Y'all done an amazing job once again. We're thankful for, as we said in the out start, we're thankful for our young people. They do a tremendous job around here. Thankful for those that help them and support them, that teach them, lead them, and guide them. And never a dull moment. Grady Ramey, a.k.a. Tater. If you don't remember that one, that was a good one. Caught me off guard. All right. 1 John, chapter number one. If you have your Bible, slip over with us quickly and briefly. I trust that everybody had a wonderful Thanksgiving, enjoyed family time, and know that we did we've been busy running around but it was good to see everybody good to spend some time with everybody just asked you pray with uh pray for us uh just briefly for a few minutes here first john chapter one um this is familiar scripture nothing new or nothing different I got a little thought that I want to leave with you but if you want to read along with us we'll start reading in verse number 5 1st John chapter 1 verse number 5 the scripture reads this then is the message which we have heard of him and declare unto you that God is light and in him is no darkness at all If we say that we have fellowship with Him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another in the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us. My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not, and if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous. And he is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. And hereby we do know that we know him if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word in him, verily is the love of God perfected. Hereby know that we are in him. And we believe that'd be all that the Lord have us to read in your hearing this morning. God would richly add his blessing to the reading of his word, certainly this morning. But if we had a thought, and I may have preached on this here before, I'm not entirely sure, nor does it matter, but there's stages of our salvation. I use that word guarded and carefully because I believe that once we are saved by the grace of God, once we confess our sins by faith, by grace, we are saved, we are purged and sealed until the day of redemption. But what are we saved from? And I'm glad that through the scripture and through the understanding of the entirety of the Word of God that we understand that we are saved from sin, which in essence is from ourselves, from our humanity, from our transgressions, from our iniquities, from everything that we've ever thought in our minds, everything we've ever conceived in our heart is all washed and under the blood of Jesus Christ. And as we understand this and as we begin to understand through the Word of God, as we walk through our daily lives and sometimes we feel like that our fellowship is hindered or maybe that our relationship with Jesus Christ is not as close today as it once was years ago. And we understand through the reading of this scripture right here that it's because when we break fellowship with Christ, it's because of the sin that we've inflicted upon ourselves. And the Bible teaches us that if we want repentance and if we want righteousness, if we want glorification in our lives, The Bible tells us that we should approach Him. Listen, as we understand, listen, we read in verse number 8, it says, if we say that we have no sin, what does it say? We deceive ourselves. And the truth is not in us. But I love verse number 9, because verse number 9 brings to us a sense of joy, a sense of peace, and not only that, but a sense of living. If we confess our sins, He is faithful. Amen? So we understand this, that it does not matter what transgression we have committed. It does not matter where it's a thought or something that we've literally conceived within ourselves, but we understand if we confess our sin, He is faithful to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all, A-double-L, of our unrighteousness. So we know that if we seek the will of God, if we understand who He is to us, then we know that we can have a blessed, glory-filled, holy life. Amen? And a lot of times I think, and listen, there's a lot of people that are judged on their words, but I can assure you of this, I can make you this promise, that a pastor, a preacher, whatever you want to refer to them, whatever you want to call them, There's nobody in the world's words will be judged as close as a man that stands behind the pulpit. And listen, you have a variety of people, you have a variety of thoughts, of understandings and interpretations, and nobody's words will ever be harshly or more cruelly judged than a pastor's, amen? So I want you to listen to everything I'm telling you, amen? Listen, if you want joy, you want understanding, if you want peace in your life, the one thing you are required to do through the Word of God is not do what I tell you to do, but it is to read the Word of God. It is to study. It is to pray. The Bible says to pray without ceasing 2nd Timothy 2 and 15 he said study to show yourself approved under God a workman that neither thought be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth and Romans chapter 12 he said I beseech you brethren by the mercies of God I listen that you present your bodies a living sacrifice holy and acceptable on the Lord which is your reasonable service and be not conformed to this world but be you transformed by the renewing of your mind Amen? I've listened. He said, let this mind, in the book of Philippians, he said, let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. The earphone's not working today. I apologize. So listen, what we must understand is that it's not somebody else's responsibility for you to have a best life. It is your responsibility. And if you want to enjoy the goodness of God, then it is your responsibility to claim what is yours. Amen? But so often today we've transpired. Listen, we don't want to think for ourselves. We don't want to take, listen, we don't want to take any responsibility. We want it to be the responsibility of somebody else, but that is not the way the Word of God is set up. The Word of God is, listen, it is for every single born again believer. It's not just for me, it's for you. Embrace it. The Bible tells us that the Word of God is sweet to the mouth and bitter to the belly. Why? Because, listen, the Bible tells us we can read, we can read and we can understand the Bible. Jesus spoke to them in many different places, in many different parables. Obviously, he said, where much is given, much is also required. Well, preacher, I didn't sign up for this. Well, I didn't either. Amen? But what God has laid on us, the Bible tells us this one thing. He's made us this one promise. He would not put more on us than we can bear, amen, but will with the temptation also, also make a way of escape, amen. So listen, if we find ourselves in a fashion of our lives that we say that preacher, I found myself in a place, young people, I want you to listen to me because I found myself in this place. And listen, I tried for years and years and years to blame somebody else. I tried to blame circumstances. I tried to blame a broken home. I tried to blame a movie. I tried to blame everything that was possible. Everything I could get my hands on. I tried to push the blame. But listen, I finally came to the realization as a 19-year-old man, listen, it wasn't everybody else's fault. It was my fault. Amen? And once we come to the understanding, it's not, listen, we are not a product of our circumstances. I want you to look at me in the eye. We are not a product of our circumstances. Amen. Listen to me. We're a preacher. Listen, I didn't have no other choice. My mama and daddy was both alcoholics. Therefore, no, we are not products of our circumstances. Why? Because of the grace of God. Amen. You are a product of your choices. You can be whatever you choose to be. Now is it hard to break away from those things? Absolutely. But I am glad today, listen to me, listen, I'll say this, and I don't mean to offend when I say this, so don't get mad at me there once again when I say this. But I want to put it out there, because of my circumstances, I made choices in my life. Listen, my family is not going to be broken. Amen? Amen. Preacher, how can you possibly say those things? We can't control what other people do. Listen, if we pray and put things in the hand of the Lord, amen, he can overshadow his blessings upon his people. Amen. You know what Satan told the Lord about Job? He said, I can't touch him because your head is around him. Amen. Mamas and daddies, you say, well, I can't guard my children from everything. Glory to God. You can pray a hedge around them. Amen. There's one interesting thing about Job. Listen, I'll tell you, it scares me to death to even preach on Job. But I want you to notice one thing, because it's probably the most important aspect of what Job, of what the lesson that the scripture was trying to teach us about Job. Did he lose his family? Yes. Did he lose his money? Yes. But now listen to this. And we've got to look at this from Old Testament days and the implications of these things. What is the very first thing that Satan took from him? He took his animals. Why is that important? Because those were sacrifices. What were sacrifices good for? That is how he prayed. See, Satan didn't attack his family and his money and his mind. He took his prayer life from him. And when he took his prayer life from him, Job couldn't find his hedge anymore. And this, when he couldn't find his head, is when he started questioning everything around him. His wife came to him and said, curse God and die. His good buddies. Ain't you glad we got a bunch of good buddies like Job had come around and tell us everything that we've ever done wrong? Listen, they just want to point accusation at us and accuse us and tell us how sorry and worthless and destitute we are. That's a good bunch of friends, ain't it? It's about what the church is turned into. Amen. We like to talk about each other more than we like to help and pray for one another. I don't need constant reminding of how bad I am. You know, when I was 19 year old, I'm glad that little Luther Williams slid his arms around my waist and got up in my ear and he said, son, Jesus loves you. I knew how bad I was. But I'm glad somebody reminded me that my savior loved me more than I loved my sin. Amen. His friends came and Job finally broke down and he cried out and he said, God, why are you doing this to me? And we have two chapters of questions. God spoke. Where were you when I formed the earth? Where were you when I hung the stars in the heaven? Where were you when I gave the moon her glory? Where were you when I gave the sun its light? Amen. Two chapters of questions in which Job was absolutely speechless. So listen, If you want things taken care of, it is our response. Listen to this. We think that this only applies to the preachers, and it only applies to the deacons. And for the most part, we as the church, we've set this thing up this way, that the pastor is elevated above the lay member. Listen, I'm just a servant. Don't you understand that? I am just a servant. I am nothing more or bigger than you are. My crown will be the same size as yours. And you know what we're both going to do? We're both going to cast it at the feet of Jesus because none of us are worthy, but yet he is. So quit elevating people. You know what you're trying to do when you elevate people? You're trying to take responsibility off yourself and cast it on somebody else. You take ownership of your life. You take ownership of your blessings. Amen? God restored unto Job the Bible said tenfold when bad things come listen I have heard it said it at funerals time and time again I've had it I've had people I've heard advice passed on never questioned the Lord Matthew chapter 27, the fifth of the seven utterances which was on the cross, Jesus declared, which is to be interpreted, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Amen. Listen, do not offer, listen, inexcusable advice. Amen. Don't tell somebody to never question the Lord when the Son of God himself asked God why. Amen. But, but, but listen. Now let's rewind this. What did Christ tell Pilate? Pilate said, knowest thou not that I have the power to kill thee? He said, thou hast no power, lest it be given thee from the Father which is above, amen. He said, knowest thou not that I have 12 legions of my 76,000 angels at my beck and call? I could come down and call me away from this right now and utterly destroy everything that you understand, know, think, or see. So even in his moment of questioning, he did not give up. Why? He didn't come down off the cross. He didn't call the angels. Amen? He didn't call the angels. He stayed the course and finished the salvation plan for you and I, even though he offered up questions. So my reasoning behind saying this is, it's okay to question, but it's not okay to doubt. You see, if Christ had doubted that God was not gonna finish what he had started, then he would have came down off the tree. Don't you understand that? Then he would have called the angels. Then we would all be bound for hell. But he didn't doubt God's plan, he just questioned why does this have to come upon me? What did Jesus ask? Listen, y'all looking at me like I got four eyes. I promise you it's in the Bible. What did Jesus, listen, when he went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray, listen, we have made this thing out to believe that I'm preaching something sacrilegious, but what did Jesus say when he was in the Garden of Gethsemane? He said, Father, let this cup pass from me. But nevertheless, not my will but thine be done. Amen? He did not want to suffer the things he was going to suffer. He was still in the flesh. What was he showing by questioning? What was he showing by saying, God remove this? He was showing what inabilities? My inability, Stevie. He wasn't showing who he was, Bill. He was showing who I am. Amen? Because I've been to the garden, Kevin, and I would not drink of the cup. Listen, I was on the cross, Stevie, and I came down. because I'm a wicked, sinful man. But I'm glad in all of my inadequacies. Amen? When I said, Father, remove the cup, he said, nevertheless, let me drink it. Amen? And when I said, Father, let me come down from the tree, he said, hold me by your love. You see, he covered. You want to talk about what it means to be saved? He covered, enclosed, you cannot see our inadequacies anymore. He covers them by His blood. That's when we read this and we say, this then is the message which we have heard of him and declare unto you that God is light. Listen to this, and in him is no darkness at all. Amen? What does the Bible say in 1 John chapter 1? In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him. Without Him there's nothing made that is made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shined into the darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not. In Him is light. There is no darkness at all. Let's think about that for a minute. If we are in him and he is in us, he is light and there is no darkness in him. Let's rewind that. I am in him, he is in us, In Him there is no darkness but light only. That means that we are full of light. Amen? And if we are full of light, then those secret things that we think are hidden are in reality in the light. Listen, we think that they're hidden. We think that they're secret. We think that they're not exposed. But in reality, if we're truly born again, if He is in us and we are in Him, He is light, and in them there is no darkness, then we are entirely exposed. and glory to God being entirely exposed, we are now covered by the grace of God. You see that deep, dark, hidden chamber of my heart that locks away the most vile sins that this body and this mind has ever comprehended or acted upon. The things I don't want anybody else to know about. in the light. John thank God they're in the light because if they're in the light that he has covered them. You see if they're still hidden then you're not saved. Amen? What are you talking about preacher? If you've never repented of everything, then you've never been forgiven of everything. So you can't hold on to it a little bit. You've got to turn it all loose. The Bible says, confess our faults one to another. But listen to this, it said, confess your sins, God. Amen? I don't need to know your sin, that ain't my business. Amen? That's between you and God. If you want forgiveness, you must seek Him. Amen? Listen, let's read on. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship. Listen to this. But if we walk in the light, it's his in the light. So listen, there comes a point in time in my life when everything that was in the darkness that I wanted shielded and I wanted hid, all of a sudden I wanted them in the light. You remember Adam? What did the Bible say about God and Adam? They were friends. Amen? And the Bible says that after Adam and Eve had sinned and they had taken the forbidden fruit and they had disobeyed the command of God, the Bible said that they hid themselves and they covered themselves in fig leaves because they'd seen their nickings. And the Bible said in the cool of the evening that God came looking for Adam, he said, Adam, Adam, where art thou? Listen to me, folks. God is not some big ominous thing that hangs out in the middle of the abyss somewhere that sometimes preachers preach about him like he's just untouchable. My God is not untouchable. My God is a friend to what, Kevin? He's a friend to sinners, Tommy. Amen? Listen, they came to him and they said, listen, why are you eating with those that are sick? Why are you dwelling with the winebibbers? And why are you dwelling with those that are, listen, eat up with diseases and lame and walk and blind? He said, they that are whole have no need of a physician. Amen? but I'm glad God's my friend amen I'm glad Kevin's my friend listen I believe I could call him at any hour of the day or night no matter the circumstance Now it'd be a two-hour conversation once you got there about why in the world did you need me right now, but he wouldn't question the authority or the request to come. But what I want to say is I'm glad that we have a friend in Jesus. Amen. Do you understand the implications of a friend? Who is Jesus? The second person of the Trinity, the incarnate of God. The Bible called him Emmanuel, the great high priest. Amen. The Bible said that he was the bright and the morning star. The Bible said he was the elder son of the chief justice. Amen. The Bible said that he was a great high priest. The Bible said that he was a bright and morning star. The Bible said he was the king of kings and lord of lords. The Bible said upon his thigh was written a name which no man could ever assume. Amen. Upon his breast covered all the children of God. That is my friend. the Bible said in Romans chapter number 8 that we are adopted heirs and join heirs with Jesus Christ. Amen. Not only is he my free and choice, he is my blood brother. And listen to me, I know this is getting long, but it sure is getting good. You know, Joseph was a type of Jesus. His brothers hated him. Haven't you hated the Lord? Haven't you tried to bury him? Haven't you tried to run from him at some point in time in your life? You see, they've done the same thing to Joseph. They sold him off, told his father that he's dead. Nevertheless, over generations, Joseph went back to Egypt, became second in command. Amen? And all of a sudden, all of a sudden, one day, his brothers came coming up the road with an empty beaten wagon because they were hungry and they needed a friend. And you know who was there? Their brother that they didn't even recognize, but Joseph recognized him immediately. Hey man, listen, he said, I want you to go back and get your youngest brother and bring him back over here. He said, when you come back the next time, bring your daddy with you. And all of a sudden, the boy that had dreamed dreams and wore the coat of many colors, which his brothers denied, shunned, hated, sold into slavery and counted him for dead. Sounds an awful lot like Jesus, don't it? Amen. But then we find him, he is the second person of the Trinity. And all of a sudden, we that had sold him off, we that had counted him unworthy, all of a sudden when we need and we need substance. The Bible says we can come to him which is the water of life and which is the bread of life. Ain't you glad there's been a way made for a friend? A lot of people may not like the way I preach this. I'm not preaching anything unholy. But a lot of times we've made God something that is so far away and so big and so untouchable. But it's just a myth to most folks. But I want you to understand, He wore the flesh that I wore. He wore the flesh that you wore. He thought the things that you think. He smelled the things that you've smelled. He saw the things that you have seen. He's heard the things that you hear on a daily basis. And listen, what is the most glorious thing is He's known these things and He's covered these things. And he said, come unto me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. That is a friend. When we find that we've sinned against him, we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not is. What is the first step to repentance? You first gotta admit that you're a sinner. Do you think Psalms 51 would have any relevance to you and I today if it hadn't started out when David said, God, against thee and thee only have I sinned? Huh? Look at me. David didn't blame it on Bathsheba. Amen? David didn't blame it on Uriah. David did not blame it on Elisha. He did not blame it on Nathan. He didn't blame it on the Word of God. He said, God, against you and you only have I sinned. So the first step to repentance is first admitting that you are a sinner. Preach these next two verses and I'm going to be done. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. There's something here this morning that is broken fellowship between you and God. I didn't say that you could get saved again, but I said that you can restore your fellowship with him. And to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar and his word is not innocent. Remember what I said a minute ago, if there's still a dark place in your heart, there's still a dark place in your heart. According to the word of God, not what I say, amen? These are not my words, this is what the word of God said, amen? Said if you say that you have no sin, that you make him a liar. And the truth is, listen, the truth, the Bible doesn't say that the truth is not in Him. The Bible said the truth is not in you. What did Jesus say in John 14, 6, I am the way, the truth, the life. O man, come unto the Father, lest he come by me. Well, if you want the truth in you, you have to have the truth in Him. Hey man, stand to your feet this morning. I don't know your hearts, I don't know where you stand with the Lord. Y'all want to come with a song, if you would, listen to me. I love everybody that makes this building up, but I want to be clear with you about one thing. It is not my life's responsibility. It is not my obligation, nor is it my desire. to make sure that you are satisfied where you stand. My purpose is to make sure that you are satisfied with your relationship. I am satisfied. I'm happy in Jesus. I just want you to be happy. Jesus. And it's easy. We say that we have no sin, the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he's faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us of our trespasses and forgive us of all unrighteousness. But listen, it's entirely up to you if you want to be blessed. you want to be happy, if you want peace, if you want joy, you can have it, but you have to do something about it. Why are we saying