All right, you may be seated.
The psalmist uses the past tense, Lord, thou hast been favorable
unto thy land. Thou hast brought back the captivity
of Jacob. You have already forgiven the
iniquity of thy people. You have covered their sin. You've
taken away all of your wrath. Turn us, O God, of our salvation. Won't you revive us again that
we may rejoice in thee? Certainly that's what happens
in revival. We come and are brought to a
place where we are a happy people and we are rejoicing The scripture
says, the Apostle Paul actually in the book of Philippians said,
rejoice. And again, I say rejoice. The psalmist prayed that God
would show mercy, that he would hear from heaven. And then the
psalmist said, I will hear what God the Lord will speak, for
he will speak peace unto his people and to his saints, but
let them turn not again to their folly. Revival. It means to relive, to live again. I was thinking this week and
having thoughts about today. My thoughts went along this line.
Were it not for grace, I would be of all men most miserable. I know that God has chosen the
foolish ones, the weak ones, and the base ones of this world,
ones who are so insignificant it is as if they never existed
at all, that no flesh should glory in his presence. I know that for myself. I know
that about myself. I would find fault with the Apostle
Paul who considered himself to be the chief of sinners, knowing
myself to be chief of sinners. Knowing myself as I do, I would
have to feel that he would have to take second place. But in the realization of my
sinfulness, I come to praise God for his grace and mercy even
more. For 53 years, this past January,
I have been longing for awakening, 53 years, maybe even beyond that
as a lad of 15, read of the great revivals of Whitefields and Wesley's
Day and how God literally came down and made himself known. And I have wanted that. I did
fear that it would never happen in my lifetime, but it has. You just said amen louder. It has. God is speaking to us. God is
making himself known. Jeremiah said there was no worse
judgment that could befall any land than for God not to speak. The worst thing that could happen
to you if you're here without Christ is for God not to speak
to you. The thief on the cross cried
out, remember me when you come into your kingdom, Lord. And
then there was a silence. And had there been no answer,
there would have been no hope. But Jesus spoke and said, today
thou shall be with me in paradise. Jeremiah 14, he asked this question,
why are you a stranger in the land? Jeremiah is known as the
weeping prophet. Why are you like a man who has
turned to stone? I have lived through a period
of time in 53 years where I felt that was true. Actually, approximately eight
years ago, and by the way, May 4th is the National Day of Prayer
here in our country. That's this coming Thursday.
There are many places across the land that you can meet and
pray with other folks. Their theme passage is, oh, Lord,
listen. Oh, Lord, forgive. Oh, Lord,
hear. And oh, Lord, act for your name's
sake. Oh, my God. Daniel 9 and verse
19. Seven or eight years ago. On
the steps of the Capitol. I prayed this prayer. And many
of you have heard me say many of the things in here. This church
is over 30 years old, so those of you who've been around have
heard me over and over and over talk about where we were as a
country. Years ago on the Niagara River,
there was a sign 400 yards upstream from the falls, a sign that read,
pass the redemption point. Eight years ago, I said, everyone
here today, here in the Capitol, knows the writing is on the wall.
May God unite and awake the American people. We are nearing past the
redemption point. In other words, that little sign
on the Niagara River simply meant this. When you get past this
point, you're going over the falls. And it looked to me as
if that's what was going to happen in this nation. And I have prayed,
and I believe God has heard. Now, I've already told you, I
take no merit for any of the 53 years or anything that has
happened. I have prayed in the Senate. I have prayed in the
House. I have prayed in Washington.
I prayed before small groups and large groups, acknowledging
the fact that we were a nation adrift. That day, seven, eight
years ago, I prayed, dear God, your presence is the great security
of our nation. We know that neither the wisest
constitution nor the wisest laws will secure America's liberties
without your presence. The government of God is the
only government which will hold America's society together, and
by his sustaining hand, writing his laws upon our hearts. We
acknowledge today that our most powerful weapons in peace and
war are our spiritual weapons. How would you like to consider
that God had deserted America, that we had an absentee God in
this nation with what's going on in North Korea. The great joy of my heart is
that God is with us. And I said, I pray today that
you will awaken the sleeping giant in this nation, the family
of God, the church, God's community. The church went to sleep. Obama
was not our greatest problem. Washington is not our greatest
problem. The greatest problem was with
a church that went to sleep. We acknowledge that we as a people
of moral principle have disengaged, silently drifted, withdrawn to
our padded church pews and out of the public square. Awake us
from our slumber. Grant to us an understanding
that we are nearing past the redemption point. Awake us from
our sleep and grant us courage to be engaged in the culture
in which we live. When I said these things in the
House of Representatives, I was hissed, and over 30 representatives
walked out. God, an absentee God. People didn't want to hear about
God. Our father never before in the history of our nation
have so many people been so confused about so many things. And never
before have the most atrocious ideas been advanced in the most
matter-of-fact manner, like selling baby parts. And the church slept. Arouse us from this slumber,
activate and engage us, send us a voice in this wilderness. Because the giant sleeps abortion
has been legalized, the Ten Commandments and prayer taken out of our schools,
our children are taught there is no creator, that they are
nothing more than the accidental formation of gas and dust. And
because they have no purpose, they are killing themselves and
one another. Because the giant sleeps, the
Ten Commandments have been taken from our schools and replaced
with police dogs and metal detectors. Oh God, awake the sleeping giant.
The family, the building block of a solid society, falls apart
in America. The giant sleeps in marriage
between a man and woman, teeter-totters on the brink. The giant sleeps
in drug addicts are put on disability, and welfare rolls grow along
with taxes. Charities have become places
of handouts, flop houses, and enablement places. While the
giant sleeps, the federal government has moved onto the church turf
and telling us what we can preach and what we cannot preach. And
so, all I'm saying is, for 53 years plus, I prayed for an awakening. Here on Friday night, we had
a ladies' prayer meeting. It was really good. It was really
good. And, I was observing from right up
there where you guys are sitting, because it was all women. But I was watching, Miss Pam
was our last speaker, and she said something that really startled
me. She said, I believe we are having
revival. And I said, oh my god. Have you
ever prayed for something and then God shake you and say, wake
up, stupid. I've answered your prayer. I have answered your prayer. Listen
to this. I read this headlines and laughed.
Trump cabinet members praying, studying the Bible together.
Huh? Members of President Donald Trump's
cabinet are gathering for prayer weekly. Vice President Mike Pence
and eight cabinet secretaries sponsor the sessions, which occur
weekly in Washington. It's led by the founder of Capitol
Ministries, Ralph Dollinger, who started working on arranging
the Bible study during the Trump team's transition to the White
House. Sponsors include Vice President
Pence, Secretary Betsy DeVos, Secretary
Ben Carson, Secretary Sonny Perdue, former Governor Rick Perry, Tom Price and Jeff Sessions,
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, and I really laughed about this,
CIA Director Mike Pompano. These are some of the most influential
people in U.S. government gathering weekly to
grow themselves spiritually. In terms of a country's health
and direction, when its leaders are seeking God, the nation is
in a position to be blessed by God in ways that are far more
abundantly beyond all that we ask or think. Can you imagine this happening
in the last eight years? Capitol Ministries also hosts
weekly Bible studies in the House and Senate. In the House and
Senate, Bible studies are taking place. This has been a wonderful time
of prayer and fellowship, as I am presently teaching through
the Sermon on the Mount, as well as handing out my weekly written
Bible study, Dullinger said. Prayer has been an evident part
of this administration with pastors often praying over President
Donald Trump throughout the campaign. Leaders of the Bible study say
President Donald Trump is fully aware and is always welcome to
join them in studying scripture and prayer. Isn't that something? I want you to know that this
pastor believes that we are in a time of awakening and revival. And I want to give you some reasons
why I believe it. I would just say, I don't want
to be very negative today, but I would just say this. Some left
us because of our stand with regard to draining the swamp.
But there was a swamp, and there is a swamp still in Washington. But God has sent us people to
lead this nation who know God. That's an answer to prayer. I want to give you three or four
reasons here why I believe that we are having this awakening,
why we're in the awakening itself. The first reason is, that I want
to give for being sure that we are in the beginning of revival.
And I say the beginning because gooder things are yet to come.
Better things are yet to come. Because our God is able to do
exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think. When
I hear that 33,000 young people lost their lives to heroin last
year and they're predicting 51,000 to die this year. That there are 5 million children
in this nation being raised by their grandmother because their
mothers are addicts. I'm overwhelmed sometimes with
the problems that we are facing until I am fully assured that
God is on the scene and he can open the Red Sea. It can cause
people to walk on water. So hang on to your seat. You're
going to see great things happen in the future. We are seeing
a fundamental truth. coming back, and it's simply
this, that the Bible is the inspired word of God, and people are reading
their Bibles. People are carrying their Bibles.
I noticed Friday night as I was sitting up there, well over 100
women here praying and singing praise to God. I didn't see one
without a Bible. The Bible, you see, is our only
rule of faith and practice. Our only rule of faith and practice. We preach the Bible. The Bible
does not simply contain the Word of God. It is the Word of God,
inspired by God. All scripture is given by inspiration
of God and is profitable. Think about this. Holy men of
old penned the word of God as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. As they were moved by the Holy
Spirit. The Holy Spirit, penning the
Bible, wrote of Christ. In the Old Testament, the Christ
who was coming. In the New Testament, the Christ
who came. The Christ who died, the Christ
who arose, the Christ who ascended, the Holy Spirit wrote all of
that. And you'll never learn of Christ
till you open your Bible. Get you a Bible. We're soon going
to have our book room open again. I'm going to order all kinds
of Bibles that you can purchase back there at a great price,
wholesale. Get you one. in Josiah's day. You remember
Josiah the young king, when they were cleaning out the house of
God, they found this dusty old book. They found the Bible. And young Josiah commanded that
it be read. And there was a tremendous awakening
that took place in Josiah's day. Listen to me now, maybe a bit
negative. I am constantly on guard. In
fact, to some degree, I am troubled and moved and in thought every
day, sometimes almost in a trance, as I consider Grace Gospel Fellowship
and Grace Centers of Hope and the epidemic that's taking place
in our country. Finding out how We ought to be
led in what we ought to do. Making sure I'm on guard, making
sure that the gospel is first, and that we preach the gospel
of God's free and sovereign grace. The only answer. Amen should have been louder
than that. Social science has crept into
the church, and Aristotle has been walking the aisles of our
churches, and he's heard more than the voice of the Apostle
Paul. The philosophies of this world
are all vain. The gospel is the power of God
under salvation. And I want to tell you this too,
probably Many of you have in your house and on your bookshelves
self-help books. There is one book that will really
help you. It's called the B-I-B-L-E, the
Bible. Get you some of Spurgeon's sermons
and read them. Get you a John Gill commentary,
get you a Matthew Henry commentary and read them. Jeremiah 8, 9
says, the wise men are ashamed. They are dismayed and taken low. They have rejected the word of
the Lord and what wisdom is in them. You don't need a psychologist
altogether. You need Christ. You need Christ. Look at our feeble attempt to
solve this heroin problem. You can die three times in a
night and get a shot and come back to life and use again. You
think that's the answer? How about this? You must be born
again. You must become a new creature
in Christ Jesus. My friends, for 53 years now,
I have spoken in hundreds of churches, usually only once. I used to say, I've been thrown
out of more churches than you have bars. Say, well, pastor, I can't believe
that. Believe it. I experienced it. Foxport, Kentucky, I was preaching
at First Baptist Church. The pastor got up while I was
preaching and said, this meeting is over. And a group of people,
my friends who were there, surrounded me and helped me get from the
pulpit to the front door and out to my car. The gospel is offensive, but
it's the power of God unto salvation. But I want to say this about
the Bible. This nation is not gospel hardened. It's gospel ignorant. Do you
know the heart of the gospel is this? And Tuesday, this is
the sermon I will preach at Allison's funeral. How God is just and
justifier of the ungodly. Do you know how God can be just
and take a scuzzbag like you all the way to heaven and not
get himself dirty? You're always out to answer when
asked, are you dirty? Yes, but I've been saved by the
grace of God. Really, we don't have to drop
anybody in here to find out whether they're dirty or not. The Bible
already says we're all dirty. but the old gospel is making
a gigantic comeback. I'm telling you, this old preacher
is absolutely amazed at what I'm hearing on internet. I watched
on Facebook today, an African-American pastor preaching. This is no
little Jesus. This is a big Jesus, a powerful
Jesus. I listened to that praise. I
had church before I got here. The gospel is coming back. The
word of God is being proclaimed. People are getting their Bibles.
People are reading their Bibles. It's an awesome thing. That's
number one. Throw yourself, help, books away
and get you a Bible. Read how bad you are and how
good God is to reach down into the miry clay and save a person
like you. I know revival is upon us because
people are coming to know God, and this is eternal life. I flat
out ask you this, do you know God? This is eternal life, that you
might know God, John 17. Do you know God, or do you know
about God? Do you know about the big guy
upstairs? Do you know God? Do you have a personal relationship
with God? That's the great question. I
have often been told this when preaching the doctrines of grace
in churches. That's not my God. That's why, for the most part,
I only get one shot. I'm not asked back. That's not
my God. If I said, do you know Donald
Trump? Yes, he weighs about 140 pounds. He has real dark hair, very neatly
combed. I go, that's not Donald Trump
that I know. In other words, I might ask you,
tell me about your God. Well, you might say something
like this. Well, he wants, he's trying, He's done all he can. He would like to if you would
only let him. He'd really be a good God if
you will cooperate. I'd go, that's not my God. That's
not the God of the Bible. You know, preachers, I found
out this lately too, that there is a real movement of young preachers
who are proclaiming the attributes of God. preaching the attributes of God,
like the wrath of God. You know, God's angry with the
wicked every day. Do you know that God is a God of holiness? That God is holy, holy, holy? That God is of pure eyes than
to look upon sin? And so there is a tremendous
dilemma when you start talking about God is angry about sin
and God is righteous and God is holy. There is a huge uh-oh,
I'm in trouble because I'm not holy. I'm not righteous. It shuts you up to the need of
a savior. The wrath of God, the sovereignty
of God, the justice of God. What about the sovereignty of
God? You know. Now, maybe you won't like this,
but God's people will rejoice in this. God has a right to save
you or damn you. God doesn't owe you. Don't be
talking about, well, I just want what I deserve. You're lying
through your teeth. You don't want what you deserve. God can pass you by and still
be God. God doesn't have to stop and
talk to you. I think one of the greatest passages
in the scriptures where the blind man cried out, oh, thou son of
David, have mercy. And the disciples said, shh,
be quiet. He doesn't have time for you.
And the Bible says he cried out the louder. Oh, thou son of David,
have mercy. Pass me not, oh gentle Savior,
while on others thou art calling. Do not pass me by. That's the
teaching of Scripture, that God is sovereign. For years in the church service,
it's been an hour in church services across our land, it's been an
hour of idolatry. You did not know who the preacher
was talking about, whether it was Santa Claus or Yahweh. It
ought to be clear that here we have come into this house and
gathered in his name to worship him. I heard the story of Dr. Parker
and Mr. Spurgeon both pastored at the
same time in London, England. Two young preachers went to Dr.
Parker's church And he was such an orator and had such a great
vocabulary. And they left saying, what a
great preacher. The next Sunday, they went to
Spurgeon's Tabernacle, the Metropolitan Tabernacle. And as they left,
they were heard saying, what a great savior. Did you get that? There is a difference between
a great preacher and a great Savior. I know this, I'm not
a great preacher, but I tell you I have a great Savior. I know we are in awakening mode
because man's depravity is being preached. A knowledge of self-centership
is key to evangelism. I can't, I have nothing to offer
you unless you're in a mess. Amen. Paul spent the first three chapters
of the book of Romans putting all men under condemnation. You are under condemnation. All have sinned and missed the
mark. Jews are sinners Gentiles are
sinners and then he gets to Romans 3 there is none righteous No,
not one all have sinned and missed the mark. Oh Condemned yeah,
you're condemned You're going to die you're going to face God
you need a Savior a Redeemer a Isn't this amazing? God made
him to be sin for us. He who knew no sin, that we might
be made the righteousness of God in him. I'm getting happy
now. How awesome is that? How wonderful
is that? God took my sins and put them
on Jesus Christ, and then God punished him. God crushed him
in my room, stead, and place. We're living in a day, or have
been in the past, we've lived in a day of gospel deduction. Christ tried to, Christ wants
to, God would like to, than this his name shall be called Jesus
for he shall save his people from their sins God in Christ
Jesus did not try and does not try to save you he did not attempt
to make an atonement for your sins he walked into the slave
market of sin and paid the price in full for you And there is therefore now no
condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus. I personally, as you know, have
set myself to this, Christ in Him crucified. I will know nothing
among you. You can just count on this. If
the old man is preaching on Sunday, he's going to lift up the Lord
Jesus Christ. He's going to point to the Lamb
of God. He's going to say he is the propitiation
for our sins. What God did on that tree is
so amazing to me. Even more so, after 53 years
of preaching, I want to lift him up higher. I study, I think,
I contemplate, how can I get you high on Sunday morning? Yeah,
how can I get you high? How can I lift him up where you're
going, praise God. Thank you, Lord, for saving my
soul. Thank you, Lord, for making me
whole. Thank you, Lord, for giving to
me salvation so rich and free. And when I think that God, his
son not sparing, sent him to die, I scarce can take it in
that on the cross my burden gladly bearing, He bled and died to
take away my sin. Then sings my soul, my Savior
God to thee, how great thou art. My sin, oh, the bliss of this
glorious thought. My sin not in part, but the whole
is nailed to his cross and I bear it no more. It is well, it is
well with my soul. I know awakening is happening
because the truth of regeneration is being proclaimed. Everything
is dead in here this morning without the Holy Spirit blowing
on these dry bones. You're not going to listen to
me. Dead in sins and trespasses. It's true. You will yawn, act
like you have to go to the bathroom and get up and leave and come
back. Sit in the back vestibule for a while. Because you don't
want to be here. But if the Holy Spirit's here,
He's walking the aisles of this church. The truth is, if my poor
voice is the only voice you hear this morning, you will leave
here none the better. But if in the providence of God,
through my voice, you hear the voice of God speaking to you. how awesome it is to know. You
know, I'm telling you flat out, if I did not believe what I'm
preaching today, I wouldn't come over here. You can't save a drug
addict. You can't save a sinner. There's
no man that can do that. I would have given up a long
time ago, except I have this hope, salvation is of the Lord
from first to last. And what a mess has happened
over the years. You know, I have witnessed so
many church splits and mess. I think there's an awakening
about the church, at least in my own heart. There's been a
lot of ignorance with regard to the doctrine of the nature
of the church. You know, the Bible says Christ gave his life
for the church. Well, I know some of you right
now are thinking, Oh yeah, I'm a Catholic, I'm a Baptist. I'm
not talking about that. I'm not talking about denomination.
I'm talking about poor, ignorant sinners who have been saved by
His grace and they come together. I mean, look at us, aren't we
a motley crew? I mean, just look at us. Here
we are in the inner city. Do you know People told me this
for years. You're never going to get anybody
to come over there to Pontiac. Why don't you start a church in downtown
Birmingham? They've got enough. I wasn't
interested in starting or building another building. I was trying to find some big
centers that need a big savior. That's what I was trying to do. Let me ask you this, this maybe
will get my point across about the church. Have you ever met
a stranger, let's say for instance on a plane, this has happened
to me umpteen times, not necessarily on a plane, but just happened
to me in life, where I met somebody I had never met before, never
seen before, and began to converse with them and found out I loved
them. Some of you know what I mean,
don't you? They were a child of God. And the more we talked,
the closer we got to acknowledging I'm a Christian. I've even met
people who haven't said that and thought in my own heart and
spirit, I know you. You're one of his. And my spirit
bear witness with their spirit that they were a child of God. I've even met people that I believe
had not as yet professed faith in Christ, and I've said to myself,
that's one of his. They're going to be coming to
Christ sooner or later. It's just a matter of time. Amen. The problem with preachers and
pastors is, and let me tell you this. In here, if you know Christ,
Christians love each other. We do. We may not like each other
all the time, but we love each other. The centrality of Jesus
Christ. Miss Pam used to tell me that.
I love you, but sometimes I don't like you. I understand that. Here's the problem. A pastor cannot satisfy the goats
that are in the church. Goats live on tin cans. They
eat weeds and thistles. But a child of God has to have
sheep food. And I think many times pastors
have to cater or try to cater to wicked people. trying to keep
wicked people together. We spend a fortune trying to
disciple goats. You cannot disciple a goat. There's one thing that we have
in common, whether you're a Methodist, a Catholic, a Presbyterian, or
even a Baptist. When you say, I'm a believer
in the Lord Jesus Christ, We all say this, can I hug you?
Or put her there, my friend. My brother, my sister in Christ.
It's just true. It's automatic. You love the
Christ that's in them. You do. Two things about the bride of
Christ. Number one, the bride of Christ
is looking for Christ. If you're here today and a Christian,
what is happening right now on your inside? Man, that was such a great savior
he was talking about today. You're looking for Christ. Maybe
you came over here for the first time as a Christian, you were
kind of leery about coming over here, but you're here and you're
going like this. I have found him whom my soul
loveth. He was there this morning. Who
would have ever thought over there in that inner city church
with all of those, who would have ever thought? Two things about the bride of
Christ. They are seekers of the Lord. That's why you can't be satisfied
in a goat church. That's why you can't be satisfied
without the gospel. You've got to be somewhere where
the gospel is. You've got to be. And the second thing is this,
all God's people long to be holy. For years and years and years
and years, you know, for years and years and years, I really
was taught that what your security is your sanctification if you
don't drink or smoke pot or you know you don't dance or you don't
wear certain clothes or you you know you do this or that and
if you don't do and it was mostly what you don't do and What messed me up was, I was
doing all of the things, maybe not outwardly, but all the things
they were saying don't do, I was doing and wanting to do on the
inside, because in my flesh dwells no good thing. So if you start
looking for holiness, the truth is this, you wanna be holy, but
I'm gonna tell you this, I'm gonna tell you this, you're not
looking at a holy man. And my flesh draws no good thing.
But you're also looking at a man that wants to be so very bad.
I want to be without sin. I don't want to think the things
I think. I don't. I want to be holy like
him. Well, you know, you ought to
preach against adultery. There's no Christian in here
that knows they shouldn't be committing adultery. You ought
to tell people, you ought to, you, let me read you something.
I know they're behind me, but let me, let me see if I can,
real quick. Let's go to the book of Jeremiah. Let me see if I can, Jeremiah,
chapter 31. I'm going to read verse 31. Behold, the days come, saith
the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah. Not according to the covenant
that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by
the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, which my covenant
they break, although I was a husband unto them, saith the Lord. But
this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of
Israel after those days, saith the Lord. I will put my law in
their inward parts and write it in their hearts. and will
be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall
teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying,
Know the Lord, for they shall all know me, from the least of
them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord. For I will forgive
their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. When God saves
you, your heart is different. You hate, what you once loved
and love what you once hated. It's true. It's true. This last thing, this is so important
to me. I know awakening is here because
I see God's order of family coming back. Home and marriage is so
important. It's God's ordained way. People
are getting married here at Grace Church a lot. That's good. I'm
always ready to perform that ceremony. I've experienced revival in this
area. And I have, in the past, not
been good about this. So I'm going to confess to you.
In the early days, I was so self-righteous, not nearly as self-righteous
now as I was back then, but I used to say, God is first, and then
this church, And you know, I had a long list
of things. And then I would say to Pam, and then you're in there
somewhere, you know. And I'll tell you, if I'd have
been her, I don't know whether I'd stuck around. Now I actually
feel this way. People ask me what I do. I'm
always hesitant to, you know, meet somebody and go, so what
do you do? I'm always telling them I'm a
preacher because people act funny when you tell them you're a preacher.
They start to act all weird and become Bible thumpers and start
talking about God. How about it be this way? Well,
first, let me tell you, I'm a husband. And then, second, I'm a father. Listen, guys. And then, I preach
a little on the side. Genesis 18-19 says this to us, guys. For I know him that he will command
his children and his household after him, and they shall keep
the way of the Lord to do justice and judgment, that the Lord may
bring upon Abraham that which he had spoken of him. And I want
to say to every male in here, this is God's divine order. And
I know in this revival that we are beginning to enter into,
men are gonna get saved and become great husbands. And great fathers. You wanna
know to a great degree why the world got into this mess? Because
men lost their way. I can tell you this, guys, and
I can promise you this, that across the street and in this
church, tremendous emphasis is going to be put on teaching men
to be God's men, in God's way, doing God's thing, and one of
the first things is leadership in the home. It's true. Somebody the other day asked
me about Sunday school and youth meetings, and we are planning
things here. But I got to thinking about it.
I, to some degree, have a father vacuum, to some degree. My dad was a Baptist pastor,
and we had our disagreements about many theological things. So I never preached in his church
for 30 some years, he died. They wouldn't let me get in the
pulpit, so I had to stand in front of his casket to speak.
So I know a little bit, but here's what I do know. I know how important
dads are. I do know that. Beyond any shadow
of a doubt, I know that. And you know, I was thinking
the other day, before youth meetings, and before Sunday school meetings,
How about dads becoming godly dads and teaching their children
and raising their children in the nurture and admonition of
the Lord? I say to all of you guys who are dad and you have
a daughter, you're the most important person in their life. You're
the most important person in their life. In fact, little girls
fall in love with dad usually. And when dad isn't there, there
is a tremendous vacuum What would happen in this nation? What would
happen here in Pontiac if every male in here became all that
God had for them to be? This city would be turned upside
down. Get you a Bible. Find out how
to be a dad. Find out how to be a husband. And you know, every wedding I
perform, I always say this. Now guys, what the Bible says
is husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church, but
husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge. You know what that
means? That means you guys don't have a clue about a female. You don't have a clue, so you
have to study her. You better study her. Cause she's going to say things
like this. I want a new couch, but I don't
want you working nearly as much as you work. And so you're going
to go like this, huh? I say, I got to make money to
buy a couch, but you want me home, huh? That's what I'm talking
about. Study her. You know, next year, Her Majesty
and I, Miss Pam that I treated so bad in the early years, we'll
be married 50 years. And there's not a week that goes
by except I say, what does she want? Because I don't get it. And that's all right. I'm a male.
She's a female. We're different. Aren't you glad,
guys? Aren't you glad that we're different? Amen. I see all you lovebirds
up in the balcony. You better be listening to me.
The old pastor's giving you some good advice. Study her. You think right now, you're getting
ready to get married, you think you know. Oh boy. Let's stand and praise our God
and give Him glory and honor.