. I'll not go through all that tonight, but that's the thing about it is that's therefore God's will is for you to be a part of a New Testament church. If you've been saved, he wants you to be a part of the New Testament church, and that is, of course, to be baptized. I met a man back years ago, And I was asking him when he was saved. And I know I've shared this, but some of you haven't heard it. But I asked him, was he saved? Oh, yeah, I was saved. I said, well, when did you get saved? He said, well, I was in one of those planes that went into Hiroshima and dropped that bomb. And I asked the Lord to bring me out alive, and he did. I said, that's good, but when did you get saved? Well, I was over in the hospital over in Huntington at Carroll County Hospital and said, so-and-so about to die. And I asked the Lord if he'd bring me out alive, and he did. I said, that's good, but when did you get saved spiritually? And he hummed and hawed and never did say a word. He never did, could tell me nothing. He's depending on some kind, because he asked the Lord to bring him out. That's God's goodness to lead him to repentance. And somewhere along the way, there wasn't some human instrument to tell him. Well, he never responded to the light for a reason. The human instrument wasn't there. to tell him the truth about that. And so therefore, you realize something, God's will is to be a part of the local New Testament church. If you're not part of his church somewhere, somehow, then it's evidence that you are not saved, is what it amounts to, because he said, forsake not the assembling of yourselves together, for that is the will of God. In other words, even though it doesn't say those words, that's the commandment of God. So you need to assemble. And if a person doesn't practice assembling, It's definitely, you can mark it down, they are not saved, amen? Because you realize something, as I'd already mentioned, 1 John 2, verse 27, and also John 16, 13, about the spirit guiding you into all truth. If you have him, he'll guide you into church to assemble, because that's his work, that's his work. Well, I love the Lord, and I don't love the church, some people will say. Well, I'm gonna tell you what, you're looking at people that's not part of the church, amen? But some people ask me all the time, how's your church doing? I said, church doing good. Church always doing good, just everybody's not part of the church, you understand? You understand what I'm saying? The church doing good, amen? Church going up, I mean, one day. But the thing about it is, the Spirit will guide you into all truth. And the Bible said in 1 John 3, 9, he said, whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin, that means he doth not practice naturally sin. And if you fail to do what God said, that's a sin of omission. And if you can conventionally do that, then you've never been saved. I had a man tell me one time, he said, oh, I was saved when I was young, but I hadn't been to church, and I never was baptized, and I'm going to tell you what, he's not saved. You can't live 40, 50, 60 years in that condition if you've got the Spirit of God living inside you, amen? That's not Bible, that's not, and how are you going to ever find the unwritten will of God for your life if you're not willing to pursue the written will of God for your life. So therefore, and here we see here, he said, for not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another and so much the more as you see the day approaching. Now what day is he talking about? He's talking about the second coming. The Bible says you've got this hope in you, 1 John 2, verse 3. He says you'll purify yourself because if you hope that Jesus, in other words, you've got the supreme hope that you've been taught to look for, that he's coming back again, the judge is at the door. It'll cause your life to change, amen? It'll cause your life to change. And therefore, as the day comes, you need to meet together more and more. I know in the Bible it talks about Sunday, well, evening sacrifice and the morning sacrifice, in a sense, two times a day. I understand that. That's like Sunday morning, Sunday night. And there's nowhere in the Bible does it say we're supposed to meet on Wednesday night. But the church got the keys to transact business. You know, it may come to a point that it gets so rough in America, even before it's over with, we may have to meet every day of the week. Everybody may not get to come, but we may have to meet. Now, we may not meet right here, if you get in that kind of shape, because the government will take this over. But we may say, we're going to meet down by the sycamore tree, down at such and such a bottom. and be real quiet when you come in, and you won't be praising the Lord jumping to you when you come in on that, amen, because they're gonna be out trying to catch you. You know, you're gonna give thanks, but you'll do it, you can do it in solemnity, amen. It's not the loudness, it's what you do that comes on the inside. You say, I don't wanna see that. No, but as he said, forsake not the assembling of yourself together, It's a matter of some years, some were not, they were forsaken. But he said, and even so much the more as you see the day of exhorting one another, in so much the more as you see the day approaching, folks, we're gonna have to be exhorted. And the word exhorted simply means to encourage. encourage us. Now, when you come to church, we need some encouragement. I hope I can give you some. I try to. I know I'm not what I need to be by a whole lot, but folks, you need to, we need some encouragement. This is a rough old world we live in, amen? I don't care what you're doing. Even if you're in the will of God, it's still a rough world you're living in. I mean, did anybody, everybody have everything go perfect this last three days? Everybody have everything go perfect. I don't believe anybody raised your hand. Nothing went perfect the last three days, amen? I won't ask you the other side. Anything happen? Anything happen? Good. Yeah, we did. Sure we did. But listen, as we see the day approaching, folks, I want to tell you, we've been taught the easy in, the easy out. we're going to get by, but who are we? The Russians had to suffer, we'll have to suffer, amen? They suffered in the early New Testament church just to stand for the truth. Their lives was placed on the line and it's going to come that way for us. That'll separate the wheat from the tares, won't it, huh? But he said, you'll have to come together and meet. So much the more as you see the day approaching, exhorting one exhorting one another. In other words, in other words, that word exhort, as I said, meant encouraging. It means to comfort. Folks, we need each other. Whether you realize it or not, we need to draw strength from one another, amen? We need each other, encourage one another, and in other words, verse 24, what did he say there in our text verse, let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works. In other words, he said, under love. You say, I don't want to provoke anybody. He said, provoke them unto love. In other words, challenge them, encourage them so that they'll love and forsake not, but provoke them to love. Listen, if you forsake the assembling of yourself together, you can't help and you can't be helped. You understand? So he said, come together. And failure to assemble in the Lord's church a person does that's out of the will of God. Now, of course, most likely, as I said, they've never been saved. Therefore, they're out of the will of God in that area as well. The Lord in the Old Testament said, come see me. And in the New Testament, he says, come see me. He won't, I know you can meet with him anywhere, but if you're not meeting with him in your symbol together, you're not gonna meet with him out yonder, amen? You've bypassed what he's, somebody said, well, I can worship the Lord's good anywhere. You can if you've met together to worship him. By the way, worship's just not shouting, hooping, and hollering, amen? I mean, we need to get that through our heads sometime because worship is just, and did you know some people say worship and serve's two different things. You'll find that serve and worship Serving Him is worshiping Him, adoring Him, and giving Him His rightful due, His place in your life. But the thing about it is you need to come and assemble together. In the Old Testament time, they needed to, He said, come see me. And in the New Testament time, in essence, He's saying, come meet with me. I'll meet with you in the church, and to Him be glory in the church. But did you know in the Old Testament time, He didn't just say, come and see me. He said, come see me and bring me something. And in the New Testament time, you know what he's saying? Come see me and bring me something. Amen? Now you say, what would we bring him? What would he bring him? That's part of the will of God. Not only to assemble in the Lord's church, but you need to bring the Lord something when you assemble. That's part of the will of God's command of God. In fact, he said in 1 Corinthians chapter number 16, verse number two, he said this, he said, upon the first day of the week, that's the Lord's day, Sunday. That's Sunday. Amen. If you go back and study the Old Testament, the Sabbath was a day of rest. Sunday even worship in the Old Testament time. They gathered together in the Old Testament time. On Sunday, on Saturday they couldn't travel but just less than a mile. They couldn't go. They had to sit there. And that's why he said in the last days you better hope the Jews, better hope that the Lord, all this, whenever everything begins to pop Sabbath day, because if they're an Orthodox Jew, they'll go about that four-fifths of a mile and sit down on the side of the road and be overtaken by the enemy and kill right there is what it amounts to. Well, I'm glad we hadn't got to worry about that, amen. But on the Lord's day, upon the first day of the week, 16 to 1 Corinthians, let every one of you lay by him in store as God hath prospered him, that there be no gathering when I come. Now I know in context he's talking about the faith prayer missions that we use the faith prayer missions for because they were taking up something for the poor saints in Jerusalem, they'd been devastated by famine, they'd been devastated by persecution and they were in great need and he said, You bring it to the house of God on the first day of the week. When you assemble, you come bring me something. You say, well, if it's for them, it's not for the Lord. Listen, what does Matthew 25 said? You know, he said, I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was hungry and you gave me meat. And they said, when did that happen, Lord? He said, when you do it to these, the least of them, my brother, you've done it unto me. And so therefore, we need to come see it. Some see him and bring him something. Now, you say, what does that mean? Well, by the way, let's talk about this verse two of 1 Corinthians 16, the Greek construction is continuous action. It's habitual lifestyle. It's every first day of the week. Come see me and bring me something. Now, what do we need to bring the Lord when you come to the house of God and symbol together? What's the will of God to bring him? First thing you need to bring him is tenderness. tender heart, tenderness or love if you please, affections what I'm saying. Colossians chapter 3 verse number 2, he said, set your affections on things above, not on things of this earth. Where's your affections today? Did you leave your affections at home? Did you come together to worship Him in spirit and in truth? Did you come together, as Psalms said, I believe it's Psalms 2 verse number 12, he said, kiss the son lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are they that put their trust in him. Kiss the son. Kiss the Son. Tenderness. Bring some tenderness. Bring some affections, if you please, to the house of God. That's love. Now, if you've been saved, the love is there. It's part of the fruit of the Spirit. It's been shed abroad in your heart by the Holy Ghost, which is given to us, Romans 5 said. But I've studied the Word of God there where it said about the woman who anointed Jesus' feet with the alabaster box. And they said, they whispered around, said Jesus knew who that was washing his feet. He wouldn't have nothing to do with her. They wouldn't have nothing to do with her, but Jesus knew she was an old, poor sinner. And who did he come to call? Sinners to repentance, not the righteous. But he gave them a parable, in a sense, and told them a story there. And then he said, this woman hath loved much, agape love, and she wasn't saved. In other words, how did that get inside? Because when you are awakened, when you're stirred, and God begins to give you truth, I won't tell you, he fingers inside your heart and puts some love down in there. a desire. I, I don't, I can't explain that other than the fact that he said it's agape, the God kind of love. It's of God. And therefore you can come to the house of God and bring your love. You can reach out and provoke one another to love. In other words, not to, not to some discord or something, but to love, to love is what it, so come see me and bring me something. It's a right to assemble. That's the will of God. It's also right to bring something for him. What? Bring you tenderness, bring you affections. And then you can come bringing your time, not just the time we've got to set together in the house of God. Ephesians chapter five, verse 15 and 16. He said, see then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time because the days are evil. Folks, I want to tell you, we need to redeem the time. There's only one life to live, to soon be past. And I know what Brother Price is saying, what's done for Christ will last. That's the only thing done. I know what he's saying and what side he's going to when he says that, and that doesn't bother him for him to say what he said during the conference, because we can't do anything without him. But folks, there's a sense you make yourself available, amen, to be used of the Lord in that sense. In other words, I'm using your time wisely. Use your time wisely for the Lord. And I know we use your time for the Lord, for His church, and for His Word. And I know we all can have improvement in that area. I'm talking about me as well as you. We need some improvement. That's the will of God. And if we're not willing to pursue a course of action to bring him something, when we assemble together, bring him the time and let him say, Lord, my time is nothing. What am I? What's my time? It's not worth a whole lot. The older you get, the probably the less it's worth. You understand? I mean, we think a lot different, don't we? I hadn't got time for this and hadn't got time for that. Go here, go here. Hurry, hurry, hurry, Lord, help me, help me. I've been that way all my life, amen. I'm still that way, I guess. But the thing about it is, he said, give us time for the Lord. Give Him time to speak to you. In other words, give time for Him to draw up next to you. Give Him time for Him to love on you. Give time to the church, to the Lord and to His Word. Well, come see me and bring me something. What are you going to bring Him? You need to bring Him your tenderness or your affection, your love. Bringing you time. In other words, say, Lord, it's not mine, it's yours. You gave me the ability. You're the one who gave me breath to breathe. You're the one who gave me the health I've got. It may not be perfect, but thank God it's not. I'm not in a grave right now. I've still got some time left. Let me use it wisely for you. Well, bringing also your talent. You say, I can't sing a lick. Who said talent's all, singing's the only talent there is, huh? I ain't talking about singing a talent, being the only talent there is. Talent means ability. Talent is the gifts that God, the Lord gives you of which every man has some talent. Every man has gifts. I think God puts them in at birth. He doesn't open up. Somebody says, oh, I got those gifts when I got saved. And that's when you used them for God's glory. Listen, Bill Clinton had a lot of gifts, but they sure wasn't used for the Lord. Amen. He had a lot of gifts, a lot of ability, but they weren't used for the Lord. Listen, you're using a lot of your gifts for yourself and for those around you, for your wife or your husband or whatnot. And rightfully so, but listen, the Lord wants to come first in your life. So come see me. That's the will of God. Bring me something. Bring me what? Bring me the talents. Bring me the ability. Just help me to do what I can do. You say, well, I can't sing. Don't have to be that, remember. It can be anything. Somebody said, well, I tell you what, I saw a piece of paper on the floor. You got ability to pick it up? God gave you that ability to use it. Come see me, bring me something, amen? I need a commode cleaning, amen? Or a plunger might be messed up and say, hey, the plunger's messed up. Brother Sherrill fixed it one day down there in the ladies' bathroom, amen? Wasn't that right, Brother Sherrill? Somebody called him in there and said something's going on. It took a major overhaul. It broke one Sunday morning completely loose. And I happened to have another one up there. I had to fix it one Sunday morning. come see me, bring me something. Let God, what ability He give you, use it for His glory. Use it for, sure that's to work for out there on the job. Sure it is to provide for your family, but listen, the will of God is to come see me and bring me something. What are you bringing Him? And then, and utilize for God's glory, that's really utilize for God's glory those gifts that he puts in you at birth when you really get saved, that's when they're really, and I believe when you stir and turn toward the Lord on the narrow way that leads to the straight gate, you begin to use those abilities that God give you for him and give him credit to whom credit is due. Then come see me not only bring tenderness and talent and also the time, but also bring him tithes. That's on the first day of the week. You see these radio preachers say, send me your tithe. God didn't say send the tithe. He said, bring me. He said, let every man on the first day of the week lay in store. That means you gotta assemble. You gotta assemble to get that. In other words, and I'll deal more with the tithes later, but that's what most people think about. And that's part of it, to get the gospel to the region beyond. You see, if we're not willing to do that, most of us would say, boy, I wanna claim Philippians 419. But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches and glory. If you're not really doing what the church at Thessalonica was doing, then you can't claim that promise. Now what were they doing? Well, the church at Thessalonica, Paul said, you gave to my needs more than once when I was on the mission field. You gave that I could continue. You gave that I can continue. Listen, you can't give anything till you've paid your tithe. And you can't pay your tithe till you assemble together. So a person that don't go to church, don't assemble together, don't pay tithes, is nothing but a God robber and no thief's gonna enter heaven. Amen? And so as a result, God's will is, come see me and bring me something. Bring me your tenderness. Bring me your talent. Bring me your time and bring me your tithes. That's the will of God. And if we'll pursue our course of action towards finding the written will of God for our lives and trying to do as best we can those things in our life, then we'll find the unwritten will of God will begin to open up. God'll speak to you in the night hour. He'll show you where you need to be and how you need to be and what you need to do in those areas that's unwritten. unwritten will of God for your life. See, may God help us to find the will of God. And the psalmist said, didn't just find it, he said, teach me to do thy will, O Lord. I'm afraid a lot of times we, not afraid, but I, I, I believe a lot of times we've got, we've got more, we know more of the will of God than we're And if we don't practice, don't attempt to do it, we're not going to get any further. We're not going to find that place right under the spout where the glory comes out. Amen. I'm talking about being in the divine, perfect, holy will of God for our lives. May God help us to find the will of God. and written will and pursue a course of action to do it. That's Paul's desire for the Hebrew saints, the Hebrew professors there in the book of Hebrews, and that's God's desire for us, and that's my desire for you, and may it be my desire for myself as well. May God help us. Now, sure we're gonna suffer, but oh, let's assemble and let's bring him something. kiss the sun lest he be angry. Lord teach us about those things that we might get closer and closer to that and be encouraged to keep on keeping on. As the times get worse out there, we'll have victory and be exhorted and encouraged and provoke one another to love, to keep on keeping on because the future is as bright. as the promises of God. Father, I plead the blood upon this place tonight, just asking that your will might be done. Help us to find the written will of God for our lives as we search the scripture. Know this is just part of the things we've mentioned, and then help us pursue that and continue in that, walking in your will, and Lord, pursuing that course of action, so that we'll know exactly the unwritten will of God for our lives. Boy, these young people need that to know who their mate's who, who they need to marry, know whether they, they, a job they need to hold down, what they need to stay with, where they need to go here or there, and do this and do that, whatever, Lord. There's just a lot of areas of the unwritten will of God. Whoa, we need to know, but we'll never know them to the perfection. unless we're willing to pursue a course of action to obey what you've wrote down for us to do, the will of God in our lives. Help us to live clean. Help us to forsake not the assembling of ourselves together. Help us to come see you and bring you something. And we'll thank you for what you do and praise you for it. But we ask it all in Jesus' name. For his sake, we do pray. Heads bowed, eyes closed, altars opened. Will you mind the Lord as she plays tonight?